Unbelievable. 2011 is half over, and I haven't begun to read the new books I wanted to. Somehow I got side-tracked into reading classics like Edith Wharton's House of Mirth, Anthony Trollope's Can You Forgive Her?, and D. H. Lawrence's Lady Chatterley's Lover. But I've noticed a lot of mid-year taking stock among various writers about books. There's already a best books of the year so far list!
For instance, we just celebrated Independence Day a week ago. A good time to look at what the independent presses are publishing. Indie and university presses are doing a lot to keep poetry and solid non-fiction alive.
Beyond what's inside books, another joy of reading is cover art. And you know, someone has already produced a list of best book covers.
Not only is the year half over, but it's time to look backwards over a span of 10 years and think about the best books of the first decade of the 21st C. Yep, someone's done that, too, for best of the small press volumes.
Others are looking forward in their lists, and have compiled the 20 Most Anticipated Books of the Summer. Goodness! Isn't it too hot to get all worked up over something like that?
Does anyone have time to read when they have to wait in line to get tickets, then sit through the latest and last Harry Potter film this summer? In case you do, let's look at some of the selections singled out for distinction.
Please turn the page.
Here's the recapitulation of the 10 best books of half of 2011 from two weeks ago (in case you missed it), brought to you by Amazon, as seen in Publisher's Weekly.
1. Lost in Shangri-La: A True Story of Survival, Adventure, and the Most Incredible Rescue Mission of World War II by Mitchell Zuckoff
2. The Tiger’s Wife: A Novel by Téa Obreht
3. In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler’s Berlin by Erik Larson
4. Blood, Bones & Butter: The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef by Gabrielle Hamilton
5. The Tragedy of Arthur: A Novel by Arthur Phillips
6. Bossypants by Tina Fey
7. 22 Britannia Road by Amanda Hodgkinson
8. Before I Go to Sleep by S.J. Watson
9. Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything by Joshua Foer
10. Please Look After Mom by Kyung-sook Shin
You know, I don't think I've read a single book this year with a 2011 publishing date. The best I've been able to do is read Jonathan Coe's
The Terrible Privacy of Maxwell Sim, published last year.
With all these lists and the year half over, let's skip ahead to the most anticipated summer books because I can't wait! Notable among them are Our Lady of Alice Bhatti by Mohammed Hanif. Another south Asian writer has produced Last Man in Tower: A Novel by Aravind Adiga. One of my favorite publishing houses, St. Martin's Press is issuing The Leftovers by Tom Perotta. And the only title that sounds like a summer read that I could find is The Girl in the Polka Dot Dress by Beryl Bainbridge.
Follow the link above, there's good non-fiction titles coming out this summer.
Unlike Marley's ghost, I'm jumping around through time rather than making an orderly procession from past to future. What books have stood the test of time in this century? Here areseven titles from small presses.
An Unfinished Score by Elise Blackwell;
Made for Each Other by Meg Daley Olmert;
The General of the Dead Army by Ismail Kadare;
A Skeptic's Guide to Writers' Houses by Anne Trubek;
The Jerusalem File by Joel Stone;
Waiting on a Train by James McCommon;
Every Man Dies Alone by Hans Fallada.
Much to my shame, I've read none of these. Have you?
Just in case you have no idea what to read this summer, NPR recommends these titles.
State Of Wonder by Ann Patchett;
Demon Fish: Travels Through The Hidden World Of Sharks by Juliet Eilperin;
Before I Go To Sleep: A Novel by S.J. Watson;
The Storm At The Door by Stefan Merrill Block;
Bright's Passage: A Novel by Josh Ritter;
Once Upon A River by Bonnie Jo Campbell;
The Kid by Sapphire (author of Precious);
The Last Werewolf by Glen Duncan;
Sex On The Moon: The Amazing Story Behind The Most Audacious Heist In History by Ben Mezric;
Supergods: What Masked Vigilantes, Miraculous Mutants, And A Sun God From Smallville Can Teach Us About Being Human by Grant Morrison;
Northwest Corner: A Novel by John Burnham Schwartz;
Skyjack: The Hunt For D.B. Cooper by Geoffrey Gray;
Ghosts In The Wires: My Adventures As The World's Most Wanted Hacker by Kevin Mitnic;
Anatomy Of A Disappearance by Hisham Mata.
Is it just me, but why all the labeling of new fiction books with the tag, "a novel"? Do we really have to be told this?
Now don't tell me you have nothing to read!
Readers & Book Lovers Series Schedule
DAY |
TIME (EST/EDT) |
Series Name |
Editor(s) |
SUN |
3:00 PM |
Science, Math, and Statistics Books |
plf515 |
SUN |
6:00 PM |
Young Reader's Pavilion |
The Book Bear |
SUN |
9:30 PM |
SciFi/Fantasy Book Club |
quarkstomper |
MON |
8:00 PM |
My Favorite Books & Authors |
billssha |
TUE |
8:00 AM |
Calvacade of Words |
aravir |
TUE |
8:00 PM |
Readers & Book Lovers Newsletter |
Limelite |
WED |
7:30 AM |
WAYR? |
plf515 |
WED |
8:00 PM |
Bookflurries: Bookchat |
cfk |
THU |
2:00 PM (bi-weekly) |
eReaders & Book Lovers Club |
Limelite |
THU |
8:00PM |
Write On! |
SensibleShoes |
THU |
10:00 PM |
The Illustrated Imagination:Graphic Novels |
Cabbage Rabbit |
FRI |
9:00 AM |
Books That Changed My Life |
etbnc, aravir |
FRI |
9:00 PM (every 3rd week) |
A Book, Its Movie, and a Glass of Wine |
mdmslle |
SAT |
9:00 PM |
Books So Bad They're Good |
Ellid |
NOTE: Though not part of R&BLers Weekly Magazine Series, please look for "Indigo Kalliope: Poems From the Left" by various authors republished here every WED NOON by
aravir. Also look for "The Mad Logophile" by
Purple Priestess that appears intermittently, when the spirit moves her.
Other than that, nothing's happening.