Mystery and science fiction/fantasy books get shout-outs this week with award winners and nominees, respectively. I've listed here the science fiction/fantasy nominees for best novel. Even to this inexperienced reader of the genre, they're intriguing. Except the one about zombies. Those creatures and I still don't get along.
Month: April 2011
True crime in 1950 Mississippi
Whoa...self-published? That designation tends to announce the unwanted of New York publishers and agents. But some books end up self-published for reasons other than rejection by the Big Ones, such as Stokes McMillan's pre-civil rights story. Here's the scoop.
This is what guilt is like
Darin Strauss is the acclaimed author of three novels, including his 1999 debut, "Chang and Eng." His new book is a memoir about a car accident he was involved in when he was 18 and how it's affected his life. It won the 2011 National Book Critic's Circle Award for autobiography, and it's a stunning tribute to the human struggle with forgiveness.
A debut novel with a captivating narrator
"The Sojourn" is a new novel published by Bellevue Literary Press. It's beautifully written in first-person prose -- a World War I story and also a coming of age story that's profoundly moving and filled with hope.
A female assassin in this noir classic
Jean-Patrick Manchette's 1977 novel "Fatale" arrived in the mail. Here's why (you can do this, too) plus a brief summary of what the murderous vixen is up to.
10 Good Stories, 10 Good Times
Press 53 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina recently published a short story collection that's got inventive plots, humor and characters from the New Jersey shore that are colorful and memorable. This is the author's debut, and his creativity is a refreshing new voice.
The Longest Chapter 