“No More Giants,” first published in 1966, fell into obscurity but is now back in print. Set in the American West in the 1940s, the novel’s narrator searches for the key to her brother’s death when they were growing up on the family’s cattle ranch. All I wanted to do was read this book.
Category: literary novels
New books recommended and anticipated
Percival Everett, who wrote the unforgettable, hilarious, and wrenching novel “The Trees,” has a new novel coming in March. You can read about it here, along with other books that include a suspenseful revenge plot written by a talented Irish author, and nonfiction about chance encounters. Also, science fiction and short stories.
The Dublin Literary Award 2024 Longlist and my three choices
You can't go wrong looking for good novels to read in this annual longlist. Nominations are made by librarians from around the world, so it's wide-ranging with surprises. I've listed here the ones I want to read, and those that already have been mentioned on the blog. Plus a link to the award list.
New books this month, plus more
I wanted to write about January's new releases, but the two novels here are the only ones that interested me. So I'm also including a classic novel and a tempting new biography that came out a couple months ago.
Closing 2023 with these four books
Here are the ones I didn't want to leave behind. The ones I could have put off for one reason or another because I do that, thinking they can wait. Books I couldn't bear to carry into another year, the feeling I'd get at seeing them still waiting, that feeling of never getting to what you promise yourself. These are the last-minute ones.
New books, including a true crime stunner
Look within to find a memoir from the author of the 1980 bestseller “Tracks," and a novel with an autistic protagonist that's being described as a mesmerizing debut. You’ll also find a murder trial that transfixed Australians, and an interesting book about Finland's savvy dealings with Stalin.
“The House of Doors” by Tan Twan Eng
Tan Twan Eng is a successful Malaysian novelist writing today. His first two books received nominations for the prestigious Man Booker Prize in 2007 and 2012. His new novel "The House of Doors" also received a nomination this year. It’s a story of love and betrayal set in British Colonial Malaya. Here's a review.
A Navy captain’s integrity and the Great Chicago Fire
Here are two new books I want to read. Perhaps you’ll also find them interesting. One is a novel that’s, according to the subtitle, “a sea story, a war story, a love story.” The other is what’s being described as a well-researched, fascinating look at Chicago's 1871 disaster.
Four novels and the 2023 Booker Prize
The novels of four Irish authors make up one third of this year's longlisted Booker nominees. It's a first for this prestigious prize, and not all that surprising given the literary talent surging from Ireland these days. Here are the four books, a glimpse at their wide-ranging plots and tones (humor to dystopian logic), and why I've made room for them on my reading table.
A thriller set in Guatemala
There's a hovering sense of danger in this novel about greed and corruption fueled by decades of political crime. Its cast of characters includes an antiques dealer involved with conniving government officials and businessmen, a human rights activist pursuing truth, and a hit man assigned to murder. Here's my review of "The Country of Toó" by Rodrigo Rey Rosa.
Staying cool these last hot days of the season
A late blooming poet, the Dutch Golden Age in art history, a Jewish family in peril, and a schoolgirl's mystery. It's a rich mix of fiction and nonfiction I’m currently reading.
New books coming August 2023
It's unusual for big name fiction authors to publish in the sleepy final days of summer. Typically, we see them in June for packing the beach bag. And yet, here they are, three popular literary novelists. Also, nonfiction about Marshall Pétain and a memoir by the beloved Diana Athill.
Reading Bette Howland’s Chicago stories and Robbie Arnott’s gem
Several new books by big name authors (Ann Patchett, Colson Whitehead, Richard Russo) are heading into bookstores these upcoming weeks, but I’m all into “Blue in Chicago” and “Limberlost,” two books that likely don’t pop up during your online book browsing, or that you’ll find on an indie bookstore shelf. Here’s what that’s all about.
Three books I’m eager to read
If only I could read faster, but I’ve always been a slow reader. So many good books I see on my reading table, like stacks of travel brochures, and I want to go everywhere. I remind myself “bird by bird,” as Anne Lamott teaches us in her classic by the same title, adding these books to my already full reading life, stories of family secrets, the Troubles, and Nazi heritage.
What to read next: new books and a classic
While this post is primarily about books set to release in May, it also includes two books I recommended during last Friday’s radio book show (a classic and an April thriller). They’re too good to be missed. Of the May books, you’ll find a memoir, novels, translated literature, and a collection of short stories.
The Longest Chapter 