I introduced Jeremy Cooper's novel Brian a while ago here on The Longest Chapter, eager to read it then but, as happens, left it waiting among the reading table stacks. But I believe some books "know" when the time is right to be read, as if stepping forward just when we need that one story … Continue reading What I’m reading and new books
Category: New Books
A powerful story about books, friendship, and despair
Jón Kalman Stefánsson’s novel "Heaven and Hell" takes place in a remote part of Iceland among fishermen who make their living on the Arctic’s ocean water. It's deeply moving for its spare, lyric style. Here's a review.
A few book recommendations
January was a month when I swung widely among many types of books, not only in genre but also topic. To start, Ingrained: The Making of a Craftsman, not a topic I’d typically be drawn to. That changed thanks to what I read about the memoir when it published in December. Callum Robinson writes about … Continue reading A few book recommendations
New books published this week
Tuesday is the usual day of the week for new book releases. Of the many novels published this past Tuesday, here are some gems by authors both familiar and new to me that have my attention.
A story of kindness and hope in 1962 Ireland
A new novel by Niall Williams follows believable characters in a rural village that Mr. Williams has written about before, to great praise. He remains in top form. Here's a review of "Time of the Child."
A reluctant spy, Ukraine, and a stubborn octogenarian
I chose to read these books because I've admired the work of their authors. William Boyd is one of them, whose "Any Human Heart" remains one of my all-time favorite novels. He's in top form with this new one. Also, Jonathan Littell, who wrote the controversial bestselling novel "The Kindly Ones;" his new book, nonfiction, is brilliant. You'll also find here an author whose novel published mid-20th century is about an old woman thumbing her nose at family expectations. An added bonus: poet Billy Collins.
Caroline Adderson’s “A Way to Be Happy”
These eight stories cleverly illustrate the many ways happiness enters our lives when least expected. It's through human encounters, Adderson tells us, doing so with seemingly unremarkable incidents. They occur in her characters’ daily routines, surprising them and us. It’s wonderful new fiction.
A review of “Us Fools” by Nora Lange
This new novel takes place primarily on a small farm in Illinois during the 1980's agricutural crisis. It also takes place in Chicago and Alaska, spanning a little more than two decades as the protagonist Bernadette looks back, wrestling with what the future holds for herself, the farm, and her older sister, Joanne.
New books published this month, plus two irresistibles
Lev Grossman's new fantasy plus the eleventh book in Norman Lock's American Novels Series are among the new releases you'll find here. Plus, an unputdownable classic novel of escape.
Recent additions to my reading table
Here’s a list of some summer reading I’ve lined up for myself. It includes a novel coming out in July by one of today’s best Irish authors, a classic Japanese crime story, a new biography, and books by two favorite authors.
New books, old books, and the Pulitzer Prizes
Here’s a miscellany of fiction and nonfiction, including a long-awaited new novel by the author of “The Story of Edgar Sawtelle.” David Wroblewski’s debut became a phenomenal bestseller, the story of a mute boy and a unique breed of dogs, with subtle similarities to Shakespeare’s “Hamlet.” Now, Wroblewski revisits the Sawtelle family long before Edgar runs away with three of the dogs. Also featured, authors Paul Auster and Vivian Gornick.
The “hoss and horl” of the North Sea in Carys Davies’ new novel
Carys Davies is the author of two collections of short stories and three novels, most recently "Clear." It tells the story of two men who forge an unlikely bond on a remote Scottish island in 1843. You could read the story in one sitting, but you'll want instead to live inside the island's world over several days. It's a flawless work of fiction, not unexpected from this talented author.
Books I’m reading and plan to read
Memoirs, fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and a surprising Great American Novels list from The Atlantic magazine are shared in this post. Some of the books are new this month and next. All are what intrigue me right now, and what I'm looking forward to.
For Black History Month: poetry, basketball, and the Jim Crow years
A new biography offers the first full-scale life of Ohio poet Paul Laurence Dunbar in half a century. Also, Hanif Abdurraqib has a new book coming out that is highly anticipated. And a book of stories posthumously published by an author who died in a motorcycle accident in 1966.
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.
