There are so many wonderful books published in the past, waiting to be read. Here are two I indulged in these recent weeks, plus a link to a list of "21 Books You've Been Meaning to Read."
Good books coming in August
Three novels to browse and then look forward to next month.
Blockbuster sales for this crime novel
"Six Four" is being hailed by critics for its complexity and insight into Japanese media, police and government culture and corruption. Readers have shot sales figures into the stratosphere. It's a unique novel for ambitious, patient and demanding readers.
2016 International Award Winners
Award-winning novels don't often equate to page-turners, but they do point us in the direction of fine literature. These winners of recent international fiction awards tell stories about family tragedy, a South Korean woman's obsession with vegetarianism and crime in Ireland's post-crash society. Here are the book titles and more of what each is about.
Charlotte Salomon: “It is my whole life”
David Foenkinos has written a novel that's as compelling for its style as it is for the story. The new novel is a multiple award-winner and massive bestseller in France, recounting the life and work of German artist Charlotte Salomon during World War II. Foenkinos' obsession with the subject and the way he writes the story make it a stand-out.
For the woman in the back row
She asked me for a book recommendation, and I didn't give the best answer. Here's why that happened, and the book recommendations I wish I'd given.
The best in mystery fiction
It never fails. The annual Mystery Writers of America's Edgar Allan Poe Awards bring to the forefront not-to-miss, stay-up-all-night mystery novels. Here are the three that won in the categories of Best Novel, Best First Novel by an American Author and Best Paperback Original for 2016.
Is this author a somebody?
Rob Spillman's memoir "All Tomorrow's Parties" about his rebellious pursuit of artistic authenticity yields an inviting although shallow story.
An unlikely sleuth working 1843 NYC
Mention the name Walt Whitman in literary circles and his poetry immediately comes to mind, such as "Song of Myself" and "I Sing the Body Electric" and "O Captain! My Captain!," let alone "Leaves of Grass." He's one of the greatest 19th century American poets. But a protagonist in a murder mystery? You got it.
My uneasy relationship with science fiction
Why did I pick up Charlie Jane Anders' new sci-fi fantasy "All the Birds in the Sky"? I'm as much into science fiction, let alone fantasy, as I am into jumping off a cliff into a shark pool. Here's what I think is going on.
Existentialists, crushes and a queen
Here are three books with vastly different topics and characters. Philosophy, romance and 16th century British monarchy. A great mix for the reading table.
Images of the sea and life itself
John Craske was a Norfolk fisherman who became incapacitated by a strange illness no one could diagnose. He spent his invalid days painting and then embroidering, creating scenes of the sea and boats on the sea up to when he died in 1943. Julia Blackburn has written an enchanting and beautifully illustrated biography.
To wish the world into otherness
"Ostend: Stefan Zweig, Joseph Roth, and the Summer Before the Dark" by Volker Weidermann and translated from the German by Carol Brown Janeway tells the story of one summer when Austrian authors Zweig and Roth took refuge at the seaside resort. Wonderful history captured in a small, gem of a book.
My love for old, tattered books
Here's a recommendation to read (if you haven't already) John le Carré's classic espionage novel "The Spy Who Came In From the Cold" -- and why I read an old, beat-up 1964 copy.
Yes, Thomas Hardy was my friend
Christopher Nicholson's new novel explores a winter season in the life of British author Thomas Hardy, who penned the classics "Tess of the d'Urbervilles" and "Jude the Obscure." The story focuses on desires of the heart that come too late in life. A quietly powerful, beautifully written book.
The Longest Chapter 