The Edgar Award nominees have been announced, and the list includes novels of well-known mystery writers as well as debut authors. Every year I select a few to read before the award ceremony. Here are this year's choices.
Three anthropologists, four liars
Lily King's highly acclaimed novel "Euphoria" draws its plot from the life of anthropologist Margaret Mead. E. Lockhart's popular Young Adult novel "We Were Liars" intrigues with a mysterious accident. These are two very different books and stories, and they are brought together here by a January habit of mine.
Welcome new year, now here are old books
Here are three novels, two of them crime mysteries, published in 1993, 2009 and 1930. It's a way of welcoming the new year by remembering that the past in literature shall not be forgotten.
What’s in your living room?
Richard McGuire's graphic novel "Here" covers thousands of years from one fixed corner of a living room in a suburban house. It's not a book to read as much as to experience, a perfect browsable companion for any time, any place.
The time of your life
"Time Present and Time Past" is a slim novel about an ordinary man in Dublin, Ireland, who experiences hallucinations that warp his sense of time. It's a rewarding story with the message that time is much more than the thing we measure with clocks and calendars.
A few French novels (in translation)
French author Patrick Modiano won the Nobel Prize in Literature this year. Looking into his "oeuvre" made me curious about other French books. The International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, in its recently announced 2015 longlist, provided these, which look wonderful.
A woman who never compromised
Florence Gordon is this novel's unforgettable female protagonist, a 75-year-old New Yorker whose family arrives in the city and brings with it some messy issues. Her name is the book's title, and she's an inspiration -- not only for the novel's characters, but also for readers.
Three good books coming in November
Some reading opportunities to be aware of, arriving soon. One (a thriller), already published in hardbound is being released in paperback; a non-fiction treasure from the well-known essayist, Pico Iyer, might just become a best-seller; and a literary novel, from a Canadian author, promises to be an engaging story.
Chasing Martin Amis, then and now
When "The Zone of Interest" came out last month, I jumped in once again to read Martin Amis, after a long hiatus. It seems, however, that I keep jumping without getting hooked. Here's what's going on.
A longlist that’s a great reading list
Nominees for the National Book Award are out. First up, the longlists of 10 contenders each in fiction, non-fiction, poetry and young people's literature. In two weeks, these lists will be shortened to the five finalists. Here's a look at the fiction longlist, with brief summaries.
He was stronger, faster, better
Australian author Christos Tsiolkas received worldwide attention for his best-selling novel "The Slap" not only for its literary quality but also for what many took to be a misogynistic viewpoint. He follows "The Slap" (soon to be a TV miniseries on NBC) with another gripping story, albeit less controversial, the novel "Barracuda." Here's what it's about.
Anticipating September’s new novels
Fall is the time readers can expect to see big-name authors release new novels. Here's a handful to look forward to this coming month.
Rippling reflections in grief
"Ancient Oceans of Central Kentucky" by David Connerley Nahm is a deeply involving story about a boy who disappears and the sister who never forgets him. It's also, for me, a book of special significance.
Which Man Booker nominee to read?
Thirteen novels on the 2014 Man Booker Prize Longlist present great reading selections. Here are brief descriptions, availability and what reviews have said about some of them.
Books about Nixon, Ulysses and Mexico City
Here are three non-fiction books, released this summer, that caught my attention. Briefly noted.
The Longest Chapter 