For the past couple of weeks, I've been reading books that I wasn't super enthusiastic about, so I'm excited about having a personally thrilling lineup for this month:
→ THE YIDDISH POLICEMEN'S UNION by Michael Chabon - Left over from last month's list, when I didn't get to it. In the meantime, I've received a couple of glowing reviews from people I know. One friend said that Chabon's earlier book, THE AMAZING ADVENTURES OF KAVALIER & CLAY, is even more amazing, so in her opinion I'm doing the right thing by saving it until after this book.
→ THE FLAME ALPHABET by Ben Marcus - This novel has been getting lot of attention in the literary blogosphere. The premise is intriguing, but as I suspect it might be the sort of book that it's better to read without knowing too much, I'll just say that it involves language and an epidemic. If you want to know more, watch the haunting animated book trailer. After hearing about THE FLAME ALPHABET several times, I was interested but unsure if I actually wanted to read it. I picked it up in a bookstore, read the first paragraph, and made up my mind to buy it because of the way the opening dives right in.
→ THE MIRAGE by Matt Ruff - I've been eagerly awaiting this book for about six months. Well, more accurately, I've been waiting for this book since finishing Matt Ruff's last book in 2007. I can't say enough good things about Matt Ruff, and if I try, it's just going to be embarrassing for everybody, so let's move on. THE MIRAGE will be released next week, on February 7. It has an incredible mirror-history premise that I know Ruff has the skill to pull off. I can't wait.
→ HALF LIFE by Shelley Jackson - Jackson will be one of the honored guests at FOGcon, the speculative fiction convention I'm excited about attending next month. HALF LIFE is a story about conjoined twins, and it sounds fascinating and fantastical.
With all these great books to read, how will I manage to get any writing done in February?
Good Stuff Out There:
→ A friend of mine is working on an impressive project: Rereading Every Book I Own. She's reading them in chronological order and writing entertaining reviews of each. Here's the introduction.
3 comments:
THE MIRAGE is on my February list, too. :) And I'm intrigued by your (brief) description of THE FLAME ALPHABET... but I think I'll wait for your review, since it only has 3 stars on Amazon. Likewise with HALF LIFE.
I liked Kavalier and Clay, but I've found that Chabon is someone I must take in infrequent doses. (A lot like Jonathan Lethem, though I can recommend both Motherless Brooklyn and Fortress of Solitude.)
The Flame Alphabet sounds intriguing. I'll be on the look out for it. Thanx!
I've read a couple of Lethem books, but not either of those. Thanks for the recommendations.
I'll report back at the end of the month about what I thought of this month's books.
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