Wednesday, November 4th, 2009

A Look Ahead: November (The Blog)

As the fall progresses, the season’s literary crop begins tapering off, but here — a few days late — is a list of some notable books being published this month:

Changing My Mind by Zadie Smith
A collection of Smith’s nonfiction from the past decade. Nov. 12

Dostoevsky: A Writer in His Time by Joseph Frank
A massive one-volume abridgment of Frank’s even more massive five-volume biography of the Russian master. Nov. 8 (continues)

Monday, September 28th, 2009

A Look Ahead: October (Part Two) (The Blog)

The second and concluding part in a look at notable books being published next month:

Invisible by Paul Auster
Three narrators tell a story spanning 40 years in Auster’s latest, about which Kirkus said, “More than a return to form, this might be Auster’s best novel yet.” Oct. 27

The Book of Genesis Illustrated by R. Crumb
In a project guaranteed (designed?) to generate controversy, the gonzo cartoonist tackles the gonzo Old Testament. Oct. 19

Look at the Birdie by Kurt Vonnegut
Fourteen previously unpublished stories by the legendary writer. Oct. 20

The Museum of Innocence by Orhan Pamuk
The Nobel Prize winner’s latest is set in 1970s Istanbul, and concerns a wealthy scion torn between his equally prominent bride-to-be and an average woman he passionately loves. Oct. 20 (continues)

Friday, September 25th, 2009

A Look Ahead: October (Part One) (The Blog)

The fall preview in these parts continues (a review of September can be found here, if you’re interested) with a look at several books slated for October release. Part two will be up on Monday. (Two late-September releases are included below.)

Chicago: A Biography by Dominic A. Pacyga
This history, written by a Chicago native, charts the city from the explorations of Joliet and Marquette in 1673 to the current day, with a particular focus on ordinary people and their stories. Oct. 1

The Collected Stories of Lydia Davis
At 750 pages, this volume contains all of Davis’ highly acclaimed, often experimental short (sometimes very short) fiction. Sept. 29

Anne Frank: The Book, The Life, The Afterlife by Francine Prose
A wide-ranging examination of the classic document, in which Prose, according to Publishers Weekly, argues that the diary was “a consciously crafted work of literature rather than the spontaneous outpourings of a teenager, and offers evidence that Frank scrupulously revised her work shortly before her arrest and intended to publish it after the war.” Sept. 29

Manhood for Amateurs: The Pleasures and Regrets of a Husband, Father, and Son by Michael Chabon
Linked autobiographical essays by the bestselling, prize-winning novelist. Oct. 6

The Simpsons: An Uncensored, Unauthorized History by John Ortved
I can’t wait for this one. Oct. 13(continues)

Wednesday, August 26th, 2009

A Look Ahead: September (The Blog)

The fall always offers a publishing bounty, so as each month approaches, the blog will preview some of the notable books it will bring. Lots more after the jump:

Blood’s A Rover by James Ellroy
Maybe the best title of the fall, Ellroy’s latest caps off a trilogy that began with American Tabloid and continued with The Cold Six Thousand. Publishers Weekly says of Rover: “It’s a stunning and crazy book that could only have been written by the premier lunatic of American letters.” Sept. 22

Homer & Langley by E. L. Doctorow
An imagining of the lives of the Collyer brothers, famous Manhattan recluses who were found dead in their apartment in 1947, surrounded by tons of rubbish that they had compulsively hoarded. Sept. 1

The Case for God by Karen Armstrong
The celebrated religious scholar steps in the ring opposite Dawkins, et al. Sept. 22