The problem with going on vacation in September is that when I leave home its summer and I come home to fall. I love the summer heat but at least I have football to get excited about — and even better, this fall brings a bumper crop of new releases by some of my favorite authors.
The big news of course is JK Rowling’s first “adult” novel, The Casual Vacancy, which releases on September 27. Also Jasper Fforde’s latest Thursday Next novel, The Woman Who Died A Lot, releases October 2.
But I’m also excited about these new releases:
- San Miguel — T.C. Boyle
- This is How You Lose Her — Junot Diaz
- Telegraph Avenue — Michael Chabon
- One Last Thing Before I Go — Jonathan Tropper
- NW — Zadie Smith
And coming soon:
- The Round House — Louise Erdrich (October 2)
- Astray — Emma Donoghue (October 30)
- Flight Behavior — Barbara Kingsolver (November 6)
- Sweet Tooth – Ian McEwan (November 13)
I also read about two non-fiction releases that sound interesting. The first, The Black Count, by Tom Reiss, is a biography of the father of Alexandre Dumas, who wrote The Count of Monte Cristo. Dumas based much of Monte Cristo’s character on his father, who led an intriguing life as the son of a Haitian slave who was himself enslaved as a child, but rose to command armies in the Revolution and inspired his son to create one of the most iconic characters in literature.
The second one is a part-travel, part-memoir by 80’s actor Andrew McCarthy (of Pretty in Pink fame and not much else). McCarthy became a travel writer, and The Longest Way Home is about his life on the road and his road towards marriage. Today’s New York Times gives it a good review, and it sounds like an “everyman” kind of story about a nice guy who has the kind of job some of us dream about. I’d rather be a travel writer than an actor any day.
So now I feel I should add that McCarthy’s Pink co-star, Molly Ringwald, has released her first book of fiction, When It Happens To You. It sounds a little “chick-lit” for me, but I shouldn’t judge without reading it. The one review I’ve read had an “it’s promising” vibe. If anyone’s read it I’d love to hear more. (A side note — you can blame this bit of 80s nostalgia on my finishing Ready Player One, which left me steeped in 80s awesomeness — and I didn’t even like the 80s.)
So, please share — what new releases are on your TBR list? Have you read any of these? Where should I start?
The Book Stop 