So I left off yesterday having only given suggestions for books which came out last week. Today I will remedy this and I will also, before all is said and done, drop a bombshell. Well, not really a bombshell, per se. I will just tell you something you never would expect me to say. Now that you have a cliffhanger, let’s begin with the books.
There was only looking forward to one book coming out this week – and thank God! because after buying four books last week my wallet’s feeling the hurt – so I’m going to go into some other books which you may like also. I think that it’s possible that what I just said may be admitting that I don’t believe that most people like the books that I like. I hope that this is not the case but in case it is I’m willing to throw out some other books.
Last week Michael Chabon had a new book come out and I had been waiting seven years for his follow up to The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay. This week another one of my favorite authors released a book. The truth is that, while I am excited by this release, I’m not nearly as excited as I was for the Chabon release. Haruki Murakami released his book After Dark this week but this is his third release in as many years and I don’t have quite the anticipation which was saved up for last week. His collection of short stories which he released last year (Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman) was one of the better short story collections I’ve seen in a long time and the novel he released the year before (Kafka On the Shore) was nearly as good as my favorite of his books (The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle). This release of his is on the shorter side but I have every belief that I’m going to be blown away by his prose and his innovative story telling. I haven’t been able to dive into this one yet as I’m still working on a few of the books from last week. Luckily, next week is kind of light on books I want to get – with one possible exception – so I should be able to read After Dark within the next week.
One of the other books which many people have been excited about (including the three people who were there to buy the book within the first 15 minutes of opening – and, just so you know, we’re a smaller store and this number of people is not normal) is the new James Patterson book. James Patterson’s most popular series of books are his Alex Cross novels (Along Came a Spider, Kiss the Girls…) but his second most popular series of books is the Women’s Murder Club series. His new book, 6th Target, is a part of the Women’s Murder Club series. I’m not really too sure what these books are about but I would assume that it has something to do with women and murder. Patterson has long been at the forefront of the Thriller genre and anyone who is into these types of books would probably be into this series (although you may want to start with the earlier books in the series – it’s not that hard to figure out which books are the early ones as they are all have a number in the title).
Finally, another book which came out this week which you may be interested in is Elmore Leonard’s Up In Honey’s Room. Leonard is a staple in the mystery genre and has had many bestsellers (Be Cool, Rum Punch, Get Shorty…). Up In Honey’s Room is the tale of a man who is a Nazi spy (but not that good of a husband) who is selling US secrets to the Nazis. His wife decides that she wants to search elsewhere for a better deal and ends up with the head of the US Marshalls. I’m sure that lots of extreme situations, and hilarity, ensue.
Now onto the bombshell.
It is a well-known fact around here that I’m, to put it euphemistically, not the biggest Stephen King fan in the world. I recently ran across something which has really confused me. I ran across a blurb for his last book, Lisey’s Story, which has made me want to give the man a second chance. Michael Chabon (the guy I’ve been pimping for the past week), wrote the following about Lisey’s Story:
"In Lisey's Story, Stephen King makes bold, brilliant use of his satanic storytelling gift, his angelic ear for language, and above all his incomparable ability to find the epic in the ordinary."
So I had to start wondering whether my hatred for Stephen King is deserved. If a man whom I respect as one of the better writers alive today can say such things about Stephen King, should I not give him another chance? I have to say, I’m really rather confused about this right now.
So what’s the end result? I’m going to read Lisey’s Story when it comes out in paperback in June. If I read the book and I find it to be good, I will eat the crow I should eat and I will state publicly that I liked the book. I have to tell you, I’m really rooting for it to not be good but I’m willing to be amazed.
That about does it. I hope that everyone has had a great first couple days of the week and I hope that the rest of the week only gets better.
Happy Reading!
No comments:
Post a Comment