The Impending Bookgasm

So I was sitting around picking my nose at work today because I've already graded half of the assignments turned in yesterday, and I won't be in the office much longer today, AND I'm here with nothing to do but grade for a whopping nine hours on Monday. What better time to blog? But I found myself in quite the quandary: nothing to write about! Then I laughed and slapped my knees and thought, "But there are all those tasty new books to read!"

 

These are the books you'll see appearing here soon. Many projects and deadlines are involved, so you can bet I'll be whipping through them pretty darn fast.

 

 

 

First on the menu, Scarlet Thomas's really weird-sounding novel, Our Tragic Universe. Jackie from Farm Lane Books wrote a great review of it, and I knew I had to try it. The publisher explains the tangle of ideas in this book far better than I could at this point:

Can a story save your life? Meg Carpenter is broke. Her novel is years overdue. Her cell phone is out of minutes. And her moody boyfriend's only contribution to the household is his sour attitude. So she jumps at the chance to review a pseudoscientific book that promises life everlasting. But who wants to live forever? Consulting cosmology and physics, tarot cards, koans (and riddles and jokes), new-age theories of everything, narrative theory, Nietzsche, Baudrillard, and knitting patterns, Meg wends her way through Our Tragic Universe, asking this and many other questions.

Sounds tempting, eh? Sort of reminds me of Paul Auster's surreal weirdness in some of his novels. I really can't resist a book like this.

 

Next is an e-galley of The Little Prince THE GRAPHIC NOVEL illustrated by Joann Sfar!!! I am hesitant to admit that when I read the picture book--as an adult, you should note--I didn't really see what all the hooplah was about. Sure, it's a sweet story, yadda yadda. However, I am really excited to see it as a graphic novel, and I think it'll push things to a new level for me as a graphic novel-loving adult.

 

Next, another e-galley, this time a copy of The Best American Comics 2010, edited by NEIL GAIMAN!!! Are you bouncing in your seat a little bit, too??? I seriously can't wait to see which works Neil has pulled to showcase this year.

 

The next round of books all have to do with food or sustainable living. I'm on a real kick with these right now as I'm working my way through The Backyard Homestead and drooling over several other books.

 

It's no secret that I've been jonesing to read Coop, by Michael Perry. When Heather offered to be saintly and send her copy on to me, I almost wet myself. Thanks, Heather!

In a sweet, but somewhat selfish gesture, I picked up on Chuck's comment that he wanted to own copies of The Backyard Homestead by Carleen Madigan and The Urban Homestead by Kelly Coyne. I mean, it's not toooo selfish because he really did want these in the house, and I just happen to want to read them, too. No harm there, right? It's really a smart, economical gifting choice! It didn't take much to convince me.

Finally, I happened upon Ten Acres is Enough by Edmund Morris when I was looking for small press or e-books for Estella's Revenge E-Zine. It falls into the sustainable living category, but it was first published in 1867!!! I was really surprised and sort of intrigued when I saw the year and realized that it falls into line with my 2010 sensibilities. Why not give it a try, too?! Read more about this and other awesome e- and print books at Dminoz.

Other titles coming up or whispering to me from my library stack and Nook:

• Horns, by Joe Hill
• The Art of Disappearing, by Ivy Pochoda
• The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society which everyone already knows about.
• Vanity Fair, by William Thackeray which is long and scary.