08 2018 Spring Frontlist
In which our heroine discusses some of the books she brought back from a booksellers' conference
Oh, hey; long time no write. It’s been about three weeks since you last heard from me, sorry about that. In the beginning of the month, I visited family and friends in New York, then I was back in Seattle for all of four days before boarding an airplane to New Mexico where I attended the annual booksellers’ conference Winter Institute; now I’m nearly midway through a full workweek. I’m exhausted, to say the least.
But one of the benefits of a booksellers’ conference is that I have so many books to write about. Stacks upon stacks of books that I plan/hope to read at some point this year. I’m actually wondering if I should rename this newsletter, as the word “never” feels too extreme, too definitive. But All the Books I Encounter and Hope to One Day Read seemed too long a title, and not very snappy. Suggestions are welcome.
Wish I Were Reading
Orange World by Karen Russell (out May 14th)
Yes! A new Karen Russell collection hitting bookstore shelves in mid-May. I probably started reading Russell because she was compared to Kelly Link, one of my all-time favorites. Her work has that reality-turned-inside-out feeling I enjoy in my short story collections. But I’ve actually only read her book Vampires in the Lemon Grove, and that was back in 2015 (the year I also re-read three Kelly Link collections and The Lottery so apparently I was in the mood for weird short stories near-constantly). I don’t know why I haven’t cracked open another one; I have since purchase her two other books, St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves and Swamplandia! Regardless, this is a book I actually plan to read this year; will keep you posted.
The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern (out November 5th)
I don’t remember when I first read The Night Circus—it was before I started tracking my reading via spreadsheet—but according to my Librarything account it was in December 2011. I suspect if I’d already been a bookseller I wouldn’t have picked it up; it sounds counterintuitive, but I avoid books with a lot of buzz these days. I’m often afraid they’ll disappoint, and I know I don’t need to read them to sell them. But I wasn’t a bookseller and I did read The Night Circus and I adored it just like so many other readers. So, with some trepidation, I picked up Morgenstern’s newest book at Winter Institute. Why trepidation? Well, I’m just a significantly different reader now than I was seven years ago; what enchanted me then is not necessarily what enchants me now. But we’ll see; I’m optimistic.
Loudermilk
Or, The Real Poet; Or, The Origin of the World
by Lucy Ives (out May 7th)
I picked this up because I like the cover and I’m a fan of the publisher, Soft Skull. Apparently it’s about two guys who scam their way into the Iowa Writer’s Workshop. The copy claims:
Wickedly entertaining, beguiling, layered, and sly, Loudermilk is a social novel for our time: a comedy of errors that deftly examines class, gender, and inheritance, and subverts our pieties about literature, authorship, art-making, and the institutions that sustain them.
The premise isn’t something that would normally intrigue me—though I do like to read about writers. Still, I started reading it in line to get a different book signed and the first chapter intrigued me enough to keep going.
I know I promised stacks on stacks, but all the other galleys I picked up were shipped home, so those will have to wait for another newsletter.
Just Finished
Fire Logic by Laurie J Marks
Another book I picked up because of the press; Small Beer Press (run by Kelly Link and her husband Gavin Grant) sent me all four galleys of this reissued quartet (originally put out by Tor in the early 00s). I was packing for the NY trip—attempting to keep the book pile small, but needing something I might really sink into on the plane. I’m so glad I grabbed Fire Logic. It is a fantasy novel, and I’ve been trying for a week or so to describe why I love it. The writing is beautiful, the plot is unexpected, the message is clear (but not heavy-handed), and it’s hella queer. Set during a period of war, it will force you to consider the benefits (or lack thereof) of doctrine, literature, and community. It’s not often I read a series, but I definitely plan to pick up book two soon.
Currently Reading
What If This Were Enough? by Heather Havrilesky
I listened to Havrilesky’s collected advice column How to Be a Person in the World a month or so after finishing Cheryl Strayed’s Tiny Beautiful Things (also a collected advice column). This was probably not a fair comparison, but I preferred Strayed’s advice and wasn’t planning on picking up Havrilesky’s essay collection What If This Were Enough. But both my roommates read and enjoyed it and I needed a new audiobook and now I’m listening to and loving it. Havrilesky’s ability to blend seemingly disparate topics into a single, cohesive and fascinating essay is kind of astounding. I mean, “Survival Fantasies” delves into, among other things, Little House in the Big Woods, The Walking Dead, cross-fit, and the 2016 election. I’m impressed.
Other Ways to Find Me On the Internets
Once a month (or so) I host a podcast called Drunk Booksellers where my best friend and I interview a fellow bookseller while drinking. I sometimes tweet about books and politics. I sometimes post pictures of books I’m reading, or cats I’m hanging out with on Instagram.
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