It seems like much of the last month has been devoted to reading not-yet-released items for review. That also impacts the bibliolust list because the ARCs, proofs and the like often show up far enough in advance that they don’t make the list. So, I’m going to try to do a better job of listing those books coming out in the month if I haven’t read them yet.
That said, this month’s list strikes me as having excellent variety, perhaps truly running from the sublime to the ridiculous.
The Country Where No One Ever Dies, Ornela Vorpsi — This novel ended up on my review list because my world lit interest combines with a slight fixation with life in post-Communist Albania. Add the fact that there’s quite a buzz about Vorspi’s writing and it’s likely I’ll be opening this today or tomorrow.
The Good Soldiers, David Finkel — The uniformly positive reviews this book has received since its release in September, led me to get on the library reserve list for Finkel’s account of his time with an Army infantry battalion during “the surge” in Iraq.
The Journey of Little Gandhi, Elias Khoury — Having enjoyed some of his other works, I’m intrigued by this novel about the civil war in Beirut, Khoury’s birthplace.
Look at the Birdie: Unpublished Short Fiction, Kurt Vonnegut — Given how muhc I love Vonnegut, I am embarrassed that I haven’t bought and read this already. But pending reviews made it difficult, although I hope to soon remedy my lapse.
The Three Stooges Scrapbook, Jeff Lenburg, Joan Howard Maurer & Greg Lenburg — I freely acknowledge that I’m a long-time hardcore Stooges fan. So when the opportunity to review an updated version of this examination of their work arose, I sointenly couldn’t resist.
Good morning, sir. I’m the census taker. Are you married or happy?
Moe Howard, No Census, No Feeling
