I was trying so hard too…but suddenly, as if by magic, a glut of books arrived which couldn’t be refused.
Binge – Douglas Coupland A curious one, this. Douglas Coupland, acclaimed author and artist produces a collection of 60 ‘stories to make your brain feel different’ and yet it isn’t published in the UK? This was bought from Blackwells here but is produced by Random House, Canada. Strange. Anyway, I love Coupland’s off kilter, future facing visions (he was the man who defined ‘Generation X’) and the the short, short length of these stories is perfect. See my review here
Case Study – Graeme Macrae Burnet I missed Macrae Burnet’s booker nominated ‘His Bloody Project’ but this seems more up my street – 1965: a young woman is convinced that a psychotherapist has driven her sister to suicide. Adopting a false identity she becomes his client but soon finds her own identity is in question…
O Caledonia – Elspeth Barker First published in 1991, O Caledonia traces the short life of Janet, who lives in a Scottish castle with ‘prettier, smoother-haired siblings, a nanny with a face like the North Sea and the peculiar, whisky-swigging Cousin Lila.’, forcing her to turn ‘to animals, to books, to her own wild and wonderful imagination.’
By Rowan and Yew – Melissa Harrison A sequel to her previous children’s novel, By Oak, Ash and Thorn, this continues the story of the Hidden Folk’s quest to discover why their kind are fading from the world…
Since I Laid My Burden Down – Brontez Purnell. ‘100 Boyfriends’ was my favourite surprise of the year. This is an earlier novel which took a while to track down…I just know it’s going to be worth it!
Sterling Karat Gold – Isabel Waidner. I’ve struggled with Waidner’s experimental writing in the past, but another blogger’s comparing Waidner’s latest to Joe Orton and it winning the Goldsmith’s literary prize persuaded me to give it a go.
The Wife of Willesden – Zadie Smith. Of course, anything by Zadie Smith is a cause for jubilation and this, her first play should be nothing less than interesting. Great cover too.
The Fell – Sarah Moss. A writer on a steep ascendancy: her last two novels, Ghost Wall and Summerwater were fantastic and early reviews suggest this will continue the trend…
Patricia Highsmith – Her Diaries and Notebooks. Having discovered the delightfully dark work of Highsmith’s short stories earlier this year, this is one book I’m determined to get very, very soon. Highsmith was conundrum. She was a lesbian with a voracious sexual appetite, a writer with a cruel wit, someone whose views on Jews and Blacks were controversial at best, and someone with an obsession with snails…the perfect antidote to a sugary Christmas.
wordsandpictures 