Ladies and Gentlemen, the opening lines of 1Q84 (courtesy of The Millions):
The taxi’s radio was tuned to a classical FM broadcast. Janáček’s Sinfonietta—probably not the ideal music to hear in a taxi caught in traffic. The middle-aged driver didn’t seem to be listening very closely, either. With his mouth clamped shut, he stared straight ahead at the endless line of cars stretching out on the elevated expressway, like a veteran fisherman standing in the bow of his boat, reading the ominous confluence of two currents. Aomame settled into the broad back seat, closed her eyes, and listened to the music.
Ladies and Gentlemen, the official Australian/UK cover of 1Q84:
And, because I like you, I’ll let you in on a little competition that Random House have running, where you can win a leather-bound edition of 1Q84. Obviously, I will be winning this, but I just thought I’d let you know. Good luck!*
So I’ve spent the past two days listening to all major Australian publishers pitching their Christmas lists to indie Queensland booksellers, and can I say, the future looks bright. These are the books that I’m looking forward to, but they’re the tip of the iceberg. There are plenty of books that people of any taste will want to read/give as presents this Christmas. Just remember, if you read them here first, you have to buy a copy from an indie bookseller! And remember, there’s more of them than you’d think.
FICTION:
1Q84 by Haruki Murakami (late October)
If you’ve followed this blog for long enough, you’ll know I’ve been looking forward to this book for a long, long time. Clocking in at around 900 pages, this is a monstrous (but hopefully amazing) piece of literature. I’ll reserve my judgement on the cover until I see a final version, but needles to say, WHAT THE HELL? I guess when Chip Kidd designs the US cover, you’ve got something to live up to.
Animal People by Charlotte Wood (October)
Set over a single day in Sydney, we follow Stephen, one of the characters from Charlotte’s earlier book The Children as he simultaneously unravels and relearns. I can’t wait to read this, particularly what promises to be an hilarious set piece at a child’s birthday party. P.S. If you don’t follow Charlotte on Twitter you’re a dill.
The Cook, Wayne Macauley
People far more in the know then me have been mentioning Wayne Macauley’s name in reverential whispers for years, so I was incredibly excited to see Text Publishing is bringing his work to a wider audience in October.
Ed King by David Guterson (October) 9781408807477
The author of the magnificent Snow Falling on Cedars turns his hand to the kind of American saga I’m always a sucker for.
The Marriage Plot, Jeffrey Eugenides (October)
I’ve just finished this book. And it is great. Effortless brilliance. A no-brainer purchase.
The Night Circus by Erica Morgenstern (October)
Halfway through this book at the moment, and it’s very good. It got me in because it’s about two duelling (in a competitive and romantic sense) magicians who both work for a mysterious and marvellous circus, where nothing is quite as it seems. It is full of rich imagination and it’s quite enchanting, but I’m waiting to see if there is enough narrative interest to carry the more fantastical elements.
The Street Sweeper, Elliot Perlman (October)
It’s been a long wait for a new book by Elliot Perlman, author of the excellent Three Dollars, The Reasons I Won’t Be Coming, and the critically-acclaimed (but, in my opinion, highly overrated) Seven Types of Ambiguity. Set in New York, Melbourne, Chicago, Warsaw, Berlin and Auschwitz, The Street Sweeper is a multi-strand epic narrative that promises to be very interesting and will certainly be pushing for major awards.
Triptych, Krissy Kneen (October)
Triptych is made up of three erotic novellas from the Brisbane-based author of the wildly successful memoir Affection, and should build on this book’s success. I have the pleasure of not only working with Krissy, but often writing alongside her, and from what I know about this book, it’s going to blow your bloody socks off. Get set for shock, controversy and a lot of national interest.
What the Family Needed by Steven Amsterdam (November)
This is so exciting. Steven Amsterdam’s first book Things We Didn’t See Coming was one of my favourite books of 2009, and his new one sounds freaking fantastic. From what I could gather, it centres around a dysfunctional family whose members each receive a superpower, but this does not necessarily mean they are able to become a perfect family.
COOKING:
Kitchen Coquette by Katrina Meynink (November)
In the large, potent soup of end-of-year cookbooks, this one easily stood out. Beautifully designed, yes, but also funny an unique. I think I’ll just let the author explain it.
Cumulus Inc. by Andrew McConnell (November)
If you’ve been here for breakfast, you’ll know how exciting this is.
The Family Meal by Ferran Adria
The author of 2008′s beautiful but impenetrable A Day at elBulli (and head chef of the world-renowned restaurant elBulli) Ferran Adria, returns with a cookbook which promises to show us real food. It’s broken up into 100 simple, seasonal recipes, separated into three-course “family meals” (i.e. the food elBulli’s staff eat). The layout is very easy to follow, with plenty of step-by-step photographs. Dare I say it has a Jamie’s 30-Minute Meals feel to it? Probably not.
KIDS
Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick (October)
The wonderful-looking new book from the author of The Invention of Hugo Cabret. This is a book told through two voices set 50 years apart; one is made up entirely of text, the other entirely of images. It sounds incredible, and the best way to fully explain it is to let Brian Selznick tell you himself.
Star Wars: The Jedi Path by Daniel Wallace (October)
The important thing to remember here is that yes, the book does open like a vault when you press a button and there is a cool noise when you do it. And a flashing blue light. Gotoit, nerds.
The Enchanted Wood and The Magic Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton (November)
Yes, finally, a reprint of the proper, full-sized books I loved as a child, complete with the original illustrations! The only downside is Dick and Fanny’s names have been changed. Probably to something less “offensive”, like Jaelyn or Breyahnnah.
Midwinterblood by Marcus Sedgwick (October)
I know very little about this YA book except the writing is being compared to Haruki Murakami and David Mitchell. Enough said.
Wildwood by Colin Meloy and Carson Ellis (October)
A really great looking tale (The first of “The Wildwood Chronicles”) from husband-and-wife team Colin Meloy (of The Decemberists) and Carson Ellis. At the moment, it’s pure McSweeney’s-bait (with requisite blurbs from Jonathan Franzen and Michael Chabon), but I’m pretty sure the story will match the potential. In fact, if you like, you can read the first four chapters (PDF LINK). If you’d prefer, you can listen to these fucking hipsters.
OTHER:
The Last Testament: A Memoir by God (December)
Simon & Schuster have scored a real coup here. David Javerbaum, the head writer of The Daily Show, gives us what will without doubt be the funniest (and possibly most seasonally appropriate) book this Christmas. Read an excerpt, or follow God on Twitter. This press release (PDF) is also pretty good.
M C Escher Popups (November)
I’m not prone to hyperbole, but if they pull this off, it will be the best thing ever.
Swainston’s Fishes of Australia, Roger Swainston (November)
I include this book not only because of its breathtaking detail and depth (individual illustrations of over 1500 fish species), but because its scheduled publication for Christmas last year was ruined by a bookmark that left a red stripe down any page it touched. Copies had been printed and shipped to bookstores before the fault was recognised, meaning every copy had to be pulped. So get out there and support this amazing achievement this Christmas!
Further to Haruki Murakami’s new novel 1Q84, which I have covered here before (and failed to establish the meme “Newrakami” in the blogosphere): it will be published in English, in September 2011. Details, and all your Murakami needs, are furnished here.
I also have to talk about a seriously great book I’m reading at the moment (thanks, Mr Somerville). Despite having an impossibly cool cover, and being published by McSweeney’s (two factors which tend to mean a book will sit on my shelf and never be read), Bill Cotter’s Fever Chart is one of the most readable, brilliantly imaginative things I’ve read in quite a long while.
Yes, that is a 4/5ths wraparound dust jacket. Yes, that is a Ron Rége Jr illustration. Yes, there is a quote from Wells Tower on the back. But the words are good too. I promise! I’ve been trying, and failing, to think of a way to describe the prose. The frantic tragic style reminds me of Denis Johnson’s Jesus’ Son, but the luxurious sentence-craft gives me good George Saunders vibes. Anyway, seek it out and read it. Why not ask at your friendly local indie bookshop?
There’s nothing quite like the anticipation of a book you already know will be insanely great. The Millions has a nice take on Haruki Murakami’s much-anticipated and secrecy-shrouded monster novel “1Q84″. Read about it here. No date on English translation yet, but it’s still exciting!
