book recommendations

Best Books of the Year: My personal Top 20

…here are the 20 very best books I’ve read in 2014:

20: HEIDE KOEHNE, “Der Buchladen”, German novel, 2011.

19: BRIAN WOOD, “The Massive”, Books 1 to 5, Graphic Novels, 2013 and 2014.

18: TIM WISE, “White like me. Reflections on Race from a Privileged Son”, Nonfiction / Memoir, 2004.

17: HARUKI MURAKAMI, “Von Männern, die keine Frauen haben”, Japanese Short Stories, 2014. (I liked his most recent novel, too.)

16: STEWART O’NAN, “Der Zirkusbrand”, Nonfiction, 2000.

15: CHRISTIANE FROHMANN, “Tausend Tode Schreiben”, German anthology, 2014: 135+ personal texts about dying and loss […more here].

14: GREG RUCKA, “Lazarus”, Books 1 and 2. Graphic Novels, 2014.

13: ED BRUBAKER, “Velvet”, Book 1. Graphic Novel, 2014.

12: MARTIN HATZIUS, “Alles fragen, nichts fürchten”, book-length interview with my favorite German living writer, Dietmar Dath, 2011.

11: SIGRID NUNEZ, “A Feather on the Breath of God”, Memoir, 1995.

10: ARTHUR MILLER, “Focus”, Novel, 1945.

09: MEIKE WINNEMUTH, “Das große Los”, German Travelogue, 2012.

08: JAN BAUER, “Der salzige Fluss”. German Graphic Novel Travelogue, 2014.

07: NORA WICKE, “Vierstromland”, German novel, 2014.

06: G. WILLOW WILSON, “Ms. Marvel”, Book 1. Graphic Novel, 2014.

05: TSUGUMI OHBA, “Bakuman”, Books 2 to 20. Manga series, 2009 to 2012.

04: ROBERTO AGUIRRE-SACASA, “Afterlife with Archie”, Book 1. Graphic Novel, 2014.

03: VALERIAN TORNIUS, “Zwischen Hell und Dunkel”, German novel, 1932.

02: LIANE DIRKS, “Vier Arten meinen Vater zu beerdingen”, German novel, 2002.

01: ÁGOTA KRISTÓF, “The Notebook”, “The Proof”, “The Third Lie”, Hungarian Trilogy, 1986 to 1991.

For a complete list of books I’ve read in 2014, please go here [Link].

In comics, I’ve also enjoyed book 3 and 4 of Brian K. Vaughan’s “Saga” space opera [Link], Year 1 and (to a lesser degree) Year 2 of Tim Taylor’s “Injustice: Gods among us” [Link], Bryan Q. Miller’s still solid “Smallville” [Link], the Marvel books “She-Hulk” [Charles Soule, Link] and “Hawkeye” [Matt Fraction, Link].

I enjoyed the first six “New 52” DC comic books featuring Wonder Woman [Link] and started reading lesser-known series like “Promethea” [Link], “Nailbiter” [Link], “Rat Queens” [Link], “Mind MGMT” [Link] and “The Private Eye” [Link]. I’ve also enjoyed Daniel Clowes’ “David Boring” [Link].

Mark Millar’s “Jupiter’s Legacy” had a great start – but I will have to wait until 2015. [Link]

Here’s a big collage of the graphic novels I’ve discovered in 2014:

Have a great 2015! More to come!

Related Posts:

and:

and, earlier:

Best Graphic Novels 2014

Here are 20 monthly comic book series that caught my interest lately.

Off-beat, quirky or curious titles that might deserve more attention…

…all published and / or collected in trade paperback collections in 2014.

01: RICK REMENDER (writer): “Deadly Class”

ongoing high school thriller / mystery series, Image Comics

02: MARK MILLAR (writer): “Jupiter’s Legacy”

10-issue ongoing mini-series about the children of super-heroes, Image Comics

03: CLAUDIO SANCHEZ (writer): “Translucid”

philosophical and experimental super-hero tale, Evil Ink Comics

04: KEL SYMONS (writer), “The Mercenary Sea”

adventure and espionage, set in 1938, Image Comics

05: KELLY SUE DeCONNICK, “Pretty Deadly”

ongoing horror / fantasy western, Image Comics

06: LARIME TAYLOR (writer), “A Voice in the Dark”

ongoing horror / serial killer drama, Image Comics

07: ALES KOT (writer), “Zero”

ongoing spy thriller, Image Comics

08: KYLE HIGGINS (writer), “C.O.W.L.”

ongoing period drama about Chicago’s super-hero labor union, Image Comics

09: JOSHUA WILLIAMSON (writer), “Nailbiter”

ongoing horror / serial killer small town drama, Image Comics

10: J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI (writer), “Ten Grant”

ongoing supernatural demon-hunter urban fantasy drama, Image Comics

11: JIM ZUB (writer), “Disney Kingdoms: Figment”

limited all ages fantasy mini-series about theme park Disney characters, Marvel Comics

12: ED BRUBAKER (writer), “The Fade Out”

ongoing noir crime drama set in Hollywood in 1948, Image Comics

13: CHRIS MISKIEWICZ, “Thomas Alsop”

ongoing superatural urban fantasy drama – might be whimsical and melancholic. BOOM! Studios

14: SIMON SPURRIER (writer), “Six Gun Gorilla”

ongoing sci-fi western action comedy (?), BOOM! Studios

15: CHARLES SOULE (writer), “Letter 44”

ongoing science fiction thriller about astronauts making first contact, Oni Press

16: RICK REMENDER, “Black Science”

ongoing crazy sci-fi adventure, Image Comics

17: MARK MILLAR (writer), “Starlight”

ongoing (?) golden-age style space opera, Image Comics

18: GREG RUCKA (writer), “Veil”

Urban Fantasy / horror ongoing, Dark Horse Comics

19: KIERON GILLEN (writer), “The Wicked + The Divine”

ongoing supernatural drama about deities, reborn as hipsters, Image Comics

20: JOE KEATINGE, “Shutter”

ongoing Young Adult science fiction adventure, Image Comics

I’m shocked that so many Image Comics titles made the cut: Image has launched a lot of new series, and reviews / reception has been great for most.

I’m also curious about Brian Michael Bendis’ mob drama “The United States of Murder” and Jason Aaron’s “Southern Bastards”.

Bonus:

5 ongoing older (but still recent) series that I want to read soon:

Tim Seeley: “Revival”
Nick Spencer: “Bedlam”
Francesco Francavilla: “The Black Beetle”
Eric Stephenson: “Nowhere Men”
David Hine: “Storm Dogs”

…and all recent ongoing series that I read and enjoy:

Ed Brubaker: Velvet
Greg Rucka: Lazarus
Chris Sebela: High Crimes
Brian Wood: The Massive
Brian K. Vaughan: Saga

Brian K. Vaughan: The Private Eye
Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa: Afterlife with Archie
Matt Kindt: Mind MGMT
Jonathan Luna: Alex + Ada
G. Willow Wilson: Ms. Marvel

Charles Soule: She-Hulk
Matt Fraction: Hawkeye (his “Sex Criminals” is okay, too)
Tom Taylor: Injustice: Gods among us
Bryan Q. Miller: Smallville
Brian Azzerello: Wonder Woman

I’m also curious about Geoff John’s “Superman”, Cameron Stewart’s “Batgirl” and Becky Cloonan’s “Gotham Academy”.

related Posts:

and:

Best Books published by NYRB: New York Review of Books

Here are 20 books that had my interest for a while:

all (re-)published by the New York Review of Books (Link).

you can find a reader-ranked list of 360+ NYRB Classic books here (Link).

Best Books of the 1980s

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Here are 20 books that caught my interest lately.

Off-beat, quirky or curious titles that might deserve more attention…

…all published in the 1980s.

Best Summer Books / Beach Reads / Young Adult Novels 2014: Recommendations

Here are 17 books that caught my interest lately.

Fresh, off-beat, quirky or curious titles that might deserve more attention…

Young Adult. dystopias. middle grade fiction. beach reads.

01: PAUL ACAMPORA, “I Kill The Mockingbird”, 176 pages, May 2014. [Middle Grade]

02: E. LOCKHART, “We were Liars”, 240 pages, May 2014.

03: MARIKO TAMAKI, “This one Summer”, 320 pages, May 2014. [YA Graphic Novel]

04: JASON REYNOLDS, “When I was the Greatest”, 240 pages, January 2014.

05: N.D. Wilson, “Boys of Blur”, 208 pages, January 2014. [Middle Grade Fantasy]

06: NON PRATT, “Trouble”, 384 pages, February 2014.

07: KATE RACCULIA, “Bellweather Rhapsody”, 340 pages, January 2014. [YA Mystery]

08: LAURA MARX FITZGERALD, “Under the Egg”, 247 pages, March 2014. [Middle Grade]

09: MELISSA KANTOR, “Maybe One Day”, 384 pages, February 2014.

10: EMERY LORD, “Open Road Summer”, 342 pages, April 2014.

11: ANNIE CARDI, “The Chance you won’t return”, 352 pages, April 2014.

12: ROBERT DINSDALE, “Gingerbread”, 421 pages, February 2014.

13: SARAH BETH DURST, “The Lost”, 352 pages, May 2014. [Dystopian YA, Book 1 of 3]

14: MATT HAIG, “Echo Boy”, 400 pages, February 2014. [Dystopian YA]

15: MIKE CAREY, “The Girl with all the Gifts”, 416 pages, January 2014. [Dystopian YA]

16: CHARLES SWIFT, “The Newman Resident”, 337 pages, 2014. [Dystopian YA]

17: CLAIRE NORTH (Catherine Webb), “The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August”, 416 pages, January 2014.

More? Here are three new YA books that feature disabled main characters:

01: KIMBERLY ELKINS, “What is visible”, 320 pages, June 2014.

02: GAIL GILES, “Girls Like Us”, 224 pages, May 2014.

03: CAMMIE McGOVERN, “Say what you will”, 352 pages, March 2014.

related Posts:

and:

Best Nonfiction Books 2014: New Essays, Memoirs, Recommendations

Here are 15 books that caught my interest lately.

Fresh, off-beat, quirky or curious titles that might deserve more attention…

memoirs. non-fiction. essays.

01: JOHN W. EWANS, “Young Widower”, 200 pages, January 2014. [Memoir]

02: MIMI POND, “Over Easy”, 272 pages, April 2014. [Graphic Novel “Semi-Memoir”]

03: DAVID GIFFELS, “The Hard Way on Purpose: Essays and Dispatches from the Rust Belt”, 272 pages, March 2014. [Essays / Journalism]

04: IVAN E. COYOTE & RAE SPOON, “Gender Failure”, 256 pages, April 2014. [personal Essays]

05: CAROLINE CLARKE, “Postcards from Cookie”, 320 pages, April 2014. [Memoir]

06: SEAN STRUB, “Body Counts: A Memoir of Politics, Sex, AIDS and Survival”, 432 pages, January 2014. [Memoir / Politics]

07: ANALD GOPAL, “No Good Men among the Living: America, the Taliban, and the War through Afghan Eyes”, 320 pages, April 2014. [Politics]

08: HISHAM D. AIDI, “Rebel Music: Race, Empire and the New Muslim Youth Culture”, 432 pages, March 2014. [Cultural Studies / Politics]

09: ROBERT A. FERGUSON, “Inferno: An Anatomy of American Punishment”, 337 pages, March 2014 [Politics / Sociology / Cultural Studies]

10: ARIEL GORE, “The End of Eve. A Memoir”, 234 pages, February 2014. [Memoir]

11: MARK GEVISSER, “Lost and Found in Johannesburg”, 352 pages, April 2014. [Memoir: South Africa]

12: TIM ANDERSON, “Sweet Tooth”, 333 pages, March 2014. [Mainstream Humor / Comedic Memoir]

13: GREG GUTFELD, “Not Cool: The Hipster Elite and their War on You”, 272 pages, March 2014. [a right-wing “Fox News” employee tries to trash hipsters! ]

14: BRIGID SCHULTE, “Overwhelmed: Work, Love and Play when no one has the Time”, 368 pages, March 2014. [Psychology]

15: PATRICIA WOODELL, “Are the Keys in the Freezer? An Advocate’s Guide for Alzheimer’s and other Dementias”, 243 pages, January 2014.

Here are five books that made me curious enough to buy them:

01: LESLIE JAMISON, “The Empathy Exams”, 256 pages, April 2014. [personal Essays]

02: PLUM JOHNSON, “They left us everything”, 288 pages, March 2014. [Memoir]

03: ADAM BEGLEY, “Updike”, 576 pages, April 2014. [Biography]

04: EILEEN CRONIN, “Mermaid: A Memoir of Resilience”, 336 pages, January 2014.

05: YASHA MOUNK, “Stranger in my own Country: A Jewish Family in modern Germany”, 272 pages, January 2014. [Memoir / Cultural Studies]

[German article here (Link)]
…and I’m excited about:

SERAH-MARIE McMAHON: “The WORN Reader: A Fashion Journal about the Art, Ideas & History of what we wear”, 416 pages, April 2014.

related Posts:

and:

Best New Books – Spring 2014: New Novels & Recommendations

Here are 15 books that caught my interest lately.

Fresh, off-beat, quirky or curious titles that might deserve more attention…

…all published between January and June 2014.

01: MAXWELL NEELY-COHEN, “Echo of the Boom”, 456 pages, April 2014.

02: PETER MATTHIESSEN, “In Paradise”, 256 pages, January 2014.

03: SIRI HUSTVEDT, “The Blazing World”, 368 pages, March 2014.

04: AARON THIER, “The Ghost Apple”, 304 pages, March 2014. [Satire]

05: TED THOMPSON, “The Land of Steady Habits”, 272 pages, March 2014.

06: KEVIN BROCKMEIER, “A few Seconds of radiant Filmstrip: A Memoir of Seventh Grade”, 208 pages, January 2014. [Memoir / Coming-of-Age / Cultural Studies]

07: SHANE KUHN, “The Intern’s Handbook”, 288 pages, April 2014. [Corporate Satire / Thriller / Dystopia]

08: NNEDI OKARAFOR, “Lagoon”, 320 pages, April 2014. [Science Fiction; Nigeria]

09: ROBERT GLANCY, “Terms & Conditions”, 272 pages, February 2014 [Satire]

10: LESLIE JAMISON, “The Empathy Exams”, 256 pages, April 2014. [personal Essays]

11: NATALIE HAYNES, “The Amber Fury”, 307 pages, February 2014. [Mainstream / Suspense]

12: COURTNEY C. STEVENS, “Faking Normal”, 321 pages, February 2014. [Young Adult]

13: ROBIN HERRERA, “Hope is a Ferris Wheel”, 272 pages, March 2014. [Young Adult]

14: JOHN COREY WHALEY, “Noggin”, 356 pages, April 2014. [Young Adult Sci-Fi]

15: STEWART FOSTER, “We used to be Kings”, 368 pages, January 2014. [Young Adult]

Here are five books that made me curious enough to buy them:

01: SUE MONK KIDD, “The Invention of Wings”, 373 pages, January 2014. [Mainstream / Historical Fiction]

02: JENNIFER CLEMENT, “Prayers for the Stolen”, 224 pages, February 2014.

03: WILLY VLAUTIN, “The Free”, 297 pages, January 2014.

04: GABRIELLE ZEVIN, “The Stories Life of A. J. Fikry”, 230 pages, March 2014. [Mainstream]

05: DANAH BOYD, “It’s complicated: The Social Lives of Networked Teens”, 296 pages, February 2014. [Sociology]

related Posts:

and:

Underdog Literature: The Best Books from World War One – 1914 to 1918

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Here are 15 books that caught my interest lately.

This month: Books that were published during – or shortly after – World War One. Forgotten, classic or curious titles that might deserve more attention:

01: ROBERT TRESSEL, “The Ragged Trousered Philantropists”, 608 pages, 1914.

02: EDGAR LEE MASTERS, “Spoon River Anthology”, 144 pages, 1914.

03: ROMAIN ROLLAND, “Jean-Christophe”, 1579 pages, 1914.

04: EMMELINE PANKHURST, “My Own Story”, 176 pages, 1914.

05: ELIZABETH VON ARNIM, “The Pastor’s Wife”, 492 pages, 1914.

06: EARL DERR BIGGERS, “Love Insurance”, 432 pages, 1914.

07: BOOTH TARKINGTON, “The Turmoil”, 268 pages, 1915.

08: THEODORE DREISER, “The Genius”, 744 pages, 1915.

09: ALEKSANDR KUPRIN, “Yama: The Pit”, 360 pages, 1915. [Russia]

10: ABOUT WW1: HUGH WALPOLE, “The Dark Forest”, 252 pages, 1916.

11: RUPERT BROOKE, “Letters from America”, 124 pages, 1916.

12: HAROLD BEN WRIGHT, “When a Man’s a Man”, 212 pages, 1916.

13: CLAUDE C. HOPKINS, “My Life in Advertising”, 48 pages, 1917. [Essay]

14: ABOUT WW1: ANDREAS LATZKO, “Men in War” / “Menschen im Krieg”, 112 pages, 1917. [German]

15: ABOUT WW1: KARL KRAUS, “The Last Days of Mankind” / “Die letzten Tage der Menschheit”, 263 pages, 1918. [Stage Play; German]

Here are seven books about World War One that were published a short time later:

01: ABOUT WW1: W.N.P. BARBELLION, “Journal of a disappointed Man”, 275 pages, 1919.

02: ABOUT WW1: A.P. HERBERT, “The Secret Battle”, 208 pages, 1919.

03: ABOUT WW1: ISAAC BABEL, “Red Cavalry”, 352 pages, 1920. [Russia]

04: ABOUT WW1: ERNST JÜNGER, “Storm of Steel” / “In Stahlgewittern”, 320 pages, 1920. [German]

05: ABOUT WW1: ERNST FRIEDRICH, “War against War” / “Krieg dem Kriege”, 242 pages, 1920. [German?]

06: ABOUT WW1: STRATIS MYRIVILIS, “Life in the Tomb”, 353 pages, 1924. [Greece]

07: ABOUT WW1: EMMANUEL BOVE, “My Friends”, 150 pages, 1924. [France]

related Posts:

and:

Underdog Literature, January 2014 (Link)

Best Books of the Year: My personal Top 20

…here are the 20 very best books I’ve read in 2013:

20: WALTER ABISH, “How German is it”, Novel, 1980:

19: SARI BOTTON (Editor): “Goodbye to all that. Writers on Loving and Leaving New York”, nonfiction anthology / personal essays, 2013:

18: BARBARA PYM, “Excellent Women”, Novel, 1952:

17: ALEXANDER MAKSIK, “You deserve nothing”, Novel, 2011:

16: BRIAN WOOD, “DMZ”, 12-volume Graphic Novel series, 2005 to 2012:

15: A.S. KING, “Reality Boy”, Young Adult Novel, 2013:

14: KATE SOUTHWOOD, “Falling to Earth”, Novel, 2013:

13: ANNA FUNDER, “Stasiland” […alternatives / runner-ups: BARBARA DEMICK, “Nothing to Envy” and SEBASTIAN HAFFNER, “Defying Hitler”: Three great nonfiction / cultural studies reads that focus on ordinary people and mass mentality in totalitarian regimes.]
and and

12: ÉDOUARD LEVÉ, “Autoportrait”, postmodern novel / art / journalism, France 2005:

11: DEBBIE LEVY, “Imperfect Spiral”, Young Adult Novel, 2013:

10: J.H. WILLIAMS III, W. HADEN BLACKMAN, “Batwoman” 1 to 3, Graphic Novels, 2011 to 2013:

09: JOHN BRANDON, “Citrus County”, Novel, 2010.

08: BRECHT EVENS, “The Making of”, Belgian Graphic Novel, 2011.

07: ALEXANDER RÜHLE, “Ohne Netz”, German Journalism, 2010.

06: DAVID GATES, “Jernigan”, Novel, 1991.

05: DAVID LEVITHAN, “Two Boys Kissing”, Young Adult Novel, 2013.

04: MARIA SEMPLE, “Where’d you go, Bernadette”, Novel, 2012.

03: CARSON McCULLERS, “The Member of the Wedding”, Novel, 1946.

02: ROBERT SHERRIFF: “A Fortnight in September”, Novel, 1931.

01: PETER HEDGES: “What’s eating Gilbert Grape”, Novel, 1991.

For a complete list of books I’ve read in 2013, please go here [Link].

In comics, I’ve also enjoyed Glyn Dillon’s “The Nao of Brown” [Link], the excellent finale of Joe Hill’s “Locke & Key” series (all in all: the best comic series I have ever read, Link), Juan Diaz Canales’ “Blacksad” [Link] detective stories, the finale / later half of Brian Michael Bendis’ “Alias” series [Marvel, Link] and the “New 52” DC comic books featuring “Wonder Woman” [Link], “Green Lantern” [Link], the new “Green Arrow” [Link] and sometimes “Batgirl” [Link] as well as lots of good, older “Superman” titles [Link] and Marvel’s amazing “Hawkeye” series [Link]…

…and, just like last year, “Honey & Clover” [Link] – a “Scott Pilgrim”-like, bittersweet / comedic coming-of-age manga series about five friends at an art school.

Here’s a big collage of the many, many good graphic novels I’ve discovered in 2013:

Have a good 2014! More to come!

Related Posts:

and:

and, every month:

Best Books of 2013 – popular new recommendations

Every month, I select 15 books that caught my interest lately.

Fresh, off-beat, quirky or curious titles that might deserve more attention.

This month – in time for Christmas:

15 of 2013’s best / most recent books!

01: JINCY WILLETT, “Amy Falls Down”, 336 pages, May 2013. [Realistic Fiction / Satire]

02: J.J. ABRAMS, DOUG DORST, “S.”, 472 pages, August 2013. [post-modern fiction / Fantasy]

03: TAMARA FAITH BERGER, “Little Cat”, 224 pages, June 2013. [Realistic Fiction / Memoir]

04: PAUL ROME, “We all sleep in the same Room”, 280 pages, October 2013. [Realistic Fiction]

05: PETER GELFAN, “Found Objects”, 268 pages, April 2013. [Realistic Fiction]

06: MAC LETHAL, “Texts from Bennett”, 320 pages, September 2013. [Humour]

07: CARI LUNA, “The Revolution of Every Day”, 392 pages, September 2013. [Realistic Fiction]

08: TERRY McMILLAN, “Who asked you?”, 400 pages, September 2013. [Realistic Fiction / Chick Lit]

09: HELEN WAN, “The Partner Track”, 304 pages, September 2013. [Realistic Fiction]

10: MARTIN FLETCHER, “Jacob’s Oath”, 323 pages, October 2013. [Historical Fiction / WW2 – and set in Heidelberg, Germany]

11: SEBASTIEN BREBEL, “Villa Bunker”, 106 pages, July 2013. [Realistic Fiction; French]

12: MARTIN VAN BOOY, “The Illusion of Seperateness”, 224 pages, July 2013. [Historical Fiction / Realistic Fiction]

13: KAREN JOY FOWLER, “We are all completely besides ourselves”, 310 pages, May 2013. [Realistic Fiction]

14: STEPHEN DIXON, “His Wife leaves him”, 407 pages, September 2013. [Realistic Fiction: YA]

15: CHINELO OKPARANTA, “Happiness, like Water”, 208 pages, August 2013. [Short Stories]

As a bonus, here are five 2013 nonfiction books that I’ve sampled and liked:

16: SCOTT NADELSON, “The Next Scott Nadelson: A Life in Progress”, 264 pages, February 2013.

17: SHERI FINK, “Five Days at Memorial”, 558 pages, September 2013.

18: J.L. WITTERICK, “My Mother’s Secret: A Novel based on a true Holocaust Story”, 208 pages, March 2013.

19: PAUL KWIATKOWSKI, “And every Day was overcast”, 280 pages, October 2013.

20: DAVID FINKEL, “Thank you for your Service”, 272 pages, October 2013.

Here are five books from 2013 that made me curious enough to buy them:

01: DAVID RHODES, “Jewelweed”, 448 pages, April 2013. [Realistic Fiction]

02: DONNA TARTT, “The Goldfinch”, 756 pages, October 2013. [Realistic Fiction]

03: ELIZABETH GILBERT, “The Signature of all Things”, 512 pages, October 2013. [Historical Fiction]

04: ALISSA NUTTING, “Tampa”, 272 pages, July 2013. [Realistic Fiction]

05: PRISCILLE SIBLEY, “The Promise of Stardust”, 432 pages, February 2013. [Mainstream]

…and finally, here are nine recent books from 2013 that I read – and that were really good:

5 of 5 stars: DAVID LEVITHAN, “Two Boys kissing”, 208 pages, August 2013. [Realistic Fiction / YA]

4 of 5 stars: KATE SOUTHWOOD, “Falling to Earth”, 272 pages, March 2013. [Realistic Fiction / Historical Fiction]

4 of 5 stars: JANETTE JENKINS, “Firefly”, 156 pages, June 2013. [Realistic Fiction]

4 of 5 stars: DENNIS MAHONEY, “Fellow Mortals”, 288 pages, February 2013. [Realistic Fiction]

4 of 5 stars: LEA CARPENTER, “Eleven Days”, 288 pages, June 2013. [Realistic Fiction]

4 of 5 stars: SUSAN NUSSBAUM, “Good Kings Bad Kings”, 298 pages, March 2013. [Realistic Fiction: YA / literary fiction]

4 of 5 stars: SARI BOTTON, “Goodbye to all that. Writers on Loving and Leaving New York”, 288 pages, September 2013. [personal Essays]

4 of 5 stars: SONALI DERANYIAGALA, “Wave”, 274 pages, March 2013. [Memoir]

4 of 5 stars: NICKOLAS BUTLER, “Shotgun Lovesongs”, 432 pages, September 2013. [Mainstream; German edition]

…have a look at my “Young Adult Literature: Best of 2013” recommendations, too!

related Posts:

and:

Underdog Literature, October 2013: 15 fresh or suprising, off-the-wall titles

Here are 15 books that caught my interest lately.

Fresh, off-beat, quirky or curious titles that might deserve more attention:

01: JHUMPA LAHIRI, “The Lowland”, 352 pages, September 2013.

02: JESMYN WARD, “Men we reaped. A Memoir”, 272 pages, September 2013.

03: LARRY WATSON, “Let him go”, 256 pages, September 2013. [Thriller]

04: GAVIN EXTENSE, “The Universe vs. Alex Woods”, 407 pages, June 2013. [Young Adult]

05: DONAL RYAN, “The Spinning Heart”, 160 pages, 2012. [Ireland]

06: KA HANCOCK, “Dancing on broken Glass”, 416 pages, 2012. [Chick Lit?]

07: MAX BLECHER, “Scarred Hearts”, 240 pages, 1937. [Romania]

08: IRENE RATHBONE, “We that were young”, 528 pages, 1932. [British]

09: MÁRIO DE SÁ-CARNEIRO, “Lucio’s Confession” / “A Confissao de Lucio”, 128 pages, 1914. [Portugese]

10: CHARLES JACKSON, “The Lost Weekend”, 244 pages, 1944. [Novel about Alcoholism]

11: IRA LEVIN, “This Perfect Day”, 368 pages, 1970. [Science Fiction]

12: MARY DOWNING HAHN, “The the Wind blows backward”, 272 pages, 1992. [Young Adult]

13: CAMERON CROWE, “Fast Times at Richmond High”, 253 pages, 1981. [Journalism! I had no idea!!]

14: JOHN ROBERT LEWIS, ANDREW AYDIN, “March”, 128 pages, August 2013. [Graphic Novel]

15: KEIICHI SIGSAWA, “Kino’s Journey: The Beautiful World”, 205 pages, 2000. [Graphic Novel / Manga series]

Here are five books that made me curious enough to buy them:

01: SOURIS HONG-PORETTA, “Outside the Lines: An Artist’s Coloring Book for giant Imaginations”, 256 pages, September 2013. [Coloring Book / Art]

02: MICHELLE NEVIUS, “Inside the Apple: A Streetwise History of New York City”, 384 pages, 2009. [City Guide / History]

03: JOE DAVID BROWN, “Paper Moon”, 320 pages, 1971.

04: RUSSELL HOBAN, “Turtle Diary”, 182 pages, 1978.

05: ROBERT C. SHERRIFF, “A Fortnight in September”, 326 pages, 1931.

…and finally, here are three books that I read – and that were really good:

4 of 5 stars: JONATHAN CARROLL, “The Land of Laughs”, 256 pages, 1980. [literary Fantasy]

4 of 5 stars: BARBARA PYM, “Excellent Women”, 231 pages, 1952.

4 of 5 stars: ALEXANDER RAMATI, “And the Violins stopped playing. A Story of the Gypsy Holocaust”, 200 (?) pages, 1985.

related Posts:

and:

Underdog Literature, September 2013: 15 fresh or compelling, off-the-wall CRIME novels

Here are 15 books that caught my interest lately.

Fresh, off-beat, quirky or curious titles that might deserve more attention:

For this month, my focus is on crime novels, domestic suspense, thrillers and noir classics.

01: HARLAN COBEN, “Tell No One”, 370 pages, 2000. [Thriller]

02: WILLIAM HJORTSBERG, “Falling Angel”, 302 pages, 1978. [Fantasy Noir]

03: TED ALLBEURY, “Lantern Network”, 200 pages, 1979. [Espionage]

04: RUTH RENDELL (as BARBARA VINE), “The Dark-Adapted Eye”, 278 pages, 1986. [Thriller]

05: CHARLOTTE ARMSTRONG, “A Dram of Poison”, 160 pages, 1956.

06: ROSS MACDONALD, “The Chill”, 288 pages, 1963. [Noir; book 11 of an 18-book series]

07: ED LACY, “Room to Swing”, 132 pages, 1957. [Noir]

08: KIN PLATT, “Sinbad and me”, 255 pages, 1967. [Children’s Mystery]

09: JACK D. FERRAIOLO, “The Big Splash”, 288 pages, 2008. [Middle-Grade Noir]

10: STUART GIBBS, “Spy School”, 291 pages, 2012. [Middle-Grade Spy Parody]

11: JOHN MORGAN WILSON, “Simple Justice”, 304 pages, 1996. [Mystery, first in an eight-book series]

12: JOHN FREEMANTLE, “Charlie M”, 207 pages, 1977. [Spy Thriller, first in a fourteen-book series]

13: ADAM HALL, “The Quiller Memorandum”, 254 pages, 1965. [Spy Thriller, first in a nineteen-book series]

14: ISSER HAREL, “The House on Garibaldi Street”, 290 pages, 1975. [Nonfiction]

15: JÜRGEN THORWALD, “Das Jahrhundert der Detektive” / “Century of the Detective”, 704 pages, 1965 pages [Nonfiction; German]

This month, I found most of these titles on a long list [Link] of winners and nominees for the Edgar Awards [Link].

Here are five books that made me curious enough to buy them:

01: DON CARPENTER, “Hard Rain Falling”, 308 pages, 1964. [Noir Classic]

02: CHESTER HIMES, “If he hollers, let him go”, 224 pages, 1945. [Noir Classic]

03: ERIC AMBLER, “A Coffin for Dimitrios”, 304 pages, 1934. [Espionage / Suspense]

04: TONINO BENACQUISTA, “Saga” / “Das Seifenopern-Quartett”, 439 pages, 1997. [Farce / Satire; France]

05: DANIEL GALERA, “Flut” [German title] / “Barba Ensopada de Sangue” [Portugese title], 424 pages, 2012. [Brazilian… literary thriller]

I started reading Dieter Wunderlich’s review here [Link, German; Spoilers], marked the book as to read – and later got a copy of the German edition, from Suhrkamp [Link]: Frank, the German editor, is a good publishing friend… and thought I’d like it.

…and finally, here are three books that I read – and that were really good:

5 of 5 stars: DAVID GATES, “Jernigan”, 256 pages, 1991.

5 of 5 stars: PETER HEDGES, “What’s eating Gilbert Grape”, 319 pages, 1991.

4 of 5 stars: CELIA FREMLIN, “The Hours before Dawn”, 192 pages, 1958. [Thriller / Domestic Suspense]

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Underdog Literature, June 2013: 15 fresh or notable, off-the-wall titles

Here are 15 books that caught my interest lately.

Fresh, off-beat, quirky or curious titles that might deserve more attention:

01: SUSAN NUSSBAUM, “Good Kings Bad Kings”, 336 pages, March 2013.

02: MATTHEW SPECKTOR, “American Dream Machine”, 464 pages, March 2013.

03: LAUREN BEUKES, “The Shining Girls”, 368 pages, April 2013. [Mainstream time-travel thriller]

04: MA JIAN, “The Dark Road”, 384 pages, April 2013. [China]

05: COLUM McCANN, “TransAtlantic”, 259 pages, May 2013. [still haven’t read anything of him.]

06: TAO LIN, “Taipei”, 256 pages, June 2013.

07: MIGUEL ÁNGEL ASTURIAS, “The President”, 288 pages, 1946. [recommended by Clemens Setz]

08: JESUS CARRASCO, “Intemperie” / “Die Flucht”, 224 pages, January 2013. [Dystopia, Spanish]

09: GEORGE PACKER, “The Unwinding: An Inner History of the New America”, 448 pages, May 2013.

10: JANET MALCOLM, “Forty-One False Starts: Essays on Artists and Writers”, 320 pages, May 2013. [Essays]

11: NICK FLYNN, “The Reenactments”, 320 pages, January 2013. [Memoir]

12: DAVID BATCHELOR, “Chromophobia”, 128 pages, 2000. [Cultural Studies / Art Criticism]

13: RUTU MODAN, “The Property”, 232 pages, May 2013. [Graphic Novel]

14: MASON CURREY, “Daily Rituals: How Artists Work”, 304 pages, April 2013. [Trivia / Nonfiction]

15: MONIKA HELD, “Der Schrecken verliert sich vor Ort”, 272 pages, March 2013. [German: I liked Mara Giese’s review – here (Link, German)]

Here are five books that made me curious enough to buy them:

01: STEVE ERICKSON, “Zeroville”, 329 pages, 2007.

02: LIDIA YUKNAVITCH, “The Chronology of Water”, 268 pages, 2011. [Memoir]

03: KATE SOUTHWOOD, “Falling to Earth”, 264 pages, 2013.

04: JUDITH KUCKART, “Wünsche”, 301 pages, 2013. [German]

05: MARTIN KLUGER, “Abwesende Tiere”, 1040 pages, 2002. [German, recommended by Jo Lendle]

usually, I also promote three books that I read – and that were really good.

but I’ve spent the month finishing a long, nerdy (paid) Marvel Comics book translation for a German publisher…

…and spent all my reading-time with old Superman comics to prepare a slew of Tagesspiegel articles I will write this month – now that “Man of Steel” is finally in theatres.

I also watched “Iron Man 3” – and it was near-perfect superhero fun: 4 of 5 stars.

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Underdog Literature, May 2013: 15 fresh or remarkable, off-the-wall books

Here are 15 books that caught my interest lately.

Fresh, off-beat, quirky or curious titles that might deserve more attention:

01: LAUREN KIRSHNER, “Where we have to go”, 336 pages, 2009. [Canada, Coming-of-Age]

02: MICHAEL DAHLIE, “The Best of Youth”, 288 pages, January 2013.

03: NOELLE REVAZ, “With the Animals”, 232 pages, 2002. [Switzerland]

04: PAUL RUSSELL, “The Unreal Life of Sergey Nabokov”, 375 pages, 2010.

05: PETER RUSHFORTH, “Kindergarten”, 224 pages, 1979.

06: ANDRÉ MAUROIS, “Climates”, 400 pages, 1928. [France]

07: CHARLES NEWMAN, “In Partial Disgrace”, 600 pages, March 2013.

08: ANDRÉ CARL VAN DER MERWE, “Moffie”, 314 pages, 2006. [South Africa]

09: FRANK NORRIS, “The Octopus. A Novel of California”, 688 pages, 1901.

10: DIANE ATHILL, “Stet. An Editor’s Life”, 256 pages, 2000. [Memoir]

11: ALEKSANDER WAT, “My Century”, 448 pages, 1977. [Memoir / Journalism; Poland]

12: KEVIN GUILFOILE, “Cast of Shadows”, 336 pages, 2005. [Sci-Fi / Thriller]

13: SALLY CLARK, “Waiting for the Revolution”, 362 pages, 2010. [Toronto]

14: CONSTANCE SQUIRES, “Along the Watchtower”, 320 pages, 2011. [Coming-of-Age]

15: ALICE ZENITER, “Take this Man”, 176 pages, 2011. [Nonfiction, France]

Here are five books that made me curious enough to buy them:

01: JOSEPH KESSEL, “Belle de jour”, 188 pages, 1928.

02: BARBARA STAFFORD, “The Mountain Lion”, 240 pages, 1972.

03: DANZY SENNA, “Caucasia”, 413 pages, 1998.

04: JOHN LANCHESTER, “The Debt to Pleasure”, 272 pages, 1996.

05: PATRICK McGUINNESS, “The Last Hundred Days”, 384 pages, 2011. [Romania]

…and finally, here are three books that I read – and that were really good:

5 of 5 stars: CARSON McCULLERS, “The Member of the Wedding”, 240 pages, 1946. [Coming-of-Age / Southern Fiction]

5 of 5 stars: MARIA SEMPLE, “Where’d you go, Bernadette”, 326 pages, 2012.

4 of 5 stars: 05: BARBARA DEMICK, “Nothing to envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea”, 314 pages, 2009. [non-fiction]

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Underdog Literature, April 2013: 15 fresh or urgent, off-the-wall titles

Here are 15 books that caught my interest lately.

Fresh, off-beat, quirky or curious titles that might deserve more attention:

01: RON CURRIE, jr.: “Flimsy little plastic Miracles”, 340 pages, February 2013.

02: HELEN GARNER, “Monkey Grip”, 245 pages, 1977. [Australia]

03: CHESTER HIMES, “If he hollers, let him go”, 224 pages, 1945. [Racism]

04: JULIE KIBLER, “Calling me Home”, 336 pages, 2012. [Romance / Mainstream]

05: DANA JOHNSON: “Elsewhere, California”, 304 pages, 2012.

06: KAREN BOYE, “Kallocain”, 224 pages, 1940. [Dystopia / SF]

07: JAKOV LIND, “Landscape in Concrete”, 190 pages, 1968.

08: LAWRENCE THORNTON, “Imagining Argentina”, 240 pages, 1987.

09: TYLER McMAHON, “How The Mistakes were made”, 352 pages, 2011. [Novel about a Courtney-Love-like punk / grunge singer.]

10: PETER NATHANIEL MALAE, “Our frail Blood”, 448 pages, February 2013.

11: MICHAEL KIMBALL, “Big Ray”, 192 pages, 2012.

12: STEVE ABEE, “Johnny Future”, 208 pages, 2009.

13: GOLDA FRIED, “Nellcott is my Darling”, 160 pages, 2001. [Young Adult; Toronto]

14: VIKKI WAKEFIELD, “Friday Brown”, 345 pages, 2012. [Young Adult]

15: FRANK DEFORD, “Alex. The Life of a Child”, 142 pages, 1983. [Biography / Death]

Here are five books that made me curious enough to buy them:

01: SHUSAKO ENDO, “When I whistle” / “Eine Klinik in Tokyo”, 273 pages, 1979. [Japanese psychological novel about the war generation]

02: NATACHA APPANAH, “The Last Brother”, 165 pages, 2007.

03: ERLEND LOE, “Naive. Super”, 208 pages, 1996. [Finnish Young Adult Bestseller]

04: DEZSő KOSTOLÁNYI, “Skylark”, 222 pages, 1924. [Hungary]

05: IRENE SABATINI, “The Boy Next Door”, 416 pages, 2009. [Zimbabwe]

…and finally, here are three books that I read – and that were really good:

5 of 5 stars: “Batwoman: Hydrology” (J.H. WILLIAMS III, W. HAYDEN BLACKMAN), 160 pages, 2012. The sequel, “To Drown the World”, is very good, too. If you want to start at the beginning – here’s a reading list I made for the character, from 2011.]

4 of 5 stars: TOBIAS WOLFF, “This Boy’s Life”, 304 pages, 1988. [Autobiography / Coming-of-Age]

4 of 5 stars: 05: SONALI DERANIYAGALA, “Wave”, 274 pages, March 2013. [Memoir about the 2004 tsunami]

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stefan mesch

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