New Books You Need To Know About

With the publication of a lyrical novel written by a promising young author, Jeffery Eugenides's long awaited tale of books and boyfriends, Steve Job's biography and Christopher Hitchens' collections, we can't complain about 2011's literary turn-out.

But we're only one month into 2012, and we have to say, we're pretty impressed. There seems to be something for everyone this month, so whether you'd prefer to thumb through a linguistically-oriented meta-narrative, the touching tale of an aspiring Girl Scout or a thoughtful analysis of the FBI's history, check out our recommended reads for January and February:

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Comments

[AllegroTroppo]

01:48 PM on 02/03/2012

Let's try something little more exciting and thought provoking, shall we:

1."Something Urgent I Have to Say to You": The Life and Works of William Carlos Williams" by Herbert Leibowitz
2. " Battle Hymn of the tiger Mom" by Amy Chua
3."Canti" by Giacomo Leopardi.
4. MetaMaus" by Art Spiegelman
5.1Q84. By Haruki Murakami.
6.Embassytown by China Miéville

[Jennifer Kley]

12:07 PM on 02/03/2012

Hmm, "Threat" sounds like something deliciously written but incredibly dark that would give me nightmares for weeks on end.

http://thecubiclerebel.wordpress.com/

[Julie A. Carlson]

10:16 PM on 02/02/2012

American Dervish is on my to be read list. The Mirage is definitely an interesting twist. I like the sounds of Girlchild. I can't wait to read that one!

[dmacsfo]

04:37 PM on 02/02/2012

I strongly recommend D.W. Buffa's most recent courtroom drama, "The Dark Backward" (Blue Zephyr Publishing). As with his prior book "The Evangeline", Buffa takes on cultural taboos and puts them into a believable, totally different light. "Evangeline" involved cannibalism, and "The Dark Backward" presents incest, rape and child-murder. Hard to imagine, but his treatment is engaging and intellectually satisfying for even the squeamish reader. The love story between two wonderful characters in their sixties is an added bonus.

[FlaviaDeLuce]

01:13 PM on 02/02/2012

I just bought Flame Alphabet, looking forward to it.

[PaulMuaddib]

12:26 PM on 02/02/2012

Read Dune and read it often. Also just finished Duma Key which I enjoyed.

[kmcchrystal]

11:38 AM on 02/02/2012

Add my new book to the list: Garden of Light, by Karen McChrystal, MA. www.garden-of-light.com. During the years ahead, it will seem to many that the world as we once knew it is coming to an end, that these are the prophesied “End Times.” Yet rather than an end, we will be experiencing a profound trans-formation as the old order, the outmoded and unworkable civilization, un-ravels. The book shows how by integrating deeper awareness with Guidance and informed common sense we can also most effectively make positive contributions to the vast transformative process now unfolding in our world. Ravenwood Press.

[Paintio]

12:44 PM on 02/02/2012

"Guidance?"

[keene]

11:34 AM on 02/02/2012

The Gentrification Of The Mind- Sarah Schulman: "In her new memoir, The Gentrification of the Mind (University of Chicago Press), novelist and playwright Sarah Schulman mixes personal reminiscences with astute cultural analysis. The memoir revisits the height of the AIDS epidemic (1981–1996) in New York City. Schulman recalls “how much of the rebellious queer culture, cheap rents, and a vibrant downtown arts movement vanished almost overnight to be replaced by gay conservative spokespeople and mainstream consumerism.” She details “her experience as a witness to the loss of a generation’s imagination and the consequences of that loss.”

[threnodymarch]

11:01 AM on 02/02/2012

Some of these sound really great - in particular, "How to Be Black" and "The Orphan Master's Son." There aren't a whole lot of books about North Korea ("Nothing to Envy" by Barbara Demick stands out to me) and I think this will be the beginning of a new trend of fiction and non-fiction books coming out about the country. John Green is always a pleasure, as well. Although I have to admit, I'm a little skeptical about the book about OWS. I mean, we're still in the middle of the movement. I think it's way too early to be discussing the impact and repercussions of something that's only been around for a short amount of time. It sounds like this particular book avoids some of that (hopefully). Maybe it's just me, but sometimes I get so aggravated to see books and movies come out, detailing events that have only just transpired. We need hindsight and all of the facts, and we only get that with time.

Thanks for putting this list together!

[Lleah]

12:44 AM on 02/02/2012

So glad to see Tupelo Hassman's phenomenal "Girlchild" included in this list. I was able to read a pre-released copy, and it is extraordinary...don't miss it.

[saj485]

10:54 PM on 02/01/2012

For some reason, HP book editors are drawn to the most derivative, commercial, mindless tripe that I have the displeasure of ever seeing, and seem to be drawn to it on a somewhat regular basis. It's fairly amazing.

[Andrew Losowsky]

09:13 AM on 02/02/2012

We're sorry to hear that you feel this work commercial, mindless and derivative. We'd be amazed if most of these made it to the Bestsellers lists!

But we'd love to hear your own top picks of the month. What do you think we missed?

[saj485]

01:42 PM on 02/02/2012

I really don't care what came out this month, or last year. I read classics.

[threnodymarch]

11:03 AM on 02/02/2012

I'll admit that some of the books sound a bit gimmicky (literary fiction can be like that), but some of them also sound like they'd be great. It's a mixed bag - they can't account for the taste of everyone and I think they did really well this month. What would you recommend, then?

[saj485]

01:43 PM on 02/02/2012

Proust? Mann? Woolf?

[AllegroTroppo]

10:28 PM on 02/01/2012

Yawn.

[Ian Walkley]

10:06 PM on 02/01/2012

How many of your previewed books are from indie authors? Do you have any thoughts about how HP can identify good reads from the non-traditional sources, or is that not of interest?

[Andrew Losowsky]

09:12 AM on 02/02/2012

OR Books certainly isn't a mainstream source. We monitor sources of all kinds, and in particular, for indie authors, we team up with IndieReader.com, a specialist in that area. Hope that helps!

[Berlinica]

06:22 PM on 02/01/2012

Here is an upcoming Berlinica book you absolutely have to know about: It contains never-before published stories from Mark Twain about his journey to Berlin in 1891/1892. Twain, who practically fled America after a series of bad business decisions, had hoped to life cheaper in Berlin (something not unheard of also from Americans today) But soon he ran into a lot of troubles, from a noisy apartment to getting caught in an uprising Unter den Linden.

The book is supposed to come out in July 2012, but it is not finished yet, and to get it done, there is a fundraiser at Kickstarter. Everybody who participates will get a reward, starting with buttons, books, and T-shirts. The most valuable price is a day-long guided tour in Berlin to all the places Twain has been. The link also contains a little movie that tells everything about the book.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/919476212/mark-twain-in-berlin-be-a-researcher

[splenetic]

07:14 PM on 03/11/2012

Thanks for the link. I've always been interested in Twain's sojourn in Berlin. Theodore Roosevelt spend time in Germany, too, Dresden, I believe, during his youth. Also, Mary Todd Lincoln spent part of her widowhood in Germany. I only recently read that Benjamin Franklin visited Göttingen University back in 1766.