This summer promises an exciting amount of books from both new and old authors alike.
May 5: “”Pygmy”” by Chuck Palahniuk
Out just yesterday, Chuck Palahniuk’s latest novel is a look at American society from 13-year-old Pygmy’s point of view. Pygmy and fellow teenagers are hired by their government (some totalitarian state) to infiltrate themselves into America, masquerading as foreign exchange students, eventually positioned to wreak havoc. As another striking critique on American culture, fans of Palahniuk will not be disappointed.
May 5: “”The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrun”” by J. R. R. Tolkien
Written even before “”The Hobbit,”” “”The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrun”” is a never-before-published book of Tolkien’s. Heavy in Norse Mythology, the book is unaltered as Tolkien wrote it, complete with an introduction written by him. It’s two separate epic tales, one about Sigurd, and his enigmatic life as the dragon-slayer, and the other about his wife, Gudrun, and her revenge following Sigurd’s death.
May 19: “”My Remarkable Journey”” by Larry King
Larry King is a legend in talk shows, famous for telling the stories of everybody that’s anybody. And finally, with his autobiography, we get the story of King himself. At a whopping 75 years old, King has a lifetime of experience and tales to share. Full of unexpected surprises, King’s autobiography is both wickedly funny and heavy on the insight of the experience of being Larry King.
June 2: “”My Father’s Tears and Other Stories”” by John Updike
Following his tragic death in January, this is the first collection of short stories by John Updike since 2000. It’s a diverse collection, covering the hope, or lack thereof, for the American public from after the Depression to post-9/11. A painful reminder of just how hard life is and always has been, each story is heartbreaking and poignantly beautiful.
June 2: “”The Strain”” by Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan
Guillermo Del Toro, director of the Oscar-winning “”Pan’s Labyrinth,”” weaves yet another wildly intricate tale. “”The Strain”” starts off with a slightly abnormal plane malfunction, and spirals into the discovery that a master vampire has situated himself in America. Suspenseful and full of creativity, “”The Strain”” is sure to satisfy.
June 16: “”Dune Road”” by Jane Green
New York Times bestselling author Jane Green gets some kudos for her chick lit. “”Dune Road”” is about the beach community that exists long after the tourists have left. It features a single mom who works for an inscrutable author with a secret that is sure to make the whole town lose it.
June 16: “”L.A. Candy”” by Lauren Conrad
Infamous for her own reality show “”The Hills,”” first time author Lauren Conrad signed a three part book deal about a girl who moves to L.A. and winds up on a reality show. The show’s a hit and the girl has to learn to deal with it, something Conrad has experience with first-hand. Some of the novel delves into her own life, and “”The Hills”” fans might be able to make some of their own parallels.
September 15: “”The Lost Symbol”” by Dan Brown
Though Dan Brown has been mysteriously out of the public eye since “”The Da Vinci Code”” controversy has settled, he’s back with yet another religious mystery with Robert Langdon. Said to be an exciting thriller, this novel takes place within a 12 hour time frame of Langdon’s life, and promises a completely unpredictable adventure in the way only Brown can deliver.
At some point this summer, popular web comic XKCD will be coming out via the internet in book form, and, of course, there’s always some Stephen King, Danielle Steele or James Patterson book that’s on the way out.
