The Nine - Harbingers of a Literary 2004

As we teeter on the brink of a fresh New Year, I'm going to take a moment to play literary Nostradamus here and hand-pick a few titles from the treasure-trove of works the publishers are about to throw out at us in early 2004.

The Nine, as I've titled my list (in honor of the recent swell of attention deservedly paid to J.R.R. Tolkien's masterworks), include new offerings from big names like Anne Tyler and Elmore Leonard as well as gems from relative unknowns Samina Ali and Anne Ursu. Check 'em out... check 'em all out. There are even a couple of wildly intriguing memoirs thrown in from the likes of poet, Sam Kashner, and humor columnist, Hollis Gillespie. Have a Happy New Year, be safe out there, and play nice.