High on my list of to-reads for October 2011 is the long-awaited translation of Haruki Murakami's homage to George Orwell, 1Q84. This month we also see promising biographies of Van Gogh, Charles Dickens, and the city of Jerusalem. Check it out.
1. 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami
© Knopf
We've awaited the English translation of 1Q84 for two years since its Japanese publication in three parts in 2009-2010 and I'm quite sure Haruki Murakami (Norwegian Wood, Kafka on the Shore) won't disappoint in this homage to George Orwell's 1984.
2. Charles Dickens by Claire Tomalin
© Penguin Press
Claire Tomalin has won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for Biography among other literary awards that well qualify her for tackling the life of the author of The Tale of Two Cities, Great Expectations, and others.
3. Jerusalem: The Biography by Simon Sebag Montefiore
© Knopf
Knopf, October 2011
Jerusalem is central to Judaism, Christianity and Islam, and Montefiore expertly tells the story of the metropolis through the lives of those who made it so - King David, Jesus, Muhammad, Cleopatra, King Hussein.
4. Reamde by Neal Stephenson
© William Morrow
William Morrow, October 2011
In Neal Stephenson's (Anathem) latest epic, a computer virus in a role-playing game leads to some serious fallout in the real world.
5. The Cat’s Table by Michael Ondaatje
© Knopf
Knopf, October 2011
Michael Ondaatje's (Divisadero) latest is a coming-of-age novel like no other featurring an 11-year-old who finds himself aboard a ship in the middle of the Indian Ocean and himself seated in the middle of an eclectic group of dinner mates at The Cat's Table.
6. The Journals of Spalding Gray edited by Nell Casey
© Knopf
Knopf, October 2011
Spalding Gray's (Life Interrupted, The Unfinished Monologue) journals range over his childhood and adult life, providing even more insight into this well-loved monologist than his own work did. I had the opportunity to see Spalding Gray perform, loved him, and welcome the chance to read his personal writing.
7. The Stranger’s Child by Alan Hollinghurst
© Knopf
Knopf, October 2011
The Stranger's Child, Alan Hollinghurst's (The Line of Beauty) first novel in seven years, revolves around a love triangle whose secrets emerge from a posthumously discovered poem.
8. Van Gogh: The Life by Steven Naifeh, Gregory White Smith
© Random
From Steven Naifeh, the author of Jackson Pollock, a 32-page color inset and 100 black-and-white illustrations are just the tip of what makes this biography of Vincent Van Gogh appealing.
