I was talking about a set of delightful books that have recently arrived yesterday and I am going to do the same again today. These books coincide with the fact that I have decided that now The Green Carnation Shortlist has been announced, and I know my final thoughts on the final books, and as Bookmarked Salon is now having a hiatus before it possibly comes back (and if it does it will be rather different) next year, it is time for me to scrap all planned reading and simply indulge myself for the last month and a half of the year. It actually freaks me out quite a lot that 2012 is not far away at all and there were so many books I ‘meant to’ read this year and still haven’t as yet. In fact it is next year that links all of the books below I want to discuss as they aren’t out until 2012, in the UK anyway, but I want to read them now…
The first of these three treats I don’t think is out in anywhere else, and by that I mean in any other countries outside the UK, as yet and won’t be out here in the UK until early January and that is ‘The Man Who Rained’ by Ali Shaw and is the his highly anticipated (and not just by me) follow up to ‘The Girl With The Glass Feet’ which I absolutely loved and which caused a great discussion on the blog a while back. This one sounds like another wonderful adult fairytale and one I don’t think I can wait to get started on.
The next up is already out in Australia and hasn’t a definite date in the UK as yet, but I am hoping that the world cottons onto the wonders of Marieke Hardy and her collections of essays and memories ‘You’ll Be Sorry When I’m Dead’ which the publishers Allen and Unwin very, very kindly popped in the post. I have become a fan of Marieke, bordering on a slight ‘non weird’ obsession, since I started catching up with one of my favourite book shows The First Tuesday Book Club and since then with her blog and the like. This should be a great collection and once I will have to try very hard not to read in one sitting, I want to savour them… if I can.
Finally is a book I discussed on a post a while back, a post I was apparently slated for by an author on a certain social media site, bizarre. I was a huge fan of Hillary Jordan’s debut novel ‘Mudbound’ and was exited to hear that she was releasing a new ‘dystopian novel’ as her second novel ‘When She Awoke’. I was then mortified that whilst it came out in America a little while back, it wasn’t coming out her until late spring 2012 at the earliest. Well guess what, the very lovely Michael Kindness of the brilliant podcast Books on the Nightstand sent me a copy all the way from the US of A…
If that wasn’t enough he only went and got it signed for me by Hillary on one of the author tours he went on with her. I am beyond thrilled at what was just a lovely, lovely gesture.
Now I just have to decide if I hold fire on reading them, or simply dive in and treat myself? What do you think? Which books are you the most excited about reading at the moment? Are there any books coming out in 2012 that you already have on your radar?
Savidge Reads 
Personally, I believe that book bloggers should read what they fancy when they fancy them. Why shouldn’t you read them, now? If those books are tickling your fancy, go for it!
Thanks for the advice. I’ve held off so far but Marieke Hardy is going to be a treat this weekend I think.
You should go for Ali Shawțs book, I am sure it is going to be great. For next year, I will be waiting for Alain de Botton’s next book, and Jeanette Winterson’s book about some witches…
Winterson writing about witches ‘should’ be amazing. We will have to see. I’m hoping that the Shaw is as good as the last one which I loved. I think from the title alone it has huge signs of promise.
Ah, there’s a dilemma… Personally, I prefer to wait until after (or maybe just before) a book has be published , so there’s more chance that others will have read it and so be able to talk about it – but I think, as Dog Ear says, if you really want to read a book now, why not do so?
I’ve been combing through all the publishers’ spring catalogues that I could find to see which books sounded interesting. There were… well, a fair amount. 🙂 I was very impressed by Julie Otsuka story in the latest issue of Granta, so I’ll be keeping an eye out for her novel The Buddha in the Attic; and I’m looking forward to Simon Lelic’s latest, The Child Who, to name two from January.
I need to go through all of next years spring catalogues. I’ve held off so far but am not sure I will hold out much longer.
I am a huge Marieke Hardy fan too and watch First Tuesday Book Club avidly. I haven’t bought a copy of this book yet though but it will be on my Christmas wish list.
I worry that Marieke may learn of my purely friendly obsession for her and become rather fearful of Savidge Reads. She just makes me laugh so much, and really loves her books. What more could I need as a dream bookish BFF?
Ooh Simon, you must read When She Woke… I absolutely loved it, I think it had flavours of Atwoods,The Handmaids Tale..one of my faves of the year I think 😉
I’ve heard about the flavours of The Handmaids Tale and it’s actually the only thing that makes me a little nervous and wary of the book – I fear I will feel I have read this before and the familiarity might let it down. I’m hoping not though.
I can’t wait for the Ali Shaw – lucky you to get an advance copy. Seriously though, read what thou wilt, have some fun reading what you want now and then.
Oh I am definitely back on the reading what I want when I want. Sadly I’ve picked a couple of duds but they’ve been charity shopped (none of the above were included) so least that’s less books in the house. Ha.
Simon I’m very puzzled that you seek our opinion! Read what you want when you want. Tell us about it the second after you finish it or two years later. If what you have to say about a book is worth reading (hint: indeed it is!) then why worry about the relative timing? I cannot imagine you are insecure about this.
I think it’s nice to get readers of Savidge Reada feedback oh furry one. It also made me think about the discussion of books in advance and how soon is too soon so I threw the question out there.