A couple of big books from big authors pepper today’s roundup of this week’s notable new releases.
• THE COLORADO KID is not only Stephen King’s first pulp novel, but also his first mass-market paperback debut since hitting it big. Lord knows how Dorchester/Leisure sweet-talked/conned/cajoled/asked-nicely into getting King to write a murder mystery for them, but he did, and the little publisher that could has to be thanking its lucky stars, because this is all but guaranteed to be its biggest title ever. After all, King ain’t the world’s most commercially successful author for nothing, right? It doesn’t even matter what COLORADO KID is about; people will buy it in droves because Steve-o’s name is on the cover. It’s part of Dorchester’s hard-boiled “Hard Case Crime” line, which prints both old and new pulp novels with authentic ’50s-style covers. And that means curvy dames.
• I haven’t yet succumbed to Michael Connelly, though I’ve been curious about THE CLOSERS for a while. I guess I’m waiting for someone to convince me. In the meantime, the mystery writer’s latest is THE LINCOLN LAWYER, his first legal thriller. As the title has it, it’s about a lawyer who operates his business from the backseat of a Lincoln. Just watch it become a series.
• NOISY OUTLAWS, UNFRIENDLY BLOBS, AND SOME OTHER THINGS…is McSweeney’s attempt at a fiction anthology for kids of all ages. Contributing are Lemony Snicket, Neil Gaiman, Nick Hornby and more. We’re halfway through this and you could’ve read our review today but I had to work late last night. So maybe tomorrow. I’m not making any promises!
• And from McSweeney’s mastermind Dave Eggers comes the annual installment of THE BEST AMERICAN NONREQUIRED READING 2005, collecting a mix of offbeat fiction and non-fiction from an unlikely array of sources. The first two volumes in 2002 and 2003 were pretty good, but last year’s was so pretentious it still leaves a stink on my shelf to this day. I’m still giving this one a try, though. That “Loser” Beck provides the introduction.
• Finally, for the comics crowd, DC’s adult-oriented imprint Vertigo offers VERTIGO: FIRST OFFENSES, which collects the first issues of such fan favorites as PREACHER, THE INVISIBLES, THE SANDMAN PRESENTS LUCIFER and our two favorites, FABLES and SANDMAN MYSTERY THEATRE.
Related posts:
- Vertigo to offer FIRST OFFENSES at bargain price
- BOOK WHORE >> 9.27.05
- BOOK WHORE >> 8.23.05
- BOOK WHORE >> 8.30.05
- BOOK WHORE >> 9.13.05
