December 11th, 2009 / 3:07 pm
Uncategorized

2010: What are you looking forward to?

2010d2009 has been a hell of a year for books, I think. Will 2010 be even better?

The answer, of course, is an emphatic maybe.

“MAYBE!”

Here are three coming in 2010 you should be looking forward to. Comment with more.

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The Ask by Sam Lipsyte

Due respect to the amazing Venus Drive, Lipsyte is a born novelist. Home Land kills me every time I pick it up and choose a random sentence. (Bathing at knife point in the phlegm of the dead?!?!) The Ask is another dark, funny-as-hell book.

Every time I read Lipsyte, it occurs to me that I don’t spend enough time telling people how good Sam Lipsyte is. And then I feel like a jerk. Sam Lipsyte’s writing is so good, it makes me hate myself.

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Reality Hunger by David Shields

Galley just arrived on my desk. Read a little bit of this recently—a chapter on collage—and though the book is composed in small sections, each section is a marvelously chiseled piece of writing: direct, elegant, and thought-provoking.

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A Common Pornography by Kevin Sampsell

Remember that thing I posted a while back about memoir? The one where I basically said: fuck all memoir. Fiction is where its at.

You remember that, right?

Yeah, well, fuck me. As the kids say, Kevin Sampsell FTW. A Common Pornography is flat-out awesome. Tightly composed, damn funny, unsettlingly candid. Fun as hell. Read it in a sitting.

(Note that all three of these books are from big presses. Good for them, I say. Good that someone in those institutions is still paying attention.)

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82 Comments

  1. Blake Butler

      Amelia Gray’s Museum of the Weird is going to crush skulls– it is pure magic.

      Zachary German’s Eat When You Feel Sad, I just read it and it is really excellent, in a way I’ve not seen. More on this soon.

      Ander Monson’s Vanishing Point in April

      Nick Flynn’s The Ticking is the Bomb

      Joshua Cohen’s 900 page ‘Witz’ from Dalkey i have dreams about that one.

      Justin Taylor’s Everything Here is the Best Thing Ever

      Dennis Cooper’s Smothered in Hugs

      probably will have to add more later.

  2. Blake Butler

      Amelia Gray’s Museum of the Weird is going to crush skulls– it is pure magic.

      Zachary German’s Eat When You Feel Sad, I just read it and it is really excellent, in a way I’ve not seen. More on this soon.

      Ander Monson’s Vanishing Point in April

      Nick Flynn’s The Ticking is the Bomb

      Joshua Cohen’s 900 page ‘Witz’ from Dalkey i have dreams about that one.

      Justin Taylor’s Everything Here is the Best Thing Ever

      Dennis Cooper’s Smothered in Hugs

      probably will have to add more later.

  3. Blake Butler

      a ton from Publishing Genius

  4. Blake Butler

      a ton from Publishing Genius

  5. Peter Markus

      I’m looking forward to Dawn Raffel’s new book due out in March from Dzanc.

  6. Peter Markus

      I’m looking forward to Dawn Raffel’s new book due out in March from Dzanc.

  7. Lincoln

      The Ask is absolutely killer. You guys are gonna love it.

  8. Adam R

      Hey thanks b

      When’s that zachary german book coming out? I could only buy one of his harddrives cuz maybe you bought the other one.

  9. Lincoln

      The Ask is absolutely killer. You guys are gonna love it.

  10. Adam R

      Hey thanks b

      When’s that zachary german book coming out? I could only buy one of his harddrives cuz maybe you bought the other one.

  11. Matthew Simmons

      Jeff Parker has a book of stories coming out from Dzanc, too. And Robert Lopez. And Terese Svoboda. Good lineup from Dzanc heading our way!

  12. Matthew Simmons

      Jeff Parker has a book of stories coming out from Dzanc, too. And Robert Lopez. And Terese Svoboda. Good lineup from Dzanc heading our way!

  13. Matthew Simmons

      Tom Bissell’s Extra Lives.

  14. Matthew Simmons

      Tom Bissell’s Extra Lives.

  15. davidpeak

      when all our days are numbered – sasha fletcher
      pee on water – rachel glaser
      my hair will defeat you – brandon scott gorrell
      the self-esteem holocaust comes home – sam pink
      the evolutionary revolution – lily hoang

  16. davidpeak

      when all our days are numbered – sasha fletcher
      pee on water – rachel glaser
      my hair will defeat you – brandon scott gorrell
      the self-esteem holocaust comes home – sam pink
      the evolutionary revolution – lily hoang

  17. Matthew Simmons

      The next issue of No Colony.

  18. Matthew Simmons

      The next issue of No Colony.

  19. Blake Butler

      i think march? i dont have it front of me. yr gonna dig it.

      will you post a list here of what you are putting out next year?

  20. Blake Butler

      i think march? i dont have it front of me. yr gonna dig it.

      will you post a list here of what you are putting out next year?

  21. Blake Butler

      is that the video game book? or saints?

  22. Blake Butler

      is that the video game book? or saints?

  23. KevinS

      The Nick Flynn book for sure, and the next issue of Noon! Thanks, Matthew, for mentioning my book. Two more great things have happened in the last 24 hours. I heard it’s reviewed nicely in the January Harper’s and that it’s an Indie Next pick for February. Sweet!

  24. KevinS

      The Nick Flynn book for sure, and the next issue of Noon! Thanks, Matthew, for mentioning my book. Two more great things have happened in the last 24 hours. I heard it’s reviewed nicely in the January Harper’s and that it’s an Indie Next pick for February. Sweet!

  25. davidpeak

      i just read cohen’s mud luscious chapbook and loved it. where do i start with his books?

  26. davidpeak

      i just read cohen’s mud luscious chapbook and loved it. where do i start with his books?

  27. Blake Butler

      A Heaven of Others is probably your best bet for beginning.

  28. Blake Butler

      A Heaven of Others is probably your best bet for beginning.

  29. Adam R

      Harpers! Dang. Good things happen to good people.

  30. Adam R

      Harpers! Dang. Good things happen to good people.

  31. Lily

      cadenza for the schneidermann violin concerto is, to me, a better book, though heaven is shorter.

  32. Lily

      cadenza for the schneidermann violin concerto is, to me, a better book, though heaven is shorter.

  33. Adam R

      Happy to. Somewhat in order:

      Mairead Byrne “The Best of (What’s Left of) Heaven” poetry
      Mike Topp “Sasquatch Stories”
      Andy Devine “Words”
      Rachel B Glaser “Pee On Water”
      Mike Young “We’re All Good If They Try Hard Enough”
      A Minetta Gould b/w Amber Nelson — two poetry books in one
      Some book on craft, John Madera, ed
      Chris Toll, an amazing poetry book

      I’m going to be a barrel of laughs.

  34. Adam R

      Happy to. Somewhat in order:

      Mairead Byrne “The Best of (What’s Left of) Heaven” poetry
      Mike Topp “Sasquatch Stories”
      Andy Devine “Words”
      Rachel B Glaser “Pee On Water”
      Mike Young “We’re All Good If They Try Hard Enough”
      A Minetta Gould b/w Amber Nelson — two poetry books in one
      Some book on craft, John Madera, ed
      Chris Toll, an amazing poetry book

      I’m going to be a barrel of laughs.

  35. Blake Butler

      damn, son. somebody needs to buy you a cake. that’s a no joke bunch o wild.

      next time i’m in balitmore i will.

  36. Blake Butler

      damn, son. somebody needs to buy you a cake. that’s a no joke bunch o wild.

      next time i’m in balitmore i will.

  37. Blake Butler

      nice, Kevin, gotta find that review. i am really excited about the book.

  38. Blake Butler

      nice, Kevin, gotta find that review. i am really excited about the book.

  39. Richard Thomas

      glad to hear your love of lipsyte matthew, i just picked up both of those books

  40. Richard Thomas

      glad to hear your love of lipsyte matthew, i just picked up both of those books

  41. Matthew Simmons

      Video games.

  42. Matthew Simmons

      Video games.

  43. JT

      PEE ON WATER !

  44. JT

      PEE ON WATER !

  45. Blake Butler

      Matt Bell’s How They Were Found, from Keyhole!

  46. Blake Butler

      Matt Bell’s How They Were Found, from Keyhole!

  47. howie good

      is it perverse to look forward to one’s own books coming out?

  48. howie good

      is it perverse to look forward to one’s own books coming out?

  49. Matthew Simmons

      Aaron Burch’s onslaught.

      Did you know that if you google Aaron Burch [space], it suggests “Aaron Burch Worship”?

      Is Aaron Burch worship some sort of submissive sex fantasy thing? Like “foot worship”?

  50. Matthew Simmons

      Not at all.

  51. Matthew Simmons

      Aaron Burch’s onslaught.

      Did you know that if you google Aaron Burch [space], it suggests “Aaron Burch Worship”?

      Is Aaron Burch worship some sort of submissive sex fantasy thing? Like “foot worship”?

  52. Matthew Simmons

      Not at all.

  53. zachary german

      lot of cool stuff mentioned already

      tao lin’s ‘richard yates’ should be cool too, read an early draft, way better than anything he’s yet published, imho

  54. zachary german

      lot of cool stuff mentioned already

      tao lin’s ‘richard yates’ should be cool too, read an early draft, way better than anything he’s yet published, imho

  55. gene

      pee on water, fucking monster

      we’ll see if this barry hannah book, sick soldier at your door, comes together

      four separate books about dfw are supposed to be coming out which will set the stage for pale king, 2011

  56. gene

      pee on water, fucking monster

      we’ll see if this barry hannah book, sick soldier at your door, comes together

      four separate books about dfw are supposed to be coming out which will set the stage for pale king, 2011

  57. Andrew

      Yes, The Ask is amazing. Definitely worth the wait. The new DeLillo is fairly interesting as well–it has a silly premise, but he brings it around.

  58. Andrew

      Yes, The Ask is amazing. Definitely worth the wait. The new DeLillo is fairly interesting as well–it has a silly premise, but he brings it around.

  59. Blake Butler

      Vanessa Place’s The Guilt Project is going to be amazing, i Believe (Other Press, in March): “The Guilt Project looks at the way the American legal system defines, prosecutes, and punishes sex offenders, how this Dateline NBC justice has transformed our conception of who is guilty and how they ought to be treated, and how this has come to undo our deeper humanity”

  60. Blake Butler

      Vanessa Place’s The Guilt Project is going to be amazing, i Believe (Other Press, in March): “The Guilt Project looks at the way the American legal system defines, prosecutes, and punishes sex offenders, how this Dateline NBC justice has transformed our conception of who is guilty and how they ought to be treated, and how this has come to undo our deeper humanity”

  61. ravi

      The night before The Ask ships will be like Christmas Eve.

      Looking forward to Matt Bell, Anthony Doerr, Dawn Raffel, Jeff Parker.

  62. ravi

      The night before The Ask ships will be like Christmas Eve.

      Looking forward to Matt Bell, Anthony Doerr, Dawn Raffel, Jeff Parker.

  63. Tony Perez

      I saw Bissell read from Extra Lives…should be a great book.

  64. Tony Perez

      I saw Bissell read from Extra Lives…should be a great book.

  65. tom k

      mark gluth’s ‘the late work of Margaret Kroftis” is going to be amazing

  66. tom k

      mark gluth’s ‘the late work of Margaret Kroftis” is going to be amazing

  67. Patrick deWitt

      I’ve heard Gluth’s Margaret Kroftis is excellent.
      Matthew: Thank you!

  68. Patrick deWitt

      I’ve heard Gluth’s Margaret Kroftis is excellent.
      Matthew: Thank you!

  69. sasha fletcher

      thanks dave!

  70. sasha fletcher

      thanks dave!

  71. darby

      does sean kilpatrick have a book coming out i thought? maybe i dreamed that knowledge.

  72. darby

      does sean kilpatrick have a book coming out i thought? maybe i dreamed that knowledge.

  73. mimi

      2010: I am looking forward to finding/making more time to read all the interesting books etc that I find out about on HTML G. Seriously.

  74. mimi

      2010: I am looking forward to finding/making more time to read all the interesting books etc that I find out about on HTML G. Seriously.

  75. Colin Herd

      Spread Eagle by Kevin Killian
      Impossible Princess by Kevin Killian
      and if it’s true that David Trinidad is editing a Tim Dlugos collected poems then that above all.

  76. Colin Herd

      Spread Eagle by Kevin Killian
      Impossible Princess by Kevin Killian
      and if it’s true that David Trinidad is editing a Tim Dlugos collected poems then that above all.

  77. Lily

      thanks, dave! i have to admit, i’m looking forward to it too.

  78. Lily

      thanks, dave! i have to admit, i’m looking forward to it too.

  79. sasha fletcher

      from wave:
      new tim donnelly [i’ve heard him read from this three times now and the new poems are fucking amazing]
      new michael earl craig
      new dottie lasky

      real goddam excited.
      plus, new rob lopez from dzanc, with all the blind betty stories as a novella at the end. real real real excited about that one.

  80. sasha fletcher

      from wave:
      new tim donnelly [i’ve heard him read from this three times now and the new poems are fucking amazing]
      new michael earl craig
      new dottie lasky

      real goddam excited.
      plus, new rob lopez from dzanc, with all the blind betty stories as a novella at the end. real real real excited about that one.

  81. sasha fletcher

      and museum of the weird. holy shit it is so so so so good. so fucking good.

  82. sasha fletcher

      and museum of the weird. holy shit it is so so so so good. so fucking good.