Books Out Today

Mind you, this is not an all encompassing list, as it excludes the likes of Nicholas Sparks' Safe Haven, Janet Evanovich's Wicked Appetite, and even Tatiana de Rosnay's A Secret Kept, all of which are being released today. Rather, this is a short list of [hypermodern] books that should be included on the collector's bookshelf (or, at the very least, will be included on my bookshelf):


Room, Emma Donoghue
"Powerful.... Seen entirely through Jack's eyes and childlike perceptions, the developments in this novel--there are enough plot twists to provide a dramatic arc of breathtaking suspense--are astonishing.... Donoghue brilliantly portrays the psyche of a child raised in captivity...will keep readers rapt." [Publishers Weekly]
Short listed for the Man-Booker Prize, & featured in O magazine, Room was first released in the U.K.(Picador, London, UK, Aug. 6, 2010) and Canada (Harpercollins, Toronto, Sep. 7, 2010) and has been getting rave reviews. First editions from the U.K. will be worth more than first editions from the U.S., although one seller over at ABEbooks.com is listing their U.S. first for $50... so don't let that stop you from buying this book.


Reckless, Cornelia Funke 
Beyond the mirror, the darkest fairy tales come alive. . . . For years, Jacob Reckless has enjoyed the Mirrorworld's secrets and treasures. Not anymore. His younger brother has followed him. Now dark magic will turn the boy to beast, break the heart of the girl he loves, and destroy everything Jacob holds most dear. . . .Unless he can find a way to stop it. If you're looking for happily ever after, you've come to the wrong place. [Product Description]
This is a new series for Funke, who wrote one of my favorite YA series, Inkheart / Inkspell / Inkdeath. Funke's first editions usually garner prices in the $50-$100 (unsigned); $100-$1,000 (signed)

Books released last week:
Zero History, William Gibson
"William Gibson can craft sentences of uncanny beauty, and is our great poet of crowds." [San Francisco Examiner & Chronicle] 
Famed author of Neuromancer (Victor Gollancz, London, 1984) 
and Count Zero (Victor Gollancz, London, 1986), William Gibson's latest, Zero History, has been getting praises. 


The collectibility of Gibson's books is all over the place with first edition/first print prices from the teens to the tens of thousands (seriously).


C, Tom McCarthy
“A literary roller-coaster ride that virtually hums and crackles . . . A marvelously inventive novel, swept along by the sheer energy of its prose.”  [Booklist]
U.K. editions (Jonathan Cape, London, Aug. 5, 2010) are listing for $40 (unsigned); $70 (signed)

Also:
The Grand Design by Stephen Hawking, Leonard Mlodinow


Out next week:

Bad Blood: a Virgil Flowers novel, John Sandford
One late fall Sunday in southern Minnesota, a farmer brings a load of soybeans to a local grain elevator- and a young man hits him on the head with a steel bar, drops him into the grain bin, waits until he's sure he's dead, and then calls the sheriff to report the "accident." Suspicious, the sheriff calls in Virgil Flowers, who quickly breaks the kid down...and the next day the boy's found hanging in his cell. Remorse? Virgil isn't so sure, and as he investigates he begins to uncover a multigeneration, multifamily conspiracy-a series of crimes of such monstrosity that, though he's seen an awful lot in his life, even he has difficulty in comprehending it...and in figuring out what to do next. [Product Description]
Sandford is another author whose first edition prices run the gamut from $10 to $8,000+. His earlier novels generally list in the range of $200 - $500 (unsigned), but several of his latest books are listing in the $70 range (unsigned).

Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk: A Modest Bestiary, David Sedaris
Featuring David Sedaris's unique blend of hilarity and heart, this new collection of keen-eyed animal-themed tales is an utter delight. Though the characters may not be human, the situations in these stories bear an uncanny resemblance to the insanity of everyday life.... With original illustrations by Ian Falconer, author of the bestselling Olivia series of children's books, these stories are David Sedaris at his most observant, poignant, and surprising. [Product Description]
I don't have any stats on David Sedaris. He earns a spot on my bookshelf for his shear fabulousness. 



 

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