Man oh Man
read this nowAre they trying to torture me? HarperCollins, give me a chance to see tomorrow before you once again waft another book before me that would get me salivating over the mere chance to consume its soul... I am of course referring back to my recent escapades when I found out that Paulo Coelho, one of my newest author obsessions, has written a new book. I went on a binge after reading that the author of "Veronika Decides to Die" and the amazing "The Alchemist" just published (earlier this year) "Be Like a Flowing River". I thought I would go mad just thinking of the possibility of reading this newest of literary brillances. Ok, so I'm laying it on a little thick. I really like his stuff. But you see, HarperCollins has a website, and on this website you can sign up to receive ARCs (advance reader copies) and review them before they are available to the general public. It's brilliant really, and it's a great chance to check out some great new books before everyone else can. "Be Like a Flowing River" was one of these ARCs. It was taunting me, so I signed up for it, but wasn't chosen. Talk about literary heart-break.
*online drool*Then today, after a long day of relaxation, my mind not even considering the remotest possibility of sparking excitement, well other than eating the sweet peas out of the garden, *mmm* fresh organic veggies, I logged into HarperCollins, and what is sitting there, mooning me in the face but a new novel by Vikram Chandra! You're probably thinking "saywhowhat?" I can't even begin to describe the first time I read his work. Wait, I already did though. Vikram wrote my all-time, number one favorite book, "Red Earth and Pouring Rain". His other book wasn't as grandiose, but filled with some awesome stories. I tell you what, American literature is great *Hemingway forgive me* but if you want to truely want to savor great colorful literature, India and Latin America trump everything else (except a double run- my penuchle-speak becomes me). Apparently Vikram has gone on to describe his newest book as "a 1,200-page (912 hard-back according to amazon.com) tome that... is a Victorian-Indian-gangster-spy-family saga". DAMN! Where is it, I want a copy! Sadly though, if I don't get chosen for this book, I'll have to wait like every other schmuck until it's published on January 9, 2007! So you see my plight...
The Voodoo Child's Top 5 Book List
Red Earth and Pouring Rain - Vikram Chandra
The Complete Short Stories Of Ernest Hemingway : The Finca Vigia Edition - Ernest Hemingway
Veronika Decides to Die - Paulo Coelho
The Divine Comedy - Dante Alighieri
The Princess Bride - William Goldman
(no, not W. Golding of Lord of the Flies fame)