Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the Broke and the Bookish, and each week bloggers are given a different top ten list to blog about. This is “freebie” week, and I decided to step away from speculative fiction this time, and show some love for literary fiction, which is also near and dear to my heart. (I just don’t talk about it here because I try to keep my focus on speculative fiction only.) HOWEVER, some of my favorite books have been literary fiction, and I’m always adding new ones to my list, in hopes that someday I’ll actually have time to read them! So here are ten that I’d love to read this year:
The Girls by Emma Cline. I’ve been hearing so much buzz about this book, and it’s one on this list I’ll be reading for sure. I think it’s a fictional story about the girls who followed Charles Manson in the 1960s, and I’m super curious to read it. I went through a phase, after the book Helter Skelter came out, where I was (slightly) obsessed with the Manson story. I even drove with a group of girlfriends to Hollywood to find the house where Sharon Tate was murdered! I know, morbid, right? (And yes, we found the house.)
Sweetbitter by Stephanie Danler. Here’s another buzz-worthy debut, about a young woman who gets a job in a famous New York restaurant. I’m not really a foodie, although I do love cooking shows once in a while! This sounds really good:-)
Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld. This is part of a group of books called The Austen Project, modern retellings of Jane Austen’s books. This is a retelling of one of my favorites, Pride and Prejudice.
LaRose by Louise Erdrich. A new Erdrich is coming out this year! The Goodreads description doesn’t tell you much, but I read a blurb somewhere that made me want to read this book. Erdrich isn’t always easy to read. Her subject matter is often harsh. But what a beautiful writer she is.
The Heavenly Table by Donald Ray Pollock. I have a copy of Pollock’s The Devil All the Time that I haven’t read yet, but I hear it’s very dark. I imagine this one will be too. Goodreads says this story is “In the gothic tradition of Flannery O’Connor and Cormac McCarthy” and also mentions Quentin Tarantino and the Coen Brothers. Yep, it’s gonna be violent!
Everyone Brave is Forgiven by Chris Cleave. Cleave is one of my favorite authors (from before blogging!) and I’m anxious to read more of him. Luckily, he has a new book out this year. This story takes place in 1939 and revolves around three main characters whose lives intersect during the war. Cleave is simply brilliant!
The Mirror Thief by Martin Seay. This debut is being compared to David Mitchell’s books, and it’s a mystery that takes place over many years. It just got a boxed review in Publishers Weekly, and I have a feeling it’s going to be big.
Modern Lovers by Emma Straub. Not my kind of book cover at all (it just looks too much like chick-lit!), but this one is hitting close to home. It’s about the story of a group of college friends who are getting ready to send their own kids off to college. Yikes, that’s me very soon!
The Vegetarian by Han Kang. This might be verging on fantasy, but it sounds intriguing, and it’s definitely being marketed to the literary crowd. This is about a Korean woman who decides to stop eating meat, after she starts having bloody and disturbing nightmares.
Mrs. Houdini by Victoria Kelly. I’ve always loved stories about the great Houdini, and I can’t wait to read this fictional one about Houdini and his wife and their relationship. This is another debut, if you can believe it!
Are you planning to read any of these? I’d love to know:-D
I didn’t know you enjoyed literary fiction. 🙂 I used to only read it, until I discovered genre books haha.
And from your list I would definitely read Eligible. I still love me some Jane Austen, and other classics. I honestly don’t know what turned me off literary fiction so much.
Anne @ Lovely Literature recently posted…TTT: Characters I’d like to canoodle
I never got turned off, I just started blogging about mostly genre fiction, and now I don’t want to confuse people, LOL!
Nice. I added The Mirror Thief and The Heavenly Table to my wish list.
“Eligible” sounds intriguing: it would be interesting to see how Pride and Prejudice translates into the modern world!
Maddalena@spaceandsorcery recently posted…2015 PLANETARY AWARDS NOMINATIONS
I’m really looking forward to LaRose – Erdrich is one of my favorites! The Girls, The Mirror Thief, Mrs. Houdini, and The Vegetarian are all being added to my tbr!
Check out my TTT.
I used to read more literary fiction before I started the blog (not as much as I did genre fiction, but still, more than I do now!) and I do miss it. I guess I am really out of touch with the genre now, because I’ve only heard of a couple of these!
Mogsy @ BiblioSanctum recently posted…Novella Review: The Drowning Eyes by Emily Foster
Oh, curious about Mirror Thief! 🙂
Lisa @TenaciousReader recently posted…Review: Beyond Redemption by Michael R. Fletcher
I haven’t read any of these, but that it is how it goes with most literary fiction… :/ The mention of “Quentin Tarantino” though, makes me want to read The Heavenly Table; and a book about Houdini would be cool – in another life, I think I may have been a magician 😛
These all look great. I haven’t read much literary fiction lately. I tend to stick with genre reads. I like the sound of LaRose and The Vegetarian.
I also like literary fiction and squeeze a few in every year if I can if they’re some of my favourite authors.
Great list – I love some of the covers too.
Lynn 😀
I’m very intrigued by The Girls and Modern Lovers. Insanely excited for The Heavenly Table because Pollock is amazing. (The Devil All the Time IS very dark btw) but damn is it awesome. Looks like I’ve got a few others to check out! Been seeing The Vegetarian around a lot lately!
Bonnie @ For the Love of Words recently posted…Early Review – Sweetgirl by Travis Mulhauser
I really like literary fiction too, although I felt pretty burned out of it by the time I was finished my undergrad (which was in English). I’m very intrigued by The Vegetarian, it sounds really bizarre – in a good way!
Danya @ Fine Print recently posted…Series Review: The Remnant Chronicles by Mary E. Pearson