Recent Releases That Look Interesting

There have been a number of books out recently that look really neat, or that I've really enjoyed reading.

Under Heaven
Guy Gavriel Kayjavascript:void(0)
ROC Hardcover
Copyright: April 2010
ISBN: 978-0451463302

The Amazon.com product description:

In his latest innovative novel, the award-winning author evokes the dazzling Tang Dynasty of 8th-century China in a story of honor and power.

Inspired by the glory and power of Tang dynasty China, Guy Gavriel Kay has created a masterpiece.

It begins simply. Shen Tai, son of an illustrious general serving the Emperor of Kitai, has spent two years honoring the memory of his late father by burying the bones of the dead from both armies at the site of one of his father's last great battles. In recognition of his labors and his filial piety, an unlikely source has sent him a dangerous gift: 250 Sardian horses.

You give a man one of the famed Sardian horses to reward him greatly. You give him four or five to exalt him above his fellows, propel him towards rank, and earn him jealousy, possibly mortal jealousy. Two hundred and fifty is an unthinkable gift, a gift to overwhelm an emperor.

Wisely, the gift comes with the stipulation that Tai must claim the horses in person. Otherwise he would probably be dead already...

The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrun
J.R.R. Tolkien
Ed. Christopher Tolkien
HarperCollins
January 2010 (Paperback release)
978-0007317240

The amazon.com product description:

The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún is a previously unpublished work by J.R.R. Tolkien, written while Tolkien was Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford during the 1920s and ‘30s, before he wrote The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. It makes available for the first time Tolkien’s extensive retelling in English narrative verse of the epic Norse tales of Sigurd the Völsung and The Fall of the Niflungs. It includes an introduction by J.R.R. Tolkien, drawn from one of his own lectures on Norse literature, with commentary and notes on the poems by Christopher Tolkien.

I read and reviewed this when the book first came out in hardcover.

The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest
Stieg Larssson
Knopf
May 25, 2010
978-0307269997

The amazon.com product description:

The stunning third and final novel in Stieg Larsson’s internationally best-selling trilogy
Lisbeth Salander—the heart of Larsson’s two previous novels—lies in critical condition, a bullet wound to her head, in the intensive care unit of a Swedish city hospital. She’s fighting for her life in more ways than one: if and when she recovers, she’ll be taken back to Stockholm to stand trial for three murders. With the help of her friend, journalist Mikael Blomkvist, she will not only have to prove her innocence, but also identify and denounce those in authority who have allowed the vulnerable, like herself, to suffer abuse and violence. And, on her own, she will plot revenge—against the man who tried to kill her, and the corrupt government institutions that very nearly destroyed her life.

Once upon a time, she was a victim. Now Salander is fighting back.

If you like Stieg Larsson's books you probably don't need my reminder that the third book is out officially today.

Stealing Fire
Jo Graham
Orbit Books
 May 25, 2010
978-0316076395

Amazon.com product description:

Alexander the Great's soldier, Lydias of Miletus, has survived the final campaigns of the king's life. He now has to deal with the chaos surrounding his death. Lydias throws his lot in with Ptolemy, one of Alexander's generals who has grabbed Egypt as his personal territory. Aided by the eunuch Bagoas, the Persian archer Artashir, and the Athenian courtesan Thais, Ptolemy and Lydias must take on all the contenders in a desperate adventure whose prize is the fate of a white city by the sea, and Alexander's legacy.

What Would You Recommend? Stieg Larsson, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo etc

This is a question I get asked all the time working in the bookstore: "What would you recommend for somebody who loved "_________"? (fill in the blank)" Usually I can come up with something, but that something can be a bit of a wild guess if it's not a book or genre I normally read. This is where you helpful people come in. If you have a suggestion, I'd love to hear it.

Stieg Larsson's books have been all the rage for the past while, but they're really popular now the third book, The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest has come out. The popularity of the three books has only been helped by the release of the movie version of The Girl With A Dragon Tattoo. Nearly every customer in the store (or so it seems sometimes) is there looking for one of the three books. Add to that, the numbers on Amazon seem to be backing that thought up. There's well over a thousand reviews and ratings for the first of the three books alone. What's somewhat unusual in my experience is that it's both men and women who are buying them. Most of the time I've found that books are more popular with one or the other.

For anyone who's been hiding under a rock (or perhaps a mountain, given just how popular the books are), the three books are, in order: The Girl With A Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played With Fire, and now, The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest. I think there were originally supposed to have been more books in the series, but apparently these three make a complete story in and of themselves.

This will put me in the minority, but I haven't read any of these books yet. As a result, they're perfect for my "What Would You Recommend?" post. I'd intended to use these books last week, but things ended up getting in the way of me posting last weekend.

Thankfully, I haven't had to make recommendations for readers of these books yet - everyone's been too busy getting their hands on first the paperback version of The Girl Who Played With Fire, and now the new one, The Girl Who Kicked The Hornets Nest to want suggestions for more books to read. That's probably going to be changing soo though, once they finish this book.

I'm guessing that at least some of you have read at least one of these books and can make some suggestions for what other books these people might enjoy reading next. So, "What Would You Recommend?"