February Preview

Ohh February.  It’s usually the coldest month of the year here — and sure enough, our surprisingly mild winter that we’ve been enjoying is about to change over the weekend to minus Fahrenheit temps. Yikes. I’m sure those in the Midwest can relate with their “polar vortex” going on there. What’s coming here is said to be a “deep freeze” with brutal wind chill. Regardless, stay safe everyone — and indoors when you can.

Meanwhile the Super Bowl, Grammys, and the Academy Awards are all happening this month — plus the holiday over Washington’s Birthday on Feb. 18 — so it’s a short, but busy month. Luckily we are not traveling anywhere till the very end of February when we go on a brief trip to NYC, woohoo: bumpkins head to the big city. Until then I will try to keep apace  with my reading. Here’s what’s up in new releases:

There’s a plethora of fiction coming out this month — new ones by such well-known authors as Marlon James, Kate Quinn, and Jane Harper among others. The Marlon James novel “Black Leopard, Red Wolf” has already been hailed and given 5 stars by Ron Charles of The Washington Post, but I’m not exactly a big fantasy reader so I will likely pass it by on the first go-around. As for the new Kate Quinn WWII novel “The Huntress” — it looks good but since I recently finished her bestselling novel “The Alice Network,” I think I will wait for a while as the new one looks to have some similar components to it. In regards to Aussie author Jane Harper’s new mystery “The Lost Man,” I’m a bit torn. I’ve read her two prior books “The Dry” and “The Force of Nature” featuring sexy single federal agent Aaron Falk and I liked them both though I didn’t love, love them. Yet her new one is said to be her “best yet” so I’m curious about that, although it’s a stand-alone book without Aaron Falk. Darn how can I meander into the Australian Outback without Aaron; I’ll likely have to wrap my head around that before I can move on to her new book.

Meanwhile I’m looking to get my hands on Lauren Wilkinson’s debut novel “American Spy,” which is about a black woman tapped by the CIA for a mission in 1987 to undermine the revolutionary leader of Burkino Faso and sway the government to U.S. interests. Along the way, I gather there are many complications and she begins to question her loyalties. It’s a novel that said to be inspired by true events of a real-life coup d’état in Burkina Faso and includes a protagonist who, according to author Lydia Kiesling, “thrillingly forges her own way through the tangles of patriotism, service, love, and loyalty.” Apparently it combines the espionage novels of John le Carré — so writes Publishers Weekly — with the racial complexity of Ralph Ellison’s “Invisible Man.” And the narrator sounds quite appealing in this, so I’m eager to check it out.  

Next up, I wonder about Angie Thomas’s new young adult novel “On the Come Up” about a 16-year-girl who wants to become a rap star despite all the obstacles in her daily life.  Hmm it sounds a bit like a black female “8 Mile” kind of story. Granted I’m not a big reader of YA novels (especially lengthy ones) or a follower in general of rap and hip-hop music. Still this author wrote the bestselling “The Hate U Give” novel that was so touted but I missed (so far). And I think I could respect the girl’s passion for music and for following her dreams when the odds are stacked against her. The novel also apparently delves into teen frustrations and freedom of speech issues, so it could be just as topical as “The Hate U Give.” What do you say?

Also I like the looks of Whitney Scharer’s debut novel “The Age of Light” about the real life of Lee Miller, the Vogue model-turned photographer who had a tumultuous relationship with photographer Man Ray in Paris in the 1930s. I admit I know nothing about Lee Miller but apparently she went from muse to accomplished World War II photographer and was one of the first female war correspondents. And according to author Madeline Miller:  “Whitney Scharer’s storytelling is utterly immersive … transporting you into Lee Miller’s life, and her struggles to be taken seriously in a man’s world. This is a powerful, sensual and gripping portrait of the forging of an artist’s soul.” It’s a story that reminds me a little of Paula McLain’s novel “Love and Ruin” about Martha Gellhorn and her relationship with Ernest Hemingway, which I read last year, but perhaps this one will be a bit different too. Is Scharer’s storytelling that good?  I’ll need to read it to find out. 

Lastly, for fans of Jen Beagin’s popular 2015 novel “Pretend I’m Dead,” she has a sequel coming out called “Vacuum in the Dark.”  Admittedly, I missed her first novel so I don’t know if her edgy, quirky protagonist’s rough humor will be my cup of tea but now I’m a bit curious to check out both. This one picks up Mona’s story when she’s 26 working as a cleaning lady and living in Taos, New Mexico, where the efforts to restart her life haven’t exactly gone as planned. She has another bad boyfriend (since the first novel) and complicated clients that remind her of her troubled past. So like in the first book I gather, this one sees Mona on a journey of self-discovery in which she must come to terms with her difficult past and where she can go from here. I think this one will either be a hit or a miss depending on one’s sensibilities. So we’ll see.

Meanwhile in movie releases this month there’s not a whole lot out there since it’s Oscar month and those films are still being shown around. But they seem to be advertising the heck out of the comedy “What Men Want” starring Taraji P. Henson as a woman who develops the ability to hear men’s thoughts, uh-oh. The trailer of that movie is everywhere. Granted some of it looks quite funny (for a rental) but I’m not sure it’s theater-worthy material, right? Instead, in honor of the polar vortex going on I’ll select the movie “Arctic” for my pick this month — about a man stranded in the Arctic after an airplane crash who “must decide whether to remain in the relative safety of his makeshift camp or to embark on a deadly trek through the unknown in hopes of making it out alive” — so writes Bleecker Street films. Uh-oh, it sounds like a doozy of a survival tale and do I ever miss those? No. I’ve seen most of them, including “Adrift” “Cast Away” “127 Hours” — you name it, I’ve endured it.

Lastly in albums for February, there’s not much out this month. Music releases seem to be waiting for the thaw of March and spring to come first. But of those I might like, I noticed that Ryan Bingham, the Tedeschi Trucks Band, and the Lemonheads have new albums coming out this month. Apparently it will be the first album for the Lemonheads in 10 years and it’s an album of cover songs called “Varshons 2.” I don’t know much about it so far but I’ve always liked lead singer Evan Dando’s voice, so I’ll go with the Lemonheads’ new one for my February pick.

That’s all for now.  What about you — what new releases are you most looking forward to this month … and do you plan to watch the Game on Sunday?