Hi. I’m about a week behind posting this preview of what’s coming out as we were away recently, but I will leave you with another Idaho photo, yay!
There’s a lot going on and releasing this month. Who knew the shortest month of the year — and maybe the coldest — could be so packed. No, it’s not time for the Oscars or the Grammys, both have been moved to March and April, but there’s the Winter Games from Beijing and the Super Bowl next weekend from Los Angeles. Wow, I’m still getting my bearings on this.
Meanwhile did you get hit by the snowstorm last week? It pretty much missed us up north, but it appears people are digging out in the Midwest and other places. We’re still having a lot of wind here, which is ruining our snow and turning things to ice, yikes. It’s not too good.
As for February releases, I’ve been all over the map on which books look notable. But for sheer pleasure page-turning kind of reads perhaps Nina de Gramont’s The Christie Affair, Jillian Cantor’s Beautiful Little Fools, Anna Pitoniak’s political thriller Our American Friend and Lucy Foley’s latest whodunit The Paris Apartment are the go-to novels this month. As for debut novels, I’m curious too about Charmaine Wilkerson’s Black Cake, Brendan Slocumb’s The Violin Conspiracy, and Julia May Jonas’s provocative Vladimir. Have you read any of these already, or have any of them on your radar?
Then there’s the veteran authors with new novels this month: Tessa Hadley (Free Love), Jennifer Haigh (Mercy Street), and Canadian Heather O’Neil (When We Lost Our Heads). I’ve read and liked these authors’ works in the past so I will likely get to their new ones, but I’ve decided to pick up the three books (below) as my main reads.
First is Toni Morrison’s short story Recitatif (out Feb. 1), which was originally published in 1983 and is now being put out as a standalone book with an introduction by Zadie Smith.
It’s listed at just 96 pages but I’m sure it will pack a punch — about two, close women who have known each other from a young age and then lose touch … only to cross paths later on in various places. One is white and one is black but the narrative doesn’t say which is which, though their racial identity is said to be crucial. It’s left to the reader to make assumptions and perhaps sense their own biases. The story was Morrison’s “experiment” and I’ve heard it’s excellent. I missed it back in 1983, so I hope to remedy that soon.
Next up is Gish Jen’s new short story collection Thank You, Mr. Nixon (out Feb. 1). I usually don’t prefer short fiction over novels, but it just so happens this month that these two books interest me. Perhaps I’m still in the reading mode about China and the Chinese-American immigrant experience — as I recently read Weike Wang’s novel Joan Is Okay.
And this collection too is said to be about living between cultures and features personal relations against a political or economic backdrop. It features 11 interlinked stories that span 50 years … from Nixon’s visit to China all the way to the present with the Covid pandemic. I have not read Gish Jen, who’s a second-generation Chinese-American, before but she’s written a lot of books and grew up in New York.
My third pick is Julie Otsuka’s new novel The Swimmers (due out Feb. 22) about a group of recreational swimmers who cope with the disruption to their routines when a crack appears at the bottom of the pool. Much of the story I gather has to do with Alice — a woman who has swum at the pool for 35 years and now is dealing with the early stages of dementia — and her daughter who sees the decline. It sounds like a sad, heartfelt tale that is very moving. I have not read Otsuka before, but she seems to have own writing and narration style that resonates with many readers, so I will check out her book.
Meanwhile on screens this month, there’s not a whole lot new due to the Olympics and the Super Bowl (Go Rams!). I’m quite the sports freak so I’m sure I’ll be watching these. But others I know plan to boycott “the genocide games,” which was the way the Huffington Post referred to the Olympics, since it’s being held in Beijing. Can a person support the athletes but not exactly the authoritarian communist regime where it’s being held? I’m not exactly sure, but I like many of the winter sports and find the athletes amazing. I’ll be cheering on skier Mikaela Shiffrin, and my friend’s son Canadian skier Trevor Philp, among others.
Besides the Games, did you notice that British actress Lily James (Downton Abbey and Cinderella) is in the Pam & Tommy TV mini-series (out Feb. 2)? Oh my, I didn’t even recognize her as Baywatch legend Pamela Anderson. We don’t get Hulu so I haven’t watched it but just thought it a bit funny that this proper British actress is playing Pam. What a project to land, right? Apparently Lily had to dash into the ocean with the actor playing Tommy … and of course it was freezing, ha welcome to the Pacific.
There’s also an upcoming Showtime TV series called Super Pumped (starting Feb. 27) about the story of the transportation company Uber, focusing on the CEO and the highs and lows of Silicon Valley. Hmm. I’m not exactly pumped or planning to watch it, but Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who has the lead role, is a likable actor … as is Kyle Chandler who’s also in it. So perhaps it might be worth an Uber.
And for those who liked Graham Swift’s 2016 novel Mothering Sunday, it’s being released as a movie on Feb. 25. The British drama is about a maid in post WWI England who “secretly plans to meet with the man she loves before he leaves to marry another woman.” Uh-oh, sounds tough. I hope to read this short novel (177 pages) before I see it. Actress Odessa Young and actor Josh O’Connor star and Colin Firth and Olivia Coleman have parts as well. It could be just the thing for winter watching.
Speaking of which we just finished watching the very likable movie CODA, which came out in 2021 on Apple+, about a girl in high school who’s the only non-deaf person in her family. As her parents’ fishing business is threatened, she contends with whether she can go off to pursue music school or needs to stay helping her parents. Have you seen this one? Young British actress Emilia Jones does an amazing job as the girl (it took her nine months to master sign language) and Marlee Matlin is great too as her mother. It’s a bit sentimental but heartwarming. And like some other fishing and sea movies it’s filmed in Gloucester, Massachusetts…. just like The Perfect Storm, Manchester by the Sea, and the TV series of Olive Kitteridge (yep, it wasn’t in Maine).
As for new music this month, there’s new albums by Eddie Vedder, Spoon, Tears for Fears, and Canadian singer Basia Bulat among others. I’ll choose the Texas band Spoon’s new album Lucifer on the Sofa (due out Feb. 11) as my pick this month.
That’s all for now. What about you — which new releases are you most looking forward to?
Great post – I look forward to these monthly releases and was happy to see The Swimmers, Black Cake, Vladimir, Paris Apartment and Violin Conspiracy on your list as well as mine. A couple will be on my March list though. Hope this is a great month for you.
Hi Diane – thanks. Yeah there seems quite a few good books for February … gosh it’ll take me all year. I’m always curious to get your read on them … to point me in the direction. Have a great week.
Another beautiful photo of the snow-covered mountains! Love it. Where did you ski?
I haven’t read any of the February books, but Vladimir has been on my radar for a couple of weeks and I’ll probably look into getting it from the library. Swimmers is also one I’d like to try, although it sounds like it will be fairly sad.
I had to Google Lily James to see which character she played in DA. Amazing make-up work for her role in Pam & Tommy! Wow. Not really interested in watching the movie, though. I should go back and finish watching DA. Never did finish the entire series.
Mothering Sunday has a great cast, so I’ll add that to my list of shows/movies to watch.
Hope you had a lovely weekend. Take care!
Hi Lesley, Hope all is well at the cove. We’re about down to our last winter month, right? The skiing was at Sun Valley … and there’s cross-country trails all around the mountains & Ketchum there too. Wonderful area. We will be back next winter. And yeah I think Lily James said she had several hours of make-up work to transform into Pamela Anderson. No wonder I didn’t recognize her, wow. I think we got to the end of DA (it was enjoyable) though I’m not sure I recall all the particulars now. I hope you enjoy some of these releases. That Vladimir story could be a doozy … but I might get to it too. Happy reading.
That’s a lovely photo, Susan. Thank you for sharing. I hope you are staying warm and safe. There are so many great sounding books coming out. I can never keep up. I am looking forward to The Paris Apartment and Black Cake. I didn’t know there was a new Toni Morrison book coming out. That is definitely one to check out. Julie Otsuka’s new book also sounds good.
I don’t know if we’ll catch any of the Olympics this year. My husband was talking about subscribing to Peacock so we could but hasn’t yet. We don’t subscribe to any live channels that offer the games otherwise. I’ve had a hard time getting excited about the Olympics this year–or even last year.
I hope you have a great February in reading!
Thanks LF … February seems to be moving swiftly already. Much to do. It’s probably ok if people just catch the Olympic highlights online here and there. It’s easier that way. I get into it as I go along.
I hope you enjoy a few of these new books. So many this month – it is hard to keep track & keep up for me. Have a great week.
The mountain photo is just beautiful… Florida is so flat! I’m still trying to get used to it. I don’t plan to read quite as many new releases this year, but will read the new Lucy Foley and am also interested in The Swimmers. Mothering Sunday was a favorite a few years ago and I’m excited to see a film version coming soon… even happier that it’ll feature Colin Firth! 😉
Right JoAnn. We never miss a Colin Firth movie if possible. So Mothering Sunday it is. Thanks about the photo. You have so many good sunset beach photos I figure this is the best I can do. Ha. I’ll be curious what you think of the new Foley book. And I have my name in for The Swimmers at the library. It could be sad, so gearing for it. Happy reading!
I got hit by the snowstorm! Most of it is melted now, but it’s still really cold. I was scheduled to go for a run a few days ago, but it was -9 outside, and that’s a bit too intense for running. Happy February!
Hey AJ …. that’s pretty darn cold for Colorado. I hope you got enough snow for the slopes! Our snow is almost gone here. So much wind lately. Have a great week.
I’m still amazed by all the “choice” we, as viewers, have these days…so much that it is impossible for anyone of us to have access to all of it. It’s way too addictive for people like me to have access to so much programming from all over the world, but it sure does work out nicely for armchair travelers during this boring pandemic of a time we live in.
I do have Hulu but had no interest in the Pam and Tommy show until I saw who the actress playing Pam is…now I’ll have to at least sample that one, too.
The Swimmers really sounds good…so I’m off now to the library (electronically) to see if they have it.
Hi Sam — yeah I agree there’s a lot of access and also so many TV subscriptions these days. Good grief there’s no way to have it all. I’m starting to enjoy some of the Olympic events – half a world away. See what you think of Lily James in the Pam & Tommy show … I couldn’t even tell it was her! Pretty crazy.
I’m on the library wait list for The Swimmers. Maybe I should read her previous novel in the meanwhile. Hope your reading is going well. I look forward to stopping by your site soon.
I have several of those books on my “want to read” list and I may get to some of them in February or March, although my reading queue is already pretty full at the moment.
Wonderful Idaho picture. What a scenic place it is.
I don’t really watch a lot of television but I’m currently enjoying “The Gilded Age” on HBO. I want to watch “The Lost Daughter” whenever I can find two-and-a-half hours to sit still for it. I recently watched “The Power of the Dog” and found it very Hitchcockian. I agree that we are spoiled for viewing choices. Who needs to ever go out to a movie anymore?
Hi Dorothy, whenever the Olympics end, we hope to watch The Power of the Dog with Cumberbatch, though it seems ominous. Also the Gilded Age looks fun to watch so I’m glad you like it & reminded me – we haven’t tried it yet.
February has a lot of book releases — trying to get a hold of some of these. Have a great reading month!
That is a lot of new publications! The Christie Affair seems to be all over the blogging community these days. I haven’t decided whether to pick it up. As a big Christie fan, I tend to get disappointed with everything Christie related (which isn’t the real thing).
Other than that, The Swimmers and Toni Morrison’s short story sound good. I might read Morrison’s Beloved in Feb, I noticed my library has a copy. Hope you’ll enjoy all your reads this month!
Thanks Stargazer. It looks to be a busy month so who knows when I’ll get to these. I’m not exactly sure what to think about The Christie Affair … it seems entertaining … though I’m sure it’s all speculation on what happened to her during that absence. So you might not care for it … though perhaps it’s interesting to think about. Hmm. Have a great week.
Nice post, Susan. Lots of choices. That Idaho pic is amazing. I never thought Idaho could be so pretty! I started Beautiful Little Fools but something was missing and I moved on. Maybe I’ll pick it up later in the year. The Violin Conspiracy was the one among the bunch that I had my eye on prior to your post. I don’t know if I’ll read it though. What are you reading nowadays? I read The Good Doctor and In A Strange Room, both by Damon Galgut, from mid-January. Yesterday I started House of Names by Colm Toibin.
Hi Carmen, too bad about Beautiful Little Fools … though Gatsby spinoffs are not always easy for me to stomach. It’s like messing with gold, ha. I just finished a book for PW coming out in a few months and I still need to read Swimming Back to Trout River for my book club. Hmpf. It’s impressive you read the Galgut books — was his style readable? The Violin Conspiracy looks a bit interesting since the author is or was a violin player in an orchestra … perhaps there will be some good inside scoop. And I expect : you will be our expert on all things Toibin soon. Let me know if you like it. Have a great week. Did you get much snow?
Not much snow this time around, but roads have been icier this winter than it’s normal around here. Your expert on Toibin and Galgut, I say. 😛 I’m on my third novel of each since late last year. They are both very readable, which is why I’m trying to pile on those reads, plus Galgut’s novels tend to be on the short side.
Ah-ha you avoided the snow but not the ice, yikes. And right, you are our expert on both Toibin & Galgut! Such top-notch authors. Maybe later in the year when I’m not so slammed I can read one of their works. I am keeping their books in mind. Keep up the good work.
I’ve been watching the Winter Olympics more than I’ve been reading the past few days, but that always happens when the Olympics roll around. I love that photo of snowy Idaho! I wish we’d get lots of snow down here in Utah, but we’ve been dry and cold. Hope you find lots of good books to read this month. 🙂
Thanks Lark. Too bad you don’t have snow in Utah … I had heard Park City was hurting for snow, ugh. Like you, I’m watching a lot of Olympics … I get pulled in every time. It’s been good action so far. Who can get anything done?! Enjoy your week.
There’s so much in this post!
We escaped the cold weather and are having beautiful days here in Santa Barbara, but no rain. It’s tragic. February is usually our wet month here (as you probably know since your parents are close-ish to me) and we are forecasted to have none.
I have Black Cake on my living room shelf and am really looking forward to it. And, I keep hearing good things about CODA.
Have a great week!
Hi Helen: you got to see CODA! It’s a heartwarming story and even my husband liked it, ha. If you get to Black Cake, you can tell us if it’s any good.
Your weather in S.B. is always good … but I hope you & SoCal gets more rain for the dry conditions. I’m thinking about visiting my parents again in March, which is usually a beautiful month there. I hope Omicron is going away there … I heard Newsom was lifting the indoor mask mandate. Hmm. What will happen then?
Enjoy your week.
I have read most of the books by Gish Jen and by Julie Otsuka, and they both have a lot of great books already published, so I’ll be reading both of the new ones. It is amazing how many choices there are on streaming services and other TV sources. Have a good month reading and watching!
best … mae at maefood.blogspot.com
Hey thanks Mae. I knew someone had to be a Gish Jen reader. Good to know. And you’ve also read Julie Otsuka. Awesome. I’m a newbie to them both … but hope to get to their new fiction. We can compare notes on them 🙂 Have a great week.
I’m looking forward to The Paris Apartment and The Swimmers and Black Cake. I’m not sure how long I’ll have to wait for these to come in for me from the library.
We’ve been watching Escape from the Chateau (restoration of a chateau in the Loire Valley) along with All Creatures Great and Small.
Beautiful snow photo, Susan.
Thanks Deb. Sometimes when I look at the mountain photo I’m blown away by it – and I was there! Just too cool.
I will look for the Chateau show … the Loire Valley would be stunning to see. & maybe too All Creatures Great & Small … sometime after the Olympics.
Good luck with your library wait list there … I’ll see how long it takes here.
The Swimmers looks like a book I’d like. I’m stuck in the middle of The Paris Apartment as I find it slow going, but am planning on finishing it.
Hi Harvee: You might be the first one that is reading The Paris Apartment. Your report on it doesn’t sound too good yet … but I will wait to see your review. I’m guessing it speeds up a bit?? Hope so. Enjoy your week.
I am curious about Free Love and Mothering Sunday.
Not a fan of all the sports, LOL, and don’t like how they interfere with other things. That’s me, being grumpy.
I am finding a few things on Amazon Prime and Hulu. Right now I’m watching Spencer.
Enjoy your week and stay warm!
Ha Laurel. It’s okay to be grumpy over the TV …. though there seems enough channels for all. I don’t think Olympic coverage interferes as much as it once did. There’s just so many other TV services now. You hardly know it’s even going on.
Did you ever watch the old TV series Big C (2010-2013) with Laura Linney? … I’m finally watching this and loving it. It’s funny and moving too.
It’s been spring like here for a couple weeks – which is strange. Maybe we’ll get clobbered later. Have a great week.
Hi Susan,
I’ve recently read State of Terror by Hillary Clinton & Louise Penny…not bad at all for a celebrity-written novel! I also enjoyed Jonathon Franzen’s Crossroads. I had never read a book by Franzen before and I thought the writing was astonishingly good.
Mothering Sunday was a favourite a few years ago. It could be very powerful as a movie.
Happy Olympics watching!
Jillann
Hey Jillann! So glad you stopped by. You always read good things & let me know about them — which helps me a lot.
Yeah I’ve been interested in State of Terror as its story seems good payback towards the former U.S. administration … even if fictional. And I was impressed by Franzen’s novel Purity (my only Franzen fiction so far) … so I’m geared up to read more Franzen even though his books are a bit long. So glad to get your report about both of these. You’ll have to keep me posted on more of your reads. The Olympics has been great so far. And I’m hopeful about Canada’s Women’s Hockey to win Gold. For other sports, I tend to root for both teams which gets a bit nuts, but I like to watch. Happy February!
I may be too late, but I heard from a trusted reading resource that Vladimir is dreadfully ageist. I had no interest in it bc of the cover, but now knowing this I won’t read it.
It’s a shame about the Olympics and politics, but the two seem intertwined now more than ever. I’ve been watching the figure skating- quad leaps- how is that possible?!
Hi Catherine! And did you see Nathan Chen’s long free skate?! Wow it blew me away. So glad for him. He was right on the music in a perfect performance. That cheered me immensely this week.
Thanks for the tip on the Vladimir novel. I have not picked it up yet. I wasn’t sure what to think of the premise. If I ever do get to it (perhaps doubtful now), I will keep in mind various concerns. Hope all is well with you in Michigan.