July Preview

I had a quick trip to California last week for my father’s retirement party. Congrats Dad, I never thought you’d give up working, but you finally did it. What a brilliant and long career. And now you can enjoy so much more. Many happy retirement years ahead! You deserve it.

It was toasty in the “inland empire” part of Southern Cal, but I still love it. I got in some great bike rides while I was there, see the photo above. On Sunday I flew back to the Great North. Dang it went by too fast. On the plane, I finished reading Emma Cline’s debut novel “The Girls,” which sufficiently gave me the creeps (my review to come later). Meanwhile I’m enjoying the audiobook of Curtis Sittenfeld’s novel “Eligible,” which is a fun, modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice. As for new July releases I’m behind on posting my preview for this month — but I finally picked out about six fiction titles that look promising.

First off Ben H. Winters’s speculative book “Underground Airlines” is an alternative history novel that sets its story as if the Civil War in the U.S. had never happened — and slavery still exists in four states. Victor, a gifted black man is the book’s protagonist, who comes to find out secrets about the government’s agreement with the four slave states while working as a bounty hunter. Hmm, what a doozy of a plot. BookPage says its a “timely novel focusing on race and equality” and Publisher’s Weekly calls it “Ralph Ellison’s The Invisible Man meets Blade Runner.” I need to check it out even if some on Goodreads say the story is choppy and the writing isn’t all that good. But I’ll have to find out for myself.

It being summer, I’m still in the mood for page-turners and Beth Lewis’s debut thriller “The Wolf Road” looks to be just that. It’s one of those brutal post-apocalyptic tales set in the future where wars have decimated humankind, and Elka, the book’s protagonist, is struggling to survive in what was once British Columbia. Apparently she finds outs a disturbing truth about the man who has raised her, and must take off into the wild to elude him. Author Paul Tremblay calls it a “white-knuckle trip” and author Nick Cutter says it reminded him of the “beautiful savagery of Corman McCarthy’s The Road and the elegiac overtones of Dickie’s Deliverance.” Yikes, it’s dark. So heed warning if you venture down “The Wolf Road.”

Moreover do I dare check out Megan Abbott’s new thriller “You Will Know Me” right before the Olympics? This one takes on the ultra-competitive world of women’s gymnastics and is about a prodigy and her parents and what they are prepared to do to go the distance to make their daughter a champion. Author Jane Casey calls it a “powerful and unsettling portrait of a family” and author Paula Hawkins says it’s “almost unbearably tense, chilling, and addictive.” I have not ventured into the menacing world of Megan Abbott’s novels yet, but I know many swear by her talent.

If I tire of thriller-type reads, such as the three above, I plan to check out Dave Eggers’s new novel “Heroes of the Frontier,” which the publisher says is the “darkly comic story of a mother and her two young children on a journey through an Alaskan wilderness plagued by wildfires and a uniquely American madness.” Count me in as Eggers’s stories often offer insightful spoofs into contemporary American life. This novel features a woman on the run who takes her kids north in an RV with the hopes of starting over in an unknown place, but it sounds like her past is not far behind.

Another book I’m looking at is the highly praised debut novel from Nicole Dennis-Benn called “Here Comes the Sun,” which Amazon’s reviewer says “tells the story of four Jamaican women as they struggle to find their independence amidst the sprawling resorts that both provide and threaten their livelihood.” Judging from the comments on Goodreads, this is no sunny story about Jamaica; it’s dark, intense and apparently heartbreaking, but also said to be very good. Perhaps read it at your own risk.

Lastly in books for July, I’m drawn to Liz Moore’s new novel “The Unseen World” which apparently is a moving story about a child prodigy who goes on a quest to find out about her beloved father’s hidden past. This coming of age tale takes the daughter on a journey into a virtual reality that seems intriguing, and the book has received many favorable reviews on Goodreads. I missed Moore’s prior praised novel “Heft” so this new one seems as good a place to start as any to jump on Moore’s bandwagon.

Meanwhile for movies in July, there’s everything from Tarzan, to Ghostbusters, to Star Trek, to Ice Age, to BFG, but there’s only one Bourne. And that’s Jason Bourne. He’s back, and so will I be to see the latest movie. Of course I’ve seen the others a number of times: Identity, Supremacy, and then Ultimatum, but those ended back in 2007. Luckily the long wait is finally over and Matt Damon has re-teamed with director Paul Greengrass for the new one. Oh thank heavens. I’m sure there will be some great action — after all Bourne finally remembers who he is! (Perhaps if only he had asked me much earlier — there wouldn’t be this delay.) The only drawback is that the character of Pam Landy is not in this one. Ugh. Joan Allen where are you?! Don’t give me Tommy Lee Jones, when we need Landy. This bums me out. But still “Jason Bourne” should be a humdinger of a ride.

The only other movie that looks a bit fun is “Absolutely Fabulous” — which is the movie version of the former BBC TV sitcom. It looks zany and a hoot, and I could use some summer laughs, so I’m hoping this one comes through.

As for new albums out, it’s not a month of many releases. There’s new ones from Jeff Beck, Steven Tyler, Maxwell, and Heart among others, but my album picks are by two artists I know relatively little about. First off, Mississippian Frankie Lee’s “American Dreamer” sounds like he’s a Dylan-wannabe in voice and style, but there’s nothing wrong with that. I’m digging the songs off his debut album that I’ve heard so far.

And then there’s British soul singer Michael Kiwanuka’s new album “Love & Hate,” which sounds cool, too. Thank goodness for these up and coming artists.

What about you — which books, movies, or albums are you looking forward to this month?