May Preview

April has flown by and now May is almost upon us. After spending the past month in the States, I will be headed back to North Country (or Canada as some call it) on Monday to rejoin the husb (who enjoyed part of the time in Florida with me) and our dog Stella, pictured here.

Oh Stella, how I can’t wait to see you! It should be good to be back. The weather has finally gotten nice at home (the snow is gone!) and I’m looking forward to summer.

There’s some new releases to look forward to as well. If you look at the list at the right, you’ll see some strong authors with new books coming out. I’m definitely curious about Khaled Hosseini’s new novel “And the Mountains Echoed,” which I think is another story of his partly set in Afghanistan but I don’t know much about it yet. I’ve read his other two novels and really was transported (as were most) by “The Kite Runner” back in 2003. “A Thousand Splendid Suns” followed, which was quite grim but good as well.

Also the award-winning author of “Half of a Yellow Sun” Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has a new novel coming out called “Americanah.” I’ve always wanted to read “Half of a Yellow Sun,” which won the Orange Prize in 2007, or for that matter her first novel “Purple Hibiscus” from 2003. Her books are typically set in Adichie’s home country of Nigeria and have received a lot of recognition. I’ll have to play catch up and read all of them, pronto. Have you read her?

Another pick for May books also takes place overseas: Chechnya of all places. Set during the Chechnyan conflict, “A Constellation of Vital Phenomena” is a debut novel by Anthony Marra that has been receiving quite a bit of high praise. Ann Patchett calls it “simply spectacular” and T.C. Boyle says it’s hard to believe it’s a first novel. Apparently it’s about a resilient doctor who risks everything to save the life of a hunted child, and it unravels the unexpected ties that bind us together. Hmm, sounds powerful.

But if that’s not your cup of tea, you might check out Gail Godwin’s new book “Flora” set during the final months of WWII, or Philip Meyer’s multigenerational epic of the American West called “The Son,” which Kate Atkinson calls “stunning” and Charles Frazier says is “remarkable.” Perhaps it’s in the similar vein of Larry McMurtry’s “Lonesome Dove” if you liked that.

Moving on to May movies (see list at the left), it’s all “The Great Gatsby” as far as I can tell. Apparently the F. Scott Fitzgerald classic has sold buckets this year in anticipation for this adaptation by director and co-screenwriter Baz Luhrmann. I plan to reread it myself before the Big Day. The movie’s set during the Roaring Twenties but looks to have a contemporary feel and soundtrack to it. It’s going to be a bit different than the several other Great Gatsby film versions over the decades. You might recall the 1974 version of it with Robert Redford as Gatsby and Mia Farrow as Daisy but that might seem tame after this new version with Leo DiCaprio as Gatsby and Carey Mulligan as Daisy. I’m keeping my mind open about it and of this classic coming to life.

Lastly, for May albums, there’s some strong releases for this month, see list at the bottom right. I’m definitely enticed by new ones from Pistol Annies and Natalie Maines. I plan to check out those along with my pick of Patty Griffin’s new album “American Kid.” I don’t plan to miss hearing Patty’s gorgeous vocals and new songs. She hasn’t put out a new album since 2007 so this is a big treat.

How about you, which new book, movie or music releases are you most looking forward to in May?