The Cue Card

May is now upon us — can you believe it? Lately I’ve been busy playing in a couple tennis tournaments, trading in an old car, and making plans to attend the memorial service of my friend back East and then continue on to the BookExpo America in Chicago. It could be a crazy trip. If you’re going, I hope to see you there. Meanwhile this past week I’ve been reading British author Jonathan Lee’s historical novel “High Dive,” which is about the real-life assassination attempt by the IRA of British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and her cabinet in 1984 at the seaside town of Brighton, England. It’s quite excellent so far. I also finished the audiobook of Maggie Shipstead’s alluring 2014 novel “Astonish Me,” which involves the world of professional dance and the defection of a Russian ballet star. Have you read either of these? I plan to review them this coming week.

In fiction releases for May, quite a few acclaimed authors have new novels coming out, notably: Richard Russo, Don DeLillo, Louise Erdrich, and Julian Barnes among others. You might want to jump on these ASAP. But of course, I can’t resist Chris Cleave’s latest novel “Everyone Brave Is Forgiven,” which is set during World War II and is apparently inspired by the real-life love letters between Cleave’s grandparents. I know, I know, it’s another WWII novel, and you likely have the same fatigue over that subject matter as I do, but I’ve read all of Cleave’s novels including “Incendiary,” “Little Bee,” and “Gold” so I can’t stop now. His books have held me in their clutches before.

But nothing this month is more highly anticipated than Justin Cronin’s post-apocalyptic novel “The City of Mirrors,” which is the finale of his Passage trilogy. I gave the first two books to my husband and watched as he lapped them up like nobody’s business. I will dish out the third and see his reaction. I have yet to get to these epic tomes and the survivors in the desert, but oh I will! I have heard so many good things about the books — it’s just a matter of which deserted island — or alas, back deck — I will take them to — and when the heavens will part for my total immersion. I’ll keep you posted.

A few other novels that are piquing my interest this month are Adam Haslett’s new one “Imagine Me Gone” about the ravages of mental illness on a family. Publisher’s Weekly says “Haslett’s latest is a sprawling, ambitious epic about a family bound not only by familial love, but by that sense of impending emergency that hovers around Michael, who has inherited his father John’s abiding depression and anxiety. … In Michael, Haslett has created a most memorable character.” Said to be both gut-wrenching and at times hilarious, the novel seems an excellent one worth exploring.

I also like the look of Karan Bajaj’s novel “The Yoga of Max’s Discontent” about a man who leaves his successful life behind as a Wall Street analyst and embarks on a spiritual journey that takes him to the farthest reaches of India. Part adventure story and part journey of transformation, this novel is receiving highly favorable reviews on Goodreads. I’m not sure if it strives to be a modern-day channeling of Hermann Hesse, but I’m open to yoga and stories of awakenings, so count me in for this.

Lastly in fiction this month, I’m curious about Jennifer Haigh’s new novel “Heat and Light” — about the residents of a rural Pennsylvania town caught up in the fracking boom. I was impressed by Haigh’s last novel “Faith” about the Catholic Church abuse scandal, which I read for book club, so I’m geared up for this one too. Haigh seems an author who presents various sides of an issue in powerful and thought-provoking ways. This one appears to be an environmental novel pertinent to today’s national debate surrounding energy resources and drilling.

As for movies in May, I am not a big fan of summer blockbusters — it’s true — but they are here! If you like all things Marvel then you will be happy about seeing “Captain America: Civil War” and “X-Men: Apocalypse” both in the same month. I’m guessing Captain America will win that box-office battle. There’s also Disney’s sequel to “Alice in Wonderland” — “Alice Through the Looking Glass” with returning stars Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter and Mia Wasikowska as Alice. I like Mia as Alice. But what about the Jodie Foster-directed thriller “Money Monster” with Julia Roberts and George Clooney? I watched the trailer and it looks sort of didactic — so I’m a bit hesitant if it’s worth stomaching. Though indeed George is in it.

I guess there’s no May movie I’m dying to see, but the trailer of “The Lobster” looks a bit quirky and funny. It’s a satire, set in a dystopian near future, in which single people, by law, are taken to a place where they are obliged to find a romantic partner in forty-five days or are transformed into beasts and sent off into the woods. Who thinks these things up? “The Lobster” looks pretty peculiar and stars Colin Farrell playing the deadpan lead character. I’m hoping maybe it might be slightly reminiscent of the quirky but heartwarming movie “Her” with Joaquin Phoenix, which I really liked, but I don’t expect it’ll be nearly as good.

As for albums in May, such icons as Eric Clapton and Bob Dylan have new ones coming out, which sound quite interesting, — as do Keith Urban, Blake Shelton, Ziggy Marley, and Cyndi Lauper, too. I’d like to check out Corinne Bailey Rae’s new album “The Heart Speaks in Whispers” as well as the new one called “The Things We Are Made Of” by an old favorite of mine Mary Chapin Carpenter. She’s always been a crowd favorite each summer on the lawn at Wolf Trap.

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

March is over now. It went by in a blur. It was consuming but not exactly conducive for reading or blogging. I had a good time on our biking and camping trip in Arizona mid-month, but sadly the close friend I had visited in early March at the hospital in D.C. passed away last Saturday before Easter. She was 47 years old, and had been ill for awhile. It was rough this past month with her in the hospital. And my mind and thoughts were long gone and faraway. She was a former journalist and co-worker with me — a single mother of a 17-year-old daughter, who I have long known and often cared for. It’s a terrible blow, and something I need to work through.

But I will try to turn April around. One step in front of the other. The garden is already coming up here, which is very early for Canada. I look forward to doing my spring yard cleanup. Last week I finished the audiobook of Ben Fountain’s 2012 award-winning debut novel “Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk,” which I thought was a funny satire with some biting truths to it. Actor Oliver Wyman narrates the story and the different characters so well that I’m glad I opted for the audio.

The story’s about a squadron of eight Bravo soldiers, heroes on a break from the Iraq war who are sent on a U.S. “Victory Tour” by the Bush administration to drum up support for the war. Most of the novel takes places at a Dallas Cowboys football game where the Bravo guys are guests who are fawned over by promoters, Hollywood producers, fans, and cheerleaders. They’re even part of the halftime show, sharing the stage with Destiny’s Child.

Much of the story involves Americans meeting the Bravo soldiers and pontificating like doofuses in regards to the war and their service. Author Ben Fountain is brilliant with the dialogue and the craziness at the football game. His side plot about a Hollywood producer trying to make a movie deal with the Bravo squad is pretty hilarious. Hilary Swank is interested to star in the movie apparently, which is a hoot (I hope in real life Swank has read this book as she’s mentioned and lampooned in it quite a bit).

Though what grabbed me most wasn’t the antics at the football game, which seemed to get repetitive after awhile, but rather the personal journey of the young lead character, Bravo Billy Lynn, who is working his way through a lot of issues while on break from the war. He’s dealing with the death of his Bravo friend, and is going through changes while reflecting on things during his stint in the U.S. and with his family. It’s these quieter moments with Billy that grabbed me and underscore the book’s points of how it feels to go to war. His talks with his sisters and his endearment to a cheerleader seem to speak volumes. And my, does Billy learn a lot in a couple day’s time before his return to Iraq. Kudos to author Ben Fountain for the book’s humor and truths, and for how well the story is done. The novel might not have grabbed me at first, but by the end, it sunk in like a football game well played.

As for new releases in April, I see such popular storytellers as Anna Quindlen, Jane Hamilton, Curtis Sittenfeld and Stewart O’Nan have new novels coming out. I have liked their books in the past and would especially like to get my hands on a copy of Jane Hamilton’s “The Excellent Lombards,” which is a coming-of-age tale about a young girl’s life growing up on her family’s struggling apple orchard. I haven’t read Hamilton’s books since “The Book of Ruth” in 1988 and her powerful novel “The Map of the World” in 1994, but those books are proof enough for me to look for this one. She’s a great storyteller, whose novels, like her new one, are often set on farms in the Midwest.

I’m also thinking Hope Jahren’s debut memoir “Lab Girl,” which is getting rave reviews, looks good. A scientist and professor of geobiology, Jahren writes in the book about her study of plant life and her insights on nature. She also talks about the man who becomes her lab partner and the scientific adventures they take to various spots around the globe. I hadn’t heard of this award-winning scientist before, but now with all the praise of her book, I’m quite interested to learn more about her life and work. Cheryl Strayed calls Hope Jahren a “deeply inspiring woman — a scientist so passionate about her work I felt myself vividly with her on every page.” Hmm, count me in.

Other noteworthy reads out this month that I’m interested in are all very long epics. Martha Hall Kelly’s popular debut “Lilac Girls,” a WWII-Holocaust story that weaves together the lives of three women, is just under 500 pages;

Suzanne Rindell’s new novel “Three-Martini Lunch” about the publishing industry in New York in the 1950s is just over 500 pages; Stephen O’Connor’s innovative debut “Thomas Jefferson Dreams of Sally Hemings,” which fuses fact and fiction to interesting effect, is 624 pages; and Karl Ove Knausgaard’s Book 5 of his acclaimed series “My Struggle,” weighs in at 626 pages. Which reminds me I simply must get to Karl Ove’s series sometime in the near millennium. The latest book involves his move at age 19 to Bergen, Norway to be a writer — a place I have had the good fortune to visit — so I think Book 5 sounds enticing. With all these large novels out this month, how on earth is there time to get anything else done?! Nevertheless, I bid good luck with the tomes of spring.

As for new movies in April, critics are liking the Richard Linklater comedy “Everybody Wants Some!!” about a group of college baseball players partying it up for three days before school starts. But do I really need to go there? And then there’s actor Don Cheadle’s biopic of Miles Davis called “Miles Ahead,” which looks a bit troubled in its execution. There’s also John Carney’s latest film about music “Sing Street,” and I have liked his movies “Once” and “Begin Again” in the past, but I’m not sure this one holds the same allure for me. That leaves me with either: the Tom Hanks film “A Hologram for the King,” adapted from the Dave Eggers’ book (which I’d love to read first), or the Susan Sarandon comedy “The Meddler,” which actually looks kind of funny. I guess both are feel-good kinds of flicks. Nothing wrong with that for April. I think I’ll go with the Dave Eggers story “A Hologram for the King” for my pick this month.

Lastly, in albums for April, I’ll make it short and sweet: my pick is “Cleopatra” by the folk-rock trio out of Denver the Lumineers. Hands down they’re good. Enjoy!

What about you — have you read “Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk,” and if so, what did you think? Or which books, movies, or albums are you looking forward to this month?

Happy March. We’ve just about made it to the start of spring, which is always a bit exciting for those living in a Northern country. Though May is usually the time when a lot of flowers open and things turn green up here. Still it’s the thought about “spring” that counts. But this past week has been rough as I unexpectedly had to return to D.C. to visit a friend under palliative care in the hospital. I’m glad though that I was able to visit with her and her daughter for a few days; it made a big difference for me and hopefully I was able to help a little.

While in D.C., I was sorry to hear that author Pat Conroy had passed away on Friday. I was a big fan of his novel “Prince of Tides,” which I remembered sneaking away to read in the employee breakroom at the U.W. Many years later, I took my page-worn copy and stood in line while Mr. Conroy was on a book tour with his novel “Beach Music.” I remember the line to meet him wrapped around the building and parking lot of a shopping mall in Virginia and round and round it went, but I was determined to meet him so wait I did. I finally got to the front of the line and he said some nice things and signed my copy of “Prince of Tides.” I thought he was great. He was a Southern rock star of a writer and a good guy to boot. “Prince of Tides” was undoubtably my favorite book of his, but which one is yours?

As for new fiction releases, this month is plentiful with an array of talent. There’s new ones by veteran authors: Pat Barker, Edna O’Brien, Tracy Chevalier, and Jim Harrison among others. And I’m hopeful that Helen Simonson’s new novel “The Summer Before the War” might be as good as her charming 2010 debut “Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand,” although I’m seeing a few mixed reviews about it, so we will see.

In the meantime I’ve picked up “The North Water” by British author Ian McGuire, which a publisher passed my way, about a 19th-century whaling ship that sets sail for the Arctic with a killer onboard. Author Hilary Mantel calls it a “tour de force of narrative tension and a masterful reconstruction of a lost world that seems to exist at the limits of the human imagination.” So far it’s a fairly coarse, but seemingly realistic depiction of seamen in the 1850s whaling trade. But the story has me in its grip. So stay tuned: I plan to review it next week.

Other March novels that look enticing include: Lyndsay Faye’s new one “Jane Steele,” which is said to be a Gothic retelling of “Jane Eyre” — a reimagining of Jane as a gutsy, heroic serial killer. It’s said to be “wonderfully wicked” with author Suzanne Rindell describing it as a “darkly-humorous, elegantly-crafted story of an ‘accidental’ vigilante.” I haven’t read Lyndsay Faye before, though her novel “The Gods of Gotham” received considerable recognition when it came out, so count me in for this one.

Also Montana author Rick Bass has a new collection of short stories out called “For a Little While” that gathers his best stories together, 18 from previous collections and seven new tales. Admittedly, I’m not usually a big reader of short story collections, but Bass’s latest has been getting rave reviews and wide recognition. Joyce Carol Oates calls it “nothing short of remarkable” and William Kittredge says Bass’s “name will be on notices alongside Raymond Carver and Flannery O’Connor.” So I’d say it’s about time I sampled his short fiction.

Lastly two other books from authors across the pond have caught my attention. First British author Jonathan Lee’s new novel “High Dive” is based on the real 1984 assassination attempt on Margaret Thatcher’s life by an exploding IRA bomb at Brighton’s Grand Hotel. Publishers Weekly calls it an “incredible novel of rare insight, velocity, depth, and daring,” and authors Lauren Groff and Tea Obrecht are among many others hailing its praises. It makes me think “High Dive” could be one of the year’s best, but we will see.

The other book is a debut novel by Irish author Sara Baume called “Spill Simmer Falter Wither,” which is about a misfit man who adopts a misfit dog. Apparently after the seaside village where they live shuns them, the unlikely duo takes to the road, providing comfort to each other’s lives. Anne Enright says the book is “a flame in daylight: beautiful and unexpected,” and Booklist calls it “elegant, heartbreaking, and inspiring.” I can’t resist a good dog story so count me in for this small, quiet novel.

As for movies in March, all the talk is about “Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice.” Ben Affleck vs. Henry Cavill. I’ll take Cavill thank you very much. In this movie apparently the Caped Crusader has a tiff with the Man of Steel (okay it’s more than a tiff) but eventually they team together to fight Lex Luthor, this time played by a seemingly demented Jesse Eisenberg. It’s true that I’m not the big superhero, movie-watching girl that I once was in the Christopher Reeves days — I never even saw the 2013 flick “Man of Steel” with Cavill and Amy Adams — so I’m not likely to rush out to see this one, but who knows? Maybe I’ll need a Henry Cavill fix, or an urge to revisit the Caped Crusader’s mask once again.

My two actual movie picks this month include “Midnight Special” about a kid who possesses special powers, which looks a bit like a “Close Encounters” kind of movie. It’s by the same writer and director who made “Mud” and “Take Shelter,” which I liked, so this one should be decent too. Then there’s Nanni Moretti’s Franco-Italian film called “Mia Madre” about a film director in the middle of an existential crisis, who’s unable to accept that her mother’s dying. It looks good and has received a 91 percent favorable rating on Rotten Tomatoes. So “Mia Madre” it is for me.

Lastly in albums for March, there’s new ones by three notable male singer-songwriters namely: Ray LaMontagne, Pete Yorn, and the late Jeff Buckley. Wow what a trio. I’ve long been a big fan of LaMontagne’s music. He’s wonderful as is his music, though his latest album the cosmic “Ouroboros” sounds a bit like a departure from his folk roots kind of stuff, which I might lament. But if I need more of that perhaps I can turn to Jeff Buckley’s posthumous album “You and I.” It’s a collection of 10 of his demo tracks, which are mostly covers, or I can check out Pete Yorn’s sixth studio album called “Arranging Time.”

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