June Preview

Well June is already here and half way through the year, how is your reading going? Personally, I’m quite behind. There’s just too many good books and too little time, as they say. This month will only further that with a number of veteran authors putting out enticing offerings (see the list at the right); there’s new novels by Stephen King, Jeannette Walls, Colum McCann, Lionel Shriver and Curtis Sittenfeld among others. So get crackin’.

Always a bit edgy, Lionel Shriver addresses our obsession with food in her latest novel “Big Brother,” which I definitely hope to get to, about siblings, marriage, and obesity.

Another novel to watch for is “Sisterland” by Curtis Sittenfeld, the author of “Prep” and “American Wife,” which is about twin sisters who have psychic abilities. hmm. I thought “Prep” was quite well done so I’ll plan to look for this one as well.

One nonfiction book I’m dying to read is “The Spy Who Loved: The Secrets and Lives of Christine Granville” by Clare Mulley, which is apparently the untold story of Britain’s first female special agent of WWII. It’s receiving a lot of high praise and sounds fascinating about Granville’s very heroic yet tragic life as a spy. Hmm, can’t go wrong there.

But if you’re in the mood for short stories, you might want to pick up Rebecca Lee’s collection “Bobcat and Other Stories.” I haven’t read her before, but judging from what sources are saying about this one, I’d like to. Her deadpan humor, says Amazon’s Kevin Nguyen, perseveres throughout this collection even as her characters wrestle with tragic internal dilemmas, which could make for just the right mix.

Finally in books, I’m intrigued by the praise that “The Execution of Noa P. Singleton” is getting. It’s a debut novel from Elizabeth L. Silver about a woman on death row, whose sentence is trying to be commuted by the mother of the daughter the death row inmate is convicted of killing. In return, the mother wants to know what truly happened to her daughter. Did she kill her? And will the inmate be taken off death row? “The Execution of Noa P. Singleton” has been hailed as a searing debut and one destined to be a smash. Author Ayelet Waldman calls it “an intense and gripping novel of betrayal and guilt that forces readers to confront their convictions and the limitations of their capacity for empathy.” Oh my.

In movies this month (see the list at the left), there’s a lot of death and destruction. Summertime apocalypse is upon us. Of course I’ll see “World War Z”; there’s no way I’m missing Brad Pitt fight against a Zombie pandemic. Hokey? It may be, but I got to do it. He’s fighting to save humanity, don’t you know. (I’m a big fan of the TV show “The Walking Dead” by the way. Zombies are in.)

There’s also a comical take on the apocalyptic experience this month called “This Is the End,” starring James Franco, Seth Rogen and Jonah Hill among others. I may be dragged to this with my husband for some juvenile comedy and bad taste but it could be worth a few good laughs.

Have I not mentioned “Man of Steel” yet? Oh yeah bring on more superheroes. I remember the Christopher Reeve Superman movies so I’m not sure if I’m as totally hyped to go down this path yet again. But Amy Adams does play Lois Lane, which is a bit interesting, and I’m sure the new Superman is quite capable and the special effects should be wham-bam entertainment.

Then again the film “Byzantium” by Irish director Neil Jordan looks nice and creepy. It’s about a mother and daughter who have lived the eternal life so to speak as vampires. And Saoirse Ronan plays creepy so well in movies like “Hanna,” “The Lovely Bones,” and “Atonement.” Good grief, she’s the quintessential actress for playing mysterious, creepy roles! Perhaps a new vampire film is just the thing I need.

Finally for albums coming out in June (see the list at the bottom right), I struggle with which one to pick since I don’t have an absolute favorite here, but I’ll go with the new one from the Canadian group the Barenaked Ladies since I live here in the northern country now. I’ll be curious to see if their “Grinning Streak” album has some good songs on it. They no longer have their lead singer Steven Page with them (he left in 2009 after that drug incident), so will the Ladies be as good? That remains to be seen perhaps but worth checking out.

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