Rumpus Books asked dozens of writers what they’ll be reading on New Year’s Day, 2009. Here’s what they said:
HALF OF A YELLOW SUN, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie – Preeta Samarasan
THE WHITE TIGER, by Aravind Adiga – Ayelet Waldman
THE CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL, by Chris Adrian – Robin Romm
THE HAKAWATI, by Rabih Alameddine – Aaron Shurin
BRICK LANE, by Monica Ali – Syda Day
HOUSE OF MEETINGS, by Martin Amis – Keith Scribner
THE WASTED VIGIL, by Nadeem Aslam – Tom Barbash
THE ELEGANCE OF THE HEDGEHOG, by Muriel Barbery – Nora Pierce
THE LEMON TABLE, by Julian Barnes – Michelle Richmond
NOTES FROM NO MAN’S LAND, by Eula Biss – Nick Flynn
2666, by Roberto Bolaño – Lucy Corin
The SAVAGE DETECTIVES, by Roberto Bolaño – Antonino D’Ambrosio
THE DELICATE PREY AND OTHER STORIES, by Paul Bowles – Jason Roberts
THE THIRTY-NINE STEPS, by John Buchan – Geoffrey Brock
OSCAR AND LUCINDA, by Peter Carey – Hannah Tinti
NIGHT OF THE GUN, by David Carr – Kaui Hart Hemmings
I’M THE ONE THAT I WANT, by Margaret Cho – Stephen Elliott
THE FOREIGN STUDENT, by Susan Choi – Katharine Noel
AN ARSONIST’S GUIDE TO WRITERS’ HOMES IN NEW ENGLAND, by Brock Clarke – Will Allison
SALVATION ON SAND MOUNTAIN, by Dennis Covington – Melanie Rae Thon
A NEW HANDBOOK ON HANGING, by Charles Duff – Jim Shepard
THE BLUE FLOWER, by Penelope Fitzgerald – Andrew Winer
BRIEF ENCOUNTERS WITH CHE GUEVARA, by Ben Fountain – Catherine Brady
DON’T CRY, by Mary Gaitskill (forthcoming) – Pam Houston
THE SHINING PATH, by Gustavo Gorriti – Andrew Altschul
THE QUIET AMERICAN, by Graham Greene – Alexander Parsons
THE ENGLISH MAJOR, by Jim Harrison – Don Waters
THE ELEMENTARY PARTICLES, by Michel Houellebecq – Eric Puchner
LOST IN THE CITY, by Edward P. Jones – Emily Mitchell
IN SEARCH OF MEMORY, by Eric Kandel – Glasgow Phillips
ONE MORE YEAR, by Sana Krasikov – Ellen Litman
THE ISRAEL-ARAB READER, by Walter Laqueur – Anthony Swofford
THE GOLDEN NOTEBOOK, by Doris Lessing – Margot Livesey
DANGEROUS LAUGHTER, by Stephen Millhauser – Peter Rock
WATCHMEN, by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons – Tobias Wolff
DREAMS FROM MY FATHER, by Barack Obama – Lydia Davis
NETHERLAND, by Joseph O’Neill – Elisa Albert
UNDERGROUND AMERICA, edited by Peter Orner – Edward Schwarzschild
HOMAGE TO CATALONIA, by George Orwell – Mark Sundeen
CURFEWED NIGHT, by Basharat Peer – Karan Mahajan
GILEAD, by Marilynne Robinson – Rebecca Black
SATANIC VERSES, by Salman Rushdie – Rabih Alameddine
PICNIC GROUNDS, by Oz Shelach – Daniel Alarcon
MEMORIES OF MADNESS: STORIES OF 1947, by Khushwant Singh – Shawna Yang Ryan
A RUSSIAN JOURNAL, by John Steinbeck – Jeff Parker
THE AGE OF SHIVA, by Manil Suri – Samina Ali
IF THE WORLD BECOMES SO BRIGHT, by Keith Taylor – Rick Hilles
MOTHERS AND SONS, by Colm Toibin – Stacey D’Erasmo
TOWARD AMNESIA, by Sarah Van Arsdale – Nancy Reisman
CONSIDER THE LOBSTER, by David Foster Wallace – Daniel Orozco
ALONE OF ALL HER SEX, by Marina Warner – Colm Toibin
THE COMPLETE CALVIN & HOBBES, by Bill Watterson – Mike Edison
**
See Also: The Rumpus
See Also: The Rumpus Resolutions