Bookends #4

There are a whole bunch of books I hear about that look amazing, but realistically I'm not going to read them all. That means they may never be mentioned on Outlandish Lit, which is so tragic. Every week I'll introduce you to a few books that caught my eye and some interesting bookish links.

I only learned about two books this week, but they both look SO GOOD!

THE BOOKS

Not Yet Released

Pull Me Under by Kelly Luce

ADD TO GOODREADS

Kelly Luce's Pull Me Under tells the story of Rio Silvestri, who, when she was twelve years old, fatally stabbed a school bully. Rio, born Chizuru Akitani, is the Japanese American daughter of the revered violinist Hiro Akitani--a Living National Treasure in Japan and a man Rio hasn't spoken to since she left her home country for the United States (and a new identity) after her violent crime. Her father's death, along with a mysterious package that arrives on her doorstep in Boulder, Colorado, spurs her to return to Japan for the first time in twenty years. There she is forced to confront her past in ways she never imagined, pushing herself, her relationships with her husband and daughter, and her own sense of who she is to the brink.

Kelly Luce wrote Three Scenarios In Which Hana Sasaki Grows a Tail, a delightful collection of weird short stories. Her debut novel is being compared to A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki, so I'm there. Also THAT COVER.

Out Already

Gene Mapper by Taiyo Fujii

ADD TO GOODREADS

In a future where reality has been augmented and biology itself has been hacked, the world's food supply is genetically modified, superior, and vulnerable. When gene mapper Hayashida discovers that his custom rice plant has experienced a dysgenic collapse, he suspects sabotage. Hayashida travels Asia to find himself in Ho Chi Minh City with hired-gun hacker Kitamura at his side—and in mortal danger—as he pushes ever nearer to the heart of the mystery.

Yes to all of this.

THE LINKS

I'm currently reading The Queue by Basma Abdel Aziz and I want to read more Middle Eastern writers!! The New York Times highlights 5 for us.

Kelly Luce (mentioned earlier!) read every short story published in 2014-15?? Here are 12 Things She Noticed While Ready Every Short Story Published in 2014-15 (or, Extremely Long Titles That Are Complete Sentences Are Still Very Much a Thing).

Has Mary Shelley been beat out? Work from 1616 is 'the first ever science fiction novel' from The Guardian.

What books did you hear about this week?