The Look of the New Murakami. . .

Fall may seem a long time off, but not for sales reps (the catalogues and marketing plans are piled up on my desk as I write).  One of the books I'm most looking forward to reading is Haruki Murakami's latest novel 1Q84.  It's going to be a doorstop (over 900 pages) and it's going to look gorgeous. The book is designed by Chip Kidd who discusses the process here.  It'll be out in late October -can't wait!

A Man of Parts (Some More Active Than Others). . .

I'm currently reading and enjoying a galley of David Lodge's new novel A Man of Parts which will be available in Canada in May.  It's a fictionalized account of the life of H.G. Wells, told mostly through his relationships with the women in his life, many of whom were writers, including the amazing Rebecca West, the modernist Dorothy Richardson, Violet Hunt (who famously had a long relationship with Ford Maddox Ford and appears as a character in two of his most celebrated novels) and Elizabeth von Arnim who wrote one of my favourite NYRB Classics, The Enchanted April.  Gotta love these incestuous literary circles.

Lodge has a great piece in The Guardian, talking about how and why he wrote this novel, the difficulties of writing fiction about real historical characters, and the connections that can be made to another of my favorite books about this period - A.S. Byatt's The Children's Book.  Well worth reading.  I think I'll have to dig out some H.G. Wells too. Orion is bringing out some of his backlist - in these great new covers; who says that print (or newsprint) is dead?

The most amazing fall lists ever!. . .

I'm halfway through sales conference for the fall books and let me tell you, recession or not, there are so many fantastic books to look forward to, I just can't help but be optimistic that our industry is going to stay strong despite all the current economic challenges.

Unless you've been living under a rock the last two weeks, you'll know that there's a new Dan Brown novel called The Lost Symbol coming on September 15th. But in addition, just read and salivate over this line-up of amazing authors - many of them Canadian - who also have new books out this fall (and these are just the riches I'm lucky enough to represent - I can't wait to hear what the other Deweys will be selling):

Margaret Atwood, Alice Munro, Al Gore, Lori Lansens, Michael Crummey, John Bemrose, Audrey Niffenegger, John Irving, J.M. Coetzee, Sebastian Faulks, Denise Chong, Karen Connelly, Douglas Coupland, Kelley Armstrong, Peter Mansbridge, Arnaldur Indridason, Yann Martel, Sadie Jones, William Trevor, Orhan Pamuk, Chinua Achebe, Karen Armstrong, Lindsey Davis, Stephen Brunt, Lorrie Moore, Diana Gabaldon, Anne Tyler, Edward Rutherfurd, Terry Pratchett, Diana Evans, Paul Theroux, Peter Ackroyd, Robert Harris, Valerie Martin, Jonathan Lethem, Caryl Phillips, Peter Mayle, Ha Jin, Richard Russo, Jon Krakauer . . .

And that doesn't even include all the exciting new debuts, international writers in translation, children's literature (new Meg Rosoff and Kate DiCamillo and a new book by Carol Ann Duffy - just appointed today as Britain's new poet laureate, the first woman to hold the job), and re-issued classic treasures that I'll be talking up in the fall (can't wait to read this for example). My rep's cup (and catalogue pile) is truly brimming over, or as the title of Atwood's new novel proclaims, it really is The Year of the Flood. I have manuscripts scattered around my apartment. My Sony e-reader (filled with more manuscripts) and I have become inseparable. I may start weeping with joy at any minute.