Soho Press has been kicking around my tiny little world for a while now. Their style is crime, simple as that. But wait; there is one little book that begs to be chosen first for a game of dodge ball, Paula Bomer’s debut novel, Nine Months. Back in the not too distant past she delivered a searing collection that cut right through all the bullshit of first collections and defiled the genre. I sold Bomer soap on a rope when the blog was in short pants. There are moments when you have to look away from her writing, not because it bores or sickens you, but I found too much of myself in her words. Baby and Other Stories is a primer on how to be a badass debut collection, and spits in the face of any married person who thinks they know what it’s like to be married. Paula knows, and you don’t know shit. We’re in the wobbly first days of September, and Nine Months has just gone on sale, it’s a trade paper. So buy it.
I can’t tell if I’m on the mailing list in general or someone at Soho is specifically targeting me with a few books that seem to be right up my shoot. “Dear Media Colleague” would be a dead giveaway, or not? I will be the first to tell you to send me something, it’s great that this is happening, but let me try to give you a taste of these books, as I won’t have time to read them. Death’s Door by James R. Benn has a snappy cover, and is part of the Billy Boyle World War II series. That’s cool, and it looks like a great little bit of escape, especially for those WWII fans out there. The second book looks particularly risky, Port Vila Blues by Garry Disher. It’s a toe dip into the Australian underworld. Nothing wrong with that at all, as I’m a fan of a place where everything including the water seems to circle the drain the opposite way Great package too. This book follows Wyatt, the anti-hero jewel thief, and is part of a long running series.
