The Most Notable Books of Fiction of 2011

The New York Times have printed this year's list of the 100 most notable books in America. Since we are notable for only concerning ourselves with fiction here's a catalog of the titles that belong to this genre:

The Angel Esmeralda by Don DeLillio
The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach
The Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka
The Cat’s Table by Michael Ondaatje
Chango’s Beads and Two-Tone Shoes by William Kennedy
11/22/63 by Stephen King
The Free World by David Bezmozgis
Ghost Lights by Lydia Millet
Gryphon by Charles Baxter
House of Holes by Nicholson Baker
The Leftovers by Tom Perrotta
The London Train by Tessa Hadley
Lost Memory of Skin by Russell Banks
The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides
A Moment in the Sun by John Sayles
My New American Life by Francine Prose
1Q84 by Haruki Murakami
The Pale King by David Foster Wallace
Parallel Stories by Peter Nadas
Say Her Name by Francisco Goldman
The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes
Stone Arabia by Dana Spiotta
The Stranger’s Child by Alan Hollinghurst
Swamplandia! by Karen Russell
Ten Thousand Saints by Eleanor Henderson
The Tiger’s Wife by Téa Obreht. Read my review here
The Tragedy of Arthur by Arthur Phillips
Train Dreams by Denis Johnson

Book Reviews… Preview

OK people, I’ve been reading really hard for the past few weeks, and some of the stuff that fell into my hands and dropped into my brain was quite amazing. In the near future I’m going to deliver to you quite a few book reviews of titles yet to come out in the U.S. but also some that are already in the bookshops, electronic or otherwise. The reviews of the books that haven’t come out yet I will post about a week before their release (you can see the publication date at the end of each entry), and as of this moment the list stands as follows:

Bad Intentions by Karin Fossum. A great psychological thriller. (9 August)
The Magician King by Lev Grossman. I’m still reading it, so for the time being, no comment. (9 August)
The Keeper of Lost Causes by Jussi Adler-Olsen. A great detective story from Denmark about a clever but troubled cop who’s willing to go where no one has ever been before. (18 August)
Nairobi Heat by Mukoma wa Ngugi. A detective story from Africa. A different view of the world. (13 September)
Penguin Lost by Andrey Kurkov. Black humor from the Ukraine… and beyond. (27 September)
Theodora: Actress, Empress, Whore by Stella Duffy. Now, what more can I add to that title? (27 September)
The Dead Kid Detective Agency by Evan Munday. Absolutely great. The fans of Neil Gaiman will love this one. (1 October)
Shards by Ismet Prcic. A refugee’s odyssey, from Bosnia to California (4 October)
Cain by Jose Saramago. Brilliant. The last book of a master storyteller that shreds the Old Testament to pieces. Provocative and funny. (6 October)
Scenes from Village Life by Amos Oz. Interconnected stories about life in a village in Israel. Very much about love and less about war. (20 October)

The following books are already out and will find their place in this blog sooner or later:

The Preacher by Camilla Läckberg. Murders and mysteries in an otherwise peaceful Swedish town. A good read.
The Train by Georges Simenon. The name of the author is all that one needs to know to read this book.
Pearl in the Sand by Tessa Afshar. A love story with a historic-religious background. The ladies will love it.
Pigeon English by Stephen Kelman. Trying to find a home far away from home and solve a mystery as well. The story of a special boy told in superb style.
Death and the Penguin by Andrey Kurkov. Dark and funny. The story of a man and a penguin and much more. Love, death, mystery, paranoia. Excellent.
Carte Blance by Jeffery Deaver. The Bond is back, and maybe he’s better than ever. A job well done by the popular thriller writer.
A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin. An amazing journey into the worlds of fantasy. Great writing and excellent plot. (This book is very popular these days, but so what?).
The Tiger’s Wife by Téa Obreht. History and legends, myths and reality, and a beautiful narrative voice from a very young and promising author. Winner of this year’s Orange prize.
Smokin’ Seventeen by Janet Evanovich. The funny adventures of a special lady and her friends in a city full of criminals and… toothless vampires.

Read on…