Fall Non-Romance Preview

Yeah, I read non-romance.  Not much, but I do.  That being said, with romance reading and review books, plus grad school coursework, I have to be really choosy with what I read.  At the same time, I’m determined to branch out from romance and YA, and I’m going to make it my goal to read at least one non-romance book each month.  Since fall is big publishing season, here are three non-romance books that caught my eye, in no particular order:

The Casual Vacancy, by J. K. Rowling

Her first book since Harry Potter.  There is no way this is not going to be a publishing phenomenon, and canny for her, she’s going into adult contemporary fiction.  It looks good though – satire and small town secrets, and all that – and I like the cover.

Sweet Tooth, by Ian McEwan

Ian McEwan does 1970s espionage and romance.  Needless to say, I doubt it’s going to end happily, but I’m really, really looking forward to this one.  Features an Oxford mathematician as a heroine, who gets recruited by MI-5 and falls in love with the guys she’s spying on.  It’s already out in Canada (although not until November in the States), and the reviews are fantastic.

The Emperor of Paris, by C. S. Richardson

I don’t know a thing about this author, but the Globe and Mail review (“a jewel of a novel about books and love”) makes it sound right up my alley.

Other ones that I know are big, but that I haven’t been particularly anticipating, are highly anticipated followups: NW by Zadie Smith, Ken Follett’s Winter of the World, and Emma Donaghue’s short story anthology and return to historical fiction Astray.

What are you looking forward to reading in the fall?  Have you read any good non-romance books this year so far?

– Jean AAR