Two weeks ago we highlighted our display - Around the World with Books - featuring novels for travelers. This week, a new book from Australia has just arrived, a graphic novel from Paris was recently released, and we wanted to remind you of an older favorite from the American South.
THE PAGES, by Murray Bail (Other Press, $14.95)
The old adage claims that the unexamined life isn't worth living. But just as there are many ways to live, there are countless ways to examine that living. In his elegant, beguiling novel, told with great economy and sly wit, the Australian author of Eucalyptus considers questions of how to live and how to think. Wesley Antill, a sheep rancher turned philosopher, sets out to write a theory of emotion, only to see his philosophy turn into memoir. He dies before he completes his work and his family calls in an academic to assess the manuscript. As Erica delves into the mind and life of a man she never met, she finds, as Wesley had, that life keeps interfering with her efforts to understand it at a peaceful remove. Love, strained and patched friendship, accidents, chance—these are some of the prisms Bail's narrative employs to test the viability of "philosophy as a natural force." - Laurie Greer
CONFEDERATES IN THE ATTIC, by Tony Horwitz (Vintage, $16)
Join journalist Tony Horwitz on the most unusual American road trip you can imagine. Horwitz journeys throughout the former Confederacy to investigate the lingering, persistent fascination with the Civil War—and shows us why we should pay attention. Among other adventures, he brunches with the Daughters of the American Revolution and enlists with a particularly zealous bunch of "hardcore" reenactors (the guys who even other Civil War reenactors think are crazy). Tony Horwitz is ever mindful of the subtext of race, rural poverty and the strange, powerful beast of public memory. The War Between the States is not as over as you might think. - Elizabeth Sher
ON THE ODD HOURS by Eric Liberge (NBM/ComicsLit, $14.95)
Co-published with the Louvre Museum, On the Odd Hours, continues NBM's exciting series centered on one of the great art museums. Bastien is a deaf student seeking an internship at the museum, when one of the night guards pulls him into assisting with a special duty that only he can accomplish. Bastien's job entails speaking with the pieces of art, giving them attention, and listening to their desires. Bastien thinks this sounds crazy, but he goes along with the idea and descends deep into a world of hidden knowledge. This is a great addition to the Louvre's series of graphic novels. Liberge's clean line work, and toned-down colors add a graceful effect to the tale - and if you ever wondered how a deaf / mute man might communicate in a graphic novel, then check this out, it's nothing short of amazing! - Adam Waterreus
If you are interested in graphic literature, you might join the Graphic Novel Book Group on the fourth Wednesday of each month. Click here to see more Graphic Literature recommendations.
Click here to see our booksellers' recommendations, sorted by regions of the world.