Sunday Salon: a new look & new release anticipation

A new look
Happy Sunday! If you've visited my blog in the past two days, you've probably noticed things look quite a bit different. I've been meaning to redesign it for quite some time. Although I loved my old design, particularly the gorgeous picture of an airplane flying over the globe, I wanted to have posts appear in black ink and a white background. I'm still tweaking a few things, some major and some minor, and I probably will continue to do so this week. As always, I'd love to hear what your thoughts and suggestions are.

Summer television love
I'm in the midst of my blissful two and a half weeks of vacation and have just enjoyed a relaxing week at home. I've been reading a lot, watching the Olympics, and catching up on my DVR. I finally started watching The Newsroom, which I'm really enjoying. I also had a mini-marathon of the first three episodes of Political Animals. Despite its poor reviews, I'm loving it. I expected to be wowed by Sigourney Weaver, but Carla Gugoni is stealing the show.

Vacation treats
Tomorrow Mr. Nomadreader and I set off for a vacation of our own. It's rare we get to take a trip that's not for another reason (i.e. wedding, funeral, family reunion), and I'm really looking forward to a week away together. The hardest choice for me on quiet vacations is always which books to read. I'm eager to make progress on the Booker longlist, but I'm also eager to dive into the pile of fall new releases I'm most excited about:

• The Cutting Season by Attica Locke: I read Attica Locke's first novel, Black Water Rising (my review), when it was shortlisted for the Orange Prize, and utterly adored it. It made my top ten of 2012. It will be released September 18.
• Eight Girls Taking Pictures by Whitney Otto: I first discovered Otto in high school (How to Make an American Quilt). I rediscovered her the year after college, when it felt like I had all the time in the world to read (the benefit of no longer having homework, moving to a city where I knew no one, it was a brutal winter, and it was January: lots of reading time.) A Collection of Beauties at the Height of Their Popularity remains one of my all-time favorite novels. Eight Girls Taking Pictures is her first novel in ten years, and even though I can't wait to read it, I fear the next one might take another ten years, and I don't want it to end. It will be released November 6.
• Telegraph Avenue by Michael Chabon: I fell in love with Michael Chabon in college, mostly thanks to my brother. I adored Wonder Boys and The Mysteries of Pittsburgh, but somehow I haven't read The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Klay yet. Regardless, the premise of Telegraph Avenue is right up my alley. It will be released September 11.
• Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver: I read The Lacuna (my review) when it was shortlisted for the Orange Prize, which it later won. Although I didn't love the novel, I did love Kingsolver's writing, and I'm eager to give her another chance. It will be released November 6.                   

I feel so blessed to have copies of these titles already, and I'm looking forward to digging in. I hope to alternate these new releases with Booker longlist titles. The Yips and Communion Town have arrived from the UK, and I have Skios and The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry on my Kindle. (I hope to finish Narcopolis this afternoon.) I can't possibly read eight books in one week of vacation, but I'll be pleased with reading four of them. This time of year is always overwhelming for me as a reader: I'm simultaneously trying to read the Booker longlist, anticipating fall releases, and awaiting the Dayton Peace Prize, Giller Prize and National Book Award. 

Now tell me: which fall release are you most excited for?

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