Fall is when the editors bring out their heavy-hitting books, the ones they hope will be on the bestseller list for the year to come. On the list of books being released, there are three books which attracted my attention:

The Serpent of Venice by Christopher Moore 336 pages published by William Morrow In Venice, a long time ago, three prominent Venetians await their most loathsome and foul dinner guest, the erstwhile envoy of Britain and France, and widower of the murdered Queen Cordelia: the rascal Fool Pocket.This trio of cunning plotters—the merchant, Antonio; the senator, Montressor Brabantio; and the naval officer, Iago—have lured Pocket to a dark dungeon, promising an evening of spirits and debauchery with a rare Amontillado sherry and Brabantio’s beautiful daughter, Portia. But their invitation is, of course, bogus. The wine is drugged. The girl isn’t even in the city limits. 

* The Night Guest by Fiona McFarlane 256 pages published by  Faber & Faber The Night Guest, Fiona McFarlane’s hypnotic first novel, is no simple tale of a crime committed and a mystery solved. This is a tale that soars above its own suspense to tell us, with exceptional grace and beauty, about ageing, love, trust, dependence, and fear; about processes of colonization; and about things (and people) in places they shouldn’t be. Ruth is widowed, her sons are grown, and she lives in an isolated beach house outside of town. Her routines are few and small. One day a stranger arrives at her door, looking as if she has been blown in from the sea. This woman—Frida—claims to be a care worker sent by the government. Ruth lets her in. A very interesting book especially for a first-time novelist. See the 2012-2013 book list for more.

* The Circle by Dave Eggers 504 pages published by Knopf  “A stunning work of terrifying plausibility, a cautionary tale of subversive power in the digital age suavely packaged as a Silicon Valley social satire. Set in the near future, it examines the inner workings of the Circle, an internet company that is both spiritual and literal successor to Facebook, Google, Twitter and more, as seen through the eyes of Mae Holland, a new hire who starts in customer service . . . Eggers presents a Swiftian scenario so absurd in its logic and compelling in its motives . . . sneaking up on the reader before delivering its warnings of the future, a worthy and entertaining read.” —Publishers Weekly Brave and important and will draw comparisons to Brave New World and 1984. If you are interested in human rights and privacy issues, this is the book for you. I have read the first half and this is indeed very scary stuff. The reasoning behind it sounds perfectly logical and we are willingly giving up our individuality and privacy through social media even as we speak. See the 2012-2013 book list for more.

So, I have my list of the Man Booker Awards and my list of trashy books and now three more. The Circle is being promoted as a future classic - I must read it to make a decision. The Night Guest sounds promising for a new writer but I will have to see for myself and I always read anything Christopher Moore puts out for the simple reason that he is very entertaining and writes the only vampire books I will read. His last book, Sacre Bleu, put Van Gogh in a whole different light. 

I  PROMISE  not to look at another book until I have finished my list! Oh dear, I forgot the new Nobel Prize for Literature is coming out next week. I hope it is someone I have already read like Murakami-I am rooting for you!