The Republic of Wine by Mo Yan 368 pages published by Arcade Publishing available at Amazon.com   "The Republic of Wine is a novel Joseph Heller might have written had he been Chinese. As it is, the honor goes to Mo Yan, one of China's most respected writers. Set in the fictional province of Liquorland, this tall tale begins with a rumor of cannibal feasts featuring children as the delectable main course. In response, Chinese officials send special investigator Ding Gou'er to look into the allegations. He arrives by coal truck at the Mount Lao Coal Mine, where he meets the legendary Diamond Jin, Vice-Minister of the Liquorland Municipal Party Committee Propaganda Bureau, a man known for an epic ability to hold his booze. Almost at once, Ding's worst fears seem to be realized when he is invited to a special dinner, given enough alcohol to stun an ox, and then served what appears to be "a golden, incredibly fragrant little boy." Horrified, he attempts to make an arrest and in the ensuing confusion, accidentally puts a bullet in the main course." Amazon.com Review

This book is even stranger than anything Joseph Heller (Catch 22) could have written. Between the story are letters from the author Mo Yan to an aspiring writer who sends Yan his stories which are even stranger. If you like Stephen King...well, this book is even better.  As strange as this book is, Mo Yan is undeniably one of the greatest writers of our times.

My pile of books to read is still very small. I have The Black-eyed Blonde which is a Raymond Chandler rip-off the author, writing under the name Benjamin Black, is a fine mystery writer on his own but with the permission of the Raymond Chandler family, he has taken one of the original ideas from Chandler's notes and written a good story which recaptures the '50s vibe ; there is a new Olen Steinhauer book called The Cairo Affair if you like spy stories in the LeCarré spirit, this is a very nice story told in flashbacks and pieces, a stand-alone spy novel. Then there is the new Emma Donoghue (Room) book Frog Music which is based on a true event in San Francisco about a high-class prostitute looking for her friend's killer, exciting, fascinating and a true story very carefully researched by Donoghue. The Son by Jo Nesbo is a stand-alone novel in that it is not about his usual hero Harry Hole. A young serial killer escapes from prison but is he really a killer? The Scandinavians are producing first-rate crime novels. Maybe because there is so little crime there, they just write about it but the writing is top notch.  In April, Christopher Moore brings out a new book entitled The Serpent of Venice and any book of his is always a joy to read. Christopher Moore has managed to rip off King Lear and some of his own books to create a hilarious new story about ancient Venice. I am also desperately looking for Quesadillas or Down the Rabbit Hole by Juan Pablo Villalobos. A Mexican author who has sold more books in other languages than in Spanish, his short books about life in Mexico are winning prizes around the world. I found both and have read Down the Rabbit Hole. This is a wonderful book about the young son of a narc-trafficker isolated in a huge house, home-schooled with his every desire fulfilled. The chilling part is the way he looks at his life and the violence that surrounds him as normal and natural. It is a small book - only 100 pages - that paints a terrible picture of the loss of innocence.  Another book I am looking for is The Axe Factor by Colin Cotterill, a new Jimm Juree book about Southeast Asia.In this third book in the series, Jimm finally knows her father, solves several killings, meets a scum-ball of a writer all with the help of her transsexual sister and weight-lifting brother and his girlfriend who is forty years older than he is. In the beginning, I thought it was terribly predictable but the twists at the end were very satisfying.