Highlights of August

August has been a rough reading month for me. With the two weeks of family and the return to school, books have not been a priority. I do, however, have quite few books that release in August I wanted to make sure you all knew about.

Vanishing and Other Stories by Deborah Willis came to me via Harper Perennial and is listed as going on sale on August 17, so you can grab a copy now! Erica Barmash, from Harper, says that "The stories in Vanishing explore emotional and physical absences, the ways in which people leave and are left, and whether it’s ever possible to move on. They’re perfect snapshots of difficult, sometimes nonsensical lives—from a girl whose secretive father vanishes one day to the couple who lose their babysitting charge on a commuter train to the aging cowboy seduced by the city girl (my favorite story.) In short, they’re everything short stories should be, and there’s not a dud in the bunch."

I was immediately intrigued and a quick flip through tells me I'm going to enjoy this collection.

Vordak the Incomprehensible cornered me at BEA and made me laugh evilly in order to get a copy of this book: How to Grow Up and Rule the World. I really I had a picture of him; although if you picture the cover character in real life, you have a pretty good idea of what he looked like.

In this lovely book, Vordak teaches us how to be evil. "From selecting the most dastardly name, to choosing the ideal henchmen, to engaging in witty repartee with disgustingly chipper superheroes, experienced supervillain Vordak the Incomprehensible guides readers step-by-step toward the ultimate goal of world domination (from his parents' basement in Trenton, New Jersey). With chapter titles like "Bringing Out the Evil" and "Building a Top-Notch Evil Organization," numerous bold illustrations, and detailed quizzes to assess your level of dastardliness, this book provides everything necessary to rise above the masses, and then rub your ascent in their faces." The book releases August 24.

Erica Barmash from Harper Perennial also sent me three philosophical texts by Simon Van Booy: Why We Fight, Why We Love, and Why Our Decisions Don't Matter. I asked for these books for two reasons: first, I really do love philosophy; second, Van Booy just sounds interesting. Check out this blurb from Erica: "It’s no secret that Simon Van Booy is a Harper Perennial favorite, and not just because he dresses like a dandy and never shows up at the office without cake or cookies or some other treat. But until now we’ve only had his short stories to enjoy. In this three books of (not terribly difficult) philosophy, Simon has mined the classics of literature and art to answer three perennial questions: why we need love, why we fight, and why our decisions don’t matter. Each book features excerpts from great works with commentary from Simon that is insightful, wise, and witty. These books remind me of my favorite Simon story: when I was deciding whether to break up with an ex-boyfriend, Simon offered advice from Buddha and other philosophers—but in the end, encouraged me to go with my heart. In a weird way, these are sort of like the book versions of that conversation." All three books release on August 24.

I love Mary Roach. Really love her. Stiff, Spook, and Bonk are three of my favorite nonfiction reads of all time. I meant to get a signed copy of Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void at BEA, but I must admit that the line - which stretched for ages and ages - was a bit too intimidating for me, and I copped out. Then - cue inspiring music - I won a copy through LibraryThing's Early Reviewers. Awwwweeeesoooome! Amazon's blurb covers the book pretty well I think: "In Packing for Mars, Roach tackles the strange science of space travel, and the psychology, technology, and politics that go into sending a crew into orbit. Roach is unfailingly inquisitive (Why is it impolite for astronauts to float upside down during conversations? Just how smelly does a spacecraft get after a two week mission?), and she eagerly seeks out the stories that don't make it onto NASA's website--from SPCA-certified space suits for chimps, to the trial-and-error approach to crafting menus during the space program's early years (when the chefs are former livestock veterinarians, taste isn't high on the priority list). Packing for Mars is a book for grownups who still secretly dream of being astronauts, and Roach lives it up on their behalf--weightless in a C-9 aircraft, she just can't resist the opportunity to go "Supermanning" around the cabin." I believe the hardcover came out August 2.

Permanent Obscurity: Or a Cautionary Tale of Two Girls and Their Misadventures with Drugs, Pornography, and Death.  Okay, how can you resist a title like that?  Richard Perez's book was "Inspired by the underground sexploitation films of the 1960s, [and] this bold updating of the "roughie" subgenre and lampoon of auteur filmmaking largely takes place in New York City's East Village (circa the Bush era), and it chronicles the rise and fall of a unique and intense relationship. Dolores and Serena, two chemically dependent, down-and-out artists set out to take control of their lives by making a fetish-noir/femdom movie. Of course, things don't exactly turn out as planned." Sounds quirky, dirty, and fun, and I really couldn't resist.  I think this book actually released in April, but since it just got on my radar, I wanted to share.