Dive into the literary scene with these books that inform and inspire.
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There are a ravishing array of titles, either just or to be released, that make for a strong reading list to carry bibliophiles into the new year. From annexing sugar, exploring the searing journey of two mothers, to Sheryl Sandberg’s newest book about the necessity of the ‘Option Bs’ in life, the literary outlook for 2017 seems bright.
After nearly a decade, we hear from legacy story-tellers like F. Scott Fitzgerald and Murakami, witness new entries from the likes of Rafe Bartholomew and gain insight into some of the world’s brightest minds like Tim Ferris and Salvador Dali, who dazzle with compelling titles which serve to inform as well as inspire—with more to come no doubt.
Below is a compilation of fiction and non-fiction to ignite your mind in 2017. Some of these picks will assist in preparing for what will no doubt shape up to be an “interesting” year. Alternatively, others might issue an opportunity for rest, reflection and meditation, with a few scientific tweaks thrown into the mix.
Dalí. Les dîners de Gala by Salvador Dali
“Food and surrealism make perfect bedfellows” is the key premise of Salvador Dali’s newest cookbook, which is full of lively aggressive unions such as sex and lobsters and collages with cannibalism, and where the meeting of a swan and a toothbrush might just take place on a pastry case. Based off the opulent dinner parties thrown by Salvador Dalí (1904–1989) and his wife and muse, Gala (1894–1982), the reprint of the book that was originally published in 1973 features all 136 recipes over twelve chapters, specially illustrated by Dalí.
This book is available at Bookazine.
24 Assets by Daniel Priestley
Can you simply define what a business asset is? For innovators, a business asset is “anything that would still be valuable if you and your team disappeared”, according to Daniel Priestley, serial entrepreneur and author of Amazon-chart topping Oversubscribed, in the April-slated release of 24 Assets. This fresh and well-communicated handbook delves into the 24 major business assets which, when developed, add value, scale and profit, ultimately making them more investable. A must-read gem for entrepreneurs.
More about the author on his website.
Lucky Boy by Shanthi Sekaran
A vein of adventure snakes its way through a heart-wrenching novel that presents the searing reality of two mothers—a young undocumented Mexican woman and an Indian-American wife—whose joint love for one ‘lucky boy’ bind their fates together. Motherhood is explored in new ways in this revelatory ode to love and its ever-changing borders by Californian-native Shanthi Sekaran. In an age where topics like immigration and minorities are seen in headlines daily, these themes and more are brought to vivid life through Lucky Boy.
Available on Bookazine.
Two and Two by Rafe Bartholomew
A forthcoming memoir by young writer Rafe Bartholomew touches on life growing up around and working at McSorley’s, New York’s oldest saloon. A landmark New York City pub his father has been tending since 1972, the novel features deeply stirring tatler_tatler_stories Bartholomew has from his years at McSorley’s—and the tatler_tatler_stories he heard from his father—all of which are either touching, humorous, crude, or moving, and most certainly always authentically New York. The memoir of place—both a bar and a city—has already been given head nods from notable characters like James McBride, bestselling author and award winning composer, and is slated for release in May of this year.
Available for preorder on Amazon.
Tools of Titans: The Tactics, Routines, and Habits of Billionaires, Icons, and World-Class Performers by Tim Ferris
Tim Ferris, author of prominent business novel the 4-Hour Work Week, went straight to the sources and interviewed more than 200 world-class performers to find the commonalities between ultra-successful people. Tools of Titans explores the daily routines and habits of world-class performers from celebrities (Jamie Foxx, Arnold Schwarzenegger) and athletes (icons of powerlifting, surfing) to legendary Special Operations commanders and black-market biochemists. The lessons have made millions of dollars and might save years of wasted effort and frustration.
Available on Amazon.
Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders
National Book Award-shortlisted George Saunders follows the story of Abraham Lincoln and the death of his eleven year old son in his first novel, Lincoln in the Bardo. Alive, dead, historical and invented characters make up the supporting characters of a story that isn’t beholden to historical frameworks, bouncing instead into the realm of the supernatural.
Available on Amazon.
Option B: Facing Adversity, Building Resilience and Finding Joy by Sheryl Sandberg
Sheryl Sandberg’s husband died suddenly aged 48, and the Facebook COO and #1 New York Times bestselling author was left to parent two children and continue running a company that is bigger than the world’s largest country. The most comforting counsel came from a friend weeks later, as Sandberg faced her first father-child activity without Dave. She came up with a plan for a friend to fill in. “But I want Dave,” she said. Her friend put his arm around her and said, “Option A is not available. So let’s just kick the shit out of Option B.” Everyone experiences some form of Option B. The question is not whether these things will happen but how we face them when they do. Option B: Facing Adversity, Building Resilience and Finding Joy is co-authored with Adam Grant and will be released in late April this year.
Available at Bookazine upon release.
The Girl Before by JP Delaney
Psychological thriller The Girl Before explores a multitude of themes from duplicity and death to deception. Because there is always need for more book titles with the word "gone" in them, the tradition of The Girl on the Train, The Silent Wife, and Gone Girl continues through this narrative that spins one woman’s seemingly good fortune and another’s mysterious fate through the kaleidoscope of eerie parallels and romantic obsession. A film will follow, to be directed by Academy Award-winning director Ron Howard.
Available on Bookazine.
The Case Against Sugar by Gary Taubes
Diabetes is more prevalent today than ever; obesity is at epidemic proportions; nearly 10% of children are thought to have nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. For these reasons and more, The Case Against Sugar—by author Gary Taubes of best-selling book Why We Get Fat—is both groundbreaking and eye-opening, with a notable examination of the bewildering similarities between the sugar and tobacco industries. The same reasonings that leaned on flawed science that were formerly used to defend tobacco are now being applied to sugar, he posits, and because of this, sugar has become the very root of the problem, not just an exacerbating factor.
Available on Amazon.
Men Without Women: Stories by Murakami Haruki
For the first time in nine years, esteemed Japanese writer Murakami Haruki will release a new book in April 2017. Murakami says of the new collection of short tatler_tatler_stories; "I find writing novels a challenge, writing tatler_tatler_stories a joy. If writing novels is like planting a forest, then writing short tatler_tatler_stories is more like planting a garden." Containing of the wry humour that has come to define his entire body of work, this book will involve everything from vanishing cats and smoky bars, lonely hearts and mysterious women to baseball and the Beatles.
Available for pre-order on Amazon.
The Art of Vinyasa by Richard B. Freeman & Mary Taylor
Richard Freeman and Mary Taylor give an in-depth explanation of form, alignment, and anatomy, and how they work together in the practice in this presentation of contemporary yoga. The book is useful for beginners and more advanced practitioners, as it contains many practical instructions provided by teachers who have been themselves practicing and teaching for decades.
Available on Shambhala Publishing.
I’d Die For You And Other Lost Stories by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Posthumous releases are always the best kind of releases, and when the releaser is none other than iconic author of The Great Gatsby, patience is justified. I’d Die For You is a collection of the last remaining unpublished and uncollected short tatler_tatler_stories by F. Scott Fitzgerald, edited by Anne Margaret Daniel. Composed in the same beautiful, sharp, and surprising language that has come to represent any Fitzgerald's works, themes both familiar and fresh are explored in tatler_tatler_stories which provide a unique perspective into the valiant arc of Fitzgerald’s professional life.
Available on Amazon.
This article first appeared on hk.asiatatler.com