I was on Borders website to see if the new Ian Rankin book is out yet – my memory is that it’s coming out this month – and the site was encouraging me to “preorder now!” I’m trying to figure out why anyone would do this. Will there not be enough copies to go around?
So I took a look at the top 50 preorders. Vampires (and that ilk) galore. James Patterson, the Wimpy Kid, and movies on DVD. Kitty Kelly has a biography of Oprah coming out and Giada de Laurentis has a new cookbook which will turn you into a hot Italian babe in the kitchen. (I wish!)
Of interest to me: Harlan Coben’s Caught, Lisa Scottoline’s Think Twice, and Stieg Larsson’s The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest.
Caught is a stand-alone mystery featuring a missing high school girl and the intrepid reporter who investigates the case. Coben’s books are usually engrossing and energizing, and there’s usually a rich vein of humor. I’m not positive, but I think this may be his first female protagonist, so it will be great to see how well he does with that challenge. It’s a must-read for me. Would I pre-order? No.
How about Think Twice? I’ve enjoyed Scottoline’s Bennie Rosato series, and this one looks like a humdinger: her twin sister, Alice, drugs her and leaves her for dead. Bennie’s buried alive. And Alice is living her life. What a great set-up… although it might be hard to live up to the promise of the premise. Would I pre-order? No.
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest is the third in Stieg Larsson’s series featuring Lisbeth Salander, the first being The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and the second, The Girl Who Played with Fire. These books have taken America by storm, fueled by the knowledge that Larsson, who intended to write ten books in the series, died suddenly of a heart attack at age 50. Therefore, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest is the final book. (Although his long-time companion has the laptop which contains the partially completed manuscript for book #4.) Lisbeth is both violated and violent, and her goal in this book is to clear her name and get revenge against those who used her so miserably in her previous books. Plus, Mikael Blomquist is back. Would I preorder? Possibly.
And what about that Ian Rankin book I was looking for? I can’t find it. Must be confused! Please advise.
Literary Lunchbox 
The only book I think I ever pre-ordered was one of the Harry Potter books, and then my niece asked me to take her to the midnight launch so I ended up with two copies. I usually have at least 30 books in my to-read stacks and so have plenty to keep me occupied until whatever new book I want is out. Heck, by the time I get to it it’s usually out in paperback!