[Waiting On Wednesday #8] The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson (2012)

Tags

book, literary fiction, literature

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared (2012)
by Jonas Jonasson
Publication Date: September 11th, 2012 (US) / July 12th, 2012 (UK)
Publisher: Hyperion Books (US), Hesperus Press Ltd (UK)
preorder a copy via Amazon.
Goodreads.

Trailer:

The international publishing sensation–over two million copies sold

A reluctant centenarian much like Forrest Gump (if Gump were an explosives expert with a fondness for vodka) decides it’s not too late to start over…

After a long and eventful life, Allan Karlsson ends up in a nursing home, believing it to be his last stop. The only problem is that he’s still in good health, and in one day, he turns 100. A big celebration is in the works, but Allan really isn’t interested (and he’d like a bit more control over his vodka consumption). So he decides to escape. He climbs out the window in his slippers and embarks on a hilarious and entirely unexpected journey, involving, among other surprises, a suitcase stuffed with cash, some unpleasant criminals, a friendly hot-dog stand operator, and an elephant (not to mention a death by elephant).It would be the adventure of a lifetime for anyone else, but Allan has a larger-than-life backstory: Not only has he witnessed some of the most important events of the twentieth century, but he has actually played a key role in them.

Starting out in munitions as a boy, he somehow finds himself involved in many of the key explosions of the twentieth century and travels the world, sharing meals and more with everyone from Stalin, Churchill, and Truman to Mao, Franco, and de Gaulle. Quirky and utterly unique, ” The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared” has charmed readers across the world.
-description from Goodreads.

My Thoughts:
It’s the title enough to make you want to read this book already?
I first heard of this book over at Man Of La Book‘s review a few months back, and I was saddened to learn that it wasn’t translated into English yet. What’s taking it so long to get translated to English? How can 30 countries be ahead of the US or UK? I thought English was a popular language. Then I learned that it was optioned two years ago for an English translation–but rejected. Then about a week or two ago, I was ecstatic to learn that Hyperion would be publishing it via their Twitter feed. So here I am eagerly waiting. Plus, the covers for this book is absolutely AMAZING.

Do you have a book that is making you count down to its release date? Leave a comment, I would love to know.

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[Waiting On Wednesday #6] Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore: A Novel by Robin Sloan (2012)

Tags

book, books, bookstore, fantasy, fiction, literary fiction, literature, mystery, recommendations

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore: A Novel (2012)
by Robin Sloan (Twitter.)
Publication Date: October 2, 2012
Publisher: Macmillian: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
preorder a copy via Amazon.
Goodreads.

The Great Recession has landed Clay Jannon a new gig working the night shift at Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore. But after just a few days on the job, Clay begins to realize that this store is even more curious than the name suggests. There are only a few customers, but they come in repeatedly and never seem to actually buy anything, instead “checking out” impossibly obscure volumes from strange corners of the store, all according to some elaborate, long-standing arrangement with the gnomic Mr. Penumbra. The store must be a front for something larger, Clay concludes, and soon he’s embarked on a complex analysis of the customers’ behavior and roped his friends into helping to figure out just what’s going on. But once they bring their findings to Mr. Penumbra, it turns out the secrets extend far outside the walls of the bookstore.
Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore is exactly what it sounds like: an establishment you have to enter and will never want to leave, a modern-day cabinet of wonders ready to give a jolt of energy to every curious reader, no matter the time of day.
-description from Goodreads.

My Thoughts:
I originally scheduled this post for last week, but Dan Wells ruined my plans. From the cover I get the sci-fi vibe (I had to check if it was just a temporary cover), from the description I get the adventure vibe…and apparently it’s classed under literary fiction. Not only am I dying to explore Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore, but I would love to see how Sloan blends these three genres, all of which I love together into one, fantastical journey in a mysterious bookstore.

Do you have a book that is making you count down to its release date? Leave a comment, I would love to know.