Incoming Books: 29 July

I'm recovering at home today from a trip to lovely National Harbor earlier in the week -- short reason: that storm on Sunday cut off power to my hotel for most of the trip -- and what's more relaxing than going to a book store? So I found my way to the Montclair Book Center this afternoon and grabbed a few things:

Songs for the Missing, Stewart O'Nan's 2008 novel. His books are emotionally draining, so I'm not working my way through his backlist as quickly as I thought I would, but he's such a damn good writer that I want to give him whatever support I can.

Simon Rich's second collection of short humorous essays, Free-Range Chickens. I read and liked Ant Farm when I found that randomly at the library three years ago, and I've seen some of his work in The New Yorker as well.

I'm with Stupid, a humorous book on the battle of the sexes by Gene Weingarten and Gina Barreca from most of a decade ago -- I know I heard somewhere that this was funny, and I guess now I'll find out for myself.

Elsewhere, U.S.A., a look at the changing face of American family and work life over the last generation, by sociologist Dalton Conley. I guess I was feeling serious when I saw this on the shelf.

Martin Amis's new novel The Pregnant Widow. I guess I am still buying Amis's books in hardcover -- I got into the habit around The Information, and haven't shifted yet -- even though several of them have been serious disappointments. (I still haven't read Yellow Dog, for example, and word is that I haven't missed much.) This one has gotten decent reviews, so I'm cautiously optimistic -- though there's a good chance it will sit next to Yellow Dog, equally unread.

Speed Bump, which seems to be the first collection of the single-panel daily strip by Dave Coverly. (If it makes any sense to say "single-panel" and "strip" in the same phrase.) It's from 2004, so I'm very late in stumbling over it.

Entirely random, I know. Once again, I was mostly looking for Mieville's Kraken and didn't find it.