Sara A. Lewis’s Anticipated Books of 2017

Always Happy Hour, Mary Miller (Liveright, January)

This book’s cover image is a woman in a bathtub eating Chinese takeout and drinking wine straight from the bottle. These are stories I can get behind. If all of them are even half as good as “Little Bear,” which was published earlier this year in the Mississippi Review, this will probably be my favorite book of the year.

 
There Are More Beautiful Things Than Beyoncé, Morgan Parker (Tin House, February)

Parker’s Other People’s Comfort Keeps Me Up at Night was selected by Eileen Myles for the 2013 Gatewood Prize. Her new book has garnered praise from Roxane Gay, D.A. Powell, and Lena Dunham. These poems are timely and relevant; they engage and confront popular culture in ways that are both accessible and poignant. Tin House Books consistently puts out some of my favorite books each year, and I’m sure this one is no exception.

Lincoln in the Bardo, George Saunders (Deckle Edge, February)

The master of the short story has written a novel. While technically historical, Saunders claims this is mostly science-fiction. The novel centers around the death of Abraham Lincoln’s son Willie during the Civil War, an historical fact, which when put through the Saunders machine results in a story about ghosts, the struggle for Willie’s soul, and the bardo (Tibetan purgatory). Sold.

The Book of Joan, Lidia Yuknavitch (Harper, April)

Yuknavitch is the queen of corporeal writing. In addition to the release of The Misfit’s Manifesto, a book based on her TED Talk, I’m looking forward to reading The Book of Joan, Yuknavitch’s speculative retelling of Joan of Arc. With each project, Yuknavitch has continued to redefine what a narrative can do, pushing the boundaries of perspective and resisting the tidy (or even discernible) conclusion. This book promises more badassery from the most badass writer around.

Talking Pillow, Angela Ball (Pittsburgh UP, Fall)

Angela Ball is my hero in poetry and in life; I’m so looking forward to the publication of her next collection. These poems, written after the death of her longtime partner, will rip your guts out in one line and make you laugh with the next. As all good humorists do, Ball melds the tragic and comic masterfully, recognizing the necessity of both. These poems are at once a celebration of her love for her partner and an exploration of the unpredictable (and often paradoxical) human experience.

Other Notables:

Difficult Women, Roxane Gay (Grove, January)

O Fallen Angel (Rerelease), Kate Zambreno (Harper Perennial, January)

South and West, Joan Didion (Knopf, March)

The Mother of All Questions, Rebecca Solnit (Haymarket, March)

Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body, Roxane Gay (Harper, June)

Sara A. Lewis is a doctoral candidate in fiction at the University of Southern Mississippi’s Center for Writers. She has been an Assistant Editor for the Mississippi Review, and is currently the Managing Editor of the Memorious blog and an editor for the magazine. 

For original poetry, fiction, art song, and more interviews, please visit our magazine at http://www.memorious.org.

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