What's New This Week

Books:
A Gate at the Stairsby Lorrie Moore [Knopf]
+ Lorrie Moore's newest novel is her first published book in eleven years. If you aren't sure whether or not to read this you should read Jonathan Lethem's convincing review in the New York Times: "[Moore's] a discomforting, sometimes even rageful writer, lurking in the disguise of an endearing one. On finishing "A Gate at the Stairs" I turned to the reader nearest me and made her swear to read it immediately."

The Death of Bunny Munro: A Novelby Nick Cave [Faber & Faber]
+ Troubadour Nick Cave's second novel (following his dark and McCarthy-ian debut And the Ass Saw the Angel) follows a door to door salesman named Bunny Munro who seduces women as he tries to sell them moisturizer. Doesn't sound very Nick Cave in premise, but it's a dark novel. And what's more Nick Cave than being just a little surprising?

Update: Listen to Nick Cave read from the book at PrefixMag.com

I Drink for a Reasonby David Cross [Grand Central Publishing]
+ A new book from David Cross, why wouldn't this be good? Paul Rudd says, "One of the funniest books I've ever skimmed."


Poetry:
Rising, Falling, Hoveringby C.D. Wright [Copper Canyon Press]
+ Wright puts out her first collection of lyric poetry since 2003; it's a collection that focuses it's verse on the strained relations between America and the international community. Wright is a treasure of American poetry and her collections generally need no introduction, so I won't try and explain why you should be reading this.

Graphic Novels:
Confessions of a Ex-Doofus-ItchyFooted Muthaby Melvin Van Peebles [Akashic]
+ Filmmaker/actor Melvin Van Peebles newest film bears the same title as this book, Confessions of a Ex-Doofus-Itchy Footed Mutha, but this is his graphic novel version of the film. Illustrated by Van Peebles it's a sort of companion to the forthcoming film with stills and original artwork.

Music:
David Bazan - Curse Your Branches[Barsuk]
+ Formerly performing as Pedro the Lion Bazan has struck out under his own name. Always an intriguing song-writer; Curse Your Branches sees him striking out a bit from his folky roots. The electro-tones of tracks like "Hard to Be" sound like Bazan doing some of the best work since early Pedro the Lion.

Theater:
Extract (Mike Judge) [Miramax]
+ Mike Judge, creator of Office Space, Beavis & Butthead, King of the Hill, and the less exciting Idiocracy has a new film with Jason Bateman at the center. Everything seems to indicate that this film could be on par with the cult brilliance of Office Space.

[Editor's Note: We used information from another site on this listing. Black Dynamite is actually being released on 10/16/09. Sorry, my excitement got the best of me.]

DVD:
Heroes: Season Three [Universal]
+ Ok, so season 3 of Heroes wasn't the most brilliant of the series, but it was a huge recovery from a short and mostly uninspired second season. The beginning of season 3 was political charged and engaging in the same way the show was when it started, it peeters off a bit, but it starts off fantastic.