io9 took on “10 Science Fiction Novels You Pretend to Have Read (And Why You Should Actually Read Them)” in their Daily 10. A few that made the list:

• Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson

• Gravity’s Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon

• Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace

Some of the other books that made the cut just might surprise you (if only for being considered science fiction).

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Neil Gaiman fans take heart; new books are in the works!

Award-winning writer Neil Gaiman has signed a new 5-book deal with HarperCollins, it was announced Wednesday. But adult fans of the author will have to wait for another Gaiman book written specifically for them.

HarperCollins will publish three middle-grade books — “middle grade” refers to books for children ages  8-12 — by Gaiman. One will be a sequel to 2009’s “Odd and the Frost Giants,” based on Norse mythology. One is as yet unannounced; the other is tentatively titled “Fortunately, the Milk,” and will feature art by Skottie Young.

The article from The Los Angeles Times quoted above also mentions a forthcoming adult novel, which may (or may not) be called Lettie Hempstock’s Ocean.  More on this from The Guardian.

Neil Gaiman online: Website | Journal | Tumblr | Twitter

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From NPR:

• “Lesser-Known Lit: Seeking Summer’s Hidden Gems”
  “While it’s certainly gratifying to lock eyes with a fellow reader enjoying one of the season’s biggies, I love to pass along books that no one has heard of — it’s like telling a secret. Good for the book, better for your reader’s ego…Among the treasures here are an Edwardian mystery-drama, an acidly funny evisceration of the newspaper biz, a hot Southern thriller and a slightly ridiculous though entirely gratifying romance to get you through your long, hot commute. Oh, and one extra gem hiding in plain sight.”
• “Reading Romance Between (And Under) The Covers”
  “Decades later, I have never outgrown my preference for romance, no matter the genre in which a love affair might appear. The five books I’m recommending here — three novels and two memoirs — are books I would have welcomed that long-ago summer, had they existed and had my mother been more inclined to indulge my habit. Though only a couple of them fall squarely under the label “romance,” all five involve passionate matters of the heart.”
• “‘Agent Garbo,’ The Spy Who Lied About D-Day”
  “Author Stephan Talty tells the story of this unlikely hero in a new book called Agent Garbo: The Brilliant, Eccentric Secret Agent Who Tricked Hitler and Saved D-Day.”

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From The Guardian:

• If you enjoyed Coldplay’s latest offering, Mylo Xyloto, you might want to keep your eye open for its comic debut: “Coldplay to launch Mylo Xyloto comics.”
• “Tim Jeal on Explorers of the Nile”
  “Tim Jeal on how his teenage journey inspired him to write the story of how five Victorian adventurers discovered the source of the White Nile.” The book: Explorers of the Nile: The Triumph and Tragedy of a Great Victorian Adventure