I somehow neglected this thread for a year or so. Since Jan. 2013, I have read:
"Let The Great World Spin" - Colum McCann. One of those multi-thread narratives woven around a single event - Philip Pettit's tightrope walk between the Twin Towers in 1974. McCann is a capable writer with a deep affinity for his flawed characters (much like Denis Johnson). In fact, two of these characters here I have found to be unforgettable. And I can't say that for too many novels I've read recently.
"The Yellow Birds" - Kevin Powers. A fictional war novel set in Iraq 2004 by a U.S. Army combat veteran who spent his G.I. college money (and then some) on an MFA in Poetry. That's all you need to know. Now go read it.
"Angels" - Denis Johnson. His first novel. Unbelievably involving and funny and wrenching and other-worldly. Everything you've heard about Johnson is present here. Hipsters will tell you to start with "Jesus' Son" to discover Johnson's talents but I say begin here.
"Vampires In The Lemon Grove" - Karen Russell. A collection of short stories that I enjoyed even more than "Swamplandia!", her Pulitzer-nominated novel of 2011. She creates weird little worlds of dreams, humor, wonder, and fear. Not exactly sci-fi or horror, she can still unsettle you. And yet she will walk you through beautifully constructed passages like this (from the title story)
Because I love her, my hunger pangs have gradually mellowed into a comfortable despair. Sometimes I think of us as two holes cleaved together, two twin hungers. Our bellies growl at each other like companionable dogs. I love the sound, assuring me we're equals in our thirst. We bump our fangs and feel like we're coming up against the same hard truth.
Best of all, Russell is only 32 and has years and years of story-telling to go...