Happy New Year, all! I want to give a shout out to the new novel BIG IN JAPAN by a new friend, M. Thomas Gammarino, published by Seattle’s Chin Music Press. I had the opportunity to read it last week and really enjoyed it. I also had the opportunity to discuss it with Gammarino, who cites ULYSSES as his favorite book (without a close second).

BIG IN JAPAN is, in the (accurate) words of a reviewer, “a Dantesque coming-of-age tale in which [the main character] must navigate the borderlands between fantasy and reality, past and present, sex and death—even as forces beyond his control conspire to undo him. By turns compassionate and ruthless, erotic and grotesque, riotously serious and deadly funny…a sparkling, gut-wrenching, face-melting debut novel.”

Reviewers from, Nothing More Wonderful, Largehearted Boy, and The Examiner have been kind, and I would certainly agree with them. This novel is well worth the read and contains some fun nods to the Mighty ULYSSES, including the name of the the main character’s band, Agenbite. So, if you’re so inclined, I encourage you to show Mr. Gammarino some love. His book can be found at Amazon, in bookstores, and at the publisher’s web site. Our Seattle-area readers can also catch Gammarino at Third Place Books on Wed., Jan. 6th at 7:00 pm, and at a celebration with Pilot Books at the Little Red Bistro on Fri., Jan. 8th at 7:00 pm. If you’re in or around Vancouver, BC, you can catch him at Sophia Books on Thurs., Jan. 7th at 6:30 pm.