Mark your literary calendars for 2012....

Here are some things I am looking forward to in 2012, inspired by (and stealing several items from) the Guardian's amazing list:

• The Coriolanus movie in January. It better not suck. Ralph Fiennes and Vanessa Redgrave, I'm looking at you!). This is violent Shakespeare, but it's a good play. One of my favourites (Measure to Measure is my favourite, if you're wondering).
• Cairo: My Country, My Revolution by Ahdaf Soueif (release date: March 27 2012) - I discovered her two novels, The Map of Love and In The Eye Of The Sun when I was working at Nicholas Hoare in Ogilvy's, in 2000. She's amazing.
  
• No Time Like the Present by Nadine Gordimer (release date: sometime in March 2012)
• James Bartleman is visiting one of Carlingwood Branch's book clubs, hopefully in April 2012! I plan on sneaking in to this one....
  
• Our Lady of Alice Bhatti by Mohammed Hanif (release date: May 29, 2012). Seen via this excellent recent article in the Globe about Pakistani literature. Due to (in spite of?) a complete cad of an ex-boyfriend from this country, I have a great deal of esteem for Pakistan's cultural scene (and my heart breaks for the state of the country as a whole).
• Not sure if I will enjoy this, but I often enjoy her columns: Everybody Has Everything by Katrina Onstad (release date: May 29, 2012)
  
• I would be remiss not to mention to major life events sandwiched in here: one being the Ottawa Race Weekend, May 26-27, 2012, and the other being CLA 2012 in Ottawa, May 30 – June 2, 2012. I am going to be the Chair of the Local Arrangements Committee for CLA (members of my team are responsible for public relations, library tours and hospitality, donations and charities, and general local stuff relating to the conference). So, should I do the half-marathon (3rd time!) the weekend before? Talk about a busy month.....
  
• Shout-out to my peeps, a.k.a Bookninja: Whiteout: Poems by George Murray (release date: April 2012). Hey, George, did you notice that right below your mention in Q&Q, the next book of poetry was Glickman's, entitled Yarrow? Caught my eye!
• The Red House by Mark Haddon (release date: June 19, 2012)
  
• File under: "apprehensive about"? The August release of Amis's new nove, Lionel Asbo: State of England. The Guardian says that "Amis promised that this satire about a violent criminal who wins the lottery will be the "final insult" to the England he's left for the US. The novel will be his revenge on celebrity culture, X Factor vacuity and the decline of England in all its "rage, dissatisfaction, bitterness". " Eeek. I forsee a new "DARTS, KEEF! DARTS!" quotable moment.
  
• Joseph Anton by Salman Rushdie (a memoir, appearing in Fall 2012 - I do always love Rushdie's nonfic better...)
• Two other novels I am really looking forward to, but can't see a Canadian release date for, are Toby's Room by Pat Barker (into WW1? Watching Downton Abbey right now? Drop everything and read her Regeneration trilogy) and NW by Zadie Smith (White Teeth remains one of my two favourite books of all time. The premise of NW makes me think it might be somewhat similar, or more similar than her previous two novels. We shall see!).
  
• Footnote: I could add more films, such as the Gatsby or Life of Pi adaptations, but frankly, again those would be more File under: Apprehensive about. Although Mira Nair’s adaptation of The Reluctant Fundamentalist sounds promising.....