2666, by Roberto Bolano

Life and art, death and transfiguration reverberate with protean intensity in the late (1953-2003) Chilean author’s final work: a mystery and quest novel of unparalleled richness.Published posthumously in a single volume, despite its author’s instruction that it appear as five distinct novels, it’s a symphonic envisioning of moral and societal collapse, which begins with a mordantly amusing account (”The Part About the Critics”) of the efforts of four literary scholars to discover the obscured personal history and unknown present whereabouts of German novelist Benno von Archimboldi, an itinerant recluse rumored to be a likely Nobel laureate. Their searches lead them to northern Mexico, in a desert area notorious for the unsolved murders of hundreds of Mexican women presumably seeking freedom by crossing the U.S. border. In the novel’s second book, a Spanish academic (Amalfitano) now living in Mexico fears a similar fate threatens his beautiful daughter Rosa. It’s followed by the story of a black American journalist whom Rosa encounters, in a subplot only imperfectly related to the main narrative. Then, in “The Part About the Crimes,” the stories of the murdered women and various people in their lives (which echo much of the content of Bola-o’s other late mega-novel The Savage Detectives) lead to a police investigation that gradually focuses on the fugitive Archimboldi. Finally, “The Part About Archimboldi” introduces the figure of Hans Reiter, an artistically inclined young German growing up in Hitler’s shadow, living what amounts to an allegorical representation of German culture in extremis, and experiencing transformations that will send him halfway around the world; bring him literary success, consuming love and intolerable loss; and culminate in a destiny best understood by Reiter’s weary, similarly bereaved and burdened sister Lotte: “He’s stopped existing.” Bola-o’s gripping, increasingly astonishing fiction echoes the world-encompassing masterpieces of Stendhal, Mann, Grass, Pynchon and Garc’a Márquez, in a consummate display of literary virtuosity powered by an emotional thrust that can rip your heart out.Unquestionably the finest novel of the present century-and we may be saying the same thing 92 years from now. Copyright Kirkus 2008

VALKYRIE, by Han Bernd Gisevius

“This is one of the most revealing inside stories to come out of Nazi Germany, [full of] nauseating details about murderous Gestapo chiefs, conspiring Wehrmacht generals, terrorized Reich ministers and the human freaks on top of the pyramid called the Third Reich…. [A] thriller it is. Only an insider could add to the picture such detail.” - New York Times
Book Review

OVER: THE AMERICAN LANDSCAPE AT THE TIPPING POINT, by Alex MacLean

A collection of 250 full-color aerial photographs of the American landscape captures the complex interrelationship between the natural and constructed environments, the impact of the American lifestyle on the environment, and the consequences of both natural processes and human intervention.

ART: OVER 2,500 WORKS FROM CAVE TO CONTEMPORARY

A beautiful, visual guide to art showcases more than 2,500 of the world’s most revered sculptures and paintings in a volume that offers a chronological breakdown of more than seven hundred great artists, an analysis of seminal works, and an explication of key movements, styles, and techniques, from the earliest cave art to the present day.

THE ASCENT OF MONEY, by Niall Ferguson

Chronicles the evolution of finance from its origins in Mesopotamia to the modern world’s most recent upheavals, covering such topics as the stock market bubble that prompted the French Revolution and the theories behind common investment vehicles.

CONFESSIONS OF AN ECO-SINNER, by Fred Pearce

Pearce shows us the hidden worlds that sustain a Western lifestyle, and he does it by examining the sources of everything in his own life; as an ordinary citizen of the Western world, he, like all of us, is an “eco- sinner.” A fascinating portrait of the effects the world’s more than 6 billion inhabitants have on our planet, and of the working and living conditions of the people who produce most of these goods.

THE NEW YORK TIMES: THE COMPLETE FRONT PAGES 1851 - 2008.

Highlighted by one thousand color and black-and-white photographs, including ten foldouts, an overview of more than 150 years of history reproduces more than three hundred of the most significant front page spreads from The New York Times, accompanied by insightful essays by William Safire, Gina Kolata, Frank Rich, and other notable writers.

THE PURPOSE OF CHRISTMAS, by Rick Warren

Just in time for the chaos of the holiday season, the best-selling author of The Purpose Driven Life offers a thought-provoking look at the true meaning of Christmas and its meaning in all of our lives.

WISHFUL DRINKING, by Carrie Fisher

A provocative, uproarious memoir based on the author’s one-woman show describes growing up with celebrity parents, her early success in Star Wars, demanding professional life, battle with addiction and mental illness, turbulent romances, role as a single mother, and struggle for recovery and healing. 150,000 first printing.

WHY FAITH MATTERS, by David Wolpe

A response to atheism by a prominent rabbi traces his struggles with faith throughout a battle with cancer, in a non-denominational guide that draws on the literary traditions of such writers as C. S. Lewis and Thomas Merton while outlining a vision of religion informed by love and understanding. 50,000 first printing.

WOMEN’S HEALTH: THE DAILY FIX, by Alexa Fishback

Explaining the importance of embracing healthy habits over dieting, a busy women’s guide to losing weight, managing stress, and promoting optimal health challenges programs that eliminate food groups and explains how to adopt health-bolstering habits in twelve “trouble zone” areas. Original. 35,000 first printing.

THE READER, by Bernhard Schlink

At the age of fifteen, Michael Berg falls in love with a woman who disappears, and while observing a trial as a law student years later, he is shocked to discover the same woman as the defendant in a horrible crime. Reissue. 200,000 first printing.

OUTLIERS, by Malcolm Gladwell

The best-selling author of Blink and The Tipping Point, identifies the qualities of successful people, posing theories about the cultural, family, and idiosyncratic factors that shape high achievers, in a resource that covers such topics as the secrets of software billionaires, why certain cultures are associated with better academic performance, and why the Beatles earned their fame.

THE CHRISTMAS SWEATER, by Glenn Beck

A CNN Headline host presents the inspirational holiday tale of a thirteen-year-old boy whose final gift from his mother, a sweater, is scorned in favor of more expensive gifts before a tragic car accident ends the mother’s life. 350,000 first printing.

AN IRISH COUNTRY CHRISTMAS, by Patrick Taylor

Taylor’s delightful holiday update to the Irish Country series returns to Ballybucklebo, where Dr. Fingal O’Reilly and junior partner Barry Laverty are still practicing their humorous brand of country medicine. As Christmas draws closer, the two men contend with a variety of comical village ailments and the usual array of Ballybucklebo characters, as well as romantic troubles. O’Reilly is trying to decide if he will allow himself to love again with the vivacious Kitty O’Halloran, and Laverty is distraught because his girlfriend can’t seem to make it home for the holidays. Then a new doctor comes to town and causes a ruckus by poaching their patients and prescribing ludicrous cures. This has all the charm of Taylor’s previous books and adds Christmas warmth without sacrificing credibility.

$700 BILLION BAILOUT, by Paul Muolo

The Emergency Economic Stabilization Act and What It Means to You, Your Money, Your Mortgage, and Your Taxes

MRS. ASTOR REGRETS, by Merly Gordon

Drawing on interviews with members of Brooke Astor’s elite social circle, as well as her staff, a behind-the-scenes look at the trials and tribulations of the Astor family captures the story of three generations of a privileged American dynasty, from the storied philanthropist to her grandson, who accused his own father of mistreating and stealing from his grandmother.

AMERICAN THIGHS, by Jill Connor Browne

The author of The Sweet Potato Queens’ Guide to Raising Children for Fun and Profit shares Southern-inspired wisdom for managing society’s obsession with looking young and skinny, in a whimsical volume of observations that celebrates the lighter side of cosmetic surgery, carbohydrates, and fashion. 150,000 first printing.

AMERICAN BUFFALO, by Steven Rinella

A correspondent for Outside magazine details his participation in a hunt for American bison in the Alaskan wilderness while reflecting on the history of the buffalo, its influence on the American national identity, and the future of an animal that has haunted the American imagination. 75,000 first printing.

BOBBI BROWN MAKEUP MANUAL, by Bobbi Brown

A step-by-step guide by an international makeup artist shares professional secrets for facial skin care and makeup application, in a reference that covers everything from shaping eyebrows and selecting cosmetics to achieving looks used by runway models.

DO THE RIGHT THINK, by Mike Huckabee

The evangelical presidential candidate traces the course of his grassroots campaign, explains how he garnered support by respecting the concerns of middle-class and working-class voters, and demonstrates how his example can be drawn on by conservatives to unify the Republican Party.

THE ENTITY, by Eric Frattini

A history of the intelligence-gathering and espionage activities of the Vatican evaluates its hidden roles in promoting the agendas of dozens of popes and influencing world events, in an account that describes its practices of everything from political assassinations and the protection of war criminals to money laundering and the manipulation of financial markets. 30,000 first printing.

FOOD MATTERS, by Mark Bittman

The “Minimalist” columnist and author of How to Cook Everything outlines an eating plan that is comprised of environmentally responsible choices, in a guide that shares insight into the risks associated with livestock production. 125,000 first printing.

JESUS: A STORY OF ENLIGHTENMENT, by Deepak Chopra

From the best-selling author of Buddha: A Story of Enlightenment comes an inspirational, vivid portrait of Jesus Christ that re-examines one man’s transformational odyssey from humble carpenter’s son to revolutionary leader whose stirring ministry and teachings would transform the world. 125,000 first printing.

THE LONGEVITY FACTOR, by Joseph Maroon

A forefront neuroscientist draws on new research to explain how natural substances found in such foods as red wine, green tea, and dark chocolate have the potential to improve health and extend longevity, in a guide that addresses key questions and outlines a specific diet program.

OBAMA: THE HISTORIC CAMPAIGN IN PHOTOS, by Deborah Willis

A photographic chronicle of Barack Obama’s historic presidential campaign ranges from its beginnings to the Democratic primary win in summer 2008, documenting his family, his fellow candidates, the voters who selected him, his speeches, and memorable campaign moments and events. 250,000 first printing.

PANIC, by Michael Lewis

An analysis of five financial upheavals in recent history includes coverage of the 1987 stock market crash, the internet bubble, and the current sub-prime mortgage crisis, in an anecdotal report that reveals how public knowledge differed from what was actually taking place. 100,000 first printing.

BE THE CHANGE, by Lisa Endlich

Describes the contributions of modern tycoons who are influencing the non-profit sector by philanthropically redistributing their wealth, in a volume based on in-depth interviews with such figures as Melinda Gates, Suzanne and Bob Wright, and Paul Tudor Jones. 30,000 first printing.

THE BOOK OF UNHOLY MISCHIEF, by Elle Newmark

Taking a job as a chef’s apprentice at the palace of the doge, late-fifteenth-century Venice street orphan Luciano becomes increasingly suspicious about his master’s shadowy past and learns about an ancient book containing a dangerous power. 250,000 first printing.

THE INDEPENDENCE OF MISS MARY BENNET, by Colleen McCullough

In McCullough’s sensational sequel to Pride and Prejudice, wallflower sister Mary Bennet sheds her cocoon, as Elizabeth and Darcy contemplate divorce.Mary, dismissed by her family as plain, has been for two decades designated caregiver to scatterbrained Mrs. Bennet, who passes on while awaiting tea. Twenty years after Elizabeth Bennet married Fitzwilliam Darcy, their marriage is threatened by sexual dysfunction on both sides. Darcy’s disappointed in his heir, Charles, thanks to vicious rumors spread by his jilted ex, Caroline Bingley, that the too-handsome Oxford scholar is light in the loafers. Slatternly sister-in-law Lydia, a hopeless drunk, has turned up at the Darcy country seat, Pemberley, to spew swoon-inducing profanity. Mary, now lovely thanks to cosmetic interventions by Lizzy’s pharmacist and dentist, but driven by her spinster’s crush on anonymous newspaper correspondent Argus, embarks on a quest to expose the outrages perpetrated upon England’s poor. Argus is really Darcy’s friend Angus, wealthy Scottish publisher of the Westminster Chronicle. Enchanted by Mary, this 40-ish bachelor dares not propose to the skittish bluestocking. Mary journeys across England by stagecoach, no way for a gentlewoman to travel, and encounters situations unimaginable or at least indescribable by Austen. She’s pawed by ruffians, waylaid by a highwayman named Captain Thunder and kidnapped by the “Children of Jesus,” a cave-dwelling congregation of abandoned children led by a renegade alchemist named Father Dominus. Angus, Darcy and Charles, who’s manning up, search for Mary. Darcy’s devoted fixer and factotum Ned is also on Mary’s trail, along which he’s surreptitiously strewn several corpses. Mary, the titular heroine, is still, despite her makeover, too bland to be interesting. The attention-grabbers are Lizzy, whose sarcasm has begun to pall on Darcy, incorrigible harpy Caroline and, unexpectedly, self-appointed avenging angel Ned, who could anchor his own Georgian-era noir novel.Whereas Austen was preoccupied with subtle digs at mores and manners, McCullough (Antony and Cleopatra, 2007, etc.) bursts from the drawing room to paint Austen’s milieu in lurid colors. Copyright Kirkus

DEAD OR ALIVE, by Michael McGarrity

Racing to his New Mexico ranch home after a disturbing phone call, retired Santa Fe police chief Kevin Kerney is horrified to learn that his horse-training partner, Riley Burke, has been murdered by an escaped prisoner, prompting Kerney to team up with his half-Apache son. 40,000 first printing.

FIRE AND ICE, by Julie Garwood

The daughter of notorious, high-profile thief Bobby Rose, journalist Sophie Rose leaves her job at a major Chicago newspaper for a small local paper, but when she stumbles into the middle of a bizarre story, she follows the trail of the mystery north to Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, accompanied by a bodyguard, Jack Prescott, a sexy FBI agent. 350,000 first printing.

THE TALES OF BEEDLE THE BARD, by J.K. Rowling

Featuring commentary by Albus Dumbledore, a collection of tales from the world of Harry Potter includes “The Wizard and the Hopping Pot,” “Babbitty Rabbitty and her Cackling Stump,” and “The Tale of the Three Brothers.”

THE MESSENGER, by Jan Burke

Immortalized at the age of twenty-four for more than two centuries and languishing in his psychic ability to hear the last thoughts of the dying, Tyler Hawthorne is horrified to learn that he will only be relieved of his powers by passing them on to a woman with whom he has fallen in love. 100,000 first printing.

I HATE NEW MUSIC, by David Thompson

Provides a comparative look at the classic rockers of yesteryear, such as Led Zepplin and the Doors, in relation to modern bands to demonstrate what influence the original masters had on their work today and the errors they are making by straying from the true rock-and-roll format.

THE BETTER WORLD SHOPPING GUIDE, by Ellis Jones

“The Better World Shopping Guide is an important little book that calls for changes in all our shopping habits. The book rates American companies based on 15 years’ research of their records on the environment, human rights, community involvement, and other criteria. I’ll soon be switching my credit card company, just one of the many changes I’ll make to be a more responsible consumer.” –Nancy Olson, Quail Ridge Books, Raleigh, NC

Bob Schieffer’s America, by Bob Schieffer
A volume of signature pieces by an award-winning commentator for Face the Nation covers a wide range of topics, from today’s most relevant issues and the human condition to the legacies of presidents and the everyday elements of life, in an anthology that also features original writings by the author on his life and work. 175,000 first printing.

American Lion, by Jon Meacham
A thought-provoking study of Andrew Jackson chronicles the life and career of a self-made man who went on to become a military hero and seventh president of the United States, critically analyzing Jackson’s seminal role during a turbulent era in history, the political crises and personal upheaval that surrounded him, and his legacy for the modern presidency. 250,000 first printing.

The Whiskey Rebels, by David Liss
Ethan Saunders, a former spy for George Washington, is recruited by Alexander Hamilton to find his ex-fiancee’s missing husband. Meanwhile, Joan Maycott and her veteran husband, amid hardship and deprivation on the western Pennsylvania frontier, find unlikely friendship and a chance for prosperity with a new method of distilling whiskey. The Maycotts’ success however attracts the brutal attention of men in Hamilton’s orbit, men who threaten to destroy all Joan holds dear. As their causes intertwine, Joanand Saunders–both patriots in their own way–find themselves on opposing sides of a daring scheme that will forever change their lives and their new country.Hired by his onetime fiancâee to find her missing husband, Ethan Saunders, a former spy for Washington during the Revolution, follows a trail that leads him to Alexander Hamilton and to rebellious whiskey-makers fiercely opposed to a tax on their products.

A Most Wanted Man, by John Le Carre
A half-starved young Russian man claiming to be a devout Muslim, an idealistic young German civil rights lawyer, and a sixty-year-old scion of a failing British bank based in Hamburg form an unlikely alliance as the rival spies of Germany, England and America scent a sure kill in the “War on Terror,” and converge upon the innocents.Smuggled into Hamburg, Issa, a young Russian man carrying a large amount of cash, forms an alliance with Annabel, a civil rights lawyer, and Tommy Brue, scion of a failing British bank, as they become victims of rival intelligence operations in the War on Terror.

The Best American Comics 2008, edited by Lynda Barry
Celebrating the best in graphic storytelling and literary comics, a cutting-edge collection, guest edited by the award-winning author of the long- running comic strip Ernie Pook’s Comeek, features excerpts from graphic novels, pamphlet comics, newspapers, magazines, mini-comics, and the Web, from Chris Ware, Seth, Alison Bechdel, and Matt Groening, among others.

Letter to my Daughter, by Maya Angelou
The best-selling author of Even the Stars Look Lonesome and Wouldn’t Take Nothing for My Journey Now brings together personal reminiscences, hard-won wisdom, and inspirational ideas in a new collection of short essays that include “Loving and Living Are Bold Words,” “Giving,” “Good Living Is Hard Work,” and others. 250,000 first printing.

A Mercy, by Toni Morrison
In exchange for a bad debt, an Anglo-Dutch trader takes on Florens, a young slave girl, who feels abandoned by her slave mother and who searches for love–first from an older servant woman at her master’s new home, and then from a handsome free blacksmith–in an evocative novel set against late seventeenth-century America, by the Nobel Prize-winning author of Beloved. 300,000 first printing.

I See You Everywhere, by Julia Glass
Narrated in the alternating voices of two very different sisters, an intimate novel follows the intertwined lives of Louisa Jardine, the conscientious, careful, and precise older sister who yearns for a good marriage, an artistic career, and a family, and her younger sister Clem, an iconoclastic, daring rebel, over the course of twenty-five years, from 1980 to 2005. 125,000 first printing.

Fred Astaire, by Joseph Epstein
Essayist and fiction writer Epstein (Snobbery: The American Version; Fabulous Small Jews: Stories ) turns his discerning gaze to the legendary dancer and star Fred Astaire. Although he presents general biographical details, Epstein’s chief concern is with Astaire the artist, and he thoroughly scrutinizes all aspects of his talent. Epstein devotes attention to every facet of the Astaire image, discussing at length his physical characteristics and unique sense of style. He also spends a good portion of the book addressing Astaire’s dancing partners and the varying success of each. Most biographies tend to focus on the sensational details of the life lived; Epstein, however, places the magic of Astaire’s art front and center, which results in an astute and ardent examination. The author’s passion for his subject makes this an engaging read, even for those with only cursory knowledge of Astaire. (LJ Reviews)

The Longest Trip Home, by John Grogan
The author (Marley and Me) examines the events of his life and his evolving relationship with his parents, from his upbringing in a devout Catholic home, to his marriage to a Protestant woman, and finally his father’s diagnosis with leukemia…a memoir.
 
 

The Fire, by Katherine Neville
Summoned to her family’s Colorado hideaway for her mother’s birthday, Alexandra Solarin not only discovers that her mother is missing but that she is destined to play a key role in the Game, embarking on a desperate quest to recover a dangerous artifact, one tied to the 1822 mission of Sultan Ali Pasha’s young daughter to carry a relic from Albania to Rome. 200,000 first printing. (author of The Eight)

The Eleventh Man, by Ivan Doig
Driven by the memory of a fallen teammate, TSU’s 1941 starting lineup went down as legend in Montana football history, charging through the season undefeated. Two years later, the “Supreme Team” is caught up in World War II. Ten of them are scattered around the globe in the war’s various lonely and dangerous theaters. The eleventh man, Ben Reinking, has been plucked from pilot training by a military propaganda machine hungry for heroes. He is to chronicle the adventures of his teammates, man by man, for publication in small-town newspapers across the country like the one his father edits. Ready for action, he chafes at the assignment, not knowing that it will bring him love from an unexpected quarter and test the law of averages, which holds that all butone of his teammates should come through the conflict unscathed.Two years after their university football team enjoys a record-breaking season, the players become caught up in the drama of World War II, including Ben Reinking, who chronicles the wartime adventures of his teammates for newspapers across the country.

The Wettest County in the World, A Novel Based on a True Story, by Matt Bondurant
Running moonshine liquor during the prohibition years, a notorious trio of brothers continues their illicit business after Prohibition and plays a central role in a violent conspiracy trial–a story that is investigated in 1935 by a magazine journalist. 50,000 first printing.

The Long Knives Are Crying, by Joseph M. Marshall III
In the sequel to Hundred in the Hand, in 1875, Sitting Bull gathers the warriors of the Lakota in a final attempt to stop white settlement on native lands, in a sweeping story of the events leading up to the Battle of the Little Bighorn as narrated by Cloud, in a historical volume that also documents the Battle of the Rosebud and the aftermath of Little Bighorn.

Testimony, by Anita Shreve
A New England boarding school is rocked in the wake of a sex scandal in which participants were caught on videotape, a situation that derails the innocence and best intentions of students, parents, and others in life-shattering ways.
 
 

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, by Stieg Larsson
Forty years after the disappearance of Harriet Vanger from the secluded island owned and inhabited by the powerful Vanger family, her octogenarian uncle, convinced that she had been murdered by someone from her own deeply dysfunctional clan, hires journalist Mikael Blomqvist and Lisbeth Salander, an unconventional young hacker, to investigate. 100,000 first printing.

Sun Going Down, by Jack Todd
Follows the fortunes of Ebenezer Paint and his descendants — rough and tough individuals who are caught up in Civil War river battles, epic cattle drives through drought and blizzards, the horrors of Wounded Knee, the desperation of the dust bowl, and the prosperity of the roaring 1920s.Follows four generations of an American frontier family as inspired by the letters and diaries of the author’s ancestors, in a tale that traces the experiences of the Paints, from Civil War-era Ebenezer through his Depression-era great-grandchildren.

A Country Called Home, by Kim Barnes
Driven by youthful idealism, Thomas Deracotte and his pregnant wife, Helen, leave upper-crust Connecticut and a secure future for a utopian adventure in wilderness Idaho, purchasing a dilapidated local farm and optimistically setting up housekeeping with the help of Manny, a local boy, but unexpected trauma and tragedy shatter their family and provide a harsh legacy for their daughter. 25,000 first printing.

Ender in Exile, by Orson Scott Card
Having made the difficult choice to leave his home world to travel to the colonies, twelve-year-old military genius Andrew Wiggin shares a series of daring adventures with his sister Valentine and the artificial intelligence Jane. By the author of Ender’s Game. 200,000 first printing.
 
 

The Flat Belly Diet, by Liz Vaccariello
Draws on the resources of the popular health magazine Prevention to counsel readers on how to target middle-body fat stores using strategic food combinations, in a guide that also makes recommendations for reducing stress, sleeping more productively, and staying committed to a healthier lifestyle. 200,000 first printing.

1,000 Recordings To Hear Before You Die, by Tom Moon
An entertaining guide to great music provides recommendations on one thousand great recordings that represent the best in classical, jazz, rock, pop, blues, country, folk, musicals, hip-hop, opera, soundtracks, and every other genre of music, covering everything from Bach to Count Basie and R&B singer Baby Huey, with listening notes, commentary, anecdotes, and more. Simultaneous. 250,000 first printing.

The World in Six Songs, by Daniel Levitin
Analyzes six evolutionary musical forms while identifying neural impulses that reflect the brain’s development in accordance with music, drawing on cutting-edge scientific findings as well as the writer’s experiences as a musician to illuminate the sophisticated biological process that accompanies the musical experience.

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, by John Boyne
Bored and lonely after his family moves from Berlin to a place called “Out-With” in 1942, Bruno, the son of a Nazi officer, befriends a boy in striped pajamas who lives behind a wire fence.
 
 

Obama, The Historic Campaign in Photos, by Deborah Willis
A photographic chronicle of Barack Obama’s historic presidential campaign ranges from its beginnings to the Democratic primary win in summer 2008, documenting his family, his fellow candidates, the voters who selected him, his speeches, and memorable campaign moments and events. 250,000 first printing.

Barack Obama 2009 Calendar: Words of Hope and Inspiration
(Calendar Paperback: 16-Month; Wall)
 
 
 

Yes We Can, by Garen Thomas
Highlights the life and accomplishments of the Harvard Law School graduate, legislator, civil rights lawyer, and 2008 candidate for president of the United States. Appropriate for grade school through adult readers.
 
 

Early Justice and the Formation of the Colorado Bar, by David L. Erickson
“. . . perpetuate the history of the profession and the memory of its members . . .”

Certainly the above was a laudable goal as formulated back in 1897, when the final, and now current iteration, of the Colorado Bar Association came into being. That goal, along with several other high-sounding desires, seemed to be the standard language cribbed from an American Bar Association template for forming state bar associations. One has to conclude from the written records and minutes of the time, however, that indeed those pioneers genuinely valued and honored their history. They talked about it; they celebrated it; they spoke warmly of it.

What David has done for us is nothing less than remarkable. He has given the lawyers of Colorado what many of us have either overlooked or taken for granted: a journal of our professional antecedents. Jump in anywhere, and you’ll find colorful characters, miscreants, heroes, and, yes, fairly strange happenings, in our history. Thanks to David, those folks, once lost, now can rejoin our bar association.

-Charles C. Turner, Executive Director
Colorado Bar Association

Titanic’s Last Secrets, by Brad Matsen
Matsen (Descent: The Heroic Discovery of the Abyss, 2005, etc.) provides an intriguing postmortem of design-safety compromises on the “Ship of Dreams.”The author’s point of entry into the story is the diving team of John Chatterton and Richie Kohler, stars of the TV series Deep Sea Detectives. They wanted to resolve why the mighty ship sank only two-and-a-half hours after hitting an iceberg on April 15, 1912. By contrast, sister ship Olympic had survived and made it to port after colliding with a Royal Navy cruiser in 1911 and sustaining damage so severe it took six weeks to repair. In 2005, Chatterton and Kohler descended to the wreck in two Russian submersibles and, with the help of a maritime forensics analyst and an imaging technician, pieced together what happened to Titanic. It had grounded on the iceberg, not just sideswiped it, thereby scraping the bottom of its hull and opening an additional fatal hole. When not discussing the dive’s planning, execution and analysis of its findings, Matsen focuses on the crucial decisions made during Titanic’s construction by three men: chief designer Thomas Andrews, who went down with his ship; White Star Line chairman Bruce Ismay; and Lord William Pirrie, head of the Belfast shipbuilding firm Harland and Wolff. Heeding Ismay’s insistence that they reduce costs and space, Andrews reluctantly used the Board of Trade’s specifications for the amount of steel in the hull and the number of lifeboats required, rather than the additional quantities of each that he deemed safe for a ship of this size. A dive into the wreck of the Britannic, which sunk after striking a German mine in 1916, strongly suggested that Pirrie and Ismay, knowing Titanic’s expansion joints were weak, sought to bolster them on its companion vessel. The divers ultimately concluded that Titanic’s designer, builder and owner “had sent a ship to sea not knowing if it was strong enough to survive.”Wholly engrossing narrative of a crowning example of catastrophic hubris. Copyright Kirkus 2008

The Brass Verdict, by Michael Connelly
The answer to every Connelly fan’s dream: Hieronymus Bosch meets the Lincoln Lawyer.Away from the courtroom for two years after he was shot (The Lincoln Lawyer, 2005), Mickey Haller plans a gradual return to the legal practice he runs from the back seat of his car. But the plan is abruptly accelerated by the murder of his colleague Jerry Vincent, who designated Mickey as the attorney who’d take over his list of clients if anything happened to him. One client is a high-profile defendant guaranteed to put Mickey back on the map. Hollywood studio head Walter Elliot is accused of killing his much younger wife Mitzi, who evidently took the recent vesting of her prenup as the signal to file for divorce, and her even younger lover, interior decorator Johan Rilz, who wasn’t nearly as gay as Mitzi had hinted. Before Mickey can claim victory, however, he’ll have to explain away the gunpowder residue on his client’s hands; he’ll have to figure out what secret the client is hiding from him that makes him so sure he’s going to get off; and he’ll have to be ready to go to trial in ten days. While he’s racing around trying to fit the pieces together, he’ll cross swords repeatedly with Connelly’s long-running hero, Det. Harry Bosch, the 33-year veteran of Robbery-Homicide (The Overlook, 2007, etc.) who’s investigating Vincent’s murder. Despite twists aplenty, the trial drags on for so many pages that savvy readers will solve the mystery ahead of Mickey. But his relationship with Bosch, whom he doesn’t recognize as his half brother, is satisfyingly resourceful-by turns wary, competitive, complementary, cooperative and mutually predatory.Even if the case is less than baffling, Connelly brings his two sleuths together in a way that honors them both.Agent: Philip Spitzer/Philip Spitzer Literary Agency Copyright Kirkus 2008 Kirkus

Love Your Life, by Victoria Osteen
A co-pastor of Lakewood Church and wife of Joel Osteen counsels today’s busy women on how to live life joyfully and satisfactorily, in an inspirational guide that makes recommendations for balancing priorities and coping with matters of faith and health. 750,000 first printing.

PUBLICITY FLASHES: (NEW RELEASES FEATURED ON TV AND RADIO)

THE WORDY SHIPMATES, by Sarah Vowell
A cultural profile of Puritan life covers a wide range of topics, from their covenant communities and deep-rooted ideologies to their beliefs about church and state and their perspectives on other faiths, in an account that also evaluates their legacy in today’s world.
125,000 first printing.

A MOST WANTED MAN, by John Le Carre
Smuggled into Hamburg, Issa, a young Russian man carrying a large amount of cash and claiming to be a devout Muslim, forms an unlikely alliance with Annabel, an idealistic young German civil rights lawyer, and Tommy Brue, a sixty-year-old scion of a failing British bank, as they become victims of rival intelligence operations in the War on Terror.
300,000 first printing.

KILL BIN LADEN, by Dalton Fury
A firsthand account of the Battle of Tora Bora and the Delta Force operations outlines the experiences of its elite team of secret counter-terrorist members, tracing their high-stakes siege against bin Laden within his cave sanctuary inside the Spin Ghar Mountain range.
75,000 first printing.

IF NOT NOW, WHEN? by Jack Jacobs
A recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor looks back on his own military service, including the events in Vietnam that led to his award, describes the personal code of honor with which he has lived his life, and offers a candid assessment of the current global situation, military service, and the nature and necessity of sacrifice.

A MEMBER OF THE FAMILY, by Cesar Millan
The host of Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan presents the ultimate guidebook to living with and caring for a healthy, happy dog, answering frequently asked questions about how to select the right dog, introduce a new pet to the family, set the rules of the house, fulfill all a dog’s needs, communicate, and manage a dog with “issues.”
750,000 first printing.

GRACE, by Richard Paul Evans
Presents an inspirational tale of hope, love, and faith set during the holiday season of 1962, as portrayed in the lost innocence of a young girl running away from her abusive stepfather and a boy determined to protect her.
 

 
CHEF JEFF COOKS, by Jeff Henderson
An award-winning chef and host of the new reality cooking show The Chef Jeff Project traces his rise from a prison inmate and dishwasher to the first African-American Chef de Cuisine at Caesar’s Palace and executive chef at Café Bellagio, in a volume that shares 150 recipes inspired by his cultural heritage. 125,000 first printing.

PAULA DEEN’S MY FIRST COOKBOOK, by Paula Deen
Easy-to-follow recipes, safety tips, and lessons on good manners are compiled in this colorful cookbook with detailed steps, informative illustrations, family photos, and fun anecdotes for aspiring young chefs.
400,000 first printing.

MICHELLE, by Liza Mundy
A lively, intimate portrait of Michelle Obama looks at the life of the woman who could become the nation’s first African-American First Lady, from her youth on the south side of Chicago, to her education at Princeton and Harvard Law School, to her relationship with Barack Obama, to her views on the political life and the issues of today. 100,000 first printing.

THE INTELLECTUAL DEVOTIONAL MODERN CULTURE, by David Kidder
A latest installment in the best-selling series shares a year’s worth of daily secular readings on culture from the Enlightenment to today, in a volume that covers a wide range of topics from art and literature to consumer products and sports.
300,000 first printing.

THE DOMINO BOOK OF DECORATING, by Conde Nast
The editors of Domino magazine present a guide to furnishing and decorating every room of a home, in a reference that demonstrates strategic layouts and includes insider shopping tips.
150,000 first printing.

GIVE ME LIBERTY, by Naomi Wolf (paperback)
A refresher manifesto on the virtues and vulnerable core values of democracy by the feminist political commentator and author of The End of America and The Beauty Myth reveals how everyday citizens can understand and use democracy for the betterment of society.
Original. 100,000 first printing.

EXTREME MEASURES, by Vince Flynn
Having led a prestigious military and intelligence career, Hank Casey, a protégé of counter-terrorism operative Mitch Rapp, struggles with the ethics and challenges of his job when the government inexplicably turns against him. By the author of Act of Treason.
750,000 first printing.

THE LONGEST TRIP HOME, by John Grogan
Grogan follows up Marley & Me with a hilarious and touching memoir of his childhood in suburban Detroit.

 

 

 
HARRY S. TRUMAN, by Robert Dallek
The plainspoken man from Missouri who never expected to be president yet rose to become one of the greatest leaders of the twentieth century, Harry S. Truman clashed with Southerners over civil rights, with organized labor over the right to strike, and with General Douglas MacArthur over the conduct of the Korean War. He personified Thomas Jefferson’s observation that the presidency is a “splendid misery,” but it was during his tenure that the United States truly came of age.Traces the thirty-third president’s unlikely rise to power and his role in bringing America into the nuclear age, covering his perspectives on civil rights, his clashes with Douglas MacArthur over the conduct of the Korean War, and his reelection in 1948.

 

 

THE LUCKY ONE, by Nicholas Sparks
Coming into the possession of a photograph of a smiling woman he has never met, a man experiences a chain of fortuitous events that causes him to regard the photograph as a lucky charm, a belief that prompts a heartfelt search for the woman.

 

THE STORY OF EDGAR SAWTELLE, by David Wroblewski

(AN OPEN BOOK LLC AND OTHER INDEPENDENT BOOKSTORES RECOMMENDED THIS BOOK, IN OUR EMAILS AND IN OUR STORES…BACK IN JUNE. NOW, OPRAH MADE THIS WONDERFUL, INTRIGUING BOOK HER LATEST BOOK CLUB SELECTION!! DAVID LIVES IN WESTMINSTER, COLORADO…THIS IS HIS DEBUT NOVEL, AFTER SPENDING A DECADE TO WRITE EDGAR’S STORY! Yea to David!!)

A tale reminiscent of “Hamlet” that also celebrates the alliance between humans and dogs follows speech-disabled Wisconsin youth Edgar, who bonds with three yearling canines and struggles to prove that his sinister uncle is responsible for his father’s death. A tale reminiscent of “Hamlet” that also celebrates the alliance between humans and dogs follows speech-disabled Wisconsin youth Edgar, who bonds with three yearling canines and struggles to prove that his sinister uncle is responsible for his father’s death.

THE GIVEN DAY, by Dennis Lehane
An epic tale set at the end of World War I follows the experiences of a family whose lives mirror the political unrest of an America caught between its well-patterned past and an unpredictable future. By the author of Mystic River.
400,000 first printing.

HOT, FLAT AND CROWDED, by Thomas L. Friedman
Proposes an ambitious national strategy to address key issues in climate change and energy shortages, identifying the factors that have contributed to current circumstances while outlining an American-led revolution of clean technology solutions.

PIECES OF MY HEART, by Robert J. Wagner
An intimate tell-all of the life of the Hollywood icon describes his relationships with such contemporaries as Clark Gable, Frank Sinatra, and Elizabeth Taylor; remembers his two marriages to Natalie Wood; and shares his observations about the transformations in Hollywood throughout the past half-century.
150,000 first printing.

AMERICAN WIFE, by Curtis Sittenfeld
When her husband is elected president of the United States, Alice Blackwell finds her new life as first lady increasingly tumultuous as she recalls her early life, her courtship and marriage, and the crisis that nearly destroyed their relationship and reflects on the privileges and difficulties of her position as her private beliefs conflict with her public responsibilities.
100,000 first printing.

BAD MONEY, by Kevin Phillips
Noted political commentator Phillips (American Theocracy ) presents a compelling economic and historical analysis of the decline of the United States as a superpower. In fact, he has accurately predicted many of today’s political and economic conditions, such as the bursting of the housing bubble, the reduction of oil supplies, the devaluation of the U.S. dollar, and the decreased role of the dollar in world trade. Phillips attributes the country’s present financial chaos to politicians’ shortsightedness and financiers’ irresponsible decisions. He also addresses the related topics of financial schemes, such as the creation of new financial products from debt and credit, and financialization, a term Phillips uses to describe America’s movement from manufacturing to financial services. Despite his pessimism, Phillips gives the reader hope by drawing parallels with other periods in history and showing that catastrophic downturns are often cyclic and may even be expected once a superpower has reached a pinnacle (as with the global domination of the Dutch and the British in eras past). Because this book skillfully explains complex issues relevant to the American public, it is recommended for both academic and public libraries.

GOODNIGHT BUSH, by Eric Origen
A parody of “Goodnight Moon” offers a satirical recap of the Bush administration as it says goodnight to the ballot box, the Constitution, detainees, allies, Mardi Gras, and failures everywhere.

DRILL HERE, DRILL NOW, PAY LESS, by Newt Gingrich
A handbook for slashing gas prices and solving our energy crisis.

 

 

SERENA, by Ron Rash
Traveling to the mountains of 1929 North Carolina to forge a timber business with her new husband, Serena Pemberton champions her mastery of harsh natural and working conditions but turns murderous when she learns she cannot bear children.
25,000 first printing.

CHOSEN FOREVER, by Susan Richards
Charismatic, albeit meandering memoir about the author’s discovery of love and self-acceptance while on a book tour.The book was Chosen by a Horse (2006), an account of Richards’s relationship with an abused mare named “Lay Me Down” that finally got this reclusive animal lover and writing teacher into print after years of trying. The tour plucked her from isolation in upstate New York for what became a life-altering journey through small-town bookstores across the Northeast. Richards reconnected with friends and relatives she’d cut off during years of anxiety and low self-esteem, encounters that prompted her to examine the memories surrounding each of them and to grapple with her past. Bolstered by positive reviews and feedback from readers, her confidence grew. She was able to develop relationships and chat with strangers at her readings; she could even, when a self-assured older gentleman crossed her path, overcome her wariness of intimacy. Richards had experienced previous disappointments and was going through menopause, so theirs was not precisely a fairy-tale romance, even though she makes frequent use of the word “fate” when describing it. Self-conscious, cautious and analytical during the process of falling in love, the author fought feelings of being swept away. She shares all of this quite openly with readers in candid, if somewhat undirected prose that explores her fears, her past and her passions. Anxiety often takes the front seat in her narrative, which chronicles a struggle toward self-approval after a lifetime of feeling unwanted. Richards admits to being shy in person, but she’s clearly comfortable in the memoir format, which tends to foster an occasionally excessive amount of self-psychoanalysis. (She’s equally at ease talking about her “baggage” or her pets.) Fortunately, her charming, self-effacing humor keeps the tone light even when she’s examining darker feelings. Engaging writing by an honest self-explorer. Kirkus Review

TESTIMONY, by Anita Shreve
Recounting a student sex scandal at a prestigious Vermont private academy, this explosive novel from Shreve (Body Surfing ) is more transfixing than a multicar pileup on the interstate. Told from the perspectives of the students involved, the school administrator, the parents, and numerous bystanders, the story keeps unraveling as it slingshots back and forth in time. At each revelation, readers keep hoping that things will turn out differently, that there will be survivors, despite the carnage before their eyes. Yet that one night can never be undone: “A single action can cause a life to veer off in a direction it was never meant to go.” Shreve arrows in on many targets-underage drinking, instant exposure via the Internet, familial expectations, youthful insecurities, and peer pressure, among them-as she flawlessly weaves a tale that is mesmerizing, hypnotic, and compulsive. No one walks away unscathed, and that includes the reader.
Highly recommended.

THE HERETIC’S DAUGHTER, by Kathleen Kent
A witchcraft accusation in their Salem, Massachusetts, home further complicates the challenging relationship between Martha Carrier and her equally willful daughter, Sarah, who are forced to stand together against the escalating hysteria and superstition of the trials that are threatening Martha’s life. A first novel.

HOME, by Marilynne Robinson
A companion volume to Robinson’s luminous, Pulitzer-winning novel Gilead (2004).The focus here shifts from John Ames, Gilead’s memorable protagonist, to his lifelong best friend Robert Boughton. A widowed, increasingly frail and distracted former Presbyterian minister, Boughton has eight children scattered across the country. The story unfolds after
two of them come home to Gilead, Iowa: Glory, the unmarried youngest, who has resigned her teaching job so she can care for Robert; and ne’er-do-well Jack, who for 20 years has repeatedly broken his father’s indulgent heart with his irresponsible, sometimes criminal behavior and-worse-his absence. “Why did he leave? Where had he gone? Those questions had hung in the air,” Glory thinks, “while everyone tried to ignore them, had tried to act as if their own lives were of sufficient interest.” Robinson builds subtle sequences of questions and answers, hesitant attempts at bonding and sorrowful revelations articulated among the three reunited Boughtons as they edge toward, then shy away from accusation and confrontation, feeling their way toward the possibility of forgiveness and healing. This is an inordinately quiet novel, and the patience with which even its most arresting effects are calculated and achieved requires an equal patience on the reader’s part. There is, as there is in the life of every family, considerable repetition. It’s necessary, as Robinson shows us the complexity and richness of Glory’s stoical, though scarcely saintly resilience, of Jack’s arduous progression toward genuine maturity, and of their father’s seemingly naïve, in fact almost visionary forbearance. The result is a compassionate envisioning of singularity and commonality reminiscent of the most soulful and moving work of Willa Cather, William Maxwell and James Agee.Comes astonishingly close to matching its amazing predecessor in beauty and power. Kirkus Review

Movie “tie-ins” are coming to the theater and bookstores in many offerings this fall. Here are just a few, with thanks from Publishers Weekly!!

THE DUCHESS, by Amanda Foreman

Provides a dramatic portrait of the colorful life of eighteenth-century British aristocrat Lady Georgiana Spencer, her roles as a society and political hostess, and her disastrous and profligate private life. Originally published as Georgiana: Duchess of Devonshire. Reprint. (A Paramount/Vantage film, directed by Saul Dibb, written by Jeffrey Hatcher & Anders Thomas Jensen, releasing September 2008, starring Kiera Knightley & Ralph Fiennes)

Release date: Sept.19, starring Keira Knightley Raplph Fiennes, Hayley Atwell. Foreman’s book won the 1998 Whitbread Prize for Biography and was a New York Times Notable Book of the Year.

IGOR, by Catherine Hapka

Although a resident of Malaria where all the scientists strive to make the most evil invention for the Evil Science Fair, Igor’s plans go awry when his creation turns out to be a lovable monster with a wild passion for the arts!

Release date: Sept.19, with voices of John Cusack, Steve Buscemi, Christian Slater, John Cleese, Jay Leno and Molly Shannon.

MIRACLE AT ST. ANNA, by James McBride

In a historical novel based on a real-life massacre at St. Anna Di Stazzema, a small village in Tuscany, during World War II, four African- American soldiers from the 92nd Division, a band of partisans, and a young Italian boy come together to experience a miracle. By the author of The Color of Water.

Release date: Sept. 26, starring Derek Luke, Michael Ealy, Lax Alonso. McBride’s debut novel follows his acclaimed memoir, The Color of Water. Set in 1944 Italy, Miracle centers on four black U.S. soldiers who get trapped in a Tuscan village during WWII.

CHOKE, by Chuck Palahniuk

Medical school dropout Victor Mancini comes up with a complicated but ingenious scam to pay for his mother’s elder care–pretend to be choking in a restaurant and con the individuals who “save” him into giving him money– while he cruises sex addiction groups for action, and visits his sick mother, whose Alzheimer’s disease hides the bizarre truth about his parentage.

Release date: Sept. 26, starring Anjelica Huston, Sam Rockwell, Kelly Macdonald. The movie opened to great reviews at Sundance in January, where it won the Special Jury Prize.

NIGHTS IN RODNATHE, by Nicholas Sparks

Forty-five-year-old divorcée Adrienne Willis is forced to reconsider her entire life when her husband leaves her for a younger woman, as she confronts the difficulties of raising her teenage children and caring for her ailing father, until a trip to Rodanthe in North Carolina’s outer banks leads to an encounter with successful surgeon Paul Flanner.

Release date: Sept. 26, starring Richard Gere, Diane Lane, James Franco. Nights marks the fourth filmization of a Sparks novel. Nights has quite the numbers…460,000 trade paper; 1.3 million mass market.

APPALOOSA, by Robert B. Parker

Arriving in a small nineteenth-century western town only to discover that its sheriff has been killed and its residents placed at the mercy of renegade rancher Randall Bregg, itinerant lawmen Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch find themselves facing an unusually challenging adversary who works by playing psychological games. By the author of Double Play.

Release date: Oct. 3, starring Viggo Mortensen, Renee Zellweger, Jeremy Irons. Triple-threat Harris directed, wrote the screenplay and acts in this western that’s studded with big names.

THE EXPRESS: THE ERNIE DAVIS STORY, by Robert C. Gallagher

Offers a close-up portrait of Ernie Davis, the legendary football star who broke Jim Brown’s rushing records and who became the first black athlete to win the Heisman Trophy, detailing his remarkable high school and college athletic career, as well as his remarkable courage in battling the leukemia that would take his life.

Release date: Oct. 3, starring Dennis Quaid, Charles Dutton, Clancy Brown.

HOW TO LOSE FRIENDS & ALIENATE PEOPLE, by Toby Young

A journalist who has been fired from a succession of prestigious newspapers and magazines recounts five years of his life during which he was cast out of numerous jobs, social hangouts, and organizations in his quest to find himself.

Release date: Oct. 3, starring Simon Pegg, Kirsten Dunst, Jeff Bridges

NICK AND NORAH’S INFINITE PLAYLIST, by Rachel Chon and David Levithan

High school student Nick O’Leary, member of a rock band, meets college-bound Norah Silverberg and asks her to be his girlfriend for five minutes in order to avoid his ex-sweetheart.

Release Date: Oct. 3, starring Michael Cera, Kat Dennings, Alexis Dziena Looks to be a big fall date movie!

BODY OF LIES, by David Ignatius

Emerging from a tour of duty in Iraq with a badly injured leg, CIA soldier Roger Ferris takes on a mission to infiltrate the network of a master terrorist and bases his plan on a British intelligence operation from World War II before finding himself caught in a dangerous web and depending on a dubiously trustworthy intelligence head.

Release date: Oct. 10, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Russell Crowe, Carice van Houten. Publishers Weekly’s review…”one of the best post 9/11 thrillers yet” hit the nail on the head: “should possibly attract Hollywood interest.”

THE CITY OF EMBER, by Jeanne DuPrau

In the year 241, twelve-year-old Lina finds part of an ancient message that she is sure holds a secret to save her underground city from ruin, but Lina and her friend Doon must decipher the message before the lights go out on Ember forever. An ALA Notable Book.

Release date: Oct. 10, starring Bill Murray, Tim Robbins, Saoirse Ronan. Director Gil Kenan (Monster House) helms this steam-punk adaptation of the first book in DuPrau’s series. Tom Hanks is on board as a producer.

FLASH OF GENIUS, by John Seabrook

Seabrook’s book explores the moment when inspiration strikes in an otherwise average life, and what happens when that idea takes on a life of its own.

Release date: Oct. 17, starring Lauren Graham, Dermot Mulroney, Greg Kinnear

THE SECRET LIFE OF BEES, by Sue Monk Kidd

After her “stand-in mother,” a bold black woman named Rosaleen, insults the three biggest racists in town, Lily Owens, whose life has been defined by the tragic death of her mother, joins Rosaleen on a journey to Tiburon, South Carolina, where they are taken in by three black, bee-keeping sisters who show them the true meaning of love and family.

Release date: Oct. 17, starring Queen Latifah, Dakota Fanning, Jennifer Hudson. Kidd’s long-running bestseller has been picked up for school course adaptations and numerous community reads throughout the country.

DISNEY HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 3: SENIOR YEAR, by N.B. Grace

The third installment in Disney’s block-buster franchise hits the big screen for the first time. High School Musical 2 (2007) had 17.2 million viewers in the U.S., which set a cable TV record.

Release date: Oct. 24, starring Zac Efron, Vanessa Anne Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale.

MADAGASCAR: ESCAPE 2 AFRICA: THE JUNIOR NOVEL, by J.E. Bright

This film’s predecessor about a rowdy group of animals’ escape from the Central Park Zoo grossed close to $200 million.

Release date: Nov. 7, starring voices of Ben Stiller, Sacha Baron Cohen, David Schwimmer.

THE ROAD, by Cormac McCarthy

In a novel set in an indefinite, futuristic, post-apocalyptic world, a father and his young son make their way through the ruins of a devastated American landscape, struggling to survive and preserve the last remnants of their own humanity.

Release date: Nov. 7, starring Viggo Mortensen, Charlize Theron, Guy Pearce. McCarthy’s last movie, No Country for Old Men, won last year’s Best Picture Oscar….also a Pulitzer Prize winner.

THE SOLOIST, by Steve Lopez

An intimate portrait of gifted violinist Nathaniel Ayers traces his promising education at Juilliard, his struggles with schizophrenia, and the factors that led
to his homelessness in Los Angeles, circumstances that prompted their friendship and the author’s efforts to improve the musician’s life in spite of numerous setbacks.

Release date: Nov. 21, starring Robert Downey Jr., Jamie Foxx, Catherine Keener. Publisher’s Weekly gave the “inspiring story of heartbreak and hope” a starred review.

TWILIGHT, by Stephenie Meyer

When seventeen-year-old Bella Swan leaves Phoenix to live with her father in Forks, Washington, she meets an exquisitely handsome boy at school for whom she feels an overwhelming attraction and who she comes to realize is not wholly human. An ALA Top Ten Book for Young Adults.

Release date: Nov. 21, starring Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, Taylor Lautner. Tie-ins, carried by all bookstores: Twilight: The Complete Illustrated Movie Companion (300,000 paper); The Twilight Saga: The Official Guide, by Stephanie Meyer (Dec.; 500,000 hardcover.)

Anticipation for this film may equal or surpass that of Meyer’s recent novel, Breaking Dawn’ the release date was bumped up by a few weeks, welcome news for fans, be they “Team Edward” or “Team Jacob.”

GOMORRA, by Roberto Saviano

A Personal Journey into the Violent International Empire of Naples’ Organized Crime System.

Release date: December, starring Salvatore Cantalupo, Gianfelice Imparato, Maria Nazionale. Move over, Don Corleone. Saviano’s novel, a bestseller in Italy, traces the decline of Naples under the Camorra, a crime network that makes the mafia look like a social club. Earlier this year the movie won the Grand Prix at Cannes.

THE READER, by Bernard Schlink

At the age of fifteen, Michael Berg falls in love with a woman who disappears, and while observing a trial as a law student years later, he is shocked to discover the same woman as the defendant in a horrible crime.

Release date: Dec. 12, starring Kate Winslet, Ralph Fiennes, Alexandra Maria Lara. The novel was an Oprah Book Club pick.

THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON, by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Presents the title story about the curious case of a baby, born in 1860, who begins life as an old man and who proceeds to age backward, accompanied by eighteen other stories set against the backdrop of Jazz Age America.

Release date: Dec. 19, voices of Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Tilda Swinton. Tie-in from Scribner: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: Story to Screenplay; includes the F. Scott Fitzgerald story, screen story by Eric Roth and Robin Swicord, and screenplay by Eric Roth.

THE TALE OF DESPEREAUX, by Kate DiCamillo

An illustrated fairy tale tells the adventures of Despereaux Tilling the mouse and his two associates, Roscuro the rat and Miggery Sow, who happen upon a journey together to a castle where their destiny awaits. An ALA Notable Children’s Book & Newbery Medal Winner. Jr Lib Guild. Teacher’s Guide available.

Release date: Dec. 19, voices of Matthew Broderick, Dustin Hoffman, Sigourney Weaver.

MARLEY AND ME, by John Grogan

Follows the life story of an exuberant golden Labrador who gets into perpetual trouble and experiences a range of inspiring adventures, from comforting his human companions in the aftermath of a devastating miscarriage, to shutting down an entire beach, to guarding a seventeen-year- old neighbor in the aftermath of a stabbing attack.

Release date: Dec. 25, starring Owen Wilson, Jennifer Aniston, Alan Arkin

REVOLUTIONARY ROAD, by Richard Yates

The devastating effects of work, adultery, rebellion, and selfdeception slowly destroy the once successful marriage of Frank and April Wheeler, a suburban American couple.

Release date: Dec. 26, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Kathy Bates. Everyman’s Library will publish a Yates omnibus (Road, Easter Parade, Eleven Kinds of Loneliness) to coincide with the movie.)

I MENTIONED THIS FIRST TITLE IN LAST MONTH’S “New and Notable”…it is
worth mentioning again. The author has an exceptional debut novel and
lives in Colorado. Worth the price of a hardcover… a Hamlet-style tale!

THE STORY OF EDGAR SAWTELLE, by David Wroblewski

A stately, wonderfully written debut novel that incorporates a few of the great archetypes: a disabled but resourceful young man, a potential Clytemnestra of a mom and a faithful dog.Writing to such formulas, with concomitant omniscience and world-weariness, has long been the stuff of writing workshops. Wroblewski is the product of one such place, but he seems to have forgotten much of what he learned there: He takes an intense interest in his characters; takes pains to invest emotion and rough understanding in them; and sets them in motion with graceful language (and, in eponymous young Edgar’s case, sign language). At the heart of the book is a pup from an extremely rare breed, thanks to a family interest in Mendelian genetics; so rare is Almondine, indeed, that she finds ways to communicate with Edgar that no other dog and human, at least in literature,
have yet worked out. Edgar may be voiceless, but he is capable of expressing sorrow and rage when his father suddenly dies, and Edgar decides that his father’s brother, who has been spending a great deal of time with Edgar’s mother, is responsible for the crime. That’s an appropriately tragic setup, and Edgar finds himself exiled to the bleak wintry woods-though not alone, for he is now the alpha of his own very special pack. The story takes Jungle Book-ish turns: “He blinked at the excess moonlight in
the clearing and clapped for the dogs. High in the crown of a charred tree, an owl covered its dished face, and one branch down, three small replicas followed. Baboo came at once. Tinder had begun pushing into the tall grass and he turned and trotted back.” It resolves, however, in ways that will satisfy grown-up readers. The novel succeeds admirably in telling its story
from a dog’s-eye view that finds the human world very strange indeed.An auspicious debut: a boon for dog lovers, and for fans of storytelling that eschews flash. Highly recommended. Kirkus Review

RIVER-HORSE, by William Least Heat-Moon

Published in 2001 but worth reading again. The acclaimed author of Blue Highways and PrairyEarth chronicles his journey across America’s waterways in his dory Nikawa (River Horse), encountering strange people, hostile cities, and hair-raising dangers.

WAITER RANT, by Waiter

A whimsical account of a waiter’s life at an upscale New York restaurant, based on the award-winning WaiterRant.net blog, describes his daily experiences with a series of outrageous customers and shares tips on such topics as getting good service and proper tipping etiquette. 35,000 first printing.

THE GUERNSEY LITERARY AND POTATOE PEEL SOCIETY, by Mary Ann Shaffer

The German occupation of the Channel Islands, recalled in letters between a London reporter and an eccentric gaggle of Guernsey islanders.This debut by an “aunt-niece” authorial team presents itself as cozy fiction about comfortably quirky people in a bucolic setting, but it quickly evinces far more serious, and ambitious, intent. In 1946, Juliet, famous for her oxymoronic wartime humor column, is coping with life amid the rubble of London when she receives a letter from a reader, Dawsey, a Guernsey resident who asks her help in finding books by Charles Lamb. After she honors his request, a flurry of letters arrive from Guernsey islanders eager to share recollections of the German occupation of the islands. (Readers may be reminded of the PBS series, Island at War.) When the Germans catch some islanders exiting from a late-night pig roast, the group, as an excuse for violating curfew and food restrictions, invents a book club. The “Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society” is born, affording Guernseyites an excuse to meet and share meager repasts. (The Germans have confiscated all the real food.) Juliet’s fractious correspondents, including reputed witch Isola, Booker, a Jewish valet who masquerades as a Lord, and many other L&PPPS members, reveal that the absent founder of their society, Elizabeth, loved Christian, a German captain. No one accuses Elizabeth of collaboration (except one crotchety islander, Adelaide) because Christian was genuinely nice. An act of bravery caused Elizabeth’s deportation to France, and her whereabouts remain unknown. The Society is raising four-year-old Kit, Elizabeth’s daughter by Christian. To the consternation of her editor and friend, Sidney, Juliet is entertaining the overtures, literary and romantic, of a dashing but domineering New York publisher, Markham. When Juliet goes to Guernsey, some hard truths emerge about Elizabeth’s fate and defiant courage. Elizabeth and Juliet are appealingly reminiscent of game but gutsy ’40s movie heroines.The engrossing subject matter and lively writing make this a sure winner.
Kirkus Review, 2008

THE GARGOYLE, by Andrew Davidson

Awakening in a burn ward after being horribly burned over much of his body after a terrible car accident, the cynical narrator is visited by a beautiful and enigmatic sculptress of gargoyles who tells him that they had once been lovers in medieval Germany and spins a tale of deathless love.
A first novel.

THE 19TH WIFE, by David Ebershoff

The complex history of polygamy in the Mormon Church intertwines the story of Ann Eliza Young, the nineteenth and final wife of Brigham Young, who in 1875 leaves her husband and embarks on crusade to end polygamy, and a modern-day murder mystery in which a polygamous man has been found dead and one of his wives is accused of the crime.
100,000 first printing.

BOOKS, by Larry McMurtry

In a prolific life of singular literary achievement, Larry McMurtry has succeeded in a variety of genres: in coming-of-age novels like The Last Picture Show; in collections of essays like In a Narrow Grave; and in the reinvention of the Western on a grand scale in his Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, Lonesome Dove. Now, in Books: A Memoir, McMurtry writes about his endless passion for books: as a boy growing up in a largely “bookless” world; as a young man devouring the vastness of literature with astonishing energy; as a fledgling writer and family man; and above all, as one of America’s most prominent bookmen. He takes us on his journey to becoming an astute, adventurous book scout and collector who would eventually open stores of rare and collectible editions in Georgetown, Houston, and finally, in his previously “bookless” hometown of Archer City, Texas–From
publisher description.The author recounts his lifelong love affair with books, from his largely “bookless” boyhood and discovery of literature as a young man, to the evolution of his writing career and his passion as a book collector who opens bookstores of rare and collectible volumes.

THE LINE UPON A WIND, by Noel Mostert

Traces the twenty-two-year conflict between France and Britain, profiling the war as one of history’s longest and most devastating while profiling the new naval tactics and weapons it brought into action, in a narrative account that covers a range of topics, from the contributions of Napoleon and Nelson to ship-construction strategies and related land battles

TEMPLES ON THE OTHER SIDE, by Sylvia Browne

Describes the temples and halls that exist in the spirit realm and provides
meditations designed to allow readers to access these edifaces and use
their wisdom to positively affect their lives on Earth.

THE LACE READER, by Brunonia Barry

Having left her hometown of Salem, Massachusetts, fifteen years ago under troubling circumstances, psychic Towner Whitney reluctantly returns after her eighty-five-year-old great-aunt Eva suddenly disappears and joins local cop John Rafferty in his investigation into the mystery.
250,000 first printing.

BLOOD TRAIL, by C.J. Box

In the wake of an elk hunter’s grisly murder, Wyoming game warden Joe Pickett is directed by the governor to investigate the relevance of a mysterious poker chip found at the crime scene.
By the author of Free Fire.

GOOD-BYE AND AMEN, by Beth Gutcheon

Determined to keep their inheritance from dividing them, close siblings Eleanor, Monica, and Jimmy Moss struggle with differences of opinion about how to share and maintain their late parents’ summer house, a situation that is further complicated by the members of their extended families.
75,000 first printing.

THE CONDITION, by Jennifer Haigh

Unaware of the long-standing grievances harbored by their divorced parents, three adult siblings embark on a tumultuous summer when the oldest, a successful Manhattan doctor, investigates his sister’s chromosomal disorder against his mother’s wishes. By the author of Mrs. Kimble.
100,000 firstprinting.

HIT AND RUN, by Lawrence Block

John Keller-the philosophical hit man who’s brightened the pages of many a short story and a quasi-novel cobbled together from stories (Hit Parade, 2006)-finally gets a proper novel of his own.The assignment, set up by a client named Al who paid cash in advance, seems routine: Fly to Des Moines, wait for the high sign to kill Gregory Dowling, go back to New York. But the days pass without Keller being turned loose. Not until after he’s finally given the go-ahead does a news broadcast tell him he’s been set up. Stranded in America’s heartland with no contacts, precious little money and a bogus identity that’s about to blow up in his face, and sought by every cop in the nation for a murder he didn’t commit, Keller can think of only one goal: getting back to his hometown. He’s almost made it, courtesy of an impressive variety of tricks he’s improvised along the way, when he realizes that Al has made New York just as dangerous as Iowa. Keller’s only chance is to say goodbye to his old life and rebuild himself from scratch. Block treats both his unlikely hero’s initial flight and his attempt to establish a new identity in such painstaking detail that they become riveting. Only his climactic search for revenge against Al feels ordinary.From the first, Keller assumes this hit will be his last case. Readers can only hope it isn’t so.
Copyright Kirkus 2008

LOST SPY, by Andrew Meier

Time magazine’s former Moscow correspondent profiles an American who traveled the world gathering intelligence for the Soviet Union, until he was swept up in Stalin’s purges. Meier (Black Earth: a Journey Through Russia After the Fall, 2003, etc.) unravels an amazing story. The son of a prosperous Russian immigrant, Cy Oggins entered Columbia University in 1917. A brilliant scholar, he was swept up in student opposition to World War I and shared his left-wing peers’ fascination with Russia’s communist revolution. Thanks to J. Edgar Hoover’s obsession with subversion, undercover FBI surveillance, wiretaps and mail intercepts preserve a detailed account of American communism’s turbulent birth, in which Oggins and his wife Nerma played a modest role. Meier reminds us that Lenin’s USSR was equally obsessed with subversion, quickly organizing an elaborate, worldwide system of spies, moles, couriers and assassins. Recruited to this network in 1926, Oggins never spied against the United States. Soviet intelligence assigned him the cover role of a prosperous American scholar studying abroad; his residence served as a safe house for its spies. Oggins later traveled to China and Manchuria to work on various espionage schemes. But faithful service did not save him from Stalin’s paranoia about anyone who had contact with foreigners, which devastated the Soviet intelligence service in the late ’30s. Thousands of loyal agents were summoned to Moscow and executed or dispatched to the Gulag. Arrested in 1939 and sent to an arctic slave-labor camp, Oggins had a damaged leg that saved him from the most grueling jobs; he survived until 1947. Meier tells the painful story of his final years and Nerma’s desperate efforts to secure his
release.Gripping tale of a 1920s American radical who ultimately paid a terrible price for his idealism. Copyright Kirkus 2008

HOUSE AND HOME, by Kathleen Mccleary

Devastated by the loss of her beloved home in the wake of a painful divorce, coffee shop owner and mom Ellen Flanagan finds herself in an unexpected relationship with the husband of a shrewish woman who has bought the house.
A first novel. 50,000 first printing.

VETS UNDER SIEGE, by Martin Schram

A syndicated columnist offers a provocative exposé of the shameful treatment of American military personnel by the U.S. government at every stage from recruitment through deployment and recovery, revealing the deceptive practices used by military recruiters to meet quotas, the bureaucratic indifference and neglect suffered by veterans of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and other examples of neglect.

FLEECED, by Dick Morris

The co-authors of Outrage present a critical analysis of additional power abuses by the American government, wealthy corporations, and high-profile celebrities, in an account that addresses topics ranging from sub-prime mortgages and the secret purchases of Dubai to corporate salaries and the 2008 election.
150,000 first printing.

THE FAITH OF BARACK OBAMA, by Stephen Mansfield

Explores the religious background of Barack Obama, examines his relationship with the Reverend Jeremiah Wright at Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, and discusses how his beliefs shape his personal and political life.

MAN OF THE PEOPLE, by Paul Alexander

Recounts the rise of John McCain, the former POW and Vietnam War hero who became a Republican senator and the nation’s most passionate spokesperson for campaign finance reform.

THE RISE OF BARACK OBAMA, by Pete Souza

A remarkable collection of exclusive photographs by an award-winning presidential photojournalist captures Barak Obama’s rise to political stardom beginning with Obama’s first day in the U.S. Senate.

THE GO-GIVER, by Bob Burg

This modern-day business parable, a quick read in the spirit of The Greatest Salesman in the World and The One Minute Manager, should do well with eager corporate-ladder climbers, who may at first be confused by its focus: on putting the other guy first-be it a colleague, competitor, customer, friend or family member. Told through the fictitious story of an ambitious young salesman named Joe, Burg and Mann communicate their points through the advice of an enigmatic (and highly likeable) mentor character known as Pindar. Rather than help Joe snag a fast sale, the consultant introduces him to series of “go-givers” who personify the “Five Laws of Stratospheric Success.” Over the course of five days, a restaurateur, a CEO, a financial advisor, a real-estate broker and the mysterious “Connector” teach Joe about the laws of value, compensation, influence, authenticity and receptivity-concepts that make more immediate sense in this fictional context than they would in a formal business book. Burg (Endless Referrals: Network Your Everyday Contacts Into Sales) and Mann (You Call the Shots) write with a simple, informal style that offers a working-person’s interpretation of the old adage “give, and you shall receive.” (Jan.)
Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.

ORIGIN, by Diana Abu-Jabar

New York-based fingerprint expert Lena investigates a series of crib deaths that may actually be the work of a serial killer, a case that reminds Lena of the mystery surrounding her own childhood, marked by her orphaned status and her intuitive talents. Reprint.

IN THE WOODS, by Tana French

Twenty years after witnessing the violent disappearances of two companions from their small Dublin suburb, detective Rob Ryan investigates a chillingly similar murder that takes place in the same wooded area, a case that forces him to piece together his traumatic memories.

OUT STEALING HORSES, by Per Pettersen

Petterson, who hails from Norway, offers a moving tale about the power of memory and the bonds of family. Struggling to recover from the death of his wife, 67-year-old Trond Sander moves into a lonely cabin in southeastern Norway, a region that’s rich with his own personal history. It’s the place where Trond last saw his father before he walked out on the family. The
year was 1948, the season was summer, and Trond, then 15 years old, was working as a logger. Not long after returning to the area, Trond crosses paths with a neighbor, who happens to be the brother of his childhood friend, Jon, and all sorts of memories start to surface. Looking back on the summer of 1948, Trond recalls the afternoon he and Jon decided to take some horses from a neighbor’s farm. That day, Jon accidentally killed one of his own twin brothers-a tragedy that caused him to run away. Trond’s
father, as it turns out, was in love with Jon’s mother, and their relationship is part of what tore their family apart. Decades later, Trond is still working to make sense of the formative events of his adolescence. His first-person narration-forthright, simple and tinged with melancholy-makes for rewarding reading. Told partially through flashbacks, this is a poignant, beautifully realized narrative that should earn the acclaimed Petterson new fans.

BRIDESHEAD REVISITED, by Evelyn Waugh

Captain Charles Ryder, stationed at Brideshead, recalls his boyhood associations with the odd but charming members of an English noble family.

APPLES FOR JAM, by Tessa Kiros

Cannot be described, really! Filled with beautiful pictures, recipes, colors and memories. This is a one-of-a-kind cookbook/gift book. Not many available…what a perfect gift for the cookbook collector! Charming!!

JUNK BEAUTIFUL, by Sue Shitney

Using a recycle and reuse approach to home decorating, a richly illustrated manual explains how to transform trash and junk into one-of-a-kind furnishings and accessories for every room in the house, with tips on searching and shopping for recycled materials, design and construction, adding personal touches, and more. Original.

THE JOY OF VEGAN BAKING, by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau

Explaining how to create delectable baked goods without using any animal products, an introduction to vegan baking furnishes dozens of recipes for all kinds of baked goods, including cakes, pies, cookies, breads, biscuits, and muffins.

KNITTING SOCK SENSATIONS, by Louise Butt

Forget shoes - readers can take their sock addiction to new lengths with an inspiring mix of cozy, quirky and chic sock designs in Knitting Socks Appeal. Included are projects such as pedicure socks, chic retro leg warmers, tiny tiger feet and even unique stripy socks for dad. Variation designs will tempt readers with a colorful range of irresistible sock yarns and stylish embellishments such as pompoms, beads and ribbons complete each pair. With clear patterns, stylish photography and easy-to-follow technique instructions, even novice knitters will be able to treat their feet. Amaz. Review

CREATIVE PLAY FOR YOUR TODDLER, by Christopher Clouder

Steiner Expertise and Toy Projects for 2-4s

THE CREATIVE FAMILY, by Amanda Soule

How to Encourage Imagination & Nurture Family Connections

PEACE LIKE A RIVER, by Leif Enger

This is an upbeat story, seen through the eyes of Reuben Land, an eleven year old asthmatic boy. Reuben’s brother kills two juveniles who are bent on malicious mischief. When his brother escapes from jail, the family, father, philosophical younger sister and Reuben, begin a drive through the unforgiving Black Hills to find him. Help comes in unlikely places along their journey. It’s a remarkable journey marked by humor, loyalty and, in the end, redemption. A wonderfully accomplished first novel.

Peace Like A River was Enger’s debut as an author. A few years ago it was chosen as the “All Denver” read.

New by Leif Enger is:
SO BRAVE, YOUNG, AND HANDSOME, published in April, 2008.

Kirkus Reviews 2008 February #2

A belated follow-up to a popular debut finds the Midwestern novelist in fine storytelling form, as he spins a picaresque tale of redemption and renewal amid the fading glories of the Old West.Some readers will undoubtedly find autobiographical implications in the protagonist conjured by Enger (Peace Like a River, 2001). In his second novel, a Minnesota writer who has enjoyed his own out-of-the-blue success with a popular novel struggles in vain to produce a suitable successor. In the opening pages of this first-person narrative, Monte Becket introduces himself as a nothing-special Everyman, a former postman who quit his job after his novel Martin Bligh reached a readership beyond the wildest expectations of both the part-time author and his publisher. Yet Becket has since suffered a crisis of confidence, starting and abandoning seven different manuscripts over a four-year period until he fears that his success was just a fluke. This story has its start in 1915, just as Becket abandons his final manuscript, when a mysterious geezer in a rowboat passes his Minnesota riverfront home (with a nod toward Enger’s earlier novel, rivers run through this one) and ultimately entices Becket to join him on an adventure that will change both of their lives. The mysterious man’s name may or may not be Glendon Hale; he may or may not be an outlaw on the run; and he most certainly is a boat-building alcoholic. With the encouragement of his painter wife, Becket leaves behind a comfortable home and a loving family to accompany Hale on a pilgrimage, one that will find Becket learning more about his companion’s identity while assuming an alias of his own. As they head south toward Mexico and then west to California, they find their travels enlivened by a young accomplice who joins them and a pursuer who trails them, a former Pinkerton detective who has also enjoyed some literary success. Revelations abound, for both Becket and the reader.Though Becket laments that he “can’t write a(nother) book that anyone will want to read,” Enger has.

BACKCAST, by Lou Ureneck

Fatherhood, fly-fishing, and a river journey through the heart of Alaska. An unflinching meditation on the Alaskan interior and parenthood traces the author’s struggles to reclaim the trust of his teenage son during a Bering Sea fishing trip during which they encountered formidable wildlife and natural elements that helped strengthen their relationship. 25,000 first printing.

SUNDAYS AT TIFFANY’S, by James Patterson

Years after spending a lonely childhood at the side of a make-believe best friend named Michael, theater maven’s daughter Jane encounters a loving flesh-and-blood Michael who is exactly like the figure of her childhood imagination.

 

MY STROKE OF INSIGHT, by Jill Bolte Taylor, Ph.D.

“Fascinating…burst with hope for everyone who is brain injured (not just stroke patients) and gives medical practitioners clear, no-nonsense information about the shortcomings of conventional treatment and attitudes toward the brain injured. But to my mind, what makes MY STROKE OF INSIGHT not just valuable but invaluable – a gift to every spiritual seeker and peace activist – is what I would describe as Taylor’s fearless mapping of the physiology of compassion, the physiology or nirvana. This book is about the wonder of being human.” Robert Koehler

QUANTUM WELLNESS, by Kathy Freston

Argues that mental, physical, and spiritual health are intertwined; presents eight pillars of wellness, including meditation, fun activities, and conscious eating; and describes how to use these pillars to achieve total wellness.

 

CHASING HARRY WINSTON, by Lauren Weisberger

Making a pact that they will change the things that most challenge them within a year’s time, Manhattan friends Emmy, Leigh, and Adriana shed their downtrodden identities in order to pursue the high life. By the author of The Devil Wears Prada. 300,000 first printing.

 

LOVE THE ONE YOU’RE WITH, by Emily Giffin

Believing her marriage to Andy to be perfect in every way, Ellen runs into former flame Leo and wonders why she has been unable to forget him even though they brought out the worst in each other. By the author of Baby Proof. 450,000 first printing.

 

ANOTHER MAN’S MOCCASINS, by Craig Johnson

Unsettled by similarities between a recent murder case and his first investigation as a marine in Vietnam, Sheriff Walt Longmire is unwilling to believe that a too-obvious suspect is actually responsible and wonders about a strangely familiar photograph found in the recent victim’s purse. 15,000 first printing.

EASY COMPANY SOLDIER, by Sgt. Don Malarkey with Bob Welch

A “Band of Brothers” soldier and elite paratrooper describes his role in providing defense during 1943’s Operation Overlord, his receipt of a Bronze Star and numerous other honors, and the loss of his best friend during the engagement at Bastogne. 100,000 first printing.

THE LEGEND OF COLTON H. BRYANT, by Alexandra Fuller

A lyrical paean to an unsung…well, not exactly hero, but one of life’s unsung people.If this book were a country song, it would be by Merle Haggard. Whether British-born Fuller (Scribbling the Cat: Travels with an African Soldier, 2004, etc.) knows from Haggard is a matter of speculation, but what is clear is that she has an unfailing eye for common people caught up in uncommon events. This story of a young Wyomingite named Colton H. Bryant is also that of the oil and gas boom wrought by deregulation in these rapacious years of Bush, “a tragedy before it even starts because there was never a way for anyone to win against all the odds out here.” Alternately bullied and ignored—”Retard” is a slur-cum-nickname that figures often in these pages—Colton did most of the things a young man in the heavily Mormon southwestern corner of the state is supposed to do: ride and rope, fish and hunt, cruise around in pickup trucks. Moreover, like young men in Evanston, Colton “was born with horses and oil in his blood like his father before him and his grandfather before that and maybe his grandfather’s father before that.” Having endured adolescence thanks to a good friend named Jake and a slightly misquoted creed borrowed from television (”Mind over matter”), Colton followed the second birthright to the oil patch, where he quickly found work as a roughneck, an unforgiving job. “They have to keep drilling hour after hour–storm, heat, sleet, ice, sun–no matter what,” writes Fuller. “They’ll slap another beating heart on the rig to take your place if you’re so much as five minutes late.” Diligent and aware of the dangers, but needing to support a wife and baby, he fell into the well, as so many others have, just one of 35 Wyomingites to die on the rigs between 2000 and 2006. The petroleum company, in the meanwhile, boasted record profits—while Colton’s family “received no compensation for his loss.”A latter-day Silkwood, quiet and understated, beautifully written, speaking volumes about the priorities of the age. Copyright Kirkus 2008

SNUFF, by Chuck Palahniuk

Narrated from the perspectives of Mr. 72, Mr. 137, and Mr. 600 as they await their turn on camera, a provocative new novel about the role of pornography in contemporary life follows the sexual exploits of porn queen Cassie Wright, who plans to break the world record for serial fornication with six hundred men on camera. 200,000 first printing.

THE GARDEN OF LAST DAYS, by Andre Dubus III

Reluctantly bringing her daughter to her men’s club office when her babysitter falls ill, stripper April endeavors to keep her child safe while servicing a wealthy foreign client, while a drunken regular angrily retaliates for being thrown out of the club. By the author of House of Sand and Fog.

 

THE ART OF RACING IN THE RAIN, by Garth Stein

Evaluating his life on the eve of his death, atypical canine Enzo considers the sacrifices his master, Denny Swift, has made in his pursuit of becoming a professional race car driver; the painful custody battle between Denny and his in-laws, and the dog’s own efforts to preserve the Swift family. 200,000 first printing.

A RARE BREED OF LOVE, by Jana Kohl

An account written to benefit the Humane Society of the U.S. shares the uplifting story of a three-legged poodle whose rescue from a puppy mill sparked the author’s cross-country rallies to raise awareness and call for reforms to animal protection laws, in a volume complemented by photos of celebrities and their animal companions. 100,000 first printing.

OLIVE KITTERIDGE, BY Elizabeth Strout

The larger-than-life world of Olive Kitteridge, a retired school teacher and unofficial town crier in a small coastal town in Maine, is revealed in a series of luminous stories that explore her diverse roles in many lives, including a lounge singer haunted by a past love, a young man grieving over his lost mother, her stoic husband, and her own resentful son. 50,000 first printing.

FROM A DISTANCE, by Tamera Alexander

“We all have been waiting, and her is the new title, by our wonderful Greeley/Tennessee author and friend, Tamera Alexander.” When one of Elizabeth Westbrook’s photographs becomes key evidence in a murder charge, her life is in peril, and when her interests clash with those of a former Confederate sharpshooter, she begins to question her own motivation. Original. Look for her next book in the TIMBER RIDGE REGLECTIONS series in spring 2009.

DEEP IN THE HEART OF TROUBLE, by Deeanne Gist

This sequel to Courting Trouble returns to Corsicana, TX, where unlikely heroine Essie Spreckelmeyer has just won the Best Bicycle Costume Award of 1898. Essie is still outspoken and stirring up trouble wherever she goes. When Tony Morgan, the disinherited son of an oil baron, takes a job with Essie’s family oil business, sparks fly. Essie’s independent nature and refusal to take a backseat in a man’s world have long kept her single, but Tony may be just her match. Christy Award winner Gist’s historical romances have increasingly gained popularity, combining witty dialog, well-balanced plots, and fully developed characters who seem almost real.

CHRIST THE LORD, THE ROAD TO CANA, by Anne Rice

A second volume in the author’s series of novels chronicling the life of Christ begins prior to his baptism in the Jordan River and concludes with the miracle at Cana, as he leaves his everyday life in Nazareth to confront his destiny, the Devil’s temptations, and the call to be Israel’s liberator from Roman occupation. 500,000 first printing.

THE SOUL OF MONEY, by Lynne Twist

Examines the link between our attitudes toward money–earning it, spending it, and giving it away–and our feelings of fulfillment, sufficiency, and purpose in our lives. Reprint.

 

HIGH ALTITUDE WESTERN GARDENING, by Marilyn Quinn

This guide to gardening in the high altitude of the Rocky Mountain region reveals what plants to choose and when to plant them, and offers valuable information on how to care for plants at high altitudes. Original.

STRAWBALE HOME PLANS, by Wayne J. Bingham and Colleen F. Smith

Two experts in the area of strawbale construction introduce thirty innovative plans to build a strawbale home, ranging in style from small retreats and rural off-the-grid houses to urban homes and commercial structures, accompanied by full-color photographs of projects from around the world and a look at the health and energy-saving benefits of such construction. Original.

GREEN FROM THE GROUND UP, by David Johnston

According to Johnston (a leader in the green building movement) and Gibson (contributing editor to Fine Homebuilding magazine), 40% of the world’s resources go into buildings and 66% of the electricity generated is for heating, cooling, and lighting them. After making a strong case for sustainable building, they provide practical advice for the process from the layout and foundation to interior finishes and landscaping in this well- illustrated guide.

GEORGIA COOKING IN AN OKLAHOMA KITCHEN, by Trisha Yearwood

Grammy Award–winning country singer Trisha Yearwood throws her hat into the celebrity cookbook ring with this cheerful if uninspired collection of home-style Southern recipes. Among family and friends, Yearwood is known for her cooking, she writes, and a foreword by her husband and fellow singer, Garth Brooks, explains that Yearwood’s secret is that she cooks with love, a technique not fully explored in this book. Aimed at the kitchen beginner, the book presents a list of necessary equipment and hints on substitutions, like making confectioner’s sugar from granulated sugar, and is sprinkled throughout with helpful notes from Yearwood and her mother and sister—both of whom are co-writers. International stardom clearly hasn’t dampened Yearwood’s enthusiasm for down-home treats like Pimento Cheese Spread, Hashbrown Casserole, and Cranberry Salad with Cool Whip, Cream Cheese and Gelatin. Her family members make frequent appearances in the many color photographs and in the form of favorite dishes like Jack’s Brunswick Stew and Gwen’s Fried Chicken with Milk Gravy. Yearwood is an advocate for no-fuss, simple cooking with plenty of supermarket shortcuts, and this volume will most appeal to fans who want to get a little closer to Yearwood and Brooks (like a chance to recreate the celebs’ wedding cake at home).

COOKIES, by Martha Stewart

A luscious array of favorite cookie recipes presents 175 different cookies that range from perennial crowd-pleasers to innovative new treats, all organized according to such textures as Soft and Chewy, Crisp and Crunchy, and Light and Delicate, including Chocolate Chip, Oatmeal Raisin, Lemon-Apricot Sandwiches, and Brown-Butter Toffee Blondies. Original. 150,000 first printing.

VEGETARIAN COOKING FOR EVERYONE, by Deborah Madison

The founding chef of San Francisco’s Greens restaurant and award-winning author of The Greens Cookbook presents a lavishly illustrated cookbook of more than 1,400 innovative vegetarian and vegan recipes and comprehensive information on a myriad of vegetables dishes, in a tenth anniversary edition of the James Beard Award-winning cookbook. 12,500 first printing.

FOOD 2.0, by Charlie Ayers

In a groundbreaking cookbook based on the concept of brainfood, Google’s famed founding chef outlines a bold new approach to eating that emphasizes how the right foods at the right time of day can transform one’s body and mind and includes more than ninety easy-to-prepare recipes that range from breakfast to dessert. 50,000 first printing.

THE GIRL WITH NO SHADOW, by Joanne Harris

In Harris’s sequel to Chocolat (1999), the paranormally gifted chocolate-maker Vianne Rocher has moved from rural France to Paris, where she tries to create a life of anonymity.After an unfortunate “accident”—a child’s magical impulse gone astray—Vianne has forsworn her paranormal power to ensure her family’s stability. Using an assumed name, she lives above her chocolate shop in Montmarte with 11-year-old Anouk (now called Annie by schoolmates) and four-year old Rosette, who does not speak but possesses special gifts for drawing, signing and creating her own “accidents” despite her mother’s attempts to avoid them. Vianne herself no longer makes her own “special” candies. Her middle-aged, well-meaning but conventional landlord, Thierry, has become her suitor, and she has exchanged her red dress for basic black. Enter Zozie de l’Alba, flamboyant, charming and soulless, a woman who lives by stealing identities, whether by literal theft of credit cards or by more supernatural means. Zozie is attracted to the energy of the chocolatier and particularly to Anouk, who is struggling with heightened preteen anxieties and resentments, a desire both to fit in and remain different. Iago-like Zozie insinuates herself into Vianne’s family. She draws much-needed new customers by redecorating the shop and charming patrons while encouraging Vianne to make her own delicious, if no longer magical, candies. She becomes Vianne’s friend and a confidante to Anouk as the girl sorts out social problems at school. But Zozie lets readers know early on that her plans are sinister. She wants Vianne’s identity and carefully drives a wedge between mother and daughter. Then Vianne’s old lover, and Rosette’s secret father, Roux, shows up. Zozie senses a kindred amoral spirit. The psychology of these characters is as complicated and spellbinding as their purported magic.A contemporary, razor-edged fairy tale—very dark chocolate but likely to be gobbled up.Agent: Michael Carlisle/InkWell Management Copyright Kirkus 2008

THE HOUSE ON FORTUNE STREET, by Margot Livesey

Love proves a destructive force in the lives of four Brits who have divergent perspectives on their interrelated dilemmas in another probing, satisfying novel from Livesey (Banishing Verona, 2004, etc.).In its first section, the story seems to be about a selfish, heartless actress, Abigail, who breaks up poor graduate student Sean’s marriage, then sleeps with his university chum Valentine. Abigail’s so busy and preoccupied she doesn’t notice that her best friend, Dara, is in suicidal despair over a lying lover—but then again, neither does Sean until he comes across Dara’s body in the downstairs flat of the house they all share on Fortune Street in London. The book’s second section concerns Dara’s childhood, seen through the eyes of her father Cameron, who has an unconsummated but unwholesome interest in prepubescent girls. His wife throws him out when she realizes his fondness for Dara’s best friend is more than fatherly, and we see in the third section that his daughter has never recovered from Cameron’s abrupt disappearance when she was ten. We also see that Dara is partly responsible for her disappointments in love, because she makes her boyfriends the obsessive center of her life. She’s rather shocked by Abigail’s casual attitude toward sex; even though the two women have been close since they met at university, their totally different personalities often chafe. Abigail, whose feckless parents let her work her way through both high school and university, is tough-minded and something of a user. She loves Dara, but can’t understand her friend’s neurotic vulnerability. In the moving final pages, Cameron confesses to Abigail what he could never tell Dara, and both confront their failures. “There was no question of them forgiving each other,” Abigail bleakly concludes. Yet the novel is filled with sorrowful wisdom about the fallible human heart and our myopic view of ourselves and those we love.Moving, gruffly tender and piercingly truthful. Livesey has plenty of critical respect already, but her talents merit a broad popular audience as well.Agent: Amanda Urban/ICM Copyright Kirkus 2008

Audition, by Barbara Walters

In a riveting and candid memoir, the acclaimed television journalist chronicles the people, events, and forces that have shaped her life and career, from childhood to the present day, discussing her relationships with men, family, friends, coworkers, and rivals; her struggle to make it in a man’s world; and the interviews she has conducted during her forty-year-career. 750,000 first printing.

Passion on the Vine, by Sergio Esposito

An evocative celebration of food, wine, and family by a leading authority on Italian wine journeys into the heart of his native land to visit the great wineries and culinary wonders of Italy, introducing an endearing, eccentric cast of characters that range from the author’s own parents to a ballroom-dancing winemaker whose farming methods are based on the cycles of the moon. 30,000 first printing.

Moyers on Democracy, by Bill Moyers

In a collection of eloquent speeches, the renowned broadcaster shares his thoughts on the state of America, the betrayal of the nation’s democratic ideals by the Bush administration, and the need to reconnect with our constitutional principles and history of reform, speaking out on such issues as religion in public life, the environment, and the Iraq war. 60,000 first printing.

Peace, by Richard Bausch

The experiences of battle fatigue and constant exposure to mortal danger are depicted with raw immediacy and terse power in this short novel from veteran Bausch (Thanksgiving Night, 2006, etc.).The book describes the ordeal of a “recon squad” lost in a mountainous area of Italy in the waning war year of 1944. The squad loses several of its men and things unravel further when a hard-bitten sergeant shoots to death both a German soldier and the woman hiding with him in a Nazi tank. Three soldiers struggle on alone: Boston Jew Saul Asch, embittered redneck Benny Joyner and their leader, Corporal Robert Marson, an ingenuous young husband and father, a once promising baseball player and a virtually prototypical “good American.” This sounds like a generic war-movie scenario, and there are echoes of Stephen Crane, James Jones and particularly William Styron’s The Long March. But Bausch sustains a gripping atmosphere of wintry dread, and he keeps the reader hooked with subtly accreting little surprises, as Marson and his small crew appropriate the services of an aging Italian farmer, Angelo, to guide them up and down the treacherous mountainside. Is Angelo a “fascisti”? In bits of broken English the old man vigorously denies accusations hurled at him by the distrustful Joyner—as Marson, tortured by a painful foot injury and burdened with authority he wields only reluctantly, labors to keep them all together. Then, the body of a presumably “executed” German soldier is discovered, repeated rifle shots that can only mean one horrific thing are heard and Marson’s survival skills and resolve are put to ultimate physical and moral tests.Bausch admirably turns a familiar story into something genuinely new.Agent: Henry Dunow/Dunow, Carlson & Lerner. First Printing of 35,000 Copyright Kirkus 2008 Kirkus/BPI Communications.

Belong to Me, by Marisa de los Santos

While Cornelia gains unexpected insight into her troubled marriage, Piper finds her carefully controlled life unraveling in the wake of a friend’s crisis, and Lake tells a complex series of lies to gain her son’s entry into a school for gifted students. 150,000 first printing.

So Brave, Young and Handsome, by Leif Enger

In 1915 Minnesota, Monte Becket, a novelist who has lost his sense of purpose, joins Glendon Hale, an outlaw intent on reconciling with his family, which he had abandoned more than two decades earlier, on his journey to California, but he is forced to leave his own family and is pursued by Charles Siringo, a relentless former Pinkerton agent. By the author of Peace Like a River.

The Soloist, by Steve Lopez

An intimate portrait of gifted violinist Nathaniel Ayers traces his promising education at Juilliard, his struggles with schizophrenia, and the factors that led to his homelessness in Los Angeles, circumstances that prompted their friendship and the author’s efforts to improve the musician’s life in spite of numerous setbacks.

The Girl With No Shadow, by Joanne Harris

A long-anticipated sequel to the best-selling Chocolat finds Vianne assuming a low-profile new identity in Paris, where she opens a chocolaterie and hopes to escape the ghosts of her past before a devious new friend threatens everything she has worked for. 100,000 first printing.

Child 44, by Tom Rob Smith

Rising Soviet state security force officer Leo Demidov encounters the test of his career when a serial killer challenges his beliefs about the paradise of the working world, resulting in his demotion and threats against the lives of his family members. A first novel.

Girls in Trucks, by Katie Crouch

Wry, rueful tales of a Southern debutante’s mostly disappointing love life.The unifying motif of Crouch’s debut is the Charleston Cotillion Training School, where South Carolina girls and boys of a certain class are taught ballroom dance in preparation for the girls’ coming out parties. Prominent among the debutantes are the Camellias, a sorority of women whose mission is to “prepare their daughters for marriage to a decent man.” For Sarah Walters and her friends Bitsy, Charlotte and Annie, Camellia membership will mark their most permanent attachment; it seems that for latter-day debutantes there’s a shortage of decent men. The novel is comprised of linked short stories, some veering off into the equally problematic amours of peripheral characters including Sarah’s brilliant older sister Eloise and their mother. After college, Sarah moves to New York City seeking a writer’s life. While working lowly editorial positions, she rooms with Charlotte, a fledgling fashion designer who’s in and out of rehab. Sarah’s man-that-got-away is blue-blooded Max, who “made money with money.” His casual cruelty is not tempered by any redeeming appeal, and Sarah’s intractable obsession with him beggars belief. She attempts, vainly, to settle for guys from home, or guys she thought of as just friends but was holding in reserve as fallback lovers. Annie, who never leaves Charleston, survives a relationship with a feckless artist to find love and financial stability. Bitsy marries money, which is scant consolation for her husband’s callousness—his infidelities persist as she dies of cancer. Charlotte chooses first drugs, then entrepreneurial success, over relationships. Sarah, finding at 31 that she’s “missed [her] window” of opportunity with the fallback guys, has a child by an extremely casual acquaintance. By age 35 she’s accepted the fact that neither she nor the men in her life will ever measure up to debutante standards .Gentle humor and sharp observation couched in straightforward prose with none of the preening preciosity so often seen in Southern fiction. (Kirkus Review)

50 Best Girlfriends Getaways in North America, by National Geographic

An engaging handbook offers a series of fun-filled travel ideas for women that range from big city trips or small-town weekends to pampering spa retreats and wilderness adventures, in a volume that includes practical suggestions on roommate etiquette, safety, what to pack, budgeting, and more. Original. 25,000 first printing.

Certain Girls, by Jennifer Weiner

A sequel to Good in Bed takes place thirteen years later and finds a no-longer-famous Cannie writing science fiction under a pen name, raising her teenage daughter, and considering her husband Peter’s request to have Cannie’s flamboyant sister provide surrogate services so that they can have a second child. 450,000 first printing.

Fifty Places to Sail Before You Die, by Chris Santella

Sailing Experts Share the World’s Greatest Destinations.
          
          
          

The Biggest Loser Success Secrets, by Maggie Greenwood-Robinson

Presents the diet and exercise secrets of successful contestants on the show “The Biggest Loser”, discussing finding the time to work out, overcoming food cravings, and maintaining weight after reaching a weight-loss goal.

Playing with the Enemy, by Gary Moore

Describes how the sports career of the author’s father, a baseball phenom, was cut short by the onset of World War II and by his chance assignment to a secret mission for the U.S. Navy–to guard a select group of German POWs, the crew of the submarine U-205. Reprint.

Ladies of Liberty, by Cokie Roberts

A sequel to Founding Mothers shares the stories of remarkable women who shaped American history between 1796 and 1828, including Dolley Madison, Theodosia Burr, and Sacajawea. By the author of We Are Our Mothers’ Daughters. 400,000 first printing.

The Romanov Bride, by Robert Alexander

A final installment of a trilogy that began with Rasputin’s Daughter and The Kitchen Boy finds vengeance-seeking villager Pavel joining an underground group that assassinates the grand duke of Russia, irrevocably affecting the life purpose of his widow, Elisavyeta.

I Was Told There’d Be Cake, by Sloane Crosley

A debut compilation of literary essays offers a revealing and humorous look at human fallibility and the vagaries of modern urban life as the author details the despoiling of an exhibit at the Natural History Museum, the provocation of her first boss, siccing the cops on her mysterious neighbor, and other offbeat situations. Original.

The Grandmother Book: A Book About You for Your Grandchild, by Andy Hilford

Andy and Susan Hilford present the perfect way for grandmothers of all ages to pass along a grandmother’s story. The story is one that recounts coming-of-age moments, life-changing events, a look back at what was, family anecdotes and historical insight. With thoughtful, surprising, at times unexpected, and provocative questions, this book is directed to the new generation of baby boomer grandmothers. From early memories of her childhood, to the time she began her own family, to the present as she watches her family continue to grow, this valuable, prompted keepsake ensures that the thoughts, moments, events, images, and ideas that shaped her life are collected in her voice and in her hand for a precious audience.

The Moses Code, by James Twyman

Is it possible that nearly 3,500 years ago, Moses was given the secret for attracting everything you’ve ever desired? The Moses Code was first used to create some of the greatest miracles in the history of the world, but then it was hidden away, and only the highest initiates were allowed to practice it. In this book, James F. Twyman reveals the Code for the first time, showing how it can be used to create miracles in your life . . . and in the world. By practicing the principles presented within these pages, you’ll discover how you can integrate the most powerful manifestation tool in the history of the world into your own life. (Editorial Review)

The Shack, by Willliam Young

Four years after his daughter is abducted and evidence of her murder is found in an abandoned shack, Mackenzie Allen Philips returns to the shack in response to a note claiming to be from God, and has a life-changing experience.

Enlightenment for Idiots, by Anne Cuchman

Hoping to write the ultimate book on meditation, Amanda, an aspiring yoga instructor, is stuck earning a living as a hack writer of travel guides and is thrilled when her commitment-phobic photographer boyfriend offers her the opportunity to travel with him to the spiritual sites of India, but her trip and an unwelcome revelation force her to make tough choices about love, life, and spiritual practice. 30,000 first printing.

The Convenient Groom, by Denise Hunter

Carpenter Lucas stands in for the groom when celebrated author and marriage counselor Dr. Kate Lawrence is left at the altar hours before her wedding, but after the big day, Kate discovers that she has a lot to learn about love. Thomas Nelson Publisher.

The House at Riverton, by Kate Morton

Living out her final days in a nursing home, ninety-eight-year-old Grace remembers the secrets surrounding the 1924 suicide of a young poet during a glittering society party hosted by Grace’s English aristocrat employers, a family that is shattered by war. 75,000 first printing.

The Host, by Stephenie Meyer

A member of a species that takes over the minds of human bodies, Wanderer is unable to disregard his host’s love for a man in hiding, a situation that forces both possessor and host to become unwilling allies. A first adult novel by the author of Eclipse.

Comfort, by Ann Hood

The author of The Knitting Circle documents her family’s journey of grief after the sudden death of her five-year-old daughter after a virulent illness, a process during which she learned how to knit and experienced comfort in unexpected ways.

Bonk, by Mary Roach

A whimsical assessment of the science of sexual physiology considers the lighter side of such topics as the arousal of cadavers, mythologies about a woman’s ability to experience orgasm, and the ineffectiveness of Viagra on female pandas. By the author of Stiff and Spook.

Ten Days in the Hills, by Jane Smiley

In the wake of the 2003 Academy Awards, a group of friends and family gathers in the Hollywood hills for ten transformative days of love, memories, gossip, movies, and more, including Max, an Oscar-winning writer/director whose career is waning; his lover Elena; his ex-wife, film star Zoe Cunningham; their daughter Isabel; and others. Reprint. 75,000 first printing.

Ghosts Among Us, by James Van Praagh

A co-executive producer of The Ghost Whisperer and world-famous medium shares true encounter tales from the author’s own life, reveals lesser-known details about how ghosts participate in everyday life, and discusses how to enable a more fulfilling life by being open to the spirit world. 100,000 first printing.

Comfort Food, by Kate Jacobs

Tiring of playing the hostess as her fiftieth birthday approaches, celebrity chef Augusta Simpson endeavors to distance herself from her overly dependent loved ones and receives assistance from handsome fellow chef Oliver in her efforts to launch an on-air cooking class. By the author of The Friday Night Knitting Club.

The Downhill Lie, by Carl Hiaasen

A hilarious golf memoir recounts the author’s return to the fairways after quitting the game in college and waiting more than thirty years and into middle age before returning to the sport, describing how he purchased a set of clubs, joined a country club, practiced for eighteen long months, and agreed to compete in a tournament against much more talented players. 200,000 first printing.

Swine Not? by Jimmy Buffett

Moving their beloved pet pig from their Tennessee hometown to their new home in a posh no-pets-allowed New York City hotel, southern belle Ellie McBride and her twin children struggle to hide the swine from the hotel staff, including an ultra-carnivorous hotel chef. 600,000 first printing.

I Still Have It… by Rita Rudner

The comedienne-author of Naked Beneath My Clothes offers a hilarious look at the inevitable realities of growing older as she recounts the whimsical adventures and misadventures of a woman of a certain age navigating the issues of style, technology, and body image. 40,000 first printing.

Knut the Baby Polar Bear, by Juliana Hatkoff

Presents the true story of Knut, a polar bear born at the Berlin Zoo, whose mother was unable to raise him and who was cared for by the bear keeper of the zoo.

Bonjour Butterfly, with Fancy Nancy, by Jane O’Connor

When she is told that she won’t be able to attend her best friend’s glamorous Butterfly Birthday Bash because it coincides with her grandparents’ 50th wedding anniversary celebration, Nancy is heartbroken, but with her family’s support and her own stylish flare, Nancy is able to add a touch of drama to the mix and make the day a true success for all.

Fancy Nancy’s Favorite Words, by Jane O”Connor

Fancy Nancy provides one or more of her favorite fancy words for each letter of the alphabet, defines them, and uses some in sentences that show what they mean to her, such as that she yearns–wants really badly–to visit Paris someday. 200,000 first printing.

Sword Quest, by Nancy Yi Fan

As two rivals, archaeopteryx Maldeor and archae-dove Wind-Voice, race to find the Great Spirit’s sword, the destiny of birdworld hangs in the balance, in an exciting fantasy prequel to Swordbird.

Fiction and Nonfiction

HUMAN SMOKE, by Nicholson Baker
A persuasive argument for peace and pacifism, this critical study of the decades leading up to World War II offers insightful profiles of the world leaders, politicians, business people, bankers, and others whose personal politics, ideologies, and agendas provided an inevitable barrier to the peace process and whose actions led to the outbreak of war. 125,000 first printing.

SUPERCLASS, by David Rothkopf
An informative study of global power brokers examines the world of the privileged elite; their role in government, business, international finance, world religion, the media, and criminal and terrorist organizations; their influence on our everyday lives; and the connections among these global communities of leaders. By the author of Running the World.

THE MATCH, by Mark Frost
A chronicle of a lesser-known 1956 golf match documents how car salesmen Harvie Ward and Ken Venturi competed against the period’s leading players as a result of a bet between sponsors Eddie Lowery and George Coleman, in a competition that helped promote golf into a professional sport.

JUST WHO WILL YOU BE? by Maria Shriver
This slender inspirational book is a candid self-portrait of a woman in transition. A longtime NBC anchorwoman, Shriver was thrown into a tailspin when asked to resign after her husband, Arnold Schwarzenegger, was elected governor of California; she writes, “My career was gone, and with it went the person I’d been for twenty-five years.” With a combination of self-deprecation and chutzpah, Shriver describes herself as the consummate overachiever, a “people-pleasing, legacy-carrying, perfection-seeking Good Girl,” now realizing that “asking ourselves not just what we want to be but who we want to be is important at every stage in our lives, not just when we’re starting out in the world. That’s because, in a way, we’re starting out fresh in the world every single day.” Reprinted in full in this book is the speech Shriver made at her nephew’s high school graduation—a humorous meditation on fame, achievement and self-worth—that inspired the writing of this book. Shriver’s earnest self-inquiry and her humility and readiness to regard herself as a 50-year-old work-in-progress make for a charming and genuinely inspiring read.

THE LAST LECTURE, by Randy Pausch
The author, a computer science professor diagnosed with terminal cancer, explores his life, the lessons that he has learned, how he has worked to achieve his childhood dreams, and the effect of his diagnosis on him and his family.

LAST CHILD IN THE WOODS, by Richard Low
Presents a study showing how a child’s lack of involvement with nature can increase the chances of obesity, distraction, and depression and how a nature-child reunion can enhance problem-solving and critical thinking skills.

WOLF TOTEM, by Jiang Rong
A best-selling work in China is set in the 1960s on the eve of the Cultural Revolution and follows the spiritual journey of Beijing intellectual Chen Zhen into the world of the nomadic Mongols, a dying culture that honors the endangered Mongolian wolf and follows a philosophy about maintaining a balance with nature. 25,000 first printing.

KILLER YEAR, edited by Lee Child
Some of the rising stars in the crime, suspense, and mystery genres reveal their talents in a spinetingling anthology of short stories, each of which is introduced by such mentors as Tess Gerritsen, Jeffery Deaver, and Lee Child, accompanied by additional tales and essays by Laura Lippman, MJ Rose, Allison Brennan, Ken Bruen, and Duane Swierczynski. 25,000 first printing

WALLACE STEGNER AND THE AMERICAN WEST, by Philip Fradkin
An illuminating portrait of Wallace Stegner examines the life and career of the twentieth-century literary luminary in terms of his roles as a premier chronicler of the American West, influential teacher, and visionary conservationist, from the perspective of the country that shaped his fiction and nonfiction works and his lasting influence on American literature. 30,000 first printing.

SO BRAVE, YOUNG AND HANDSOME, by Leif Enger
In 1915 Minnesota, Monte Becket, a novelist who has lost his sense of purpose, joins Glendon Hale, an outlaw intent on reconciling with his family, which he had abandoned more than two decades earlier, on his journey to California, but he is forced to leave his own family and is pursued by Charles Siringo, a relentless former Pinkerton agent. By the author of Peace Like a River.

HIGH CRIMES, by Michael Kodas
Documents a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist’s effort to climb Mount Everest in the aftermath of the tragic 1996 storm that ended the lives of eight climbers, an effort that tested the moral codes of the author’s team members and revealed the existence of mountain-based crime organizations preying on aspiring climbers. 125,000 first printing.

EARTH, THE SEQUEL, by Fred Krupp
An Environmental Defense Fund president presents a call-to-arms that reveals how the world can harness the capabilities of capitalist nations in order to address key environmental and economic challenges, in a report that discusses how specific actions have a potential to launch profitable new industries and jobs.

FIVE YEARS OF MY LIFE, AN INNOCENT MAN IN GUANTANAMO, by Murat Kurnaz
A former prisoner at Guantanamo describes how, in October 2001, he was arrested by police during a visit to Pakistan, sold to U.S. forces, and imprisoned in Afghanistan and in Guantanamo, where he endured more than 1,600 days of torture, interrogation, and solitary confinement before being released with acknowledgement of his innocence. 30,000 first printing.

THE MEANING OF NIGHT, by Michael Cox
Convinced that he is destined for great wealth, power, and influence, Edward Glyver–booklover, scholar, and murderer–will to anything to reclaim a prize that is rightfully his, following a trail from the underworld depths of Victorian London, to the posh estate of Evenwood and all-consuming love for the enigmatic Emily Carteret, to an ultimate showdown with his rival, poet-criminal Phoebus Rainsford Daunt. 100,000 first printing.

LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE, by Laura Esquivel
Despite the fact that she has fallen in love with a young man, Tita, the youngest of three daughters born to a tyrannical rancher, must obey tradition and remain single and at home to care for her mother. A combination fairy tale, melodrama, romance, Mexican cookbook, and home remedy handbook, the long-awaited trade paperback edition of the hugely popular best-seller includes the artwork from the hardcover version. Reprint.

THE KNITTING CIRCLE, by Ann Hood
Grieving over the sudden loss of her only child, Mary Baxter joins a knitting circle in Providence, Rhode Island, whose members not only teach her a variety of knitting techniques but also valuable lessons about friendship, love, and redemption.

THE INTELLECTUAL DEVOTIONAL, by David Kidder
This daily digest of intellectual challenge and learning will arouse curiosity, refresh knowledge, expand horizons, and keep the mind sharp. Millions of Americans keep bedside books of prayer and meditative reflection–collections of daily passages to stimulate spiritual thought and advancement. This is a secular version of the same–a collection of 365 short lessons that will inspire and invigorate the reader every day of the year. Each daily digest of wisdom is drawn from one of seven fields of knowledge: history, literature, philosophy, mathematics and science, religion, fine arts, and music. The goal is to refresh knowledge we’ve forgotten, make new discoveries, and exercise modes of thinking that are ordinarily neglected once our school days are behind us.–From publisher description. A year’s worth of daily readings from the secular arena provides subject matter for intellectual growth and advancement, in a volume that includes coverage of such topics as opera terms, basic physics principles, musical genres, and the inner workings of batteries.

A new email will be arriving in two weeks with new titles for the spring as well as a list of our store’s best sellers.

Look for this new, informative addition in the middle of each month!