Prepub Alert
By Barbara Hoffert -- Library Journal, 7/15/2006
Fiction | Nonfiction
Fiction
Allende, Isabel. Ines of My Soul. HarperCollins. Nov. 2006. 320p. ISBN 0-06-116153-5. $25.95.
Only Allende could bring to life the mighty conquistadora who helped capture the area that is now Chile for Spain.
Andrews, Mary Kay. Blue Christmas. HarperCollins. Nov. 2006. 176p. ISBN 0-06-083734-9 [ISBN 978-0-06-083734-1]. $14.95. lrg. prnt. CD: HarperAudio.
This Christmas, Weezie Foley is sure she’ll win the Savannah historical district window decorating contest. But who’s visiting her shop at night to disturb the display?
Barry, Dave. The Shepherd, the Angel, and Walter the Christmas Miracle Dog. Putnam. Nov. 2006. 128p. ISBN 0-399-15413-2. $15.95.
Asquont, NY, 1960. Doug is glad that he’s a shepherd in the annual Christmas pageant, but it’s the ailing family dog, Walter, who might be delivering the miracle.
Bass, Rick. The Lives of Rocks. Houghton. Nov. 2006. 224p. ISBN 0-618-59674-7 [ISBN 978-0-618-59674-4]. $23.
The prolific Bass spins another story collection, featuring characters who must wrestle with illness, memory, and death.
Berg, Elizabeth. The Handmaid and the Carpenter. Random. Nov. 2006. 160p. ISBN 1-4000-6538-0 [ISBN 978-1-4000-6538-7]. $16.95.
One can only imagine the delicacy and emotional resonance that would likely endow Berg’s retelling of the Christmas story.
Cherryh, C.J. Fortress of Ice. Eos: HarperCollins. Nov. 2006. 400p. ISBN 0-380-97904-7 [ISBN 978-0-380-97904-2]. $24.95.
Just because Cefwyn is king doesn’t mean that evil won’t be lurking.
Connolly, John. Book of Lost Things. Atria: S. & S. ISBN 0-7432-9885-3. $20.
After a 12-year-old’s mother dies, the books she worshiped start whispering to the child—and soon they are dragging him into another world.
DeMille, Nelson. Wild Fire. Warner. Nov. 2006. 496p. ISBN 0-446-57967-X [ISBN 978-0-446-57967-4]. $26.99. lrg. prnt. Cassette/CD: Time Warner Audio.
In the wake of 9/11, members of the exclusive Custer Hill Club decide on revenge with a plan code-named Wild Fire. With a ten-city tour.
Hiaasen, Carl. Nature Girl. Knopf. Nov. 2006. 352p. ISBN 0-307-26299-5 [ISBN 978-0-307-26299-8]. $25.95. lrg. prnt. CD: Random Audio.
Honey Santana plans to save the world by taking telemarketer Boyd Shreave and his brassy girlfriend to Florida’s Ten Thousand Islands for some lessons in good behavior. But with Honey’s possessive ex-husband in pursuit and half-Seminole failed alligator wrestler Sammy Tigertail causing trouble, civility goes out the window.
Hillerman, Tony. The Shape Shifter. HarperCollins. Nov. 2006. 288p. ISBN 0-06-056345-1 [ISBN 978-0-06-056345-5]. $26.95. lrg. prnt. CD: HarperAudio.
Delayed from the summer (see Prepub Alert, LJ 2/15/06), this story of a case that comes back to haunt Joe Leaphorn after retirement has a one-day laydown—we hope.
LaHaye, Tim & Jerry B. Jenkins. John’s Story: The Last Eyewitness. Putnam. (Jesus Chronicles, Bk. 1). Nov. 2006. 288p. ISBN 0-399-15389-6. $24.95. CD: Penguin Audio.
Leaving behind the “Left Behind” series, LaHaye and Jenkins launch a series that will chronicle the four gospel writers. Here we meet the ancient John, last surviving apostle, as he decides it’s time to offer his version of events.
Lehrer, Jim. The Phony Marine. Random. Nov. 2006. 224p. ISBN 1-4000-6486-4 [ISBN 978-1-4000-6486-1]. $23.95.
When he starts wearing a Silver Star he got on eBay, divorced and lonely milquetoast Hugo Marder is suddenly treated with enormous respect. Is this deception what he needs to transform his life?
May, Antoinette. Pilate’s Wife: A Novel of the Roman Empire. HarperCollins. Nov. 2006. 352p. ISBN 0-06-112865-1 [ISBN 978-0-06-112865-3]. $24.95.
May has already visited the best sellers lists as coauthor (with Sylvia Browne) of Adventures of a Psychic. Now she goes it alone with this reimagining of the life of Claudia—wife of Pontius Pilate, friend of Mary Magdalene, and visionary who sees the consequences of Jesus’s crucifixion.
Moning, Karen Marie. Darkfever. Delacorte. Nov. 2006. 352p. ISBN 0-385-33915-1 [ISBN 978-0-385-33915-5]. $20.
After the murder of her sister, sidhe-seer Max discovers that she can sense the Fae and their dangerous book, the Sinsar Dubh, which she must chase down to assure that justice is served.
Munro, Alice. The View from Castle Rock. Random. Nov. 2006. 352p. ISBN 1-4000-4282-8 [ISBN 978-1-4000-4282-1]. $25.95. CD: Random Audio.
Munro’s newest story collection gracefully reconstructs her family history.
O’Shaughnessy, Perri. Keeper of the Keys. Delacorte. Nov. 2006. 416p. ISBN 0-385-33796-5 [ISBN 978-0-385-33796-0]. $25.
Temporarily leaving behind Nina O’Reilly, O’Shaughnessy pens a standalone about a wife’s disappearance and a husband’s confusion—did she run? was she killed?—even as secrets from his past start to surface.
Patterson, James. Cross. Little, Brown. Nov. 2006. 400p. ISBN 0-316-15979-4 [ISBN 978-0-316-15979-1]. $27.99. lrg. prnt. Cassette/CD: Time Warner Audio.
Called on by former partner John Sampson to help track a serial rapist in Georgetown, psychologist Alex Cross discovers a link to the murder of his wife years ago.
Perry, Anne. A Christmas Secret. Ballantine. Nov. 2006. 208p. ISBN 0-345-48581-5 [ISBN 978-0-345-48581-6]. $16.95.
The vicar whom Dominic and Clarice Corde are replacing is supposed to be away on holiday, not lying dead in the stable. More Victorian Christmas suspense from Perry.
Pollard, Eve. Jack’s Widow. Morrow. Nov. 2006. 288p. ISBN 0-06-081703-8 [ISBN 978-0-06-081703-9]. $24.95.
Having already written a biography of Jackie Kennedy, Pollard has decided to fictionalize her life, introducing a little espionage that really comes into play after President Kennedy’s assassination.
Rankin, Ian. Bleeding Hearts. Little, Brown. Nov. 2006. 400p. ISBN 0-316-00912-1 [ISBN 978-0-316-00912-6]. $24.99.
After paid assassin Michael Weston wipes out a TV reporter, the cops close in a little too quickly. Was he set up?
Steel, Danielle. H.R.H. Delacorte. Nov. 2006. 336p. ISBN 0-385-33829-5 [ISBN 978-0-385-33829-5]. $27. lrg. prnt. Cassette/CD: Random Audio.
The Princess Christianna diaries: after four years at Berkeley, modish Christianna talks her royal dad into letting her serve with the Red Cross in Africa. She’s in for some enlightenment, in both love and life.
Turner, Frederick. Redemption. Harcourt. Nov. 2006. 320p. ISBN 0-15-101470-1 [ISBN 978-0-15-101470-5]. $24.
In the disreputable Storyville district of early 1900s New Orleans, policeman Francis Muldoon’s infatuation with beautiful chanteuse Adele leads him into a bloody rivalry. With a four-city tour.
Wilson, Robert. The Hidden Assassins. Harcourt. Nov. 2006. 512p. ISBN 0-15-101239-3 [ISBN 978-0-15-101239-8]. $25.
A building in Seville explodes, courtesy of the mosque in the basement, and soon chief inspector Javier Falcón must track a conspiracy that takes him in an unexpected direction.
Winegardner, Mark. The Godfather’s Revenge. Putnam. Nov. 2006. 400p. ISBN 0-399-15384-5. $25.95. CD: Penguin Audio.
When one of Michael Corleone’s underlings is deported to Colombia by order of the attorney general (brother of the President), he sneaks back to retaliate—and ends up changing the course of U.S. politics. With a five-city tour.
The Spirit and Opportunity robot missions to Mars have managed to conjure more than 150,000 images in two Earth years. Only 150 are shown here, but that should be enough to astonish.
Fernández-Armesto, Felipe. Pathfinders: A Global History of Exploration. Norton. Nov. 2006. 386p. ISBN 0-393-06259-7 [ISBN 978-0-393-06259-5]. $27.95.
Noted historian Fernández- Armesto (The Americas) escorts us on journeys ranging from Egyptian queen Hatshepsut’s second millennium B.C.E. linkup with Punt to 19th-century explorations of Africa and the South Pacific.
Frankfurt, Harry G. On Truth. Knopf. Nov. 2006. 128p. ISBN 0-307-26422-X [ISBN 978-0-307-26422-0]. $12.50.
The Princeton professor who gave us the surprise hit On Bullshit explains that our commitment to truth is not unequivocal. With a three-city tour.
Fried, Charles. Modern Liberty: And the Limits of Government. Norton. Nov. 2006. 224p. ISBN 0-393-06000-4 [ISBN 978-0-393-06000-3]. $24.95.
A Harvard-based expert on Constitutional law, Fried joins Norton’s “Issues of Our Times” list with thoughts on the contemporary meaning of freedom. With a five-city tour.
Gabler, Neal. Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination. Knopf. Nov. 2006. 816p. ISBN 0-679-43822-X [ISBN 978-0-679-43822-9]. $35. CD: Random Audio.
The celebrated biographer of Walter Winchell, Gabler spent seven years plundering the Disney archives to craft this biography of Walt Disney, who’s shown to be less than the cheery mouseketeer we imagine. With an 11-city tour.
Greenspan, Dorie. Baking: From My Home to Yours. Houghton. Nov. 2006. 528p. ISBN 0-618-44336-3 [ISBN 978-0-618-44336-9]. $40.
Queen of desserts, Greenspan here focuses on baking, coming up with 300 recipes that will probably sound so good you’ll want to eat the page.
Guiliano, Mireille. French Women for All Seasons: A Year of Secrets, Recipes, and Pleasure. Knopf. Nov. 2006. 304p. ISBN 0-307-26523-4 [ISBN 978-0-307-26523-4]. $24.95. CD: Random Audio.
French Women Don’t Get Fat, but they do respond gracefully to reader requests for more ideas about living well without chubbing up. Big expectations: there’s a 750,000-copy first printing. With a 12-city tour.
Hirshenson, Janet & Jane Jenkins. A Star Is Found: Our Adventures Casting Some of Hollywood’s Biggest Movies. Harcourt. Nov. 2006. 320p. ISBN 0-15-101234-2 [ISBN 978-0-15-101234-3]. $25.
A behind-the-scenes look at the casting director’s life, by the team who gave us luminaries from Julia Roberts to the Harry Potter crew.
Hutchison, Kay Bailey. Leading Ladies: American Trailblazers. Morrow. Nov. 2006. 320p. ISBN 0-06-113824-X [ISBN 978-0-06-113824-9]. $25.95. lrg. prnt. CD: HarperAudio.
The first woman senator from Texas pays her respects to women who opened the doors before her. With a three-city tour.
Kagan, Robert. Dangerous Nation: America’s Place in the World from Its Earliest Days to the Dawn of the 20th Century. Knopf. Nov. 2006. 560p. ISBN 0-375-41105-4 [ISBN 978-0-375-41105-2]. $30.
Though Americans pretend to be isolationist, argues Kagan (Of Paradise and Power), we’ve actually been grabbing land and power for four centuries. With a five-city tour.
Langguth, A.J. Union: 1812; The Americans Who Fought the Second War of Independence. S. & S. Nov. 2006. 496p. ISBN 0-7432-2618-6 [ISBN 978-0-7432-2618-9]. $30.
From Toronto to New Orleans, Americans fought a second war of independence in 1812 and won for good. From Langguth, professor emeritus of journalism at the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School of Communications.
LeDuff, Charlie. US Guys: The True and Twisted Mind of the American Man. Penguin Pr: Penguin Group (USA). Nov. 2006. 256p. ISBN 1-59420-106-4 [ISBN 978-1-59420-106-6]. $25.95.
A Pulitzer Prize winner from the New York Times, LeDuff visits snake handlers, Little Big Horn reenactors, bike gangs, and the Burning Man festival (in full mohawk) to get a sense of what makes men in America tick. With a national tour.
McFeely, William S. Portrait: A Life of Thomas Eakins. Norton. Nov. 2006. 256p. ISBN 0-393-05065-3 [ISBN 978-0-393-05065-3]. $26.95.
A Pulitzer Prize–winning biographer paints a portrait of conflicted Philadelphia artist Thomas Eakins.
Marton, Kati. Magic in Their Pockets: How Nine Hungarian Immigrants Changed the World. S. & S. Nov. 2006. 384p. ISBN 0-7432-6115-1 [ISBN 978-0-7432-6115-9]. $27.
Born in Budapest, award-winning correspondent Marton returns to her roots in this account of nine extraordinary Hungarians—including Edward Teller, Arthur Koestler, and Andre Kertesz—who crossed the seas and changed America.
Masson, Jeffrey Moussaieff. Altruistic Armadillos, Zenlike Zebras: A Menagerie of 100 Favorite Animals. Ballantine. Nov. 2006. 496p. ISBN 0-345-47881-9 [ISBN 978-0-345-47881-8]. $29.95.
Weeping elephants, singing pigs, and dogs that never lie about love: the man who recorded them all now profiles 100 animals, from dolphins to dugongs
Mayle, Peter. Provence A–Z. Knopf. Nov. 2006. 336p. ISBN 1-4000-4442-1 [ISBN 978-1-4000-4442-9]. $25. CD: Random Audio.
From Aix-en-Provence to lavender to “La Marseillaise,” Mayle gives us 200 entries that sum up Provence.
Peterson, Dale. Jane Goodall: The Woman Who Redefined Man. Houghton. Nov. 2006. 672p. ISBN 0-395-85405-9 [ISBN 978-0-395-85405-1]. $35.
A longtime friend tells the story of the secretarial school graduate sent by Louis Leakey into the wilderness, where her studies resulted in a different view of the wild apes—and hence ourselves. With a three-city tour.
Richardson, Robert D. William James: In the Maelstrom of American Modernism. Houghton. Nov. 2006. 688p. ISBN 0-618-43325-2 [ISBN 978-0-618-43325-4]. $30.
Having revisited Thoreau and Emerson, with award-winning results, Richardson makes an appointment with great psychologist/metaphysicist James.
Roberts, Gene & Hank Klibanoff. The Race Beat: The Press, the Civil Rights Struggle, and the Awakening of a Nation. Knopf. Nov. 2006. 512p. ISBN 0-679-40381-7 [ISBN 978-0-679-40381-4]. $30.
When Selma marched, Little Rock resisted, and Medgar Evers was murdered, it was most often white, Southern-born reporters from Northern publications who brought the news to the nation. With a seven-city tour.
Rombauer, Irma S. & others. Joy of Cooking: 75th Anniversary Edition. Scribner. Nov. 2006. 152p. ISBN 0-7432-4626-8 [ISBN 978-0-7432-4626-2]. $30.
Following the latest edition by nearly a decade, this new take on a classic drops some of the trendy stuff introduced earlier and returns to good, old-fashioned cooking like casseroles and canning.
Sagan, Carl. The Varieties of Scientific Experience: A Personal View of the Search for God. Penguin Pr: Penguin Group (USA). Nov. 2006. 288p. ISBN 1-59420-107-2 [ISBN 978-1-59420-107-3]. $27.95.
On the tenth anniversary of Sagan’s death, this work pulls together the views of an outstanding scientist on an outstanding topic of our time—science and religion.
Schaap, Jeremy. Triumph: The Untold Story of Jesse Owens and Hitler’s Olympics. Houghton. Nov. 2006. 256p. ISBN 0-618-68822-6 [ISBN 978-0-618-68822-7]. $24.
From the ESPN anchor who brought us Cinderella Man.
Sykes, Bryan. Saxons, Vikings, and Celts: The Genetic Roots of Britain and Ireland. Norton. Nov. 2006. 320p. ISBN 0-393-06268-6 [ISBN 978-0-393-06268-7]. $26.95.
An Oxford professor of human genetics, Sykes spent ten years conducting a DNA survey of 10,000 volunteers, so he has a pretty good picture of folks from the British Isles.
Thomas, Evan. War at Sea: The Pacific 1941–1945: Four Commanders and the Last Great Naval Campaign. S. & S. Nov. 2006. 416p. ISBN 0-7432-5221-7 [ISBN 978-0-7432-5221-8]. $27.
The assistant managing editor of Newsweek uses the perspectives of four commanders—two Japanese and two American—to reconstruct the clash of navies and cultures in the South Pacific during World War II.
Vidal, Gore. Point to Point Navigation. Doubleday. Nov. 2006. 368p. ISBN 0-385-51721-1 [ISBN 978-0-385-51721-8]. $27.50.
Point to point navigation, used by first mate Vidal during World War II, allows sailors to find their way without a compass. Here Vidal recalls how he has sailed through his life since writing his first memoir, Palimpsest.
Virgil. The Aeneid. Viking. Nov. 2006. 416p. ISBN 0-670-03803-2. $40. CD: Penguin Audio.
The legendary translator of the Iliad and the Odyssey, Robert Fagles now delivers another classic.
Wozniak, Steve with Gina Smith. iWoz: How I Invented the Personal Computer and Had Fun Along the Way. Norton. Nov. 2006. 288p. ISBN 0-393-06143-4 [ISBN 978-0-393-06143-7]. $25.95.
The life and inventiveness of the man who made the computer personal.
