Prepub Alert

Berry, Steve. The Charlemagne Pursuit. Ballantine. Dec. 2008. 384p. ISBN 978-0-345-48579-3. $26.

What a shock. Berry regular Cotton Malone always thought his father died when his sub sank in the North Atlantic, not on a secret mission under Antarctica. Now he's tracking down the whole story—following clues from a manuscript found in Charlemagne's tomb. With a ten-city tour by (ahem) bookstore request, though there is library marketing.

Carwyn, Giles & Todd Fahnestock. Queen of Oblivion. Eos: HarperCollins. Dec. 2008. 480p. ISBN 978-0-06-082979-7. $25.95.

The “Heartstone” trilogy ends with the cunning sorceress Arefaine on a quest to unleash the secrets locked up in the towers of Efften. But now her past is an open book.

Johansen, Iris. The Treasure. Bantam. Dec. 2008. 416p. ISBN 978-0-553-80731-8. $25.

After ten years, Johansen jumps back into historical romance, drawing on characters from her popular Lion's Bride. Having been rescued from slavery by the assassin Kadar, Selenejoins him when he is forced to leave the safety of their 12th-century Scotland home.

Kallos, Stephanie. Sing Them Home. Atlantic Monthly. Dec. 2008. 560p. ISBN 978-0-87113-963-4. $24.

Kallos follows up her celebrated debut, Broken for You, with the story of three chaotic adult siblings, out of sorts since their ailing mother vanished during a tornado, and the surprising things that happen to them after their father's death.

Kamensky, Jane & Jill Lepore. Blindspot: By a Gentleman in Exile & a Lady in Disguise. Spiegel & Grau. Dec. 2008. 600p. ISBN 0-978-0-385-52619-7. $24.95. CD: Blackstone Audio.

Taking a break from academia, Kamensky and Lepore, professors of American history at Brandeis and Harvard, respectively, craft the tale of a “fallen” woman in Revolutionary America who disguises herself as a boy to apprentice with wild Scottish painter Stewart Jameson. With a five-city tour; BOMC, Literary Guild, and Mystery Guild featured alternate.

McCullough, Colleen. The Independence of Miss Mary Bennet. S. & S. Dec. 2008. 320p. ISBN 978-1-4165-9648-6. $26.

Since Elizabeth Bennet has had her chance at a sequel or two, why not her nerdy sister Mary, here off on an adventure involving lost treasure that takes her to early 19th-century England's dark side.

Plain, Belva. Crossroads. Delacorte. Nov. 2008. 352p. ISBN 978-0-385-33684-0. $26. lrg. prnt. CD: Random Audio.

Marriage woes in small-town New England. Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 8/07, and rescheduled for publication this December.

Sundaresan, Indu. In the Convent of Little Flowers. Atria: S. & S. Dec. 2008. 224p. ISBN 978-1-4165-8609-8. $22.

Modern or traditional, at home or abroad, single or widowed: the women of India are featured in short stories from the author of The Twentieth Wife.

Vachss, Andrew. Another Life: A Burke Novel. Pantheon. Dec. 2008. 288p. ISBN 978-0-307-37741-8. $24.95.

To save his surrogate father, deep in a coma, Burke agrees to find the kidnapped son of a Saudi prince. Evidently, Burke's last journey.

Brown, Bobbi. Bobbi Brown Makeup Manual: For Everyone from Beginner to Pro. Springboard: Grand Central. Dec. 2008. 256p. ISBN 978-0-446-58134-9. $32.

CEO Brown herself with every makeup tip imaginable.

Canedy, Dana. A Journal for Jordan: A Memoir of Love and Loss. Crown. Dec. 2008. 288p. ISBN 978-0-307-39579-5. $25.95. CD: Random Audio.

In 2005, at age 48, First Sgt. Charles Monroe King, First Battalion, 67th Armored Regiment, Fourth Infantry Division, thought he had better start a journal so that his infant son, Jordan, would have something to remember him by if he were killed in Iraq. Alas, it turned out to be a good idea. His wife, Canedy, a New York Times editor, shares the journal with us. With a ten-city tour and book group outreach. Optioned by Denzel Washington.

The Clash. The Clash. Grand Central. Nov. 2008. 384p. ISBN 978-0-446-53973-9. $45.

The Clash (minus Joe Strummer, who died of an undiagnosed congenital heart defect in 2002) on the Clash. Just in time for the 30th anniversary of the group's first U.S. tour.

Drury, Bob & Tom Clavin. The Last Stand of Fox Company; A True Story of U.S. Marines in Combat. Atlantic Monthly. Dec. 2008. 288p. ISBN 978-0-87113-993-1. $24.

From the authors of Halsey's Typhoon : the story of 234 very tough marines during the Korean War who held off a force of 10,000 Chinese soldiers in subzero weather to secure the Toktong Pass.

Everett, Daniel L. Don't Sleep, There Are Snakes: Life and Language in the Amazonian Jungle. Pantheon. Nov. 2008. 320p. ISBN 978-0-375-42502-8. $26.

In the late 1970s, Everett and his family went to Brazil as Christian missionaries to convert a tribe of Amazonian Indians. Instead, Everett became fascinated with their language, lost his faith, and is now chair of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures at Illinois State University.

Faris, Stephan. Forecast: A Journey to the Frontiers of Climate Change, from the Amazon to the Arctic, from Darfur to Napa Valley. Holt. Dec. 2008. 256p. ISBN 978-0-8050-8779-6. $25.

Resurgent malaria. Crop failures. Shifting industries. And the root cause of the conflict in Darfur. A look at what global warming hath wrought, from a journalist who specializes in issues affecting the developing world.

Gifford, Frank with Peter Richmond. The Glory Game: How the 1958 NFL Championship Changed Football Forever. HarperCollins. Nov. 2008. 288p. ISBN 978-0-06-154255-8. $25.95.

Famed player and sports commentator Gifford on a 1958 game that has been called the most memorable in American sports history.

Gordon, Meryl. Mrs. Astor Regrets: The Hidden Betrayals of a Family Beyond Reproach. Houghton. Dec. 2008. 400p. ISBN 978-0-618-89373-7. $28.

From a New Yorker writer whose profiles range from Kofi Annan to Nicole Kidman; a bad ending for the redoubtable Mrs. Astor and her family.

Greene, Richard, ed. Graham Greene: A Life in Letters. Norton. Dec. 2008. 480p. ISBN 978-0-393-06642-5. $35.

The novelist's life as revealed through his letters, edited by University of Toronto professor Greene, surprisingly, no relation.

Hölldobler, Bert & Edward O. Wilson. The Superorganism: The Beauty, Elegance, and Strangeness of Insect Societies. Norton. Nov. 2008. 576p. ISBN 978-0-393-06704-0. $65.

Nearly two decades after his groundbreaking opus, The Ants, Wilson gets together with Pulitzer Prize winner Hölldobler to explain what insect societies have to say about the evolution of complex life forms. With a four-city tour.

Huffington Post Eds. How To Blog: The Huffington Post Complete Guide to Blogging. S. & S. Dec. 2008. 256p. ISBN 978-1-4391-0500-9. pap. $15.

The editors of the Huffington Post, reputedly the most linked-to blog on the web, tell us how we can be blog biggies, too.

Kershaw, Ian. Hitler: A Biography. Norton. Nov. 2008. 1056p. ISBN 978-0-393-06757-6. $39.95.

Not just a compact version of Kershaw's monumental two-volume biography; the author draws on new sources to illuminate Hitler further.

Kinsley, Michael. Creative Capitalism. S. & S. Dec. 2008. 224p. ISBN 978-1-4165-9941-8. $26.

At the 2008 World Economic Forum in Davos, Bill Gates suggested that enterprising entrepreneurs and economists had more power than any philanthropist to counter the huge divide between rich and poor. Here Kinsley asks leading business lights like George Soros to respond to Gate's idea of “creative capitalism.” With a four-city tour.

Lewis, Michael. Panic: The Story of Modern Financial Insanity. Norton. Dec. 2008. 352p. ISBN 978-0-393-06514-5. $27.95.

The crash of 1987. The Russian default. The Asian currency crisis. The Internet bubble. The subprime mortgage disaster. Let Lewis tell you why finance is so chaotic today.

Maslon, Laurence & Michael Kantor. Make 'Em Laugh: The Funny Business of America. Twelve: Hachette. Dec. 2008. 304p. ISBN 978-0-446-50531-4. $45.

Understanding America through American comedy; companion to the PBS series.

Miller, Laura. The Magician's Book: A Skeptic's Adventures in Narnia. Little, Brown. Dec. 2008. 288p. ISBN 978-0-316-01763-3. $25.99.

Why we still love Aslan; from Salon.com cofounder Miller.

Rinella, Steven. American Buffalo: In Search of a Lost Icon. Spiegel & Grau. Dec. 2008. 256p. ISBN 978-0-385-52168-0. $24.95.

Outside magazine correspondent Rinella, who won a lottery in 2005 to hunt buffalo, considers this animal's influence on the American imagination.

Sontag, Susan. Reborn: Journals and Notebooks, 1947–1964. Farrar. Dec. 2008. 304p. ISBN 978-0-374-10074-2. $24.

“Everything matters!” That's what Sontag wrote at age 16 in this first of three volumes of journals to be released.

Tequila, Tila. Hooking Up with Tila Tequila: A Guide to Love, Fame, Happiness, Success, and Being the Life of the Party. Scribner. Dec. 2008. 144p. ISBN 978-1-4391-0153-7. $26.

The Madonna of MySpace, as Time dubs her—she has more than three million MySpace pals—goes the old-fashioned route with a book that will probably still kick inhibition in the teeth.

Thornton, Sarah. Seven Days in the Art World. Norton. Nov. 2008. 256p. ISBN 978-0-393-06722-4. $24.95.

With both museum attendance and the art market booming, contemporary art is not just for the elite. If you want to understand what all the buzz is about, travel with freelancer Thornton to Christie's auction house, the Venice Biennale, and more.

Turner, Ted with Bill Burke. Call Me Ted: The Riveting Life Story of a True American Original. Grand Central. Nov. 2008. 404p. ISBN 978-0-446-58189-9. $30. lrg. prnt. $32. CD: Hachette Audio.

Turner by Turner—with the inclusion of “Ted Stories,” little thought pieces by folks who know him.

Wilson, Robin. Lewis Carroll in Numberland: His Fantastical Mathematical Logical Life. Norton. Nov. 2008. 208p. ISBN 978-0-393-06027-0. $24.95.

Oxford Fellow Wilson, head of pure mathematics at England's Open University, shows how Carroll's mathematical genius and his imagination were intertwined.