Prepub Exploded: September 2009, Pt. 1
By Barbara Hoffert -- Library Journal, 04/16/2009
Interested in reading the latest from Anita Diamant, E.I. Doctorow, or Kazuo Ishiguro? What about James Ellroy, Brent Ghelfi, or Jacquelyn Mitchard? Or tails, er, tales of a cat called Homer and the dog as The Wolf in the Parlor? Leaves may fall in autumn, but the number of books published goes up. Here's a flood of hot September titles.
Fiction | Nonfiction
Fiction
Barclay, Linwood. Fear the Worst. Bantam. Sept. 2009. 320p. ISBN 978-0-553-80716-5. $23.
In Barclay’s best-selling No Time for Goodbye, a teenaged girl wakes up to find that her family has vanished. Now it’s a teenaged girl who vanishes—and her father is understandably shocked to discover that she never actually held that summer job she’d told him about. Expect the best--Barclay keeps building--and look for books to go on sale in early August. The publisher has its own blog, Blood on the Page, where this will be pushed.
Brooks, Terry. A Princess of Landover. Del Rey: Ballantine. Sept. 2009. 352p. ISBN 978-0-345-45852-0. $26.
The author returns to the Magic Kingdom of Landover for a whole new series starring Mistaya, daughter of Ben Holiday. Best seller No. 26 for Brooks? Read his views on this latest.
Chaon, Dan. Await Your Reply. Ballantine. Sept. 2009. 288p. ISBN 978-0-345-47602-9. $25.
Miles hunts for his twin brother, Ryan learns he’s adopted, newly orphaned Lucy runs off with her teacher, and they all meet in Chaon’s edgy new novel. Not to worry; as evidenced by You Remind Me of Me, Chaon is a master at multiple story lines. With an eight-city tour to San Francisco, Portland (OR), Seattle, Chicago, Milwaukee, Cleveland, Dayton, and Cincinnati; book club outreach.
Diamant, Anita. Day After Night. Scribner. Sept. 2009. 320p. ISBN 978-0-7432-9984-8. $27.
As the publicity trumpets, Diamant here revisits the landscape that served as setting for her megahit, The Red Tent. But she’s not repeating herself, instead moving forward to feature a holding camp for immigrants to Israel in 1945. This anguished tale might not be as big as Tent, but it should be deeper. With a six-city tour to Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Miami, New York, and San Francisco. For more insight, read this from Diamant’s blog.
Doctorow, E.L. Homer and Langley. Random. Sept. 2009. 208p. ISBN 978-1-4000-6494-6. $25. lrg. prnt. CD: Random Audio.
Blind Homer lives in a crumbling Fifth Avenue mansion with brother Langley, gassed in the Great War. Doctorow draws on a true story—no surprise there—and, notwithstanding the acclaim accorded The March, it’s good to see him bounce back to the 20th century. With a seven-city tour to Boston, New York, Washington, DC, Portsmouth (NH), San Francisco, and Houston.
Ellis, David. The Hidden Man. Putnam. Sept. 2009. 336p. ISBN 978-0-399-15579-6. $25.95.
Tough young lawyer Jason Kolarich is forced to recall the long-ago abduction of childhood friend Sammy’s little sister when a likely suspect is finally murdered—evidently by Sammy, but a mysterious third party wants Jason to defend him. Hmm, complicated. But note that Ellis served as impeachment prosecutor in the Governor Blagojevich trial (hear him in action), so obviously he has a subtle mind.
Ellroy, James. Blood’s a Rover. Knopf. Sept. 2009. 640p. ISBN 978-0-679-40393-7. $25. CD: Random Audio
An FBI agent, a heroin runner, and a wheelman for some lawyers with dark and dirty secrets all go after Joan Rosen Klein, heroine of the 1960s Left. A stand-alone follow-up to American Tabloid and The Cold Six Thousand. Big, big, big. With a 13-city tour to Boston, Chicago, Denver, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis, New York, Philadelphia, Portland, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington, DC.
Ghelfi, Brent. The Venona Cable: A Thriller. Holt. Aug. 2009. 336p. ISBN 978-0-8050-8894-6. $25.
The newest corpse in Moscow is a Hollywood filmmaker carrying documents suggesting that Volk’s father spied for America. Third in a series begun with Volk’s Game (which got an early LJ rave) and still going strong. With a national tour.
Goodkind, Terry. The Law of Nines. Putnam. Sept. 2009. 512p. ISBN 978-0-399-15604-5. $27.95. CD: Penguin Audio.
A real change of pace for fantasy master Goodkind, who’s opted for a contemporary thriller about a man pursued by forces he just doesn’t understand. There’s still a fantasy feel to the promotion, though; the three-page spread opens with the bold words: “They’re watching, 9/9/09.”
Hornby, Nick. Juliet, Naked. Riverhead: Penguin Group (USA). Sept. 2009. 352p. ISBN 978-1-59448-887-0. $25.95. CD: Penguin Audio.
Singer/songwriter Tucker Crowe has been silent for over 20 years, but Duncan can’t stop worshipping him. Which is why Annie, Duncan’s former beloved, goes after Tucker. Classic Hornby; expect a tour. Oh, Juliet Naked? That’s a stripped-down version of Tucker’s biggest album.
Ishiguro, Kazuo. Nocturnes: Five Stories of Music and Nightfall. Knopf. Sept. 2009. 240p. ISBN 978-0-307-27102-0. $25. CD: Random Audio.
A man appreciated only for his taste in music. A singer so desperate for a comeback that he loses everything else. With his pitch-perfect ear, Ishiguro should be able to write about music. It’s just out in England, where a Waterstone’s book seller called it “the most easy to read, beautiful, and simply presented collection of short stories you are likely to read.” My favorite on the list.
Mantel, Hilary. Wolf Hall. Holt. Sept. 2009. 352p. ISBN 978-0-8050-8068-1. $27.
No simple saga here; the author of A Change of Climate will do something original in this take on Henry VIII and Cromwell. Read this excerpt, which appeared in the New York Review of Books in July 2008.
Mitchard, Jacquelyn. No Time To Wave Goodbye. Random. Sept. 2009. 208p. ISBN 978-1-4000-6774-9. $25.
In The Deep End of the Ocean, toddler Ben was kidnapped but eventually rescued. Two decades later, he’s helped his brother make an acclaimed documentary about his experience—and then there’s another kidnapping. Lovers of Ocean are already getting out their hankies, though if Oprah picked this one, too, it might help. Even if she doesn't, you'll need to stock up.
Moning, Karen Marie. Dreamfever. Delacorte. Sept. 2009. 384p. ISBN 978-0-385-34165-3. $25.
In Moning’s latest Fever fantasy, sidhe-seer Mac gets tempted. It seems that this series is getting not just darker but hotter. At least that's what the teaser on MySpace reveals. And fans there are clamoring for it.
Moore, Lorrie. A Gate at the Stairs. Knopf. Sept. 2009. 336p. ISBN 978-0-375-40928-8. $25.
Wry, dry, and funny ’til it hurts, Moore has always been an eyewitness to America, and here she digs even deeper, probing war, racism, and betrayal post-9/11. With a 13-city tour to Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Madison, Miami, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington, DC; reading group guide.
Niffenegger, Audrey. Her Fearful Symmetry. Scribner. Sept. 2009. 384p. ISBN 978-1-4391-6539-3. $27.
Aunt Elspeth’s flat, next to Highgate Cemetery in London, has been willed to her nieces, feckless American twins Julia and Valentina. Eccentric neighbors are one thing, but why won’t Elspeth stay buried? It looks as if Niffenegger has managed a witty follow-up to The Time Traveler’s Wife. For more details, check out Niffenegger’s Barnes & Noble bio, which also includes information from an online chat with Hennepin County Library (just scroll down a bit).
Paretsky, Sarah. Hardball: A V.I. Warshawski Novel. Putnam. Sept. 2009. 468p. ISBN 978-0-399-15593-2. $26.95.
How do you look for someone who vanished four decades ago? And how do you deal with the news that your father might have been a cop on the take? Ask V.I. Warshawski. With a national tour.
Parkin, Gaile. Baking Cakes in Kigali. Delacorte. Sept. 2009. 320p. ISBN 978-0-385-34343-5. $24.
Professional cake baker Angel Tungaraza’s treats are really needed in post–civil war Rwanda. Literature from Africa is on the rise, and this debut by a consultant in education, gender, and AIDS is a BookExpo featured title. The book is available in England, where a review in the Independent noted that despite an occasionally coy feel the narrative is “fluent and moving.”
Patterson, Richard North. The Spire. Holt. Sept. 2009. 384p. ISBN 978-0-8050-8773-4. $26. CD: Macmillan Audio.
Having made good at Caldwell College, Mark Darrow is invited back as president when scandal threatens. And then he’s forced to reopen the murder of a black female student, whose corpse he had discovered. Dependable Patterson.
Pérez-Reverte, Arturo. The Cavalier in the Yellow Doublet. Putnam. Sept. 2009. 304p. ISBN 978-0-399-15603-8. $25.95.
Alatriste in love? But of course it leads him straight to a court conspiracy—and maybe the gallows. Pérez-Reverte is best known for smart thrillers like The Club Dumas, but his Captain Alatriste series is dark, delicious fun. Spanish speakers, check out the Capítan Alatriste web site, brought to you by Alfaguara.
Sakey, Marcus. The Amateurs. Dutton. Aug. 2009. 368p. ISBN 978-0-525-95126-1. $25.95.
Sakey keeps getting bigger—his first three books have all been optioned for film—so you’re right to expect a lot from his latest. Four friends who want more from life decide to seize the day and plan a victimless crime that, of course, turns bloody. With a five-city tour; also look for Sakey at Bouchercon in Indianapolis in October.
Stott, Rebecca. The Coral Thief. Spiegal & Grau. Sept. 2009. 336p. ISBN 978-0-385-53146-7. $25.
Arriving in Paris from Edinburgh, a young medical student discovers that the beauty who shared his coach has stolen the rare coral specimens he carried. Soon he encounters a ring of philosopher thieves much worked up over the theory of evolution. If Stott does for Darwin what she did for Newton in her debut, Ghostwalk, we can expect another winner; the author herself calls it “kind of Ocean's Eleven meets Rousseau's Confessions.” Fun but thought-provoking; why no reading group guide?
Tyler, Anne. Noah’s Compass. Knopf. Sept. 2009. 288p. ISBN 978-0-307-27240-9. lrg. prnt. $25.95. CD: Random Audio.
Liam is happy to retire from teaching at a second-rate private school but astounded when he can’t remember how he ended up in the hospital. For everyone; with a reading group guide.
Woods, Stuart. Hothouse Orchid. Putnam. Sept. 2009. 304p. ISBN 978-0-399-15601-4. $25.95. CD: Penguin Audio.
Special Agent Holly Barker is told to take some time off from the FBI, so she returns to the Orchid Beach Police Department. Unfortunately, the new police chief is the same guy she charged years ago with sexual harassment. A thriller with issues, from the ever-popular Woods.
Zuiker, Anthony E. with Duane Swierczynski. The Dark Chronicles™: Case #1; Sqweegel. Dutton. Sept. 2009. 384p. ISBN 978-0-525-95125-4. $26.95.
Zuiker is already creator and executive producer of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, reportedly seen by two billion people worldwide in 200-plus countries, so why not write a novel, too? This first in a series features a special black ops element within the U.S. government whose leader can think himself into the minds of the serial killers he’s chasing. Adding to the fun, each story will have 20 book-specific cyberbridges leading to videos, audios, and interactive elements. The wave of the future? Check out the details.
Ackerman, Diane. Dawn Light: Dancing with Cranes and Other Ways To Start the Day. Norton. Sept. 2009. 576p. ISBN 978-0-393-07225-9. $29.95.
In 2002, Ackerman’s Origami Bridges: Poems of Psychoanalysis and Fire was one of my fall editor’s picks. In 2007, my colleague Wilda Williams chose another Ackerman work, The Zookeeper’s Wife, for her pick. So we’re both anticipating this deeply informed meditation on the seasons.
Armstrong, Karen. The Case for God. Knopf. Sept. 2009. 384p. ISBN 978-0-307-26918-8. $26.95.
What God has meant to us and what God continues to mean. Armstrong is always important; even atheists will want to read this one. With a six-city tour.
Bartlett, Allison Hoover. The Man Who Loved Books Too Much. Riverhead: Penguin Group (USA). Sept. 2009. 240p. ISBN 978-1-59448-891-7. $24.95.
Not fiction: John Charles Gilkey stole books (even from libraries) simply because he loved them, and journalist Bartlett tracks the man who tracked down Gilkey.
Brown, Ethan. Shake the Devil Off: A True Story of the Murder That Rocked New Orleans. Holt. Sept. 2009. 304p. ISBN 978-0-8050-8893-9. $25.
Zackery Bowen fought in Iraq, returned home to New Orleans and found true love with Addie Hall right before Katrina, then murdered her gruesomely before killing himself, an act reported nationwide. Not just true crime; a study of trouble in America.
Cooper, Gwen. Homer’s Odyssey. Delacorte. Sept. 2009. 288p. ISBN 978-0-385-34385-5. $20.
If you liked Dewey the library cat, you’ll love Homer, a blind kitten who helped Cooper see the truth. We’re all suckers for animal odysseys.
Duncan, Dayton & Ken Burns. The National Parks: America’s Best Idea. Knopf. Sept. 2009. 432p. ISBN 978-0-307-26896-9. $50.
An illustrated history of the National Park System, serving as companion to a Burns film on PBS. Grab it. With a seven-city tour to Boston, Chicago, Denver, Detroit, New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, DC, not to mention a huge prepublication tour.
Evans, David. Dare To Be a Man: The Truth Every Man Must Know...And Every Woman Needs To Know About Him. Putnam. Sept. 2009. 288p. ISBN 978-0-399-15494-2. $23.95.
It’s not big bucks that makes the man, argues Bishop Evans, best-selling author and pastor of the 27,000-member Bethany Baptist Church, it’s aligning one’s will with God. Go, bishop, go!
Farmer, John. The Ground Truth: The Untold Story of America Under Attack on 9/11. Riverhead: Penguin Group (USA). Sept. 2009. 384p. ISBN 978-1-59448-894-8. $26.95.
Former New Jersey attorney general Farmer draws on his experience as a main author of the 9/11 Commission Report, plus recently declassified material, to argue that the official story is deeply misleading. Not from the radical fringe; we need to hear Farmer’s account.
Fiennes, William. The Music Room: A Memoir. Norton. Sept. 2009. 256p. ISBN 978-0-393-07258-7. $24.95.
Author of The Snow Geese and cousin to two famous actors, Fiennes explains what it’s like to grow up in a 700-year-old castle with an older brother who suffered from epilepsy. So many memoirs, but this one could be affecting.
Franklin, Jon. The Wolf in the Parlor: The Eternal Connection Between Humans and Dogs. Holt. Sept. 2009. 304p. ISBN 978-0-8050-9077-2. $25.
Love me, love my dog—and two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Franklin puts his demonstrated talents to use investigating evolutionary science, archaeology, and more to discover why. The serious side of Marley and Me—and, yes, dog books are Great Danes of pet publishing.
Harper, Hill. The Conversation: How Black Men and Women Can Build Trusting Relationships. Gotham: Penguin Group (USA). Sept. 2009. 192p. ISBN 978-1-59240-475-9. $20.
The best-selling author of Letters to a Young Sister and Letters to a Young Brother now works to get the sisters and brothers together. A bold book from the right person.
Hodel, Steve with Ralph Pezzullo. Most Evil: The Further Serial Murders of Dr. George Hodel. Dutton. Sept. 2009. 384p. ISBN 978-0-525-95132-2. $26.95.
In Black Dahlia Avenger, LAPD homicide detective Hodel charged his father with committing the horrific Dahlia murder. Now he charges him with a whole lot more. Some reputedly hot news here; the book is embargoed.
Jamison, Kay Redfield. Nothing Was the Same. Knopf. Sept. 2009. 224p. ISBN 978-0-307-26537-1. $25.
Renowned psychologist Jamison, author of the enduring An Unquiet Mind, considers slowly losing her husband to cancer. With a ten-city tour to Baltimore, Boston, Denver, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington, DC; there’s clearly an audience for this one.
Kiberd, Declan. Ulysses and Us: The Art of Everyday Life in Joyce’s Masterpiece. Norton. Sept. 2009. 352p. ISBN 978-0-393-07099-6. $28.95.
Joyce scholar Kiberd repositions Ulysses as a work with a humane vision not for the chosen few but for the masses. Just the kind of lit crit we need.
Lathem, Edward Connery, ed. Robert Frost: Speaking on Campus: Excerpts from His Talks, 1949–1962. Norton. Sept. 2009. 232p. ISBN 978-0-393-07123-8. $25.95.
For those who could not hear protean poet Frost speak mid-century, Lathem collects excerpts from 46 talks given over three decades at more than 30 institutions.
Jose, Nicholas, ed. The Literature of Australia: An Anthology. Norton. Sept. 2009. 1504p. ISBN 978-0-393-07261-7. $49.95.
I don’t often feature works like this in Prepub Alert, but a 500-entry anthology ranging from Aboriginal authors to Peter Carey and Shirley Hazzard sounded too important—and too intriguing—to pass up.
Small, David. Stitches: A Memoir. Norton. Sept. 2009. 320p. ISBN 978-0-393-06857-3. $23.95.
Caldecott Award–winning book illustrator Small has a shattering story to tell, and he tells it in pictures (just not for kids). His radiologist father experimented on him as a child, which led to his throat cancer and the removal of a vocal chord. Wisely, he left home at age 16 and found himself through art. Look for BEA and ALA appearances, and get multiples of this.
Tanenhaus, Sam. The Death of Conservatism. Random. Sept. 2009. 112p. ISBN 978-1-4000-6884-5. $17.
Editor of the New York Times Book Review and Week in Review, Tanenhaus expands an essay published last February in the New Republic which argues that conservatism is a counter-revolutionary movement aimed at knocking down the traditions of civic society. Smart man, and thank goodness he didn’t overexpand; at 112 pages this treatise should be crisp.
Tannen, Deborah. Mom Always Liked You Better: Sisters in Conversation Throughout Their Lives. Random. Sept. 2009. 384p. ISBN 978-1-4000-6632-2. $25.
Sisters as best friends and, more tellingly, competitors. Even if you don’t have a sister, you can probably learn something here; remember, linguist Tannen’s You Just Don’t Understand was a New York Times best seller for nearly four years. With a nine-city tour.
Thompson, Nicholas. The Hawk and the Dove: Paul Nitze, George Kennan, and the History of the Cold War. Holt. Sept. 2009. 384p. ISBN 978-0-8050-8142-8. $27.50.
We’re still fighting the Cold War, and Wired editor Thompson helps by bringing us this dual biography of hawkish Nitze and dovish Kennan. Thompson adds some special insight—he’s Nitze’s grandson.
