Prepub Alert, June 15, 2011
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TOP COMMERCIAL FICTION
Buchanan, Edna. A Dark and Lonely Place. S. & S. Nov. 2011. 320p. ISBN 9781439159170. $26. THRILLER
Chiaverini, Jennifer. The Wedding Quilt: An Elm Creek Quilts Novel. Dutton. Nov. 2011. 352p. ISBN 9780525952428. $24.95. POP FICTION
Connelly, Michael. The Drop. Little, Brown. Nov. 2011. 400p. ISBN 9780316069410. $27.99. lrg. prnt. CD/Downloadable: Hachette Audio. THRILLER
Del Toro, Guillermo & Chuck Hogan. The Night Eternal. Morrow. Nov. 2011. 350p. ISBN 9780061558269. $26.99. lrg. prnt. CD: HarperAudio. HORROR
Dorsey, Tim. When Elves Attack: A Joyous Christmas Greeting from the Criminal Nutbars of the Sunshine State. Morrow. Nov. 2011. 256p. ISBN 9780062092847. $16.99. THRILLER
Gray, Shelley Shepard. Christmas in Sugarcreek: A Christmas Seasons of Sugarcreek Novel. Avon Inspire. Nov. 2011. 256p. ISBN 9780062089762. $16.99. CHRISTIAN FICTION
King, Stephen. 11/22/63. Scribner. Nov. 2011. 864p. ISBN 9781451627282. $35. CD: S. & S. Audio. THRILLER
Patterson, James. Kill Alex Cross. Little, Brown. Nov. 2011. 400p. ISBN 9780316037921. $28.99. lrg. prnt. CD/Downloadable: Hachette Audio. THRILLER
Roberts, Sheila. The Nine Lives of Christmas. St. Martin’s. Nov. 2011. 208p. ISBN 9780312594497. $14.99. POP FICTION
FICTION
Duenas, Maria. The Time in Between. Atria: S. & S. Nov. 2011. 560p. ISBN 9781451616880. $26. THRILLER
Caught in a difficult situation, Sira Quiroga is compelled to work first as an haute couture seamstress, then undercover as a spy for the British Secret Service during World War II. This first novel was a Spanish-language best seller, getting 1.5 million out the door. Check it out; Spanish thrillers are coming up in the world.
Harrison, Rashad. Our Man in the Dark. Atria: S. & S. Nov. 2011. 320p. ISBN 9781451625752. $25. LITERARY
The bookkeeper for Dr. Martin Luther King’s Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), John Estem feels ignored and steals money from the till to found his own organization. Then he blows it all. Soon the FBI comes by to suggest that Estem has a duty to report on possible Communist infiltration of SCLC and threatens him with exposure if he doesn’t. Harrison, who’s racked up a nice bunch of finalist/shortlist honors at various literary venues, has based his debut novel on a true story. I have a good feeling about this book.
Jensen, Nancy. The Sisters. St. Martin’s. Nov. 2011. 336p. ISBN 9780312542702. $24.99. LITERARY
It’s 1920s Kentucky, Bertie Fisher’s mother is dead, and her stepfather is an ominous presence. Big sister Mabel is Bertie’s one mainstay, but something happens when Mabel graduates from eighth grade that pulls the girls apart for what turns into decades. I’ve heard nice things about this debut novel; watch it.
Kennedy, Douglas. Temptation. Atria: S. & S. Nov. 2011. 352p. ISBN 9781451602104. pap. $16. POP FICTION
The American-born Kennedy is a best-selling author abroad, but he’s only being discovered here, having had a breakthrough with the New York Times best-selling Leaving the World. In this work, an aspiring screenwriter finally inks a big deal, abandons his old life (day job, family, ratty Volvo), then gets seduced by an offer from a very rich film buff. Kennedy’s books are scrumptious page-turners but with more fiber and better writing; buy up.
Lazar, Alan. Roam. Atria: S. & S. Nov. 2011. 336p. ISBN 9781451632903. $22. POP FICTION
Happy with his human, concert pianist Katey, canine Norman is still a bit of a wanderer, and one day he wanders too far. It takes him eight years to get back to Katey. Lazar is a platinum-selling composer whose music you have heard in over 50 films and TV shows. Now he’s trying out fiction; for all dog lovers and those who take hankies with their reading.
Maguire, Gregory. Out of Oz: The Final Volume in the Wicked Years. Morrow. Nov. 2011. 608p. ISBN 9780060548940. $26.99. lrg. prnt. CD: HarperAudio. POP FICTION
Back in 1995, Maguire kicked off a whole series (and a Tony Award–winning musical) with Wicked, the story of Oz told from an entirely new perspective. Now he’s bringing the series to a close. With the Emerald City preparing to conquer Munchkinland, Oz isn’t exactly showing its rainbow colors. Don’t miss; with a one-day laydown on 11/1/11, a 400,000-copy first printing, and a six-city tour.
Rankin, Ian. The Impossible Dead. Regan Arthur Bks: Little, Brown. Nov. 2011. 384p. ISBN 9780316039772. $25.99. THRILLER
Having waved good-bye to long-running Inspector John Rebus in 2008’s Exit Music, Rankin has turned to a new hero: the less prickly Edinburgh cop Malcolm Fox, who works for “the Complaints”—that is, Internal Affairs. For this second case, Fox is on an out-of-town assignment looking into an entire department that seems rotten. Buy wherever the Edgar and Diamond Dagger winner Rankin is popular and especially where the new series is taking off.
Sands, Lynsay & Jeaniene Frost. The Bite Before Christmas. Morrow. Nov. 2011. 320p. ISBN 9780062014078. $19.99. lrg. prnt. PARANORMAL ROMANCE
Two paranormal romance authors, both best sellers in mass market, join forces and migrate to hardcover for the holidays. Each contributes a story. Sands continues her Argeneau vampire series in “The Gift,” which finds Katricia Argeneau pleased to be snowbound in an isolated cabin with her heartthrob, while “Night Huntress” Frost’s “Home for the Holidays” has Cat and Bones battling a bad vampire instead of hanging mistletoe. Great expectations here, with a whopping 100,000-copy first printing.
Vigan, Delphine de. Underground Time. Bloomsbury, dist. by Macmillan. Nov. 2011. 272p. ISBN 9781608197125. pap. $15. LITERARY
Vigan’s recent No et Moi (No and Me) was a multiaward winner in France that sold 100,000 copies and was marketed here to raves as a children’s book, though it had crossover appeal elsewhere. Her current novel, shortlisted for the Prix Goncourt, which is no petits pommes de terre, concerns two lonely people in the big city: Mathilde, miserable after her mean boss gets it in for her, and paramedic Thibault. Do they connect? Vigan should manage that with delicacy and some emotion. Definitely try this.
Woodrell, Daniel. The Outlaw Album. Little, Brown. Oct. 2011. 160p. ISBN 9780316057561. $24.99. STORIES
Like Woodrell’s remarkable Winter’s Bone (catch the award-winning film), all the stories in this collection are set in the Ozarks, and all involve folks living on the edge. An Iraq vet is killed when he becomes unstable, for instance. But there’s tenderness, too. With a five-city tour; I really recommend.
Zuiker, Anthony E. with Duane Swierczynski. Dark Revelations: A Level 26 Thriller Featuring Steve Dark. Dutton. Nov. 2011. 400p. ISBN 9780525951971. $26.95. Digital download: Penguin Audio. THRILLER
It’s not just print, it’s an online community: more than 100,000 users are registered at Level26.com so they can fully enjoy Zuiker’s cross-platform thrillers. This wrap-up to the “Level 26” trilogy again features FBI operative Steven Dark. His quarry this time is a villain called Labyrinth who uses puzzles, riddles, and wordplay to herald the death of his well-placed victims. For all thriller fans, especially the techie sorts.
TOP COMMERCIAL NONFICTION
Denmead, Ken. The Geek Dad’s Book for Aspiring Mad Scientists: The Coolest Experiments and Projects for Science Fairs and Family Fun. Gotham: Penguin Group (USA). Nov. 2011. NAp. ISBN 9781592406883. pap. $18. PARENTING
Evans, Linda. Recipes for Life: My Memories. Vanguard: Perseus. Nov. 2011. 256p. ISBN 9781593156480. $25.99; eISBN 9781593156909. MEMOIR/TV
Fisher, Carrie. Shockaholic. S. & S. Nov. 2011. 304p. ISBN 9780743264822. $25. MEMOIR/FILM
Garner, Joe & Bob Costas. 100 Yards of Glory: The Greatest Moments in NFL History. Houghton Harcourt. Nov. 2011. 368p. ISBN 9780547547985. $35 with DVD; eISBN 9780547548012. SPORTS
Harrison, Kim. The Hollows Insider: New Fiction, Facts, Maps, Murders, and More in the World of Rachel Morgan. Harper Voyageur. Nov. 2011. 384p. ISBN 9780061974335. $23.99. LITERATURE
Humm, Daniel & Will Guidara. Eleven Madison Park: The Cookbook. Little, Brown. Nov. 2011. 372p. ISBN 9780316098519. $50. COOKING
Keller, Timothy. The Meaning of Marriage: Finding Happiness in Your Most Profound Relationship. Dutton. Nov. 2011. 304p. ISBN 9780525952473. $25.95. CD: Penguin Audio. SELF-HELP/RELIGION
Matthews, Chris. Jack Kennedy: Elusive Hero. S. & S. Nov. 2011. 448p. ISBN 9781451635089. $27.50. BIOGRAPHY
Scottoline, Lisa & Francesca Serritella. Best Friends, Occasional Enemies: The Lighter Side of Life As a Mother and Daughter. St. Martin’s. Nov. 2011. 256p. ISBN 9780312651633. $24.99. FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS
Valastro, Buddy. Baking with the Cake Boss: 100 of Buddy’s Best Recipes and Decorating Secrets. Free Pr: S. & S. Nov. 2011. 272p. ISBN 9781439183526. $30; eISBN 9781451628913. COOKING
Weil, Andrew, M.D. Spontaneous Happiness. Little, Brown. Nov. 2011. 288p. ISBN 9780316129442. $27.99. lrg. prnt. CD/downloadable: Hachette Audio. MENTAL HEALTH
NONFICTION
Bartlett, Rosamund. Tolstoy: A Russian Life. Houghton Harcourt. Nov. 2011. 544p. ISBN 9780151014385. $35; eISBN 9780547545875. LITERARY BIOGRAPHY
A scholar of Russian cultural history, Bartlett has set herself the challenge of conveying the mighty (and mightily complex) Tolstoy. The British reviews suggest that she has mostly succeeded (she gets a rave from A.N. Wilson, himself a Tolstoy biographer); just remember that Tolstoy is such a huge mountain to climb. Doubtless this will be much discussed; with a four-city tour.
Cascio, Frank. My Friend Michael: Growing Up with the King of Pop. Morrow. Nov. 2011. 288p. ISBN 9780062090065. $25.99. MEMOIR/MUSIC
Cascio was only five years old when he met Michael Jackson, who became a sort of surrogate big brother. At 18, he became Jackson’s assistant; later, he graduated to manager. Always, he considered himself a friend. So his book should offer an intimate view of the real Michael Jackson, and, indeed, revelations are promised. As a result, there’s a one-day laydown on 11/15/11. A 75,000-copy first printing.
Corrigan, Gordon. The Second World War: A Military History. St. Martin’s. Nov. 2011. 672p. ISBN 9780312577094. $35. HISTORY
So many books on World War II, told from every angle (see titles by Neill Lochery, Caroline Moorehead, and Stanley Weintraub, below). Here’s that rare overview, which could be useful wherever one can buy only a limited number of titles on this subject. A member of the British Commission for Military History, Corrigan (Mud, Blood and Poppycock) should know his stuff.
Dick, Philip K. The Exegesis of Philip K. Dick. Houghton Harcourt. Nov. 2011. 1056p. ISBN 9780547549255. $49; eISBN 9780547549279. MEMOIR/LITERATURE
Much-revered sf author Dick turned metaphysical as he grew older, spending the last eight years of his life trying to understand what he called “2-3-74”—an experience of the universe transformed into information. He devoted thousands of pages of notes, journal entries, and sketches to this effort, packing some of his thoughts into his final “VALIS” trilogy. Pamela Jackson, who devoted her dissertation to “2-3-74,” and novelist Jonathan Lethem have edited Dick’s vast material to create this final Exegesis. A blockbuster for all fans of speculative literature.
Galanes, Philip. Social Q’s: How To Survive the Quirks, Quandaries and Quagmires of Today. S. & S. Nov. 2011. 288p. ISBN 9781451605785. $23. ETIQUETTE
Found every Sunday in the “Styles” section of the New York Times, Galanes’s “Social Q’s” column dispenses edgy-contemporary advice for behaving well in a Twitter-wrought, possibly post–Emily Post era. I read it religiously because it’s so entertaining. And it does show you how people really act today. Check out Galanes’s expanded essay collection, especially if you’re in the metropolitan area and recognize his name.
God with David Javerbaum. The Last Testament: A Memoir. S. & S. Nov. 2011. 304p. ISBN 9781451640182. $23.99. HUMOR
With a little help from comedy writer Javerbaum, God speaks out on everything that has happened since the creation of the universe, starting with Adam and Steve and working up to the next 93 Super Bowl winners. Obviously, He’s aiming for big laughs; buy if you think this sounds entertaining.
Gorenberg, Gershom. The Unmaking of Israel. Harper: HarperCollins. Nov. 2011. 288p. ISBN 9780061985089. $25.99. CURRENT EVENTS
A high-profile commentator on the Middle East who has published several books (e.g., The Accidental Empire), appeared frequently on U.S. television (e.g., 60 Minutes), and written for numerous publications (e.g., New York Times Magazine), he has spent years reporting on Israel’s policies in the occupied territories and is concerned about what the shift in power there might mean for democracy in Israel. Likely to stir debate.
Greenfield, Robert. The Last Sultan: The Life and Times of Ahmet Ertegun. S. & S. Nov. 2011. 352p. ISBN 9781416558385. $30. BIOGRAPHY/MUSIC
Why read this biography? Because as founder of Atlantic Records, Ertegun brought us everyone from Aretha Franklin to the Rolling Stones. Because Greenfield is a distinguished journalist, novelist, playwright, and screenwriter, as well as former associate editor of the London bureau of Rolling Stone, he can really write. And because to write this he interviewed everyone from Bette Midler to Henry Kissinger. With those cultural connections, this work should be interesting even if your taste runs to Mozart.
Harris, Jana. Horses Never Lie About Love: A True Story. Free Pr: S. & S. Nov. 2011. 288p. ISBN 9781451605846. $24; eISBN 9781451605860. ANIMALS/INSPIRATION
Pushcart Award–winning poet Harris finally got her wish to raise horses when she and her husband moved to Washington State. Alas, her first broodmare, True Colors, had been caught in a range fire that had scarred her head, ears, and lungs, and she shied away from anything unpredictably threatening. Then True Colors began to heal, finally becoming the force that kept all the other horses happy and well behaved. Tales of what we can learn from our four-hoofed friends.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Beyond Religion: Ethics for the Whole World. Houghton Harcourt. Nov. 2011. 192p. ISBN 9780547636351. $24; eISBN 9780547645728. ETHICS
The author himself concedes it’s odd for him to write a book about secular ethics. But as he says, “Of the world’s six billion and more inhabitants, only a minority are what I would consider sincere religious practitioners.” So, building on his Ethics for a New Millennium, he aims to spread teachings that instill respect for the human community without reference to God. I can’t believe how many books this man writes; obviously, there’s an audience.
Jacobovici, Simcha & James Tabor. The Jesus Discovery: The New Archaeological Find That Reveals the Birth of Christianity. S. & S. Nov. 2011. 288p. ISBN 9781451650402. $27.95. RELIGION/ARCHAEOLOGY
Television producer Jacobovici and religion professor Tabor discuss the discovery in Jerusalem of a sealed first-century tomb with iconography revealing a belief in Jesus’s resurrection—before the gospels were written. How does that relate to a nearby tomb the authors identify as belonging to Jesus’s family? Tabor wrote The Jesus Dynasty, Jacobovici cowrote The Jesus Family Tomb, and the controversy continues. With a National Geographic Society television documentary in the offing, so be prepared.
Kantor, Jodi. The Obamas. Little, Brown. Nov. 2011. 448p. ISBN 9780316098755. $29.99. CD/downloadable: Hachette Audio. BIOGRAPHY/CURRENT EVENTS
Washington correspondent for the New York Times, as well as its Arts & Leisure editor, Kantor would seem to have both the knowledge and the sensibility to portray the President and the First Lady as they try to lead a normal life and raise their kids in a house that can’t quite feel like home. Kantor’s cover story on the Obamas’ marriage for the New York Times Magazine was a big hit. So, not a political treatise but no powder-puff job either.
Kellow, Brian. Pauline Kael: A Life in the Dark. Viking. Nov. 2011. 320p. ISBN 9780670023127. $27.95. BIOGRAPHY/FILM
Features editor of Opera News, Kellow is also author of Ethel Merman: A Life and The Bennetts: An Acting Family, an interesting background for someone writing about one of the most influential film critics ever. Note that the Library of America will simultaneously publish The Age of Movies: Selected Writings of Pauline Kael (750p. ISBN 9781598531091. $35).
Lochery, Neill. Lisbon: War in the Shadows of the City of Light, 1939–45. PublicAffairs: Perseus. Nov. 2011. 384p. ISBN 9781586488796. $27.99; eISBN 9781586488802. HISTORY
The only European city where Allied and Axis powers both operated openly during World War II, Lisbon sheltered not only exiled royalty, escaped POWs, and a million refugees seeking passage to America but spies, secret police, and black marketeers. A historian fluent in Portuguese, Lochery lets the amazing facts speak for themselves.
Marcus, Greil. The Doors: A Lifetime of Listening to Five Wilds Years. PublicAffairs: Perseus. Nov. 2011. 240p. ISBN 9781586489458. $24.99; eISBN 9781586489465. MUSIC
Hard to believe that the Doors were around for only five years; their music was and remains so outsize. Distinguished rock/culture critic Marcus aims to get beyond the very long shadow of Jim Morrison. Not just for Sixties types.
Moore, Charles with Cassandra Phillips. Plastic Ocean: How a Sea Captain’s Chance Discovery Launched an Obsessive Quest To Save the Oceans. Avery: Penguin Group (USA). Nov. 2011. 304p. ISBN 9781583334249. $26. ENVIRONMENT
In 1997, when Moore took a shortcut across the nearly windless North Pacific Subtropical Gyre. which ships rarely traverse, he and the crew found themselves cruising through a mass of plastic waste (since dubbed the Great Pacific Garbage Patch). Moore now campaigns against environmental pollution, focusing on the dangers posed by plastic. For all environmental collections.
Moorehead, Caroline. A Train in Winter: An Extraordinary Story of Women, Friendship, and Resistance in Occupied France. Harper: HarperCollins. Nov. 2011. 384p. ISBN 9780061650703. $27.99. HISTORY
Students, teachers, housewives, an opera singer; these were the women who belonged to the French Resistance during World War II. In 1943, 230 of them were sent to Auschwitz, where only 49 survived. Moorehead, who’s been nominated for some big awards, should effectively relate the story of all these women; she even spoke to four survivors. I hope this gets lots of attention; it’s a topic heretofore ignored.
Raab, Scott. The Whore of Akron: One Man’s Search for the Soul of LeBron James. Harper: HarperCollins. Nov. 2011. 272p. ISBN 9780062066367. $25.99. SPORTS
No, not a biography of basketball great LeBron James. Esquire writer Raab, a Cleveland native, travels between the city James jilted and tropical Miami in an effort to understand the deep feelings of betrayal when he signed with the Miami Heat and the very concept of loyalty. For sports fans with a reflective streak; 50,000-copy first printing.
Sharon, Gilad. Sharon: Portrait of a Leader. Harper: HarperCollins. Nov. 2011. 416p. ISBN 9780061721502. $29.99. lrg. prnt. BIOGRAPHY
Youngest son of former Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon, the author draws on diaries, correspondence, war directives, and more to write this biography. For anyone interested in the Middle East; with a 75,000-copy first printing.
Straus, Roger, III & others. America’s Great Railroad Stations. Viking Studio. Nov. 2011. 256p. ISBN 9780670023110. $40. PHOTOGRAPHY
Straus, who worked in publishing for 30 years before turning to architectural photography, joins with publishing colleagues and fellow railroad nuts Ed Breslin and Hugh Van Dusen to document the most striking railroad stations in America—some now serving as banks, museums, and more. Not just nostalgia; this book shows how buildings can be adapted for further community use.
Weintraub, Stanley. Pearl Harbor Christmas: A World at War, December 1941. Da Capo. Nov. 2011. 224p. ISBN 9780306820618. $25; eISBN 9780306820625. HISTORY
Folks weren’t thinking much about Christmas in 1941; America had just declared war, and fighting was unfolding globally. Then Churchill swept across the waters to plan strategy with Roosevelt and help light the White House Christmas tree. From a veteran history author; look for a big push at ALA.
MY PICKS
Horowitz, Anthony. The House of Silk. Mulholland: Little, Brown. Nov. 2011. 320p. ISBN 9780316196994. $27.99. MYSTERY
Great news, Sherlock Holmes fans! For the first time ever, the estate of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle has authorized a new Holmes story. In fact, the estate approached Horowitz, author of the top New York Times best-selling Alex Rider series. A Holmes expert, Horowitz says he’s steeped in 19th-century literature and will aim for authenticity in plot, language, and character. At the same time, he knows he’s writing for a contemporary audience, and so he “took care to make the plot completely gripping and fast-paced.” No word on the content yet—the publisher will reveal clues with tantalizing slowness, as in a good (ahem) mystery. Okay, so other authors have used Holmes as a character; this situation is different, and it’s exciting however it turns out. All mystery fans will want.
Pearse, Emma. Sophie: The Incredible True Story of the Castaway Dog. Da Capo Lifelong. Oct. 2011. 272p. ISBN 9780738214672. $25; eISBN 9780738215488. ANIMALS/INSPIRATION
When her family, the Griffiths, took Sophie Tucker sailing near Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, the three-year-old blue heeler was swept overboard in rough waters and lost. But Sophie proved to be one tough canine, swimming six miles through shark-thick waters to the remote St. Bees Island. There she lived off baby goats for five months until captured by rangers and returned to the mainland. (The island is uninhabited but has facilities for camping and researchers.) Learning about the castaway dog through friends, the Griffiths rushed to meet her, though they doubted it could be Sophie and were in any case warned that she might now be feral. But when Sophie saw her family, she nearly broke out of her cage with joy. Pearse is an Australian journalist living in New York; her book is a tearjerker for everyone.
