Library Journal

Boianjiu, Shani. The People of Forever Are Not Afraid. Hogarth: Crown. Sept. 2012. 288p. ISBN 9780307955951. $24. LITERARY
Having grown up together in a small village, three young women join the Israeli Defense Forces at 18 and learn to withstand the threat of war. Yael trains marksmen, Avishag stands guard as refugees clamor at a barbed-wire fence, and Lea imagines lives for the anonymous people who pass by her checkpoint. Boianjiu, born in Jerusalem of Iraqi-Romanian heritage, also served in the Israeli Defense Forces. She comes well recommended, having been chosen by Nicole Krauss as one of the National Book Foundation’s 5 Under 35 award winners last fall.

Brown, Sandra. Low Pressure. Grand Central. Sept. 2012. 300p. ISBN 9781455501557. $26.95. CD: Hachette Audio. THRILLER
On the day 12-year-old Bellamy’s sister was murdered, a tornado swept through town and destroyed the evidence—not to mention Bellamy’s memory of what really happened. Now that she’s 30, Bellamy has published a novel based on the incident—under a pseudonym. Of course, an unprincipled journalist has dug up her real name, and now there’s a killer after her. Brown is still a No. 1 New York Times best-selling author after all these years.

Doig, Ivan. A Bartender’s Tale. Riverhead: Penguin Group (USA). Sept. 2012. NAp. ISBN 9781594487910. $26.95. LITERARY
Doig follows up his well-received Work Song with another story set in the past, though here he’s moved the action up to the early 1960s, right before the Age of Aquarius dawned. It’s about two women make an enormous difference in the lives of a father and his son.

Edward, John. Fallen Masters. Tor. Sept. 2012. 464p. ISBN 9780765332714. $25.99. POP FICTION
The author of numerous New York Times best sellers, internationally famed psychic Edward here turns to fiction, creating a work billed as metaphysical suspense as Good and Evil duke it out both on Earth and on the Other Side. More I cannot tell you, but you’ll know if you want this.

Freveletti, Jamie. Robert Ludlum’s The Janus Reprisal. Grand Central. Sept. 2012. 352p. ISBN 9780446539845. $24.99. THRILLER
When terrorists attack a World Health Organization conference and make off with deadly viruses and bacteria, army microbiologist Lt. Jon Smith has a big  job on his hands: preventing worldwide biological warfare. A trial attorney and ultramarathon runner with a black belt in aikido, Freveletti (Running from the Devil) seems tough enough to take over the Ludlum franchise.

Ryan, Hank Phillippi. The Other Woman. Forge: Tor. Sept. 2012. 416p. ISBN 9780765332578. $24.99. THRILLER
Ryan just won’t quit, even though as an investigative reporter for Boston’s NBC affiliate she’s won 27 Emmys and ten Edward R. Murrow awards. She’s also written four mysteries that have won Agatha, Anthony, and Macavity honors and is incoming president of Sisters in Crime. Here, disgraced reporter Jane Ryland can’t abide the lightweight stuff she’s expected to churn out, so she uses her spare time to track the mistress of a candidate running for the U.S. Senate. Meanwhile, Det. Jake Brogan is tracking the serial killer of young women. Inevitably, our two protagonists find their cases connecting. The publisher’s lead title for the fall.

Brunson, Paul Carrick. It’s Complicated (But It Doesn’t Have To Be): A Modern Guide to Finding and Keeping Love. Gotham: Penguin Books (USA). Sep. 2012. 304p. ISBN 9781592407699. $22.50. RELATIONSHIPS
“Modern Day Matchmaker” Brunson ditched his high-paying portfolio management job to do something far nobler: helping people find love. Young, black, and male, he’s not your average dating coach; he got inspired to switch careers when he realized that all the children at a summer camp he ran for the underserved in Washington, DC, came from single-parent homes. Among other things, Brunson hosts matchmaking events in numerous cities, but  if you can’t make them, you can still get this book. Aimed at everyone.

Burke, Monte. 4th and Goal: From the Gridiron to the Boardroom and Back. Grand Central. Sept. 2012. 288p. ISBN 9781455514045. $26.99. SPORTS/AUTOBIOGRAPHY
Joe Moglia always wanted to coach college football, but family responsibilities meant climbing onto the corporate ladder instead. Eventually, he became the CEO of TD Ameritrade—and then he quit, determined to pursue the dream he’d deferred. Now, after a stint of unpaid coaching to get back into the game after 25 years, he’s head football coach at Coastal Carolina University. We could all use inspiration like this.

Danza, Tony. I’d Like To Apologize to Every Teacher I Ever Had: My Year as a Rookie Teacher at Northeast High. Crown. Sept. 2012. 400p. ISBN 9780770436704. $26. EDUCATION/MEMOIR
Yes, that’s Danza, the Golden Globe and Emmy nominee you know from Taxi, teaching English at Philadelphia’s Northeast High. After years of acting success, he felt it was payback time, and being a teacher appealed. What he discovered: it’s really hard work. A great antidote to all those pieces by folks who consider teaching glorified babysitting; you might know this from a short series on A&E called Teach, which covered Danza’s 2009–10 classroom year.

House, Karen Elliot. On Saudi Arabia: Its People, Past, Religion, Contradictions—and Future. Knopf. Sept. 2012. 336p. ISBN 9780307272164. $30; eISBN 9780307960993. CURRENT EVENTS
A Pulitzer Prize–winning reporter and then foreign editor of the Wall Street Journal, House has been familiarizing herself with Saudi Arabia over 30 years. Here she draws on her access to the ruling Al Saud family, including the king, crown prince, and many government ministers, to paint a portrait of a country that remains central to Middle East politics and America’s future—it’s our second largest oil supplier. With a 40,000-copy first printing.

Issenberg, Sasha. The Victory Lab. Crown. Sept. 2012. 304p. ISBN 9780307954794. $26. POLITICS
Explains Issenberg, who covered the 2008 election for the Boston Globe, it’s not business as usual in the political realm. Academics, statisticians, and strategists are shoving aside seasoned advisers, emphasizing data rather than instinct as they change completely how campaigns are managed. A chapter from this book, “Rick Perry and His Eggheads,” was enthusiastically embraced when released as an e-original—Politico called it “Moneyball for Politics”—and Issenberg just launched a column on Slate, also called “The Victory Lab.” So there’s already a readership.

Leman, Talia. a random book about the power of ANYone by a random kid. Free Pr: S. & S. Sept. 2012. 240p. ISBN 9781451664843. pap. $14.99. PHILANTHROPHY
At age ten, Leman did something remarkable: she organized the efforts of kids like herself nationwide and raised $10 million for the survivors of Hurricane Katrina. Then she launched a campaign that again brought youngsters together to help their counterparts in 20 countries worldwide. Here Leman explains how she did it, using advice like “Use Your Inexperience Shamelessly” to show what it takes—enthusiasm, determination, and a ready wit—as she encourages others to follow her example.

Reiss, Tom. The Black Count: Glory, Revolution, Betrayal, and the Real Count of Monte Cristo. Crown. Sept. 2012. 400p. ISBN 9780307382467. $26. BIOGRAPHY
New Yorker writer Reiss’s The Orientalist, a New York Times best seller, unfolded the complicated life story of a Caucasus-born Jew who declared himself a Muslim prince. So Reiss seems the right man to chronicle Alexandre Dumas, a former slave who became a royal musketeer and eventually a noted general in Napoleon’s army. He would be unknown today had the son who shares his name not used his adventures to write numerous beloved and enduring novels, including, of course, The Count of Monte Cristo. The result of five years of research and bound to be fun.

Prescott, Townes III. Total Frat Move. Grand Central. Sept. 2012. 220p. ISBN 9781455515035. $18.99. HUMOR
Drawing on the raucous website and Twitter feed of the same name, this book celebrates just how raunchy, lowdown, and, shall we say, unstudious frat life has become. Prescott is the (rather glam) pseudonym for a self-described hard-partying rich boy who was among the three Texas State grads who founded the site. Said to make Animal House look quaint; your move.

Robinson, Gene. God Believes in Love: Straight Talk About Gay Marriage. Knopf. Sept. 2012. 208p. ISBN 9780307957887. $24; eISBN 9780307961754. RELIGION
Bishop of the Diocese of New Hampshire in the Episcopal Church and the first openly gay person elected to the historic episcopate, Robinson has penned an argument in favor of gay rights and gay marriage grounded in the Bible that he loves. His audience: gays and lesbians who want to argue their case, heterosexuals who want to understand, and policy makers who need to understand. With a 50,000-copy first printing; inevitably a controversy stirrer despite the devout and congenial tone.

Sheldrake, Rupert. Science Set Free: Dispelling Dogma. Deepak Chopra: Crown. Sept. 2012. 400p. ISBN 9780770436704. $26. SCIENCE
Biologist Sheldrake, once a Fellow of Clare College, Cambridge, and now a Fellow of the Institute of Noetic Sciences in California, aims to persuade fellow scientists that a strictly materialist worldview will eventually hold back their work. What’s interesting here is not just that Shekdrake is the author of the best-selling Dogs That Know When Their Owners Are Coming Home but that this new work is the lead title in Deepak Chopra’s new imprint.

Thomas, Evan. Ike’s Bluff: President Eisenhower’s Secret Battle To Save the World. Little, Brown. Sept. 2012. 423p. ISBN 9780316091046. $29.99. CD: Hachette Audio. HISTORY
The genial Dwight Eisenhower was apparently a crack poker player, routinely cleaning out his fellow army officers, and, argues Thomas, he took a big, poker-faced gamble when as President he confronted the Soviet Union, China, and his own saber-rattling generals. A former Newsweek editor at large, now teaching at Princeton, Thomas explains how his careful strategy paid off—for him and for the world.

Velasquez-Manoff, Moises. An Epidemic of Absence: A New Way of Understanding Allergies and Autoimmune Diseases. Scribner. Sept. 2012. NAp. ISBN 9781439199381. $26. HEALTH/MEDICINE
Worm therapy. It sounds disgusting, but consider. In the 20th century, many serious diseases were eradicated or sharply curtailed through better hygiene, vaccines, antibiotics, and more. In the process, we may have also eradicated organisms that help keep our bodies in balance, as evidenced by the rise in allergic or autoimmune diseases like asthma and Crohn’s disease. As science journalist Velasquez-Manoff explains, some researchers are trying to counter these diseases through the use of parasitic worms (helminthes) to help the immune system adjust. This should be fascinating if quease-inducing reading.

Witchell, Alex. All Gone: A Memoir of My Mother’s Dementia, with Refreshments. Riverhead: Penguin Group (USA). Sept. 2012. NAp. ISBN 9781594487354. $26.95. MEMOIR
New York Times Magazine columnist Witchell can be hard-driving, but here she reveals a gentle side. As her mother, who always sustained her, slides into dementia, Witchell holds on by cooking up and sharing favorite recipes from her 1950s childhood. We could learn something here.

Díaz, Junot. This Is How You Lose Her. Riverhead: Penguin Group (USA). Sept. 2012. 240p. ISBN 9781594487361. $25.95. SHORT STORIES
Readers who adored The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, winner of both a Pulitzer Prize and a National Book Critics Circle Award, have been waiting five long years for Díaz’s next work. Here it is—a collection of short stories that focus on how love twists and turns us around, whether we’re burning with bright, new passion, recalling an old flame from the shadows, or ignoring the consequences of our carelessness toward children or onetime partners. Wao fans know that these pieces will be spiky, intense, and surprising. You might have caught some of them in The New Yorker; catch them all now.

Brzezinski, Mika & Joe Scarborough. Mika and Joe: Our American Stories. Random. Sept. 2012. 336p. ISBN 9780812992915. $27; eISBN 9780679644187. CD: Random Audio. MEMOIR/JOURNALISM
He’s a former U.S. Representative from Florida with deep middle-class roots. She’s the daughter of Zbigniew Brzezinski, scion of the Polish nobility, who was President Jimmy Carter’s national security adviser. He’s also host and she’s cohost of MSNBC’s Morning Joe, and here they blend their stories to produce a memoir of growing up American that’s meant to bridge the Left–Right, Red–Blue divide. A great idea if it works (note that she’s already written a New York Times best-selling memoir, All Things at Once); obviously lots of media-savvy promotion.

Gorant, Jim. Wallace: The Underdog Who Conquered a Sport, Saved a Marriage, and Championed a Breed—One Flying Disc at a Time. Gotham: Penguin Books (USA). Sept. 2012. 256p. ISBN 9781592407316. $26. PETS
Having detailed the fate of Michael Vick’s dogs in the heartrending and immaculately researched New York Times best-selling The Lost Dogs, Sports Illustrated senior editor Gorant describes the life story of another pit bull—Wallace, a rescue dog who went on to win or place impressively in dozens of local, national, and international doggie disc-catching competitions. The aim wasn’t to win trophies, though, but to clear up misunderstandings about the breed while letting Wallace have some fun. Now he’s world famous, and his story should pluck a lot of heartstrings. Go, Wallace!

Brandman, Michael. Robert B. Parker’s Fool Me Twice: A Jesse Stone Novel. Putnam. Sept. 2012. NAp. ISBN 9780399159497. $25.95. THRILLER
The town may be Paradise, MA, but it’s no paradise for star Marisol Hinton, who’s there to film a movie even as she anguishes over the unrelenting jealousy of her estranged husband. Then she receives a death threat, and Jesse Stone swings into action. Brandman wrote 2011’s best-selling Robert B. Parker’s Killing the Blues and has written and/or produced a bunch of Parker adaptations for CBS (next up in May 2012: Benefit of the Doubt). So this will have an audience.

Child, Lee. A Wanted Man. Delacorte. Sept. 2012. 304p. ISBN 9780385344333. $28; eISBN 9780440339366. CD/downloadable: Random Audio. THRILLER
Child’s last five thrillers have been No. 1 New York Times best sellers, he’s sold over a million ebooks, and One Shot will soon be a film starring Tom Cruise. Here, Jack Reacher returns, exactly six minutes after the end of Worth Dying For; what happens next should be thrilling. No doubt where this book will go straight to the charts.

Cussler, Clive with Jack Du Brul. Mirage: An Oregon Novel. Putnam. Sept. 2012. 416p. ISBN 9780399158087. $27.95. THRILLER
Yes, Juan Cabrillo is back, and this time he must make sense of the Philadelphia Experiment. In that little 1943 escapade, a U.S. destroyer was deliberately sent into a misted-over field of electromagnetic radiation—and promptly vanished, never to be seen again. But now evidence of the experiment has hauntingly returned, with possible nasty consequences for U.S. security. Buy multiples.

Gerritsen, Tess. Last To Die: A Rizzoli & Isles Novel. Ballantine. Sept. 2012. 368p. ISBN 9780345515636. $27; eISBN 9780345535955. THRILLER
Having withstood violence, the students at Evensong, a school deep in the Maine wilderness, study science and investigative techniques to prepare for careers in crime fighting. That’s where Maura Isles goes to visit 16-year-old Julian “Rat” Perkins, and that’s where Det. Jane Rizzoli decides to hide Teddy Clock when the rest of his foster family is murdered. The first in this best-selling series to boast the “Rizzoli & Isles” brand name in the title, this book will appear just as the third season of TNT’s successful Rizzoli & Isles TV series is ending, so fans will be primed.

O’Brien, Timothy L. The Lincoln Conspiracy. Ballantine. Sept. 2012. 368p. ISBN 9780345496775. $26; eISBN 9780345535597. THRILLER
We know why Lincoln was assassinated, right? Wrong, says O’Brien, national editor of the Huffington Post, who has teased a theory out of the historical record that promises to surprise and turned it into a thriller. When a friend is slain at the B&O railroad station, not long after Lincoln’s assassination, Det. Temple McFadden finds two diaries in his pocket: one belonging to Mary Todd Lincoln and one to John Wilkes Booth. Wonder where this will lead.

Sears, Michael. Black Fridays. Putnam. Sept. 2012. NAp. ISBN 9780399158667. $25.95. THRILLER
Jason Stafford was a major player on Wall Street (like the author, once managing director at Paine Webber and Jeffries & Co.). But, having spent time in prison after some financial finagling (not like the author), he can’t find a job. Then he’s asked to check on possible irregularities in some accounts handled by a recently deceased junior partner, and all hell breaks loose. On the personal side, getting full custody of his autistic child is remaking Stafford’s life. A debut thriller getting lots of push.

Straub, Emma. Laura Lamont’s Life in Pictures. Riverhead: Penguin Group (USA). Sept. 2012. 320p. ISBN 9781594488450. $26.95. POP FICTION
Midwestern girl puts family tragedy behind her and becomes a star in Golden Age Hollywood. Actually, it sounds like a Hollywood movie, but while that trajectory might seem worn, the book is said to be absolutely charming, and Straub has proven herself as a BookCourt bookseller and by publishing pieces in Tin House, the Paris Review Daily, and Slate. The publisher’s big fiction debut of the season.

White, Randy Wayne. Gone. Putnam. Sept. 2012. NAp. ISBN 9780399158490. $25.95. THRILLER
White takes a break from his New York Times best-selling Doc Ford books to launch a new series starring Hannah Smith, one tough cookie first seen as a secondary character in White’s Captiva. Here, Smith is asked to find a missing girl. Never fear, Doc Ford fans; you’ll still be traveling to Florida.

Woods, Stuart. Severe Clear. Putnam. Sept. 2012. NAp. ISBN 9780399159848. $26.95. THRILLER
Woods’s 50th novel—and protagonist Stone Barrington’s 24th, if I am counting correctly—takes Barrington to Bel-Air, where a grand hotel called the Arrington is about to open on the grounds of the mansion belonging to his late wife. Alas, terrorists threaten to upend the glittering gala, and Barrington must depend on some old allies for help.

Johnson, Steven. Future Perfect: The Case for Progress in a Networked Age. Riverhead: Penguin Group (USA). Sept. 2012. NAp. ISBN 9781594488207. $26.95. TECHNOLOGY
Getting connected will be good for us—but it’s surely going to be different. That’s the argument from Johnson, Time cover boy, TED (technology, entertainment, and design) talker, author of the best-selling Where Good Ideas Come From, and expert on the cultural-technology symbiosis who commandeers nearly 1.5 million Twitter followers. If you want to stay updated.

Laskas, Jeanne Marie. Hidden America: From Coal Miners to Cowboys, an Extraordinary Exploration of the Unseen People Who Make This Country Work. Putnam. Sept. 2012. NAp. ISBN 9780399159008. $25.95. SOCIAL SCIENCE
Director of the writing program at the University of Pittsburgh, National Magazine Award finalist for a GQ piece on coal miners, and author of long-running Washington Post Magazine column “Significant Others,” Laskas here profiles everyday folks who make life in America work. Good thought in these divided times.

Rinella, Steven. Meat Eater: A Natural History of an American Hunter. Spiegel & Grau. Sept. 2012. 272p. ISBN 9780385529815. $26. SPORTS/HUNTING
Host of the Discovery Channel’s The Wild Within and the new MeatEater on the Sportsman Channel, and also author of the award-winning American Buffalo, Rinella has been hunting since age ten. This panoramic account of ten hunts in which he has participated sums up his philosophy that meat eaters have a moral responsibility for acquiring what they eat instead of depending on others to kill and package meat for them. Lots of hunters and Michael Pollan fans out there for this book.

Rosin, Hanna. The End of Men: And the Rise of Women. Riverhead: Penguin Group (USA). Sept. 2012. NAp. ISBN 9781594488047. $27.95. SOCIAL SCIENCE
Founder of Slate’s Double X, which offers provocative views on women’s issues, Rosin drew on recent research to write an Atlantic Monthly cover story arguing that in terms of every measure of success—education, work, health, and home life—women are currently outstripping men. This expansion of her story, which purports to range widely in terms of class and culture (the thrust is in fact global), will likely make some readers feel angry and others triumphant. The publisher’s big nonfiction for the fall.

Sifton, Sam. Thanksgiving: How To Cook It Well. Random. Sept. 2012. 112p. ISBN 9781400069910. $18. COOKING
Sifton is currently the national editor of the New York Times, but he was once its lead restaurant critic, and for three years he manned its Thanksgiving Help Line for those desperate about burnt pies and separating gray. Here he examines a range of important Thanksgiving issues, e.g., to brine or not to brine? How to set the table? When do you start cooking, and how you time everything with the big football game? Now maybe that help line won’t be quite as busy; check out especially for his 78,000 Twitter followers.

Venable, David. In the Kitchen with David: A Classic Comfort Food Cookbook. Ballantine. Sept. 2012. 256p. ISBN 9780345536280. $30; eISBN 9780345536297. COOKING
The numbers speak for themselves: venerable chef Venable’s No. 1–rated QVC show, In the Kitchen with David, has 1.25 million viewers; 140,000 folks follow Venable on Facebook and 5000 on Twitter. He’s hosted numerous big-names chefs on his show, helping them sell out their cookbooks; now he has one of his own, with 150 recipes that aim to bring you “classic comfort.” So this would seem to be a no-brainer where cookbooks are hot.

Ampuero, Roberto. The Neruda Case. Riverhead: Penguin Group (USA). Jul. 2012. 352p. ISBN 9781594487439. $26.95. MYSTERY
Chilean-born Ampuero’s series starring private eye Cayetano Brulé are best sellers worldwide, but though the author has been teaching at the University of Iowa since 2000 (having spent time in Cuba, East Germany, West Germany, and Sweden), this is his first publication in English. Upon meeting Neruda at a party in pre-Pinochet Chile, Brulé is asked to solve a mystery troubling the great poet and finds himself traveling far afield (to Cuba, East Berlin…) for that purpose. Not just for mystery fans—or readers of Latin American literature.

Baker, J.I. The Empty Glass. Blue Rider: Penguin Group (USA). Jul. 2012. 288p. ISBN 9780399158193. $24.95. THRILLER
Baker, executive editor of Condé Nast Traveler, offers a first novel about a woman who’s starred in a lot of fiction lately: Marilyn Monroe. Maybe it’s the 50th anniversary of her death, coming in August 2012—or maybe she just seems so relevant as both symbol and victim of an outsize celebrity culture. Here, Los Angeles County Deputy Coroner Ben Fitzgerald arrives at the scene of Monroe’s death and finds her diary, which reveals a doomed affair with “The General”; soon he scents a cover-up in the making.

Brookmyre, Christopher. Where the Bodies Are Buried. Atlantic Monthly. Jul. 2012. 304p. ISBN 9780802120250. $25; eISBN 9780802194442. THRILLER
A major crime novelist from Scotland, where the really tough guys write, Brookmyre crafts the story of two different cases that eventually collide. As Detective Superintendent Catherine McLeod investigates the murder of a small-time heroin dealer (shame on him for sleeping with a drug kingpin’s girlfriend), one-time actress Jasmine Sharp must step up her efforts to learn the ropes at her “Uncle” Jim’s private investigation business when Jim himself disappears. This one’s gritty.

Chen, Pauline A. The Red Chamber. Knopf. Jul. 2012. 400p. ISBN 9780307701572. $26.95; CD: Random House Audio. HISTORICAL
In her first adult novel, Chen, who has a doctoral degree in Asian studies from Princeton, imaginatively reworks the Chinese classic Dream of the Red Chamber, set in 18th-century Beijing. At its heart are three women: orphaned Daiyu, who joins her cousins, scheming Xifeng and proper Baochai, in the grand imperial city. Big reading-group pitch and an accent on accessibility.

Claudel, Philippe. The Investigation. Doubleday. Jul. 2012. 240p. ISBN 9780385535342. $25. LITERARY
Claudel, who here follows up award winners like Brodeck and By a Slow River (translated into 30 languages) is one French author American readers really seem to like. Here, the Investigator encounters some truly absurd—dare one say Kafkaesque?—situations as he tries to determine what is behind a string of suicides at a huge complex called Enterprise in an unnamed Town. Do keep this one in mind.

Coulter, Catherine. Backfire. Putnam. Jul. 2012. 400p. ISBN 9780399157325. $26.95. THRILLER
Here’s Coulter in FBI thriller mode, as tough federal prosecutor Mickey O’Rourke suddenly turns to jelly at the trial of putative serial killers Clive and Cindy Cahill, then gets shot in the back. FBI agents Lacey Sherlock and Dillon Savich receive the news at the same time that Savich gets a note saying “You deserve this for what you did.” Go, thriller fans.

Gapper, John. A Fatal Debt. Ballantine. Jul. 2012. 288p. ISBN 9780345527899. $26; eISBN 9780345527912. THRILLER
Psychiatrist Ben Cowper reluctantly agrees to treat a disgraced Wall Street biggie at home instead of at the hospital, then rushes to pick up the pieces when someone ends up dead. Gapper is a fiction newcomer but no neophyte; as chief business columnist of the Financial Times, he’s already a high-profile writer with a big blog/Twitter following. Another in the big upsweep of financial thrillers, inspired by these parlous times.

Gardiner, Meg. Ransom River. Dutton. Jul. 2012. 368p. ISBN 9780525952855. $25.95. THRILLER
Her career and her love life having dead-ended, Rory Mackenzie reluctantly returns to her hometown of Ransom River, CA. Now a juror on a big-time murder case, she starts recalling disturbing childhood memories about another case, still unsolved—and that could be her undoing. Attention, fans: Gardiner is refreshing herself (and us?) by departing from her Evan Delaney series.

Grazer, Gigi Levangie. The After Wife. Ballantine. Jul. 2012. 288p. ISBN 9780345523990. $25; eISBN 9780345524010. CD: Random House Audio. POP FICTION
How does newly widowed Hannah discover that she can talk the dead? She’s standing in the backyard, sobbing over the death of her husband and asking “Why?” when the avocado tree laconically responds, “Why not?” Grazer is responsible for the screenplay Stepmom, plus a bunch of novels, including The Starter Wife, inspiration for the miniseries and then the regular series on the USA Network, which gives you a good feel for her work.

Hill, Gregory. East of Denver. Dutton. Jul. 2012. 240p. ISBN 9780525952794. $25.95. POP FICTION
Suddenly caretaker of his senile father and the family farm in eastern Colorado, to which he has just returned, Stacey “Shakespeare” Williams links up with some old high school buddies and hatches a plan to rob the victimizing local bank. Do they really mean to go through with it? Dark comedy with an in-the-news edge; note that debut novelist Hill works for the University of Denver library.

Huston, Nancy. Infrared. Black Cat: Grove Atlantic. Jul. 2012. 272p. ISBN 9780802120274. pap. $14; eISBN 9780802194404. LITERARY
Having survived childhood and two bad marriages, cutting-edge photographer Rena Greenblatt finds herself trapped in Florence with her fading father and impossible stepmother, contemplating both Renaissance masterpieces and memories of dark, sensual moments in her past. Several of Canadian author Huston’s 11 novels are major award winners; Prix Femina winner Fault Lines is a personal favorite.

Joyce, Graham. Some Kind of Fairy Tale. Doubleday. Jul. 2012. 352p. ISBN 9780385535786. $24.95. FANTASY
A girl named Tara disappears from her small English village, leaving behind a grieving but ultimately resigned family. Then 20 years later she returns—almost completely unchanged. Clearly, the work of a fantasist—Joyce has won both British Fantasy and World Fantasy awards—and comparisons are being made to Keith Donohue’s The Stolen Child and S.J. Waton’s When I Go To Sleep. Note, too, that Joyce’s The Silent Land was a Stephen King Summer Pick in EW—and act accordingly.

Kava, Alex. Fireproof: A Maggie O’Dell Novel. Doubleday. Jul. 2012. 304p. ISBN 9780385535519. $24.95. THRILLER
Called in to investigate a series of suspicious fires—the last having left someone dead—special agent Maggie O’Dell is being pursued by a reporter who wants to make her part of the story. Meanwhile, she’s getting the uncomfortable feeling that this arsonist is someone close to home. New York Times best-selling author Kava cops a six-city tour (Houston, Phoenix, Denver, San Diego, San Francisco, and Minneapolis), plus giveaways on GoodReads and LibraryThing.

Lasser, Scott. Say Nice Things About Detroit. Norton. Jul. 2012. 288p. ISBN 9780393082999. $25.95. LITERARY
After his divorce and his son’s death, David Halpert seeks solace in a surprising place; he returns to his hometown, Detroit, which he left 25 years ago after graduating from high school. There he contends not only with the ongoing decay of the racially polarized town but the double shooting of an old high school girlfriend and her black half-brother. Evidence that you should consider purchasing: LJ said of Lasser’s 1999 debut, Battle Creek, “All public libraries will want this,” and of his recent The Year That Follows, “Highly recommended.”

Lawson, Mike. House Blood: A Joe DeMarco Thriller. Atlantic Monthly. Jul. 2012. 416p. ISBN 9780802119940. $24; eISBN 9780802194541. THRILLER
Big pharma CEO Orson Mulray want to test a miracle drug, but human subjects—and autopsy results—are required. Sweeping that little complication under the table, he ropes in starry-eyed philanthropist Lizzie Warwick, but then her lobbyist in Washington, DC, uncovers the true nature of the plan and gets murdered for his troubles. Two years later, congressional fixer Joe DeMarco picks up the case, and things get really complicated. House Rules (2008) was a No. 1 Kindle best seller, and House Divided (2011) was an LJ best thriller of the year, so House Blood is well positioned.

Lee, Don. The Collective. Norton. Jul. 2012. 352p. ISBN 9780393083217. $25.95.  LITERARY
In 1988, aspiring writer Eric Cho bonds with aspiring pianist Jessica Tsai and another writing hopeful, the gargantuanly talented Joshua Yoon, at Macalester College. Later, in Cambridge, MA, they form the 3AC, the Asian American Artists Collective, working their way through questions of love, art, idealism, and racism. Former Ploughshares editor Lee, who won the Sue Kaufman Prize for his first collection, Yellow, and both an Edgar and an American Book Award for Country of Origin, is a cracking good writer.

Mathews, Francine. Jack 1939. Riverhead: Penguin Group (USA). Jul. 2012. 288p. ISBN 9781594487194. $26.95. THRILLER
President Roosevelt wants to send someone to Europe to figure out what Hitler really intends and to prevent German funds meant to ensure Roosevelt’s loss in the 1940 election from reaching America. His choice? John F. Kennedy, the son of America’s ambassador to Britain, who’s traveling the Continent to collect data for his senior thesis. Rumor has it that this is a fun, fast-paced, sexy thriller, and as Mathews was an intelligence analyst for the CIA in the 1990s the atmosphere should be authentic.

Piccirilli, Tom. The Last Kind Words. Bantam. Jun. 2012. 336p. ISBN 9780553592481. $26; eISBN 9780553906356. THRILLER
Bram Stoker and International Thriller Awards winner Piccirilli breaks into hardcover with the story of Terrier Rand, who abandons the crime life and his small-time grifter family when brother Collie turns killer and wipes out an entire family and then some. (Yes, Rand family members are all named after dog breeds.) But he returns when Collie claims that he wasn’t responsible for one of those deaths. Lots of buzz and the start of a new series.

Slaughter, Karin. Criminal. Delacorte. Jul. 2012. 416p. ISBN 9780345528506. $27; eISBN 9780345528513. THRILLER
Georgia Bureau of Investigation agent Will Trent would like finally to make his life more than just work. But no such luck with a crime from 1975 suddenly making trouble today. Slaughter can of course be lauded as a No. 1 international best-selling author and ITW Silver Bullet Award winner and the guiding light behind the Save the Libraries campaign. Buy multiples.

Steel, Danielle. Friends Forever. Delacorte. Jul. 2012. 320p. ISBN 9780385343213. $28; eISBN 9780345533562.
This starts out YA—two girls and three boys meet and become fast friends at a fancy private school—then goes into classic Steel territory as the friends split up for college and are eventually divided forever by tragedy. Comparisons are being made to another Steel biggie, Sisters.

Suarez, Daniel. Kill Decision. Dutton. Jul. 2012. 384p. ISBN 9780525952619. $26.95. THRILLER
What happens when the decision to kill in battle can suddenly be shifted from human to machine? America is under attack by drones programmed to seek out and execute targets, and Special Ops soldier Odin is trying to stop the carnage with the help of Linda McKinney, a scientist whose research on ant societies has been preempted by the unknown enemy to run the marauding drones. Techno-thriller author Suarez goes beyond the New York Times best-selling Daemon to get at some big issues.

Thayer, Nancy. Summer Breeze. Ballantine. Jul. 2012. 288p. ISBN 9780345528711. $26; eISBN 9780345533517. POP FICTION
Thayer abandons Nantucket for the Berkshires, where three young women spend a summer recalibrating their lives. Cottage-sitting Natalie is recovering from the breakup blues, Bella has returned home to care for her mom and the family business, and Morgan wants more out of life than mothering. Popular women’s fiction of the extended-best-sellers list type and a good beach, er, weekend-in-the-country read.

Walters, Minette. Innocent Victims: Two Novellas. Mysterious Pr: Grove Atlantic. Jul. 2012. 160p. ISBN 9780802126122. $23; eISBN 9780802194466. MYSTERY
In “Chickenfeed,” based on a notorious 1924 murder on an East Sussex chicken farm, Walters explores how Norman Thorne met Elsie, the girlfriend he reputedly killed. In “The Tinder Box,” everyone in town unites against the O’Riordan family when Patrick O’Riordan is accused of murder, though neighbor Siobhhan Lavenham proclaims his innocence. Then secrets emerge that make her start to wonder. Walters is a Gold Dagger and Edgar award winner (among other honors), these two works were both No. 1 best sellers in the UK, and you were wondering whether to purchase?

Warren, Dianne. Juliet in August. Amy Einhorn: Putnam. Jul. 2012. 336p. ISBN 9780399157998. $25.95. LITERARY
Juliet, Saskatchewan. It’s at the edge of the Little Snake sand hills, but it’s a small town like any other, with folks quietly getting by as they recognize their limitations or learn to love again. Small-town dwellers and those who enjoy reading about them should identify with everyone and everything, except maybe the camel named Antoinette, lost somewhere in the hills. Winner of Canada’s highly regarded Governor General’s Award and hence well worth watching.

Young, Tom. The Renegades. Putnam. Jul. 2012. 288p. ISBN 9780399158469. $25.95. THRILLER
Young follows up The Mullah’s Storm and Silent Enemy (not to mention nearly 4000 hours with the Air National Guard in Iraq and elsewhere) with another thriller drawing on Middle East tensions. Afghan Air Force adviser Lt. Col. Michael Parson and his interpreter, Sgt. Maj. Sophia Gold, are on hand when American troops hurry to deliver aid after an earthquake devastates Afghanistan. A Taliban splinter group called the Black Crescent is making the effort truly hell. Interesting to see where Young’s writing will go as our objectives in the region shift.

Atkins, Ace. The Lost Ones. Putnam. Jun. 2012. 352p. ISBN 9780399158766. $25.95. THRILLER
When he’s not continuing the Spenser novels, having been chosen for the honor by the Robert B. Parker Estate, Atkins writes nicely gritty thrillers on his own. This is his second Quinn Colson novel, about a former U.S. Army ranger who’s become sheriff of Tibbelah County, MS. Here Colson is contending with both a nasty case of stolen army guns, which have landed in the laps of a local Mexican drug gang, and an abused child whose situation leads Colson and toughie deputy Lillie Virgil to a bootleg baby racket. Atkins is looking up.

Avallone, Silvia. Swimming to Elba. Viking. Jun. 2012. 320p. ISBN 9780670023585. $25.95. Downloadable: Penguin Audio. POP FICTION
Childhood friends Anna and Francesca have bloomed as adolescents, and they start to imagine a life beyond sleepy little Piombino, where they live. Maybe it’s time to take the ferry to the resort town of Elba. The friends’ dreams and disappointments might sound like the stuff of YA novels, but as this was runner-up for Italy’s Premio Strega and has been sold to 14 countries, something more must be going on. Watch.

Brown, Eli. Cinnamon and Gunpowder. Farrar. Jun. 2012. 272p. ISBN 9780374123666. $26. HISTORICAL
Evocative title, and the plot sounds like a hoot. In 1819, the pirate Mad Hannah Mabbot kills the lord of a booming tea concern but spares his chef, the famous Owen Wedgwood, as long as he manages to serve her an extraordinary meal every Sunday. Soon understandably overwrought Owen has swept away the weevil-infested cornmeal for tea-smoked eel. Brown’s first novel, The Great Days, won the Fabri Prize for Literature, so this isn’t just a divertissement. Check it out.

Conway, James. The Last Trade. Dutton. Jun. 2012. 400p. ISBN 9780525952824. $26.95. THRILLER
With his uncanny sense of the financial future, Drew Havens has helped make the Rising Fund a premier hedge operation—the only one that did not simply survive the mortgage crisis but benefited from it. Now, however, someone is murdering brokers associated with the Fund, starting with Havens’s protégé. The author himself is a pseudonymous hedge-fund insider, so the money details should be correct. Certainly au courant; buy where financial thrillers do well. 

Cussler, Clive & Graham Brown. The Storm. Putnam. Jun. 2012. 416p. ISBN 9780399160134. $27.95. CD/downloadable: Penguin Audio. THRILLER
Just as a NUMA research vessel in the Indian Ocean completes some water sampling, a veritable tide of little black particles comes along, attacks the vessel, and leaves everyone aboard dead. Seems that there’s a plan afoot to change the climate (beyond what we’ve already experienced); it will kill millions, and it’s up to NUMA stars Kurt Austin and Joe Zavala to stop it. More from the very busy Cussler, who seems only to be getting better. Buy multiples.

D’Amato, Brian. The Sacrifice Game. Dutton. Jun. 2012. 672p. ISBN 9780525952411. $29.95. THRILLER
In his debut, In the Courts of the Sun, D’Amato had a bunch of scientists send math prodigy Jed DeLanda back to 664 C.E. to see how the Maya went about predicting the apocalypse of 2012. Having arrived in the body of a human sacrifice and taken a good look around, Jed decided to bring on the apocalypse—because clearly humanity needs to be put out of its misery. Here, however, the scientists back in the future have gotten wind of Jed’s plans and work to stop him. Buy where Courts and other sf thrillers are popular.

Ellis, David. The Wrong Man. Putnam. Jun. 2012. 320p. ISBN 9780399158285. $25.95. CD/downloadable: Penguin Audio. THRILLER
The case looks pretty bleak when homeless Iraq War veteran Mike Stoller is accused of murdering a paralegal coming home from night-school class, as he suffers from posttraumatic stress disorder that badly affects his memory. But lawyer Jason Kolarich thinks that the young woman was killed because she had been tracing a money trail linking terrorists to some leading corporations. Interesting premise, and Ellis’s dual standing as an Edgar Award winner and James Patterson’s latest coauthor should attract readers.

Grecian, Alex. The Yard. Putnam. Jun. 2012. 320p. ISBN 9780399149542. $26.95. CD/downloadable: Penguin Audio. HISTORICAL THRILLER
After its failure to capture Jack the Ripper, Scotland Yard creates the Murder Squad—12 detectives charged with investigating the thousands of murders in grimy, crime-filled London. They’re not having much luck. Then one of their members is killed, and newly hired Walter Day teams with the Yard’s first forensic pathologist, Dr. Bernard Kingsley, to track down the killer and figure out why he seems to be gunning for the entire squad. This is a new series, but Grecian is no newbie; he’s author of the long-running and critically acclaimed graphic novel series Proof. I’m intrigued.

Grenville, Kate. Sarah Thornhill. Grove. Jun. 2012. 352p. ISBN 9780802120243. $25; eISBN 9780802194459. LITERARY
A novel of frontier violence in Australia, Grenville’s The Secret River won the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize and was shortlisted for a bunch more. The Lieutenant continued the story. Now here’s the wrap-up, featuring Sarah, the youngest child of River’s pioneer William Thornhill. Alas, Sarah doesn’t know that her father’s fortune is built on cruel exploitation of the Aborigines. Grenville is forthright in her examination of the historical record—she’s drawing partly on family history—and the first two books were memorable, so I’m anticipating. With a reading group guide.

Healy, Dermot. Long Time, No See. Viking. Jun. 2012. 448p. ISBN 9780670023608. $27.95. LITERARY
A multithreat author (he does novels, short stories, poetry, and memoir) with a stack of awards—and called Ireland’s finest living novelist by no less a luminary than Roddy Doyle—Healy here offers his first novel in more than a decade. It’s narrated by a young man called Mister Psyche, who lives in a remote coastal village and becomes involved in a series of escapades with grand uncle JoeJoe and JoeJoe’s neighbor, the Blackbird. Lots of Irish lit lovers out there for this book, but you don’t have to be one of them to give this a serious look. 

Kellerman, Jesse. Potboiler. Putnam. Jun. 2012. 320p. ISBN 9780399159039. $25.95. LITERARY THRILLER
Kellerman does not write classic thrillers like his famous parents, Jonathan and Faye Kellerman, but uses the genre to explore quirky ideas or philosophical questions in a way that hits his books into the cognoscenti’s court. In his latest, unavailing middle-aged college professor Arthur Pfeffenkorn gets some bright ideas when his phenomenally accomplished friend, best-selling thriller writer William de la Vallèe, is lost at sea. For starters, he searches out de la Vallèe widow, the woman he himself loved and lost. From there, things get darker. Watch this one for sophisticated thriller readers.

Makine, Andreï. The Life of an Unknown Man. Graywolf. Jun. 2012. 192p. ISBN 9781555976149. pap. $15. LITERARY
Both before and after the publication of his much-loved Dreams of My Russian Summers, Makine has written novels exploring the burden of Russian history in the 20th century, but this one has a twist. Having spent years exiled in Paris (like Makine himself), a disillusioned writer named Shutov revisits St. Petersburg and strikes up a friendship with an old man named Volsky, who recalls the siege of Leningrad, Stalin’s purges, and a grand love. In the end, Makine brings things up to date and shakes them up a bit by showing that the old man is clearly happier than the desperate go-getters of contemporary Russia. I always enjoy Makine’s books and hope you’ll take a look at this one.

Medina, Pablo. Cubop City Blues. Grove. Jun. 2012. 224p. ISBN 9780802119841. $25; eISBN 9780802194558. LITERARY
A novelist (The Cigar Roller), poet (Floating Island), and translator (most recently of Federico García Lorca’s immortal Poeta en Nueva York), Medina puts all his talents to use in this tale of a reimagined New York at the time Latin jazz emerged. In Cubop City, a child is born nearly blind and is homeschooled. But when he’s 25, the Storyteller, as he is called, must care for his parents, Cuban exiles now dying of cancer, which he does by spinning stories from his fervid imagination. Outside the windows, Afro-Cuban jazz patters along. I must say that I don’t know Medina’s work as well as I should, but this does sound gorgeous, no? 

 Moriarty, Laura. The Chaperone. Riverhead: Penguin Group (USA). Jun. 2012. 384p. ISBN 9781594487019. $26.95. Downloadable: Penguin Audio. LITERARY
Imagine having to chaperone boldly defiant, black-bobbed actress Louise Brooks, who even at 15 must have been a handful. That job falls to traditional but thoughtful Cora Carlisle, a mid-thirties married woman with her own reasons for agreeing to escort Louise from Wichita to New York, where she will be studying dance. Louise will surely light up the book as she did the screen (I do love her), but the brave thing here is to make Cora’s transformative experience the center of the book. Especially appealing to book clubs, so the reading group guide is a plus.

Palahniuk, Chuck. Invisible Monsters Remix. Norton. Jun. 2012. 336p. ISBN 9780393083521. $25.95. POP FICTION
Published as a paperback original in 1999, Palahniuk’s tale of a fashion model who loses everything when she is badly disfigured in a drive-by shooting gets a makeover here, featuring new chapters, new scenes, and special design elements. It’s being billed as a “director’s cut,” which Palahniuk fans will definitely want.

Pearson, Ridley. The Risk Agent. Putnam. Jun. 2012. 432p. ISBN 9780399158834. $25.95. THRILLER
You have to love the guy. Not only is he the author of 16 best-selling novels, not only is he the first American to be awarded the Raymond Chandler/Fulbright Fellowship in detective fiction at Oxford University, but he’s a founding member (with Stephen King, Amy Tan, and Greg Iles) of the Rock Bottom Remainders. In his latest, a Chinese national working for an American firm in Shanghai is hustled away by bad guys, along with his security guard and a pile of top-secret papers. Rutherford Risk operative Grace Chua, a forensic accountant, tracks down the money, while colleague John Knox uses his combat expertise—a lot—as he looks for the hostage. The start of a new series; likely big.

Rice, Luanne. Little Night. Pamela Dorman: Viking. 336p. ISBN 9780670023561. $26.95. POP FICTION
Lots of novels feature estranged sisters, but Clare and Anne are divided for especially astonishing reasons—Clare tried to protect Anne from an abusive husband and ended up in jail for assault, with Anne’s spurious defense of her husband the main reason for the conviction. Years later, Clare finds her niece Grit on her New York doorstep, and they work at building a relationship; there’s even a hint that Anne may be in town looking for reconciliation. Rice’s 30th novel should follow the rest to bestsellerdom; buy multiples, and think about this one for book clubs.

Walcott, Derek. Moon-Child: A Play. Farrar. Jun. 2012. 128p. ISBN 9780374533397. pap. $16. DRAMA
No, not poetry from Nobel prize winner Walcott but a play—the first I’ve ever featured in Prepub Alert, unless memory fails me. On lush St. Lucia, a wicked Planter who’s apparently the Devil in disguise aims to turn the island over for development but meets his match in the matriarch of the Bouton family. Not a big, big work but a likely a delight for the literati.

Wright, Tom. What Dies in Summer. Norton. Jun. 2012. 256p. ISBN 9780393064025. $25.95. POP FICTION
When Jim and cousin L.A., who’s just moved in with him and his grandmother, discover the body of a raped and murdered girl in a field, Jim’s special gift—he’s got the Sight—comes in handy. Unfortunately, it also leads them into big trouble. The publisher is putting a lot of effort behind this debut, billed as coming-of-age Southern gothic; buy where such titles are popular and otherwise keep an eye on this one. 

Zimmerman, Jean. The Orphanmaster. Viking. Jun. 2012. 432p. ISBN 9780670023646. $27.95. HISTORICAL
In 1663 New Amsterdam, orphan children are disappearing, and 22-year-old trader Blandine von Couvering wants to know why—not least because she herself is an orphan. She joins forces (in more ways than one) with British spy Edward Drummond, but before they can find the culprit—is it the governor’s decadent nephew, a crazed Algonquin trapper, or the shady orphanmaster?—Blandine is accused of witchcraft and Edward is caught and sentenced to hanging. Lots of excitement, and not just in the narrative; the house is really behind this debut. Watch.

Bowker, Gordon. James Joyce: A New Biography. Farrar. Jun. 2012. 624p. ISBN 9780374178727. $35. BIOGRAPHY
The biographer of Malcolm Lowry, George Orwell, and Lawrence Durrell, Bowker now takes on the literary Everest that is James Joyce. Working with newly discovered materials, he aims to reveal more of the author’s interior landscape, exploring his commitment to writing despite poverty, censorship, and relentless criticism. Richard Ellmann’s monumental biography still tops the charts; let see how this one does.

Coates, John. The Hour Between Dog and Wolf: Risk Taking, Gut Feelings, and the Biology of Boom and Bust. Penguin Pr: Penguin Group (USA). Jun. 2012. 368p. ISBN 9781594203381. $27.95. BUSINESS/SCIENCE
The French refer to twilight as entre le chien et le loup—between the dog and the wolf, the time when one has trouble telling the two apart.Wall Streeters use the term to highlight that shifty moment when a trader can take a risk or retreat to cut possible losses. Coates, a research fellow in neuroscience and finance at Cambridge, once worked in derivatives and came to believe that trading behavior was deeply related to hormones. His experiments showed that testosterone, bolstered by success, reduces the fear of risk in men, particularly young men (but not women), while failure causes an increase in cortisol, which inhibits risk taking. This biology of risk helps us understand how mind and body work together for success, separating the dogs from the wolves in a wide range of endeavors. For smart readers; makes sense, right?

Cohen, Rich. The Fish That Ate the Whale: The Life and Times of America’s Banana King. Farrar. Jun. 2012. 320p. ISBN 9780374299279. $27. BIOGRAPHY
Arriving in America in 1891, Samuel Zemurray started out as a fruit peddler and ended up as head of the United Fruit Company—and one of the richest men in the world. As told by Cohen, his is both a rags-to-riches success story and a cautionary tale about the damage done by corporate greed and the exploitation of other countries. A Rolling Stone and Vanity Fair contributing editor with a bunch of best sellers to his name, Cohen should pull this off nicely.

Dolan, Marc. Bruce Springsteen and the Promise of Rock ’n’ Roll. Norton. Jun. 2012. 592p. ISBN 9780393081350. $29.95. BIOGRAPHY/MUSIC
Associate professor of English, American studies, and film studies at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York, and at the City University of New York Graduate Center, Dolan would seem to have the background to write something more than a flashy account of Springsteen’s rise to fame. And that’s what he intends, probing the cultural and political forces that shaped Springsteen while drawing on numerous sources, including unreleased studio recordings and bootlegs of live performances. For serious fans.

Gallagher, Michael & Jonathan Fetter-Vorm. Trinity: Graphic History of the First Atomic Bomb. Hill & Wang. Jun. 2012. 160p. ISBN 9780809094684. $22. GRAPHIC NOVEL/HISTORY
Fetter-Vorm has illustrated a number of literary sources, including Beowulf and Moby-Dick, but here he takes on an important aspect of history, chronicling the development of the atomic bomb. The book moves from early research and a vividly rendered depiction of a nuclear chain reaction to the launching of the Manhattan Project and the ethical quandaries of those involved. Strongly consider wherever graphic nonfiction moves.

Jarnow, Jesse. Big Day Coming: Yo La Tengo and the Rise of Indie Rock. Gotham: Penguin Group (USA). 288p. ISBN 9781592407156. $18. MUSIC
Yo La Tengo has been around for three decades, defining indie rock and refusing to go glam by joining a big record label. Music journalist and radio show host Jarnow (The Frow Show, WFMU) tells their story. Note the paperback original format, absolutely fitting to the content and the audience. Get wherever music books beyond those celeb bios circulate.

Johnson, Boris. Johnson’s Life of London: The People Who Made the City That Made the World. Riverhead: Penguin Group (USA). Jun. 2012. 336p. ISBN 9781594487477. $27.95. HISTORY
London is a fascinating city, and who better to tell its story that the mayor himself, familiarly known as Boris. This he does by focusing not on events but individuals, from Hadrian to Shakespeare to the Rolling Stones. Before serving in the House of Commons and then becoming mayor, Johnson was a journalist (he was eventually editor of the Spectator), so he should be able to write. Just in time for the 2012 Olympics, this should be an entertainingly irreverent take on a powerhouse city.  

Kemper, Steve. A Labyrinth of Kingdoms: 10,000 Miles Through Islamic Africa. Norton. Jun. 2012. 432p. ISBN 9780393079661. $27.95. HISTORY
Never heard of Heinrich Barth? Acting for the British government, this German national became part of an expedition through North and Central Africa in 1849, enduring a five-and-a-half year trek over 10,000 miles and the deaths of most of his comrades before finally reaching that shining, legendary city, Timbuktu. But because of Europe’s changing political landscape and Barth’s concern with learning about the African peoples rather than figuring out how to exploit them, he didn’t get the attention at the time that he deserved. His story is known primarily by scholars, to whom his discoveries remain invaluable, which makes this an important corrective to our understanding of Africa’s exploration. And it sounds fascinating.  

Koslow, Sally, Slouching Toward Adulthood: Observations from the Not-So-Empty Nest. Viking. Jun. 2012. 272p. ISBN 9780670023622. $25.95. CURRENT EVENTS
A novelist (With Friends Like These) and journalist (O: The Oprah Magazine, Huffington Post), Koslow draws on her own experience, as well as research and interviews, to talk about a crucial issue these days: the number of adult children who have returned home to live with their parents. She calls these children adultescents, and her book seems less a discussion of why this is happening and what (if anything) to do about it than a portrait of the adjustments families are now making.

 Mann, James. The Obamians: How a Band of Newcomers Redefined American Power. Viking. Jun. 2012. 432p. ISBN 9780670023769. $26.95. CURRENT EVENTS
In his best-selling Rise of the Vulcans, Mann profiled the advisers who helped shape George W. Bush’s foreign policy. Here he looks at the idealistic young advisers Obama brought with him to the White House who found themselves up against both the messy realities of world politics and an older, more seasoned group of advisers (e.g., Joseph Biden, Hilary Clinton) who had a different view of things. Food for the political nuts among us, and there are lots.

Rees, Martin. From Here to Infinity: A Vision for the Future of Science. Norton. Jun. 2012. 160p. ISBN 9780393063073. $23.95. SCIENCE
A lot of folks are intimated by science, and Cambridge astrophysicist Rees wants them to get over it. After all, many of the crucial issues we face today, from health care to energy policy to climate change, demand an understanding of science. Rees here makes a case for increased communication between scientists and nonscientists so that we can all be better informed. It’s an important idea that I hope finds readers.

Sullivan, Randall. Untouchable: The Strange Life and Tragic Death of Michael Jackson. Grove. Jun. 2012. 388p. ISBN 9780802119629. $26.95; eISBN 9780802195654. BIOGRAPHY/MUSIC
As the subtitle suggests, this book by a former Rolling Stone contributing editor and writer recounts not only Jackson’s in-the-spotlight upbringing and the controversies of his adult life—the business errors, pedophilia accusations, savaged reputation, and comeback album and 50 megaconcerts he was planning at his death—but the death itself, including the public’s reaction, the estate battles, and the trial of Dr. Conrad Murray. Seems there’s an effort here at balance; likely lots of demand.

Wahls, Zach. My Two Moms: Everything I Needed To Know About Gay Marriage I Learned in Boy Scouts. Gotham Bks: Penguin Group (USA). Jun. 2012. NAp. ISBN 9781592407132. $26. MEMOIR
There are plenty of charming, Eagle Scout engineering students about, but only one testified before the Iowa House of Representatives in January 2011 that the sexual orientation of his two moms had had, as he said, “zero effect on the content of his character.” That was Wahls, just 19, and his speech subsequently appeared on YouTube, soon racking up more than two million views. Here he expands on his life story, speaking first to youngers like himself, raised by a same-sex couple, and then to all those who feel like outsiders, telling them that they are not alone. A needed book, and Wahls is now a known quantity.

Zuckerman, Peter & Amanda Padoan. Buried in the Sky: The Extraordinary Story of the Sherpa Climbers on K2’s Deadliest Day. Norton. Jun. 2012. 320p. ISBN 9780393079883. $26.95. MOUNTAINEERING
As long as Westerners have been scaling the Himalayas, Sherpas—inhabitants of Nepal’s most mountainous regions—have climbed with them, not merely as porters but as expert mountaineers. Yet they have never been given their due. Here is the story of Chhiring Dorje Sherpa and Pasang Lama, who participated in the 2008 assault on K2 that left 11 climbers dead, though they themselves survived. The book takes pains to explore their culture and the burden felt by such impoverished young men who take on dangerous work that pays well yet remains an offense to the mountains they revere. Sobering.