Hot New Books


Week of July 12, 2010
F C6414k Kings of the earth by Jon Clinch Alternating narrators trace the story of the three elderly Proctor brothers, upstate New York farmers whose hardscrabble rural life is brought into question after one of the brothers dies in his sleep and the two surviving brothers are suspected of murder.

F C7528w Whisperers by John Connolly In his latest dark and chilling Charlie Parker thriller set near the Maine/Canadian border, a dangerous smuggling operation is taking place, run by a group of disenchanted former soldiers. The authorities suspect something is amiss, but when the smugglers begin to die one after another in apparent suicides, Parker is called in to stop the bloodletting.

F D6522m Memory wall: stories by Anthony Doerr Presents a volume of short tales that includes the title work, a 'McSweeney's'-commissioned piece, as well as additional stories that span four continents and follow a theme of life's subtle grandeur.

F E368i Inside out by Barry Eisler Reluctantly agreeing to work unofficially for his old commander in order to clear himself of a legal dilemma, Ben Treven investigates the whereabouts of secret CIA tapes showing U.S. soldiers committing torture, records that a twisted bomb expert is using to blackmail the government.

F G378i Ice cold by Tess Gerritsen Stranded with her traveling companions in an eerily deserted Wyoming village during a blizzard, Maura discovers that they are being watched and pursues help when a party member is injured, an effort that turns nightmarish when she is abducted into the woods.

F G6532c The cookbook collector by Allegra Goodman While executive Emily questions her choices about her career and a long-distance relationship with a successful man, her environmental activist sister, Jessamine, struggles with her own doubts about her beliefs and love affair.

F M1224cm Corduroy Mansions by Alexander McCall Smith While a middle-aged wine merchant tries to emancipate his reluctant adult son from their crumbling Pimlico home, a hated Parliament member incites the disgust of his biography-writing mother and long-suffering literary agent girlfriend.

F M6813t The thousand autumns of Jacob de Zoet by David Mitchell Dispatched to the influential Japanese port of Dejima in 1799, ambitious clerk Jacob de Zoet resolves to earn enough money to deserve his wealthy fiancée, an effort that is challenged by his relationship with the midwife daughter of a samurai.

F P318i In the name of honor by Richard North Patterson Two prestigious military families are shattered when Brian McCarran, a traumatized Iraq veteran and the son of the current Army chief of staff, shoots and kills his former commanding officer under circumstances he claims were self-defense.

F R8233m Mr. Peanut by Adam Ross Having obsessed about his beloved wife's possible death throughout the course of their relationship, video game designer David is charged with her eventual murder by three investigators who harbor their own experiences with marital problems and murder. Thriller Book of the Month

F S9124b Based upon availability by Alix Strauss Offers portraits of eight lonely, strong and driven women who grapple with family, sex, power, love and death and are willing to put up a fight when pushed to the edge, and who all patronize an upscale Manhattan hotel, managed by Morgan, who is haunted by the memory of her dead sister.

F W4233f Fly away home by Jennifer Weiner A politician's wife retreats with her grown daughters to a Connecticut beach house after a painful public betrayal, an escape marked by new beginnings and her younger daughter's pregnancy.

M H152bo Bone appetit by Carolyn Haines Retreating to a weekend spa and cooking school after a romantic disappointment, private investigator Sarah Booth Delaney enjoys watching a spiteful competition for the spa's next spokesperson until a top contender is poisoned and the leading suspect hires Sarah Booth to clear her name.

M P3175pr Private by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro Former CIA agent Jack Morgan inherits his father's elite Los Angeles detective agency and along with it such cases as an NFL gambling scandal, eighteen unsolved schoolgirl slayings, and the murder of his best friend's wife.

SF M618k Kraken: an anatomy by China Miéville A contemporary fantasy set in present-day London finds people flocking to a British Museum exhibit of a giant squid that is stolen by magical criminals, a crime that propels young curator Billy into a supernatural underworld.

028.130872 T531m Thrillers: 100 must-reads edited by David Morrell and Hank Wagner Through essays contributed by modern thriller writers such as David Baldacci, Lee Child, Sandra Brown, and many others, this book explores 100 works of suspense from the ancient world to modern times.

320.9719 G763 Polar imperative: a history of Arctic sovereignty in North America by Shelagh D. Grant A compelling overview of the historical claims of sovereignty over this continent’s polar regions examining the implications of major climate changes; the impact of resource exploitation on the indigenous peoples; the current high-stakes game for control over the adjacent waters of Alaska, Arctic Canada and Greenland; as well as the events, issues and strategies that have influenced claims to authority over the North American Arctic.

641.3 F841 Empires of food: feast, famine, and the rise and fall of civilizations by Evan D.G. Fraser and Andrew Rimas In offering a compelling portrait of the interplay between imperial expansion and food systems across the millennia, this book lays before us the fragility of a 21st century food system beset by climate change, rising fuel costs and a shrinking agricultural frontier.

641.5975 Y39h Home cooking with Trisha Yearwood: stories & recipes to share with family & friends Singer Trisha Yearwood has found another way to reach her audience—with this follow-up to her successful Georgia Cooking in an Oklahoma Kitchen, she serves up more homey, Southern-inflected fare from her country music kitchen.

646.78 Z37 Secrets of a Jewish mother: real advice, real stories, real love by Jill Zarin, Lisa Wexler, and Gloria Kamen From friendships to love, marriage and children, the book covers many aspects of life with laugh-out-loud stories and pointed advice that the authors have learned as Jewish mothers and Jewish daughters.

784.2 B415s The Ninth: Beethoven and the year 1824 by Harvey Sachs Using the year 1824 and the premiere of the Ninth as ground zero, Sachs reviews the literary, artistic, and social movements of the time, noting how Beethoven's innovative symphony influenced all subsequent nineteenth-century composers, who from Berlioz to Meyerbeer to Wagner built upon the foundations laid by Beethoven.

791.43652 G661 You couldn't ignore me if you tried: the Brat Pack, John Hughes, and their impact on a generation by Susannah Gora You Couldn't Ignore Me If You Tried takes readers back to the 1980s, interviewing key players from the Brat Pack and beyond to show how they helped shape a generation's visions for romance, friendship, society, and success.

796.522 B787 No way down: life and death on K2 by Graham Bowley A dramatic account of the worst disaster in the history of mountain climbing on K2, the world's second highest peak.

940.548641 S667 Deathly deception: the real story of Operation Mincemeat by Denis Smyth Codenamed "Mincemeat" and immortalized in the film The Man Who Never Was, this audacious, high-stakes scheme is renowned as the most spectacular episode in the annals of deception. In this accurate and in-depth retelling of the story behind the operation, Denis Smyth draws on a vast collection of previously unavailable documentary sources to expertly bring all phases of "Mincemeat" to life.

953.53 B618 The sultan's shadow: one family's rule at the crossroads of East and West by Christiane Bird Bird brilliantly tells of the 19th-century rise and fall of an Omani ruling family, its role in the enormous Indian Ocean slave trade and, unwittingly, through the Princess Salme, the Christianization and colonization of east Africa by Germany.

956.70443 F852 Black hearts: one platoon's plunge into madness in the triangle of death and the American struggle in Iraq by Jim Frederick A timeless story about men in combat and the fragility of character in the savage crucible of warfare.