Prepub Exploded: November 2010, Pt. 2
Featuring Sarah Palin, George W. Bush & Michael Connelly
By Barbara Hoffert -- Library Journal, 05/20/2010
| Head back to BookSmack! for more stories |
In this expanded version of Prepub Alert, we're continuing our coverage of November titles while casting our eye back on some October titles that should not be missed. With Bush and Palin both pubilshing in November, it's a big political month.
Fiction | Nonfiction | My Picks | Coming Attractions
Bell, Ted. Warlord: An Alex Hawke Novel. Morrow. Nov. 2010. 544p. ISBN 978-0-06-185929-8. $27.99. lrg prnt.
No more work for gentleman spy Alex Hawke—he’s incapable of functioning after the death of his beloved in a botched mission. Then His Royal Highness Prince Charles asks for Hawke’s help. Seems that someone is preparing to make the British Royal Family history. Important for thriller fans; with a one-day laydown (Oct. 19) and a 250,000-copy first printing.
Cannell, Stephen J. The Prostitutes’ Ball. St. Martin’s. Oct. 2010. 320p. ISBN 978-0-312-55730-0. $25.99.
New partner in tow, Det. Shane Scully answers a call at a Hollywood mansion. All they find among the party dregs are three corpses—a film producer and two prostitutes—and a security camera showing the man who shot them. Except one of the bullet casings doesn’t match. Hmm, nice, clean fun from the dependable Cannell.
Connelly, Michael. The Reversal. Little, Brown. Nov. 2010. 416p. ISBN 978-0-316-06948-9. $27.99.
When defense attorney Mickey Haller is asked to change jobs and serve as prosecutor in the retrial of Jason Jessup, in prison for years after being convicted of a grisly child murder and now seemingly exonerated by DNA evidence, he jumps at the chance—he’s convinced that Jessup really is the culprit. And then he seeks out Harry Bosch for help. Connelly: hot as ever.
Deaver, Jeffery. Edge. S. & S. 368p. ISBN 978-1-4391-5635-3. $26.99. CD: S. & S. Audio.
Nope, not starring Lincoln Rhyme or Kathryn Dance. Deaver takes readers in another direction with the story of a lifter—a hard-case criminal who uses any means necessary to get what his boss needs. The lifter’s intended victim: Washington, DC, police detective Ryan Kessler. The guy protecting Kessler and his family: Corte, who’s got a one-track mind. Get ready to buy lots.
Evans, Nicholas. The Brave. Little, Brown. Nov. 2010. 368p. ISBN 0-316-03378-7. $26.99. CD: Hachette Audio.
Wild horses rush by on the current jacket of Evans’s new book, perhaps a reference to the Montana setting—or to Evans’s big hit, The Horse Whisperer. Though Tom Bedford was raised in Hollywood by his movie-star mom, tragedy forced them to flee, and now Tom lives like a hermit, estranged from a son serving in Iraq. Then his son is accused of murder. Evans’s wife, singer/songwriter Charlotte Gordon Cumming, offers songs inspired by the book. Sounds good.
Lehane, Dennis. Moonlight Mile. Morrow. Nov. 2010. 320p. ISBN 978-0-06-183692-3. $26.99. lrg. prnt. CD: HarperAudio.
Rescued by Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro after she disappeared as a four year old and then dumped right back into an unhappy home, teenaged Amanda is missing again. This is a sequel to Gone, Baby, Gone and the first Kenzie/Gennaro thriller in 12 years, backed by a one-day laydown (Nov. 2) and a 500,000-copy first printing. You’re wondering how many to buy, right?
Martin, Steve. An Object of Beauty. Grand Central. Nov. 2010. 320p. ISBN 978-0-446-57364-1. $26.99. lrg. prnt. CD: Hachette.
Martin’s newest novel gives us an inside view—of the New York art scene. Lacey Yeager starts out as an intern as Sotheby’s, but she doesn’t stop there; And, as the text says, “her path often left blood in the water.” Is Lacey the “object of beauty"? Big BEA push.
Maupin, Armistead. Mary Ann in Autumn: A Tales of the City Novel. Harper: HarperCollins. Nov. 2010. 288p. ISBN 978-0-06-147088-2. $25.99. lrg prnt. CD: Harper Audio.
Yes, it’s the autumn of her years, as nearly 60 Mary Ann Singleton finds herself compelled to return to the city she abandoned for the glam life in New York. Maupin continues his San Francisco saga, so popular that it’s premiering in September 2011 as a musical (in San Francisco, where else?). With a one-day laydown (Nov. 2) and a 100,000-copy first printing.
Morton, Kate. The Distant Hours. Atria: S. & S. Nov. 2010. 480p. ISBN 978-1-4391-5278-2. $26.
Edie’s mother spent the war years at Middlhurst Castle, so she’s glad for the chance to visit the castle and its residents, elderly twin sisters caring for a younger sibling still lost after being jilted by her fiancé decades ago. There, Edie starts uncovering some uncomfortable secrets. Morton made a splash with The House of Riverton and kept it up with The Forgotten Garden. This should be good, especially for book clubs.
Shreve, Anita. Rescue. Little, Brown. Nov. 2010. 320p. ISBN 978-0-316-02072-5. $26.99. CD: Hachette Audio.
A woman long gone returns to her family, and the family falls apart. Shreve masters our twisty, everyday emotions to momentous effect and gets best sellers for her efforts. I struggled a bit with her last one, A Change in Altitude, but do truly admire Shreve. She's great for book clubs; check this out.
Xu Ruiyan. The Lost and Forgotten Languages of Shanghai. St. Martin’s. Oct. 2010. 352p. ISBN 978-0-312-58654-6. $24.99.
When an explosion at a Shanghai hotel sends shards of glass flying everywhere, successful business Li Jing is pierced in the forehead—and loses his ability to speak Chinese. He can remember only scraps of the English he learned as a child back in the States. A winner of the Jerome Foundation Fellowship for Emerging Artists, among other honors, Xu came to this country from Shanghai at age ten, so perhaps she’s recalling her own struggles to learn the language she has obviously now mastered.
Bush, George. Decision Points. Crown. Nov. 2010. 400p. ISBN 978-0-3075-9061-9. $35. CD: Random Audio.
As the title suggests, this is not a traditional memoir; instead, Bush reflects on key points in his life. It’s embargoed, so I can’t tell you much more. Obviously, there's a big audience.
Cheever, Susan. Louisa May Alcott: The Life of a Beloved Author and Storyteller. S. & S. Nov. 2010. 352p. ISBN 978-1-4165-6991-6. $26. CD: S. & S. Audio.
She’s not rivaling Jane Austen yet, but Alcott has been getting a lot of attention lately. Last year, there was Harriet Reisen’s Louisa May Alcott: The Woman Behind Little Women, and the Lynn Messina mashup, Little Vampire Women, just came out. Cheever knows her subject, having explored the Alcott-Emerson-Thoreau mix in 2006’s American Bloomsbury—not a sensational seller but a good one.
Dallek, Robert. The Lost Peace: Leadership in a Time of Horror and Hope, 1945–1953. Harper: HarperCollins. Nov. 2010. 432p. ISBN 978-0-06-162866-5. $28.99.
Eminent historian Dallek asks a question I’ve not heard phrased quite this way before: why, in the Cold War years, did top politicians continue to indulge in the same old power politics that had just led to world catastrophe. For smart readers; with a 100,000-copy first printing.
Eisenhower, David with Julie Nixon Eisenhower. Going Home to Glory: A Memoir of Life with Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1961–1969. Nov. 2010. 352p. ISBN 978-1-4391-9090-6. $28.
The author follows up Eisenhower at War with this more personal take on his grandfather, covering the years after he left office, when he lived right next door. Sure to be sweet.
Irvin, Sam. Kay Thompson: From Funny Face to Eloise. S. & S. Nov. 2010. 352p. ISBN 978-1-4391-7653-5. 26.99.
You cannot quarrel with Funny Face’s “Think Pink” gal, friend of Judy Garland, mentor to Frank Sinatra and Marilyn Monroe, the country’s highest paid cabaret performing in the Fifties—and author of the immortal Eloise at the Plaza. From director Irvin.
Kotler, Steven. A Small Furry Prayer: Dog Rescue and the Meaning of Life. Bloomsbury USA. Nov. 2010. 224p. ISBN 978-1-60819-002-7. $24.
Author of the surfing/spiritual classic West of Jesus, Kotler was at loose ends when he met a woman deeply committed to animal rescue. Together they began saving dogs, eventually moving to New Mexico with their pack (20? 30? Who knows?) and founded the sanctuary Rancho de Chihuahua. Not just the story of their sanctuary, this book uses the dog-rescue movement to reflect on what it means to be human.
Langguth, A.J. Driven West: Andrew Jackson's Trail of Tears to the Civil War. S. & S. Nov. 2010. 384p. ISBN 978-1-4165-4859-1. $30. CD: S. & S. Audio.
The author who gave us Union 1812 (among other classics) explains how we got from that Star-Spangled battle to the Civil War. Serious history, but as I recall from Union 1812, Langguth is a felicitious writer. With a four-city tour.
Levin, Larry. Oogy: The Dog Only a Family Could Love. Grand Central. Nov. 2010. 224p. ISBN 978-0-446-54631-7. $19.99. CD: Hachette Audio.
When Oogy was a cute little puppy, he was used as bait to train fighting dogs. Then he was thrown in a cage to die. Rescued and taken to the Ardmore Hospital, he bounced so happily over Levin and his twin sons (they had gone to the hospital to put their terminally ill cat to sleep) that they immediately adopted him. Never mind that his left ear is gone and part of his face is covered with scar tissue, Oogy is one loved and loving canine. In fact, Oprah is part of his fan club. Get this book!
Levitt, Steven D. & Stephen J. Dubner. SuperFreakonomics, Illustrated Edition: Global Cooling, Patriotic Prostitutes, and Why Suicide Bombers Should Buy Life Insurance. Morrow. Nov. 2010. 352p. ISBN 978-0-06-194122-1. $40.
What’s so super about the new edition of this super freaky hit? Apparently, cool spreads highlighted by photographs, charts, diagrams, and illustrations. Note the expectations—there’s a 150,000-copy first printing. Buy where the standard edition had a big following.
Mazzeo, Tilar J. The Secret of Chanel No. 5: The Intimate History of the World's Most Famous Perfume. Harper: HarperCollins. Nov. 2010. 288p. ISBN 978-0-06-179101-7. $25.99.
My first thought: the history of a perfume? But, hey, I love perfume (though Chanel’s not my favorite), and even the New York Times has a perfume critic. Plus, Mazzeo’s The Widow Clicquot was a best seller. Could be a sleeper hit; with a 50,000-copy first printing.
O’Neill, Molly. One Big Table: A Portrait of American Cooking: 800 Recipes from the Nation's Best Home Cooks, Farmers, Pit-Masters and Chefs. S. & S. Nov. 2010. 864p. ISBN 978-0-7432-3270-8. $40.
Famed cookbook author and food critic O’Neill hit the back roads to find the best American cooking. My fave from an admittedly abbreviated recipe list: barbecued matzo balls.
Palin, Sarah. America by Heart: Reflections on Family, Faith, and Flag. Harper: HarperCollins. Nov. 2010. 224p. ISBN 978-0-06-201096-4. $25.99. lrg. prnt. CD: HarperAudio.
Palin’s meditation on family, faith, and patriotism sounds perhaps more personal than her best-selling Going Rogue (out in paperback in September). With (not surprisingly) a one-million-copy first printing.
Sedaris, Amy. Simple Times: Crafts for Poor People. Grand Central. Nov. 2010. 288p. ISBN 978-0-446-55703-0. $27.99. CD: Hachette Audio.
Please, this book is by Amy Sedaris: Comedy Central actor, David Letterman stalwart, and author of the best-selling I Like You. So it’s not your standard crafts book—unless you think crab-claw roach clips, crepe-paper moccasins, and pompon ringworms are standard crafts. With an eight-city tour.
Richards, Keith with James Fox. Life. Little, Brown. Oct. 2010. 560p. ISBN 978-0-316-03438-8. $29.99. CD: Hachette Audio.
Now, there’s a simple title. The last word on Rolling Stones guitarist/songwriter Richards from the man himself. You bet that there are fans out there waiting for this.
Schiff, Stacy. Cleopatra: A Biography. Little, Brown. Nov. 2010. 382p. 0316001922. $29.99. CD: Hachette Audio.
A famed queen whose name is almost cliché? Here’s trusting that Pulitzer Prize–winning biographerSchiff can pull this off. The non-campy cover bodes well.
Sedaris, David. Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk: A Modest Bestiary. Little, Brown. Oct. 2010. 112p. ISBN 978-0-316-03839-3. $19.99. CD: Hachette Audio.
Sedaris uses weirdly offbeat animal fables—as only he can devise—to reflect on what’s wrong with human. Bet this will be big.
Seinfeld, Jessica (text) & Steve Vance (illus.). Double Delicious: Good, Simple Food for Busy, Complicated Lives. Morrow. Nov. 2010. 208p. ISBN 978-0-06-165933-1. $28.99.
With more healthy treats, like those found in Seinfeld’s Deceptively Delicious, which sold—get this—1.6 million copies. This new book starts out with a one-day laydown (Oct. 26) and a 350,000-copy first printing.
Spoto, Donald. Possessed: The Life of Joan Crawford. Morrow. Nov. 2010. 352p. 978-0-06-185600-6. $25.99. lrg. prnt.
I do wonder what more we could be told about any stars of film’s early years, but Spoto has an impeccable rep in this regard. Consider.
Thompson, Hunter S. Fear and Loathing at Rolling Stone: The Essential Hunter S. Thompson. S. & S. Nov. 2010. 320p. ISBN 978-1-4391-6595-9. $26.
The best of the 42 pieces Thompson wrote for Rolling Stone over 35 years, selected by RS editor Jann Wenner. Another cult hit in the making.
Trigiani, Adriana. Don't Sing at the Table: And Other Life Lessons from My Grandmothers. Harper: HarperCollins. Nov. 2010. 208p. ISBN 978-0-06-195894-6. $21.99. lrg prnt.
Novelist Trigiani shares all sorts of good advice passed on from her grandmamas—and evident throughout her best-selling novels. Not positioned to be quite as big as her fiction—the print run is 60,000—this should still do well. Oh, and Big Stone Gap (her first and most popular novel) will be a film—with Trigiani directing. Catch Trigiani in action, calling her librarian mom after winning the RUSA genre award at ALA midwinter.
Winchester, Simon. Atlantic: Great Sea Battles, Heroic Discoveries, Titanic Storms, and a Vast Ocean of a Million Stories. Harper: HarperCollins. 352p. ISBN 978-0-06-170258-7. $27.99. lrg print. CD: HarperAudio.
I know what Winchester will pull off here—the biography of an ocean. The author’s blend of history and science can’t be beat; West Coasters, you’ll want, too. With a one-day laydown (Nov. 2) and a 150,000-copy first printing.
Witcover, Jules. Joe Biden: A Life of Trial and Redemption. Morrow. Oct. 2010. NAp. ISBN 978-0-06-179198-7. $25.99.
A noted political journalist takes on the vice president himself, surveying Biden’s political and personal ups and downs. Not the biggest printing—it’s 50,000—which I guess is what happens when you are No. 2.
Nelson, Antonya. Bound. Bloomsbury USA. Nov. 2010. 272p. ISBN 978-1-59691-575-6. $25.
In her previous fiction, which includes numerous prize-winning stories, Nelson has always managed a clear-eyed and unshakeable look at the craziness of the contemporary family. The family featured in Bound—her first novel in ten years—would seem her perfect subject. Oliver indulges in a string of adulteries, while his much younger wife, Catherine, tries to push away the past. But the past comes knocking when a high school friend dies, leaving her daughter in Catherine’s care. Nelson’s prose looks to be as sleekly tough-minded as ever: “The dog had two impulses. One was to stay with the car, container of civilization, and the other was to climb through the ruined window into the wild.” That’s an impulse we all share, and I'm betting that Nelson will nail it. Essential for those serious about contemporary literature.
Rappleye, Charles. Robert Morris: Financier of the American Revolution. S. & S. Nov. 2010. 416p. 978-1-4165-7091-2. $30.
We’ve seen so many books lately on the Founding Fathers that they’re threatening to seem stale, but here’s one book that immediately caught my interest. The well-to-do Morris joined the Second Continental Congress, ran the executive branch of the revolutionary government, and marshaled a faction that included big namers like Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and George Washington. Oh, and he financed the battles at Valley Forge and Yorktown—victories without which there would be no U.S.A. But how many of us know much about this Funding Father, as my esteemed colleague Margaret Heilbrun dubs him? Let’s credit George Washington Book Prize winner Rappleye (for Sons of Providence) for bringing us this full-scale bio. With a four-city tour.
Fiction
Hunter, Stephen. Dead Zero: A Bob Lee Swagger Novel. S. & S. Jan. 2011. 384p. ISBN 978-1-4391-3865-6. $26.
Meltzer, Brad. The Inner Circle. Grand Central. Jan. 2011. 400p. ISBN 978-0-446-57789-2. $26.99. CD: Hachette Audio.
Oates, Joyce Carol. Give Me Your Heart: Tales of Mystery and Suspense. Otto Penzler Bk: Houghton Harcourt. Jan. 2011. 272p. ISBN 978-0-547-38546-4. $25.
Roby, Kimberla Lawson. Love, Honor, and Betray. Grand Central. Jan. 2011. ISBN 978-0-446-57245-3. $24.99.
Nonfiction
Levy, Stephen. Searching for Google. S. & S. Jan. 2011. 352p. ISBN 978-1-4165-9658-5. $26.
