Bestsellers

Bestsellers - May 2008

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Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri
The gulf that separates expatriate Bengali parents from their American-raised children and that separates the children from India remains Lahiri's subject for this follow-up to Interpreter of Maladies and The Namesake. In this set of eight stories, the results are again stunning. In the title story, Brooklyn-to-Seattle transplant Ruma frets about a presumed obligation to bring her widower father into her home, a stressful decision taken out of her hands by his unexpected independence. The alcoholism of Rahul is described by his elder sister, Sudha; her disappointment and bewilderment pack a particularly powerful punch. And in the loosely linked trio of stories closing the collection, the lives of Hema and Kaushik intersect over the years, first in 1974 when she is six and he is nine; then a few years later when, at 13, she swoons at the now-handsome 16-year-old teen's reappearance; and again in Italy, when she is a 37-year-old academic about to enter an arranged marriage, and he is a 40-year-old photojournalist. An inchoate grief for mothers lost at different stages of life enters many tales and, as the book progresses, takes on enormous resonance. Lahiri's stories of exile, identity, disappointment and maturation evince a spare and subtle mastery that has few contemporary equals. (Apr.) Copyright � Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult

Shay Bourne shattered June Nealon's life when he murdered her husband and daughter. Now, as New Hampshire's first death row inmate in 58 years, his last request is one he believes might bring him salvation. Shay wants to donate his heart to June's other, ailing daughter. But since he is scheduled for lethal injection, the scenario is not possible. Then further complications arise when Shay begins performing miracles in full view of witnesses--including his Catholic spiritual advisor.

The Appeal by John Grisham
In a crowded courtroom in Mississipi, a jury returns a shocking verdict against a chemical company accused of dumping toxic waste into a small town’s water supply, causing the worst “cancer cluster” in history. The company appeals to the Mississippi Supreme Court, whose nine justices will one day either approve the verdict or reverse it. Who are the nine? How will they vote? Can one be replaced before the case is ultimately decided? The chemical company is owned by a Wall Street predator named Carl Trudeau, and Mr. Trudeau is convinced the Court is not friendly enough. With judicial elections looming, he decides to try to purchase himself a seat on the Court. The cost is a few million dollars, a drop in the bucket for a billionaire like Mr. Trudeau. Through an intricate web of conspiracy and deceit, his political operatives recruit a young, unsuspecting candidate. They finance him, manipulate him, market him, and mold him into a potential Supreme Court justice. Their Supreme Court justice.
The Appeal is a powerful, timely, and shocking story of political and legal intrigue, a story that will leave readers unable to think about our electoral process or judicial system in quite the same way ever again.--From the publisher

Where Are You Now? by Mary Higgins Clark
Bestseller Clark (Where Are the Children?) spins yet another imaginative tale of murder and deceit. Every Mother's Day over the 10 years since Charles Mack MacKenzie Jr. disappeared from Columbia University just before his graduation, Mack has phoned his mother in Manhattan to let her know he's all right, but otherwise reveals nothing. In the meantime, Mack's lawyer father has perished in the 9/11 tragedy. Now Mack's younger sister, Carolyn, a graduate of Columbia and Duke Law School, where Mack was intending to go, tells him during his annual call that she's going to find him. When a note from Mack turns up in the collection plate at St. Francis church, asking Father Devon MacKenzie, his uncle, to tell Carolyn not to look for him, she becomes even more determined to do so. Based on a real story, as Clark notes in her acknowledgments, this novel of suspense will keep readers guessing to the nail-biting conclusion. (Apr.) Copyright � Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Compulsion by Jonathan Kellerman
Once again, the depths of the criminal mind and the darkest side of a glittering city fuel #1 New York Times bestselling author Jonathan Kellerman’s brilliant storytelling. And no one conducts a more harrowing and suspenseful manhunt than the modern Sherlock Holmes of the psyche, Dr. Alex Delaware. A tipsy young woman seeking aid on a desolate highway disappears into the inky black night. A retired schoolteacher is stabbed to death in broad daylight. Two women are butchered after closing time in a small-town beauty parlor. These and other bizarre acts of cruelty and psychopathology are linked only by the killer’s use of luxury vehicles and a baffling lack of motive. The ultimate whodunits, these crimes demand the attention of LAPD detective Milo Sturgis and his collaborator on the crime beat, psychologist Alex Delaware.

Certain Girls by Jennifer Weiner
Clear your calendar and prepare to read: Cannie Shapiro (of Good in Bed) is back! Cannie, now 42, has been married to her "Doctor Peter" for more than ten years, and "baby" Joy is turning 13. In alternating chapters covering roughly a year, Cannie and Joy share the emotion-packed experiences of parenting and being a teen. (At some point, Weiner may have planned this as The Bat Mitzvah Diaries.) Added complications are Peter's desire for a baby via surrogate and Joy's classmates' discovery of the sexy novel Cannie published a decade ago, Big Girls Don't Cry (i.e., Good in Bed). Joy vacillates between loving and hating her mother and her complex family structure, while Cannie struggles to let her baby grow up; readers will laugh and cry for them both. Returning in this sequel, among others, is Cannie's best friend, Sam, still looking for the perfect mate (i.e., an unmarried Jewish male under 60). With six best sellers in seven years, Weiner is a talented writer who consistently delivers the goods. (Note: F k is sprinkled judiciously throughout.) An essential read for fans and an essential buy for public libraries. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 7/07; originally slated for October 2007 publication. Ed.] Rebecca Kelm, Northern Kentucky Univ. Lib., Highland Heights Copyright � Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Bulls Island by Dorothea Benton Frank
Will romance triumph over the feud between the aristocratic Langleys and the slightly lower-in-social-pecking-order McGees in Frank's latest Southern charm filled romp? Though the answer is obvious from the get-go, the author fills this spirited tale with well-drawn characters, not the least of whom is formidable Charleston doyenne Louisa Langley. Betts McGee and J.D. Langley are uneasily headed to the altar Louisa has a hard time with her son dating down. When Betts's mother dies in a car wreck, a generations-old grudge abetted by Louisa flares up, and Betts flees to Manhattan. There, she raises her son (J.D. didn't know she was pregnant when she left) solo and thrives in the distressed property turn-around business for a good 20 years until an assignment sends her back to Charleston to help develop a former wildlife refuge. The local partner in the venture is none other than J.D., who is now unhappily married and childless. Frank steers through several terrains with great aplomb as the story unfolds from both Betts's and J.D.'s points of view. Frank shines as Betts finds out if there's really no place like home. (May) Copyright � Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Quicksand by Iris Johansen
Forensic sculptor Eve Duncan (Stalemate) is drawn into killer Henry Kistle's sick game as she desperately tries to find her missing daughter, Bonnie. He taunts Eve with details of her daughter's kidnapping and promises to disclose the location of Bonnie's body. Lured by Kistle to the swamps of Florida, Eve enlists the help of her paramour, Atlanta cop Joe Quinn, her Colombian admirer Montalvo, and spiritual "listener" Megan Blair, first introduced in Pandora's Daughter. Johansen's dialog is insipid, and her characters often fall flat; however, the action scenes are well written. Standing out among the one-dimensional personalities is Megan; the possibilities for future works featuring her are exciting. This predictable suspense novel will interest those who have read Johansen's previous thrillers featuring the same cast, but others may want to skip it. There is a 600,000 first printing, so expect demand. Amanda Scott, Cambridge Springs P.L., PA Copyright � Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Daed Heat by Joel Rosenberg

For Jon and Erin Bennett, the world seems to be spinning dangerously out of control. A new dictator is rising in Iraq. China is making threatening new moves toward Taiwan. North Korean forces appear ready to strike south. Israel is feverishly trying to complete the Third Temple. Oil prices are surging. And in the wake of an horrific war in the Middle East, President James MacPherson's second term is coming to an end. Now the battle to succeed him is heating up into one of the most fiercely contested presidential elections in American history, and the Bennetts realize the stakes could not be higher. Who will lead a bitterly divided country over the next four years? What can the U.S. do to shape the new world order? And just what role - if any - does the U.S. play in the last days? As the presidential campaign narrows into a dead heat, the Secret Service learns of a catastrophic plot to assassinate one of the candidates - but which one, and can the terrorists be stopped in time? ---From the publisher

World Without End by Ken Follett
For nearly 18 years, Follett has been receiving pleas for a sequel to his most popular novel, The Pillars of the Earth. Finally, the wait is over. Some 200 years after Pillars, the town of Kingsbridge is still dominated by its magnificent cathedral. But times have changed. War and plague have dramatically affected the infrastructure of the Middle Ages, shifting the base of power from the noble and religious to the rising merchant and artisan classes. Populated with an immense cast of truly remarkable characters the rich and powerful, the weak and downtrodden, clergy, guildsmen and nobility this novel explores the lives and fortunes of the ancestors of the original inhabitants of Kingsbridge. At nearly 1000 pages, this is not a book to be devoured in one sitting, tempting though that might be, but one to savor for its drama, depth, and richness. Essential for every public library; in fact, get multiple copies. You'll need them to fill all the requests. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 6/1/07.] Jane Henriksen Baird, Anchorage P.L., AK Copyright � Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
Raised in poverty by her unwed epileptic mother and married off early by the rich, elegant father who has always kept her at arm's length, Mariam would seem to have little in common with well-educated and comfortably raised young Laila. Yet their lives intertwine dramatically in this affecting new novel from the author of The Kite Runner, who proves that one can write a successful follow-up after debuting with a phenomenal best seller. As Mariam settles in Kabul with her abusive cobbler husband, smart student Laila falls in love with friend Tariq. But she loses her brothers in the resistance to Soviet dominion and her parents in a bombing just as the family prepares to flee the awful violence. Simply to survive, she becomes the second wife of Mariam's husband and is bitterly resented by the older woman until they are able to form the bond that serves as the heart of this novel. Then the Taliban arrive. Hosseini deftly sketches the history of his native land in the late 20th century while also delivering a sensitive and utterly persuasive dual portrait. His writing is simple and unadorned, but his story is heartbreaking. Highly recommended. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 1/07.] Barbara Hoffert, Library Journal Copyright � Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Santa Fe Dead by Stuart Woods
Bestseller Woods's third thriller to feature prominent New Mexican attorney Ed Eagle (after Short Straw and Santa Fe Rules) opens with a bang, but soon devolves into a fairly predictable cat-and-mouse game. Ed and his girlfriend, actress Susannah Wilde, are watching the Los Angeles trial on Court TV of his villainous ex-wife, Barbara, who stands accused of arranging for his murder, when a reporter announces that Barbara has escaped from custody just before the not guilty verdict. Soon, suitably disguised and under an alias, Barbara contrives to meet a recent widower, Palo Alto billionaire Walter Keeler, at a luxury spa and has him proposing marriage and making a new will in her favor. Meanwhile, her hatred for her ex unquenched, Barbara schemes to have Ed and Susannah killed. Bodies, innocent and otherwise, pile up, but there's little suspense about the outcome, and an improbable coincidence involving the billionaire may strike some as a plot weakness. Author tour. (Apr.) Copyright � Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Betrayal by John Lescroart
At the start of the adrenaline-infused 10th thriller to feature DA Dismas Hardy (Dead Irish, etc.) from bestseller Lescroart, Hardy agrees to wrap up some of the caseload of a Bay Area lawyer who has mysteriously disappeared. After discovering that the lawyer was set to appeal an apparently straightforward murder case, Hardy realizes that the crime had its origins in Iraq, where the alleged killer and his victim first met. With the help of his old friend, Det. Abe Glitsky, Hardy learns that the victim, ex-navy SEAL Ron Nolan, was sleeping with the girlfriend of National Guard Reservist Evan Scholler, who was later convicted of killing Nolan. As Hardy and Glitsky dig deeper, they discover that Nolan had committed several murders himself, and it's up to Dismas and Hardy to unravel the conspiracy that may have roots in the U.S. government. Lescroart weaves his trademark complicated yet fast-moving tale, full of believable characters and crisp dialogue. A first-rate addition to the author's ongoing series, this should please both longtime readers and new fans. (Feb.) Copyright � Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Lush Life by Richard Price
From a great American realist—the author of Clockers and co-writer of The Wire—a riveting story of two urban worlds in collision. -- From the publisher

Losing It by Valerie Bertinelli
Losing It is Bertinelli's frank motivational story -- from her complicated family life to her struggles to maintain a healthy self-image while coping with celebrity, her tumultuous 20-year marriage to rock star Eddie Van Halen, and her difficulties with depression. She takes us behind the scenes in her acting career and marriage, recalling the stress and concerns of being a rock star's wife, the joys of motherhood, her lifelong battle with weight, and her determination to let herself feel loved again.
With courage and candor, humor and emotion, Bertinelli shares her fears and insecurities in ways that will appeal to the hundreds of thousands of women who face these same issues every day.--From the publisher

Mistaken Identity by The Van Ryns and The Ceraks
Meet Laura Van Ryn and Whitney Cerak: one buried under the wrong name, one in a coma and being cared for by the wrong family. This shocking case of mistaken identity stunned the country and made national news. Would it destroy a family? Shatter their faith? Push two families into bitterness, resentment, and guilt? Read this unprecedented story of two traumatized families who describe their ordeal and explore the bond sustaining and uniting them as they deal with their bizarre reversal of life lost and life found. And join Whitney Cerak, the sole surviving student, as she comes to terms with her new identity, forever altered, yet on the brink of new beginnings. Mistaken Identity weaves a complex tale of honesty, vulnerability, loss, hope, faith, and love in the face of one of the strangest twists of circumstances imaginable.---From the publisher

I Am America (And So Can You!) by Stephen Colbert
Realizing that it takes more than thirty minutes a night to fix everything that's destroying America, Colbert bravely takes on the forces aligned to destroy our country whether they be terrorists, environmentalists, or Kashi brand breakfast cereals. His various targets include nature (I've never trusted the sea. What's it hiding under there?), the Hollywood Blacklist (I would have named enough names to fill the Moscow phone book), and atheists (Imagine going through life completely duped into thinking that there's no invisible, omniscient higher power guiding every action on Earth. It's just so arbitrary!). Colbert also provides helpful illustrations and charts (Things That Are Trying to Turn Me Gay), a complete transcript of his infamous speech at the 2006 White House Correspondents' Dinner, and a special Holiday DVD, all of which add up to a book that is sure to be a bestseller and match the success of Colbert's former Daily Show boss Jon Stewart's America (The Book). (Oct.) Copyright � Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Home by Julie Andrews
Andrews, who has written several children's books (The Great American Mousical; Mandy), both solo and with her daughter, now dances in a different direction with this delightful remembrance of her own childhood and engrossing prelude to her cinematic career. Spanning events from her 1935 birth to the early 1960s, she covers her rise to fame and ends with Walt Disney casting her in Mary Poppins (1963). Setting the stage with a family tree backdrop, she balances the sad struggles of relatives and hard drinkers with mirthful family tales and youthful vocal lessons amid rationing and the London Blitz: My mother pulled back the blackout curtains and gasped for there, snuggly settled in the concrete square of the courtyard, was the incendiary bomb. A BBC show led to a London musical at age 12: My song literally stopped the show. People rose to their feet and would not stop clapping. Her mother's revelation of her true father left her reeling when she was 15, but she continued touring, did weekly BBC broadcasts and was Broadway-bound by 1954 to do The Boyfriend. The heart of her book documents the rehearsals, tryouts and smash 1956 opening of My Fair Lady. Readers will rejoice, since Andrews is an accomplished writer who holds back nothing while adding a patina of poetry to the antics and anecdotes throughout this memoir of bittersweet backstage encounters and theatrical triumphs. (Apr. 1) Copyright � Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Stop Whining, Start Living by Laura Schlessinger
Dr. Laura Schlessinger agrees that there are things worth whining about! A certain amount of whining allows for some venting of reasonable pain, disappointment, fear, frustration, or frank rage. However, staying stuck in whining mode can become a life-long problem. This is where Dr. Laura steps in with Stop Whining, Start Living to help folks conquer the temptation to retreat from living life to the fullest.--From the publisher

Women & Money by Suze Orman
This groundbreaking book from the author of "5 Steps to Financial Freedom" investigates the complicated and perilous relationship women have with money.

Become a Better You by Joel Osteen
"God is preparing you for greater things. He's going to take you further than you thought possible, so don't be surprised when He asks you to think better of yourself and to act accordingly." Book jacket.

In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan
In his hugely influential treatise The Omnivore's Dilemma, Pollan traced a direct line between the industrialization of our food supply and the degradation of the environment. His new book takes up where the previous work left off. Examining the question of what to eat from the perspective of health, this powerfully argued, thoroughly researched and elegant manifesto cuts straight to the chase with a maxim that is deceptively simple: Eat food, not too much, mostly plants. But as Pollan explains, food in a country that is driven by a thirty-two billion-dollar marketing machine is both a loaded term and, in its purest sense, a holy grail. The first section of his three-part essay refutes the authority of the diet bullies, pointing up the confluence of interests among manufacturers of processed foods, marketers and nutritional scientists a cabal whose nutritional advice has given rise to a notably unhealthy preoccupation with nutrition and diet and the idea of eating healthily. The second portion vivisects the Western diet, questioning, among other sacred cows, the idea that dietary fat leads to chronic illness. A writer of great subtlety, Pollan doesn't preach to the choir; in fact, rarely does he preach at all, preferring to lets the facts speak for themselves. (Jan.) Copyright � Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Georgia Cooking in an Oklahoma Kitchen by Trisha Yearwood
Grammy Award winning country singer Trisha Yearwood throws her hat into the celebrity cookbook ring with this cheerful if uninspired collection of home-style Southern recipes. Among family and friends, Yearwood is known for her cooking, she writes, and a foreword by her husband and fellow singer, Garth Brooks, explains that Yearwood's secret is that she cooks with love, a technique not fully explored in this book. Aimed at the kitchen beginner, the book presents a list of necessary equipment and hints on substitutions, like making confectioner's sugar from granulated sugar, and is sprinkled throughout with helpful notes from Yearwood and her mother and sister both of whom are co-writers. International stardom clearly hasn't dampened Yearwood's enthusiasm for down-home treats like Pimento Cheese Spread, Hashbrown Casserole, and Cranberry Salad with Cool Whip, Cream Cheese and Gelatin. Her family members make frequent appearances in the many color photographs and in the form of favorite dishes like Jack's Brunswick Stew and Gwen's Fried Chicken with Milk Gravy. Yearwood is an advocate for no-fuss, simple cooking with plenty of supermarket shortcuts, and this volume will most appeal to fans who want to get a little closer to Yearwood and Brooks (like a chance to recreate the celebs' wedding cake at home). (Apr.) Copyright � Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Beautiful Boy by David Sheff
Sheff contributing editor to Playboy and writer for Wired, Fortune, and Rolling Stone, among other publications first introduced readers to Nic in "My Addicted Son," an article he wrote for the New York Times in 2005. Here, he tells the rest of the story of his son's struggle with methamphetamine addiction. Sheff writes of his own "addiction to addiction" as he stood by his son through five rehabs and four relapses and painfully learned that relapses are part of recovery. Between relating the chaotic episodes of his son's behavior on drugs, Sheff inserts educational and informative material on the nature of different drugs that he learned from his own research. An excellent book that all parents can relate to whatever their children's situation, this is highly recommended for public libraries as well as college and high school libraries for parents, students, and teachers alike. Dorris Douglass, Williamsom Cty. P.L., Franklin, TN Copyright � Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.d.

The Age of American Unreason by Susan Jacoby
"Combining historical analysis with contemporary observation, Susan Jacoby dissects a new American cultural phenomenon - one that is at odds with our heritage of Enlightenment reason and with modern, secular knowledge and science. She surveys an anti-rationalist landscape extending from pop culture to a pseudointellectual universe of "junk thought." Disdain for logic and evidence defines a pervasive malaise fostered by the mass media, triumphalist religious fundamentalism, mediocre public education, a dearth of fair-minded public intellectuals on the right and the left, and, above all, a lazy and credulous public." "Jacoby offers an unsparing indictment of the American addiction to infotainment - from television to the Web - and cites this toxic dependency as the major element distinguishing our current age of unreason from earlier outbreaks of American anti-intellectualism and anti-rationalism. With reading on the decline and scientific and historical illiteracy on the rise, an increasingly ignorant public square is dominated by debased media-driven language and received opinion."--BOOK JACKET.

The Secret by Rhonda Byrne
Fragments of a Great Secret have been found in the oral traditions, in literature, in religions and philosophies throughout the centuries. For the first time, all the pieces of The Secret come together in an incredible revelation that will be life-transforming for all who experience it. In this book, you'll learn how to use The Secret in every aspect of your life -- money, health, relationships, happiness, and in every interaction you have in the world. You'll begin to understand the hidden, untapped power that's within you, and this revelation can bring joy to every aspect of your life.

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