New Books February 2006
Fiction
F ARNALDUR INDRIASON
Arnaldur Indriðason, 1961-. Jar city : a Reykjavik thriller. 1st ed. New York : Thomas Dunne Books, 2005.
When a lonely man is found murdered in his Reykjavik flat, the only clues are a cryptic note left by the killer and a photograph of a young girl's grave. Inspector Erlendur, who heads the investigation team, discovers that many years ago the victim was accused, though not convicted, of an unsolved crime. Did the old man's past come back to haunt him? As the team of detectives reopen this very cold case, Inspector Erlendur uncovers secrets that are much larger than the murder of one old man - secrets that have been carefully guarded by many people for many years.
F AUSTER
Auster, Paul, 1947-. The Brooklyn follies. 1st ed. New York :Henry Holt, 2006.
Nathan Glass is divorced, estranged from his daughter, and dying. All he wants is solitude and anonymity. Instead, what he finds is redemption. After his nephew introduces him to his boss, Nathan's world gradually broadens to include a new set of acquaintances and a few stray relatives. Deciding to record his lifelong blunders, pratfalls, embarrassments, foibles, and idiocies in what he calls 'The Book of Human Folly,' Nathan's despair is swept away as he finds himself more implicated in the joys and sorrows of others.
F BANVILLE
Banville, John. The sea. 1st American ed. New York : Knopf, 2005.
Irishman Max Morden, grieving the death of his wife, Anna, returns to the seaside town where he spent his summer holidays as a child, and finds himself engulfed inthoughts and memories of a momentous summer spent with the vacationing Grace family, his life with Anna, and his relationship with his grown daughter.
F BAYER
Bayer, William. Peregrine. New York : Forge, 2005.
In New York City, a peregrine falcon attacks, plummeting from the sky at nearly two hundred miles an hour, striking a young woman and killing her instantly. Newscaster Pamela Barrett witnesses the slaying. Her impassioned account of it on television that evening thrills the falconer, a brilliant madman who identifies with his deadly bird. He becomes fascinated with Pam and enmeshes her in a bizarre and deadly scheme even as she finds herself drawn to him by an erotic need she doesn't understand. As killing follows killing, the police and the media engage in a cutthroat competition to find the murderer.
F BEAHRS
Beahrs, Andrew, 1973-. Strange saint. 1st ed. New Milford,Conn. ; London, England : Toby Press, 2005.
This long but briskly paced episodic novel chronicles the life and mid-17th-century times of feisty, freethinking Melode: orphan, servant, Newfoundland colonist, single mother, and medicinal herbalist. Mel courageously forsakes her Cinderella-esque servitude in a rigid farming community of Saints (the English Separatist Congregationalists, also known as the Pilgrims) for better prospects in the wilderness of the New World, where the first woman she meets is named Hester. The dangers and deprivations of crossing the Atlantic are compounded by her apparent rejection by sometime lover Adam, son of the Saints's spiritual leader, and Mel's out-of-wedlock pregnancy.
F BRADFORD
Bradford, Barbara Taylor, 1933-. Just rewards. 1st ed. New York : St. Martin's Press, 2006.
In this final episode of the Harte family saga, the Harte women find themselves in the midst of weddings, in the hold of intrigue, and at the crossroads of the old ways and the new. Linnet O'Neill battles to modernize the family business; Tessa Fairley, is ready to start a new life after her divorce, and India Standish, is thrown off balance when her fiance's daughter comes to live with them.
F BRAUN MYSTERY
Braun, Lilian Jackson. The cat who dropped a bombshell. New York : G.P. Putnam's Sons, c2006.
While the town of Pickax is swept up in sesquicentennial celebrations, Koko has developed a strange new hobby. He drops himself from balconies, sometimes landing on a soft couch, but once landing directly on the head of a young man in town to visit wealthy relatives. Meanwhile, a hurricane is brewing overhead, and the relatives of the young man soon fall ill. The town of Pickax, as Koko foreshadowed, is about to be hit like a bombshell.
F CABOT MYSTERY
Cabot, Meg. Size 12 is not fat. 1st ed. New York : Avon Trade, c2006. Assistant dorm director Heather Wells investigates the mysterious deaths of several students when neither the police nor her colleagues believe they are victims of foul play.
F CASTELLANI
Castellani, Christopher, 1972-. The saint of lost things : a novel. 1st ed. Chapel Hill, N.C. : Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 2005.
In a small Italian neighborhood in 1953 Delaware, Maddalena Grasso and her family struggle to adapt to life in America as they long for their native country, but when Maddalena falls ill, the family must draw on the strength and faith of their neighbors.
F CLEVENGER
Clevenger, Craig, 1964-. Dermaphoria : a novel. San Francisco : MacAdam/Cage, c2005.
Eric Ashworth awakens in jail, unable to remember how he got there or why. His only memory is a woman's name: Desiree." "Bailed out and holed up in a low-rent motel, Eric finds the solution to his amnesia in a strange new hallucinogen. By synthesizing the sense of touch, the drug produces a disjointed series of sensations that slowly allow Eric to remember his former life as a clandestine chemist. With a steadily increasing doses, Eric reassembles his past at the expense of his grip on the present, and his distinction between truth and fantasy crumbles as his paranoia grows in tandem with his tolerance.
F COHEN MYSTERY
Cohen, Jeffrey, 1957-. As dog is my witness : another Aaron Tucker mystery. 1st ed. Baltimore, MD : Bancroft Press, c2005.
Aaron Tucker, an aspiring New Jersey screenwriter and occasional freelance journalist investigates after a young man with Asperger's syndrome is arrested for murder. Despite the accused's confession and possession of the murder weapon, Tucker, who has an autistic son, finds the nature of the crime incompatible with his understanding of the suspect's symptoms. Persisting even after a local mobster warns him off, the amateur detective uses his son to pursue the truth.
F COOKSON
Cookson, Catherine. The cultured handmaiden. New York : Simon & Schuster, [2005].
Jinny Brownlow, 21, has a miserable life. She's been dumped by her fiance and has a less than exciting typing job at an engineering firm. All that changes when she's asked to work for company boss Bob Henderson, a man with a reputation for being difficult. Her refusal to cower before him like the other secretaries wins his respect, but her beliefs about no sex before marriage proves a more difficult challenge.
F COPP MYSTERY
Copp, Rick. The actors guide to greed. New York : Kensington, c2005.
Jarrod Jarvis, has-been actor and gay amateur sleuth, has snagged a pivotal role in Murder Can Be Civilized, a West End play by Wallace Goodwin, the writer who catapulted the boy Jarrod-now a well-preserved 34-to TV stardom. Since Jarrod's latest slasher film flopped, he longs for a hit to please his lover, LAPD cop Charlie Peters. Though thrilled to be working with Claire Richards, a formidable Oscar-winning actress, Jarrod smells trouble when Richards drops dead after the first performance.
F DEKKER
Dekker, Ted, 1962-. Showdown. Nashville, Tenn. : WestBow Press, c2006.
In the small, secluded mountain town of Paradise, nothing is as it seems. When a stranger named Marsuvees Black appears and announces he's come to bring hope and grace to Paradise, the town isn't sure how to respond. He seems to know the unspoken secrets of each person's heart and has the power to grant them. Meanwhile, in a nearby monastery, power beyond comprehension is slipping out of control. As dark clouds and sandstorms shut Paradise off from the rest of the world, the unthinkable happens.
F DERMANSKY
Dermansky, Marcy, 1969-. Twins. 1st ed. New York : William Morow, c2005.
Chloe and Sue are identical twins who struggle with adolescence and each other, and over the course of five years experience breakups, eating disorders, inappropriate friends and lovers all in an attempt to find their own place in the world.
F DOMINGUEZ
Domínguez, Carlos María, 1955-. The house of paper. 1st U.S. ed. Orlando, Fla. : Harcourt, c2005.
A Cambridge professor, having taken over for his colleague and former lover who was struck down crossing the street while reading Emily Dickinson, is intrigued when going through her mail to find a cement-encrusted copy of Joseph Conrad's novel "The Shadow-Line," and decides to investigate, pursuing the sender to a remote area of Uruguay.
F FAIRSTEIN MYSTERY
Fairstein, Linda A. Death dance. New York : Scribner, c2006.
Alex Cooper, teaming up with longtime friends and colleagues Mike Chapman and Mercer Wallace, investigate the disappearance of world- famous dancer Natalya Galinova, who vanished backstage at Lincoln Center's Metropolitan Opera House. At the same time, Alex and Mercer are trying to nab a doctor who's been using his knowledge of and access to pharmaceuticals to drug women before assaulting them.
F FRANCIS
Francis, David, 1957-. The great inland sea : a novel. San Francisco : MacAdam/Cage, c2005.
Day flees his remote family farm after his mother dies becoming a caretaker of a horse named Unusual and soon meets Callie, a tough American with ambitions of being the first woman jockey.
F GIBBONS
Gibbons, Kaye, 1960-. The life all around me by Ellen Foster. 1st ed. Orlando, Fla. : Harcourt, c2006.
Fifteen-year-old Ellen Foster is finally settled into a permanent home with a new mother and tries to prepare for her future while still carrying the burden of her mother's death and father's abuse.
F GODWIN
Godwin, Gail. Queen of the underworld : a novel. 1st ed. New York : Random House, c2006.
After finishing journalism school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Emma Gant escapes the grasp of her overbearing, bullying stepfather by setting off for Miami, where a job as a reporter for the'Miami Star' is waiting for her. Also waiting in Miami is Paul Nightingale, owner of a private club in Miami Beach. Emma and Paul have been carrying on an affair, in spite of the fact that he's a married man.
F GRAVES MYSTERY
Graves, Sarah. Nail biter. New York : Bantam Books, 2006.
"Nail Biter" opens with a group of self-styled "witches" that has taken over an Eastport, Maine waterfront resort for Halloween. Jacobia "Jake" Tiptree is called on to answer her new tenants' multiple demands-many dealing with supernatural moaning-but she would rather be excavating an unusual discovery she made in the foundation of her 1823 Federal-style home. Instead, when a fundamentalist preacher turns up dead and all eyes turn to the witches, Jake's soon up to her eyeballs in trouble.
F GRAY
Gray, John, 1946-. White stone day. 1st U.S. ed. New York : St. Martin's Minotaur, 2005.
Edmund Whitty, a London Newspaper correspondent who can usually be counted upon for crisp and lurid copy, has fallen on lean times. After his triumphant expose of a notorious serial killer, he has inexplicably lost his knack for sensational reporting. Broke and desperate, he seizes upon a generous offer from a mysterious American to discredit a quack psychic. But how, he ends up wondering uneasily, does the psychic know so much about a scandal involving Whitty's late brother?
F GRIMWOOD SCIENCE FICTION
Grimwood, Jon Courtenay. Felaheen : the third arabesk. New York : Bantam Books, 2006. When an assassination attempt is made on Moncef, Emir of Tunis, Ashraf Bey, who has never met his father, goes undercover to investigate the matter. What he discovers stretches back decades, and Ashraf is framed for the crime.
F HARRIS MYSTERY
Harris, C. S. What angels fear. New York : New American Library, c2005.
In London, 1811, a young woman is brutally raped and murdered, her body left on the altar steps of an ancient church. The prime suspect: Sebastian St. Cyr, a brilliant young nobleman still haunted by his experiences in the Napoleonic Wars. Now he is running for his life, desperate to catch the killer and prove his innocence. Moving from Mayfair's glittering ballrooms to St. Giles's fetid back alleys, Sebastian is assisted by a band of unlikely allies and pursued by a Machiavellian powerbroker with ties to the Prince Regent himself. What Angels Fear seamlessly weaves an intimate knowledge of the period with a multi-layered and compelling story, and is the first of a series of novels featuring these characters.
F HAWKE MYSTERY
Hawke, Richard, 1955-. Speak of the Devil : a novel. 1st ed. New York : Random House, 2005.
On Thanksgiving Day, New York City private investigator Fritz Malone goes out for bagels, saves a woman's life, and ends up in police custody. Malone, the bastard son of the former police commissioner, learns that someone has been sending threatening letters to the mayor warning of imminent disaster, and city officials believe the mayor's girlfriend is the target. After a bomb explodes, a demand is issued for $1 million to be delivered to the Cloisters in Upper Manhattan. Malone follows one piece of evidence, which leads to another and eventually takes him to a drug dealer in Brooklyn. Though it's a stretch to expect readers to believe that the New York Police Department, while under investigation for criminal activity, would allow a P.I. to muck about in one of its highest-priority cases, read this for compelling characters and an intriguing, fast-paced plot. Library Journal
F JUSKA
Juska, Elise. The hazards of sleeping alone : a novel. 1st Downtown Press trade pbk. ed. New York : Downtown Press, 2004.
Divorced for 15 years, Charlotte's entire life is now focused on her 22-year-old daughter, Emily, a headstrong Wesleyan grad with a pierced tongue. After Emily decides to move in with her boyfriend, Charlotte's concerned. When Emily and the boyfriend come for a weekend visit, what is revealed rivals anything Charlotte could have dreamt up. And, in the chaos that ensues, secrets are divulged, old memories resurface, and Charlotte's carefully constructed reality breaks wide open.
F KISOR MYSTERY
Kisor, Henry. A venture into murder. 1st ed. New York : Forge Books, 2005. When Lake Superior spits out a dead Chicago mobster on the shores of sleepy Porcupine County in Michigan's isolated Upper Peninsula, Deputy Stephen Martinez, who makes an appealing laid-back philosopher-detective, gets on the case. Another corpse takes Martinez to the second victim's workplace, an old copper mine that now thrives as an underground greenhouse for high-quality seedlings and pharmaceutical plants. When the clumsy pursuit of a couple of gun-toting drunks in the woods leads to a human skeleton, Martinez enlists the aid of his town-historian girlfriend to identify the century-old remains as those of a murdered miner.
F KRENTZ MYSTERY
Krentz, Jayne Ann. All night long. New York : G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2005.
After the deaths of her parents 17 years before, Irene Stenson left Dunsley. Now she's back and determined to discover the truth about what happened that night. Armed with a shocking new lead and her experience as an investigative reporter, Irene dives into the mystery and finds herself in trouble. Luckily, ex-Marine-turned-innkeeper Luke Danner is there to help. His quick-thinking response in the face of danger makes him the perfect ally and she'll need all the allies she can find if she's to lay the past to rest.
F LOVRIC Lovric, M. R. The remedy : a novel of London & Venice. 1st U.S. ed. New York : ReganBooks, c2005.
Set against the vivid, haunting backdrops of eighteenth-century Venice and London, "The Remedy weaves together the stories of three mesmerizing characters: Venetian actress Mimosina Dolcezza-snatched from a convent as a young woman, employed as an actress and agente provocatrice by powerful and shadowy European power brokers; the dark prince of London's medical underworld, the roguish Valentine Greatrakes; and the strange, peevish child-woman Pevenche, whose fate and identity are at the heart of the book's mystery.
F LUCENO SCIENCE FICTION Luceno, James, 1947-. Star wars : dark lord : the rise of Darth Vader. 1st ed. New York : Del Rey/Ballantine, c2005.
On the Outer Rim world of Murkhana, Jedi Masters Roan Shryne and Bol Chatak lead a charge on a Separatist stronghold, unaware that the tide has turned against them and given rise to a terrifying new evil, Darth Vader.
F MARILLIER FANTASY Marillier, Juliet. The dark mirror. 1st U.S. ed. New York : Tor, 2005, c2004.
Bridei, a young nobleman, takes in an abandoned child against the wishes of Broichan; however, as the girl grows into a beautiful woman, Bridei begins to feel differently about her and Broichan is fearful that she could lead to Bridei's doom.
F MCCAFFREY FANTASY McCaffrey, Anne. Changelings. 1st ed. New York : Del Rey/Ballantine Books, c2006.
The world of Petaybee, a sentient planet, is being protected by humans fighting to keep it from an all-powerful interstellar corporation determined to exploit the planet's natural resources. Unfortunately, that protection does not extend to its inhabitants. When a visiting scientist learns of the shape shifting ability of the Shongili twins, they're in danger of being kidnapped, or worse. So, they're sent away just as their world is undergoing its own changes that can bring wonders or disaster.
F MCGAHAN McGahan, Andrew. The white earth. New York, NY : Soho, 2006.
The Kuran Station, a massive property once owned by the White family dynasty and has fallen into ruin. Young William lives with his parents on a modest farm in the shadow of the once-great place until a tragic accident leads him into its heart. There, he meets the current owner,his great uncle, John McIvor. At first, Uncle John seems angry and frightening to William, but after they spend more time together, William learns that there is much more to this man and the land that they both now call home. An intriguing read in the tradition of the family saga, this novel won the 2005 Miles Franklin Award. Library Journal
F MCNAUGHT MYSTERY McNaught, Judith. Every breath you take. New York : Ballantine Books, c2005.
On the eve of wealthy philanthropist Cecil Wyatt's 80th birthday, all the money in the world won't bring back his grandson, William, who has been killed. As the family, police, and the media try to discover truth behind the young man's fate, all that's clear is that it involved foul play. After Kate Donovan tangles with William's half-brother, Mitchell, she finds herself cast in a shadow of guilt and mistrust. Now she must clear her name and claim the life and love she desires.
F MILLER Miller, Linda Lael. One last look. New York : Pocket Books, 2006.
Miller concludes her bestselling romantic suspense trilogy (Don't Look Now; Never Look Back) with more slick sleuthing featuring blunt, resourceful attorney Clare Westbrook and her fianc , homicide detective Tony Sonterra. After a string of personal and professional troubles, Clare, four months pregnant and desperate for peace and quiet, leaves Phoenix and follows Sonterra to the Arizona hill town of Dry Creek, where he is to be sworn in as police chief. But the small town turns dangerous when a mysterious driver viciously totals Clare's Escalade. Sonterra tries to keep track of an immigrant-smuggling ring of coyotes, and Dry Creek's secrets slowly begin to reveal themselves. Publishers Weekly
F MISCIONE MYSTERY Miscione, Lisa. Smoke. 1st ed. New York : St. Martin's Minotaur, 2005.
Lydia Strong's former writing student, Lily Samuels is missing. No one has heard from her since she'd called Lily asking for help. Then Lydia discoveres that Lily had been investigating her brother's apparent suicide. Lydia teams up with her former husband, ex-FBI agent, P.I. Jeff Mark and the two go looking for the missing girl. Soon they find themselves caught up in a mysterious cult.
F NASLUND Naslund, Sena Jeter. Four spirits : a novel. 1st ed. New York: Morrow, c2003.
Stella Silver, a white college student, is horrified when she witnesses people from her Birmingham, Alabama community rejoicing over the assassination of John F. Kennedy, and is drawn into the struggle for civil rights, which brings her in touch with people not only of different races, but dangerously different opinions.
F NUNEZ Nunez, Sigrid. The last of her kind. 1st ed. New York : Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2006.
Two women meet as freshmen on the Barnard campus in 1968. Georgette George does not know what to make of her brilliant, idealistic roommate, Ann Drayton, and her obsessive disdain for the ruling class into which she was born. She is mortified by Ann's romanticization of the underprivileged class, which Georgette herself is hoping college will enable her to escape. After the violent fight that ends their friendship, Georgette wants only to forget Ann and to turn her attention to the troubled runaway kid sister who has reappeared after years on the road. Then, in 1976, Ann is convicted of murder.
F OATES Oates, Joyce Carol, 1938-. The female of the species : stories of mystery and suspense. Orlando : Harcourt, c2005.
In several gripping stories from Oates, she demonstrates why the females of the species are by nature more deadly than the males. In 'So Help Me God,' a young wife is home alone when she gets a phone call from a mysterious person who may know too much about her. In'Madison at Guignol,' an unhappy fashion-conscious woman discovers a secret door inside her favorite clothing store and even her imagination cannot anticipate the horror they have been hiding from her.
F OLSSON Olsson, Karen, 1972-. Waterloo. 1st ed. New York : Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2005.
Reporter Nick Lasseter's pitiful life and career take a turn for the better when he stumbles upon a story that has the potential to make his career and bring him national celebrity.
F PALWICK FANTASY Palwick, Susan. The necessary beggar. 1st ed. New York : Tor, 2005.
When Darroti, a young merchant in the city of Lemabantunk, is accused of murdering a highborn woman, he and his family are exiled to the unknown world that lies beyond a mysterious gate, where they encounter a world tormented by hatred and warfare.
F PARKER Parker, Michael, 1959-. If you want me to stay. 1st ed. Chapel Hill, N.C. : Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 2005.
Joel Dunn Jr. takes off in the family truck with his little brother Tank in search of their mother, hoping to leave behind their abusive father and start a better life for themselves.
F PROULX Proulx, Annie. Brokeback Mountain : story to screenplay. 1st Scribner trade pbk. ed. New York : Scribner, 2005.
"Brokeback Mountain" was originally published in "The New Yorker. It won the National Magazine Award. It also won an O. Henry Prize. Included in this volume is Annie Proulx's haunting story about the difficult, dangerous love affair between a ranch hand and a rodeo cowboy. Also included is the celebrated screenplay for the major motion picture "Brokeback Mountain," written by Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana. All three writers have contributed essays on the process of adapting this critically acclaimed story for film.
F REED Reed, Kit. Bronze : a tale of terror. 1st ed. San Francisco : Night Shade Books, c2005.
Jude Atkins travels to South Carolina to meet Peter Benedict, a wealthy and successful painter she met on the Internet, and who she thinks she loves. What should be a normal courtship becomes a twisted descent into a dark family legacy in which art threatens life. The Benedict family's secret and the dark ambitions of the beautiful, sinister sculptor Ava Benedict, Peter's mother, threaten to engulf Jude, Peter, and everything they hold dear.
F REYNOLDS Reynolds, Alastair, 1966-. Century rain. 1st American ed. New York : Ace Books, 2005, c2004.
Archaeologist Verity Auger spends her time exploring the landscape of Earth, which has been rendered uninhabitable by a technological catastrophe, and when a section of mid-twentieth century Earth is found perfectly preserved, she believes she has found a link to the past that may help her protect the future.
F ROBB MYSTERY Robb, J. D., 1950-. Memory in death. New York : G.P. Putnam's Sons, c2006.
New York police Lt. Eve Dallas had successfully buried the past for years. Now part of her forgotten childhood had resurfaced, in the form of her ex-foster mother, Trudy Lombard. Trudy came to shake down her former charge for a quick buck, but in the process threatened to suck Eve down into the nightmare of her past. The real nightmare begins when Trudy is killed in her hotel room, and Eve has to find the killer.
F SERANELLA MYSTERY Seranella, Barbara. An unacceptable death. 1st ed. New York : Thomas Dunne Books, 2006.
Miranda "Munch" Mancini'S fiancé, detective Enrique "Rico" Chacón, is shot dead by his fellow cops in a drug bust gone wrong. We learn that there had been a bounty put on Munch's head by the newly reformed Satan's Pride Motorcycle gang (whom Munch had helped take down years back) and that Rico's death may have resulted from his attempts to protect her. To compound matters, the police department is withholding Chacón's pension from his family, claiming that he was corrupt. Determined to clear his name and to get revenge, Munch sets out on a dangerous investigation of her own.
F SPENCER MYSTERY Spencer, Sally. Dying in the dark. Sutton : Severn House, 2005.
It is one of the most brutal murders Chief Inspector Woodend has ever encountered . . . Pamela Rainsford, found on a lonely canal path in the middle of a dark night, has not only been raped and strangled, but her face has been hacked to pieces. Woodend begins to suspect that the death of the mild-mannered, respectable secretary may have been a result of her own secret life. As the investigation proceeds, Woodend finds himself beginning to understand the complex web of lies and deceits which Pamela Rainsford has spun around herself, but nothing he discovers could ever prepare him for a second death this one much closer to home!
F TANENBAUM Tanenbaum, Robert. Fury. 1st Atria Books hardcover ed. New York : Atria Books, 2005.
Manhattan district attorney Butch Karp is called upon to defend the city when the release of a gang of young men convicted of rape a decade earlier, and their subsequent lawsuit against the city of New York for 250 million dollars, leads him to suspect there is corruption in his own office.
F TURTLEDOVE Turtledove, Harry. End of the beginning. New York : New American Library, c2005.
A continuation of Harry Tutledove's alternate history of World War II in which the Japanese, having conquered the Hawaiian Islands, set up an occupation government, and struggle to hold off the increasingly demanding forces of the U.S., Britain, and Australia.
F WEIS FANTASY Weis, Margaret. Master of dragons. 1st ed. New York : Tor, 2005.
Half-human, half-dragon Ven and his twin brother, Prince Marcus, attempt to put their differences aside to avenge their mother's violent death and stop two rogue dragons' insidious plan to enslave the human race and rule dragonkind.
Non-Fiction
121 LYN Lynch, Michael P. (Michael Patrick), 1966-. True to life : why truth matters. Cambridge, Mass. ; London : MIT, 2005.
Why does truth matter, when politicians so easily sidestep it and intellectuals scorn it as irrelevant? Why be concerned over an abstract idea like truth when something that isn't true-for example, a report of Iraq's attempting to buy materials for nuclear weapons-gets the desired result, the invasion of Iraq? In this engaging and spirited book, Michael Lynch argues that truth does matter, in both our personal and political lives. Lynch explains that the growing cynicism over truth stems in large part from our confusion over what truth is. "We need to think our way past our confusion and shed our cynicism about the value of truth," he writes. "Otherwise, we will be unable to act with integrity, to live authentically, and to speak truth to power."
174 FRI Friedman, Benjamin M. The moral consequences of economic growth. 1st ed. New York : Knopf, 2005.
Friedman argues that broadly distributed economic growth offers numerous benefits beyond the material, creating and strengthening democratic institutions, establishing political stability, fostering tolerance, and enhancing opportunity.
232.9 BLO Bloom, Harold. Jesus and Yahweh : the names divine. New York : Riverhead Books, 2005.
Harold Bloom examines the character of the Jesus of the Gospels, and the characters and personalities of Yahweh in the Hebrew Bible from a literary standpoint.
306.73 HAY Hayt, Elizabeth. I'm no saint : a nasty little memoir of love and leaving. 1st ed. New York : Warner Books, 2005.
With ruthless honesty, Hayt documents the sudden puncture of her marriage; her almost innumerable flirtations, seductions, and extramarital affairs; her cocaine-fueled nightlife; and her bouts with cosmetic surgery and motherhood. Apparently, Hayt survived all these challenges without sacrificing her writing ability. "I'm No Saint" is a titillating, tantalizing, ultimately cautionary tale.
327.73 ALE Alexander, Bevin. How America got it right : the U.S. march to military and political supremacy. 1st ed. New York : Crown Forum, c2005.
Military historian Alexander refutes charges that America is an imperialist nation, contending instead that the United States has done and continues to do exactly the right thing in military and foreign affairs. The focus is on how core American principles and ideals have shaped the country's rise to economic, military, and political supremacy from the Revolutionary War to the War on Terror. Alexander is the author of eight books of military history.
332.024 FIN Finney, Michael, 1956-. Michael Finney's consumer confidential : the money-saving secrets they don't want you to know. San Francisco, CA : Berrett-Koehler, c2004.
Provides tips for saving money on automobiles, travel, homes, insurance, and investments, and provides guidance and information on credit, telemarketers, junk mail and spam, identity theft, rip-offs, and scams.
332.024 QUI Quinn, Jane Bryant. Smart and simple financial strategies for busy people. New York : Simon & Schuster, c2006.
Yes, there is a guide for creating a sound financial plan that will virtually run itself, so you can quit worrying about it and get on with the rest of your life. Jane Bryant Quinn has come up with a way for busy people to take charge of their finances without spending a lot of time studying up or turning themselves into financial experts. In 'Smart and Simple Financial Strategies' she addresses questions about debt, savings, investing, real estate, retirement, personal security, and more.
338.2 SIM Simmons, Matthew R. Twilight in the desert : the coming Saudi oil shock and the world economy. Hoboken, N.J. : John Wiley & Sons, c2005.
In 2004, Houston "energy banker" Matthew R. Simmons made headlines (and the cover of Business Week) when he told an elite audience that the Saudi "miracle" of effortless, cheap oil production was nearing its end. "The entire world," he said, "assumes Saudi Arabia can carry everyone's energy needs on its back cheaply. If this turns out not to work, there is no Plan B." In this provocative book, the industry's most vocal skeptic lays out the reasons for his pessimism. Drawing on personal observation and more than 200 technical papers, he explains Saudi secrecy, policies, and technological ineptness have put the entire world in danger.
338.7 VIS Vise, David A. The Google story. New York : Delacorte Press, 2005.
Presents an overview of the history of Internet based search engine company Google, from the meeting of the two founders at Stanford University to the development of technology that delivers lightning-fast search results.
343.73 CRA Crabb, Kelly Charles, 1946-. The movie business : the definitive guide to the legal and financial secrets of getting your movie made. New York : Simon & Schuster, c2005.
Presents a guide to the legal and financial issues involved in getting a film made, including information on copyright law, obtaining financial backing, hiring key players, overseeing filming, and understanding merchandise licensing.
347.73 SUN Sunstein, Cass R. Radicals in robes : why extreme right-wing courts are wrong for America. New York : Basic Books, c2006.
Cass Sunstein clearly and simply states the case for common sense, patience, modesty, and restraint in our court systems. Values that are needed more than ever if we are to keep the high courts separate from extremist groups.
362.1 HIL Hilts, Philip J. Rx for survival : why we must rise to the global health challenge. New York : Penguin Press, 2005.
In this companion to October's six-part PBS series "Rx for Survival: A Global Health Challenge, New York Times" health and science reporter Hilts takes a gripping journey around the globe to the hot spots of disease fighting in the worldwide battle to defeat the threat of new and resurgent outbreaks. Bubonic plague, AIDS, avian flu, polio, cholera, ebola, measles, malaria, tuberculosis, SARS and others are mentioned.
362.17 PLO Plotz, David. The genius factory : the curious history of the Nobel Prize sperm bank. 1st ed. New York : Random House, c2005.
Reveals the untold story of the Nobel Prize sperm bank, describing what happened to the children conceived using the sperm collected from Nobel-laureate scientists, mathematical prodigies, successful businessmen, and star athletes.
363.25 BEN Benecke, Mark. Murderous methods : using forensic science to solve lethal crimes. English-language ed. New York : Columbia University Press, 2005. Leading forensic scientist Mark Benecke examines the history of forensic science; the techniques and technology used to solve murder; the minds of serial killers and other murderers; and actual cases including the murder of O.J. Simpson's ex-wife, Nicole.
364.106 BRO Brown, Ethan, 1972-. Queens reigns supreme : Fat Cat, 50 Cent, and the rise of the hip-hop hustler. 1st Anchor Books ed. New York : Anchor Books, 2005.
Re-creates the rise and fall of the drug dealers who dominated Queens in the 1980s and explores how those figures have be idealized by hip-hop artists.
373.7293 SCH Scheeres, Julia. Jesus land : a memoir. New York : Counterpoint, c2005.
The author recalls her childhood in a strict religious Midwestern town, her brother's and her education in a Christian reform school in the Dominican Republic, the trials of adolescence and racism.
381 MER Mercer, Jeremy. Time was soft there : a Paris sojourn at Shakespeare & Co. 1st ed. New York : St. Martin's Press, 2005.
Former journalist and novelist Mercer is broke and on the run. So he leaves Canada, ending up in Paris, where he takes refuge at Shakespeare & Co., a bookstore renowned for its literary history and promise to house writers free of charge in exchange for their work. The list of "so and so slept here" reads like a who's who of literature. Mercer tells an enchanting story of his stay at the shop, the people he meets, and the relationships he forges there. But he doesn't overromanticize the experience: The title refers to soft time, as in soft jail time (as opposed to hard jail time). The store is not the easiest place to live; for that matter, having no money is not an easy way to live-but it could be worse. This book explores the sometimes dramatic dynamics of several creative personalities living under one roof. It is also about people finding their own way, in their own time, and in their own style.
509 M00 Mooney, Chris (Chris C.). The Republican war on science. New York : Basic Books, c2005.
According to the author, in the White House and Congress, research findings are reported in a politicized manner; spun or distorted to fit the speaker's agenda; or, when they're too inconvenient, ignored entirely. On a broad array of issues - stem cell research, climate change, missile defense, abstinence education, and many others - the Bush Administration's positions fly in the face of overwhelming scientific consensus. Federal science agencies, once fiercely independent under both Republican and Democratic presidents, are increasingly staffed by political appointees who know industry lobbyists and evangelical activists far better than they know the science. Mooney says this is not purely a Bush Administration phenomenon, but it is largely a Republican phenomenon, born of a conservative dislike of environmental, health and safety regulation, and of evolution and legalized abortion. Chris Mooney ties together the disparate strands of the attack on science into a compelling and frightening account of our government's increasing preference for ideologically driven pseudoscience over legitimate research.
530 KAK Kakalios, James, 1958-. The physics of superheroes. New York : Gotham, c2005.
Presents an introduction to physics by exploring the forces and motion of action comic hereos, explaining basic rules of thermodynamics, energy, and solid state physics as it relates to real world experiences.
551.46 MAT Matsen, Bradford. Descent : the heroic discovery of the abyss. 1st ed. New York : Pantheon Books, c2005.
Presents a comprehensive narrative history of millionaire Otis Barton and explorer William Beebe and their extraordinary exploration of the depths of the ocean during the early 1930s going down further than anyone had previously gone.
571.8 CAR Carroll, Sean B. Endless forms most beautiful : the new science of evo devo and the making of the animal kingdom. 1st ed. New York : Norton, c2005.
An introduction to evolutionary developmental biology, or Evo Devo, that explains how and why scientists have been trying to unlock the secret of how a single embryo develops into a billion- or trillion-celled animal.
599 REZ Rezendes, Paul. Tracking & the art of seeing : how to read animal tracks & sign. 2nd ed. New York : HarperPerennial, c1999.
Provides photographs and descriptions of the tracks, droppings, and other indicators of over fifty animal species, and includes information on the behavior and habitats of the wild creatures.
641.5 MOO Moosewood restaurant simple suppers : fresh ideas for the weeknight table. 1st ed. New York : Clarkson Potter/Publishers, c2005.
Presents recipes based on the cuisine at Moosewood Restaurant, which focuses on well-balanced dishes using whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, and lean fish.
643 PRE Press, Barry, 1950-. Geek House : 10 hardware hacking projects for around home. Indianapolis, Ind. : Wiley Pub., c2005.
Taking the DIY mentality to a whole new level, this book teaches techies how to hack, customize, and modify everything-from their sprinkler systems to the temperature of their barbecues. Adventurous readers will feast on such projects as installing a bar code inventory system for DVDs or CDs, converting RS232 to wireless, scheduling recording from any television in the house, and creating a remote control finder. Companion Web site includes the custom software and source code needed to power these geeky creations.
658.1 STE Stewart, Martha. The Martha rules : 10 essentials for achieving success as you start, build, or manage a business. [Emmaus, Pa.] : [S.l.] : Rodale ; Distributed to the trade by Holtzbrink Publishers, c2005.
Legendary business woman Martha Stewart offers proven strategies and practical advice to encourage men and women to pursue their business dreams.
696 SOP Soper, Mark Edward. Absolute beginner's guide to home automation. Indianapolis, Ind. : Que, c2005.
"Absolute Beginner's Guide to Home Automation" will help you turn your ordinary home into a high-tech haven. Want to schedule your lights to turn on while you're on vacation? Stuck late at work and want to start the roast you put in the crock pot this morning? You can make it all happen with the help of existing 110V electrical wiring in your home and this step-by-step tutorial. Through simple, do-it-yourself instructions, you will walk through the process of outfitting every room in your home with a network connection that you can control with a few clicks on your computer keyboard - complete with illustrations and photographs.
741.5 EIS Eisner, Will. The contract with God trilogy : life on Dropsie Avenue. 1st ed. New York : W.W. Norton, c2006.
A contract with God-A life force-Dropsie Avenue. Presents Will Eisner's graphic novels "A Contract With God" and "A Life Force," about harsh life on a fictional New York City avenue during the Depression, and "Dropsie Avenue: The Neighborhood," which depicts the experiences of Dutch, English, Irish, Jewish, African-American, and Puerto Rican residents of the city over the course of its 350-year history.
741.5 FEI Feist, Raymond E. The wood boy. U.S. : London : Dabel Brothers ; Diamond [distributor], 2005.
The Wood Boy-The Burning Man. "The Wood Boy" is an adaptation of the short story by fantasy master Raymond E. Feist that first appeared in the Legends anthology (edited by Robert Silverberg) and offers readers an excellent introduction to Feist's Riftwar Saga. "The Burning Man" was written by world-renowned science fiction and fantasy author Tad Williams and originally appeared as a short story in the anthology Legends as well. A ghostly coming of age tale rendered in a beautiful, ethereal style by popular comic book artist Brett Booth.
791.45 MOR Morris, Holly, 1965-. Adventure divas : searching the globe for a new kind of heroine. 1st ed. New York : Villard, c2005.
The author shares stories of some of the extraordinary women she has met through her work on the PBS documentary series "Adventure Divas," and includes accounts of her personal experiences in search of adventure.
813 GOD Godwin, Gail. The making of a writer : journals, 1961-1963. 1sted. New York : Random House, c2006.
In this first of two volumes, to be published on the same day as her newest novel, Queen of the Underworld, editor Neufeld has woven together 11 of Godwin's journals to create an engaging memoir. The text begins in 1961 after Godwin, 24, has departed North Carolina for a job at the Miami Herald-a job from which she is soon fired. At the same time, she is married and divorced. She records her relationships and observations throughout with humor and humility, which results in a vivid portrait of Godwin's daily life and her relentless pursuit of a career as a writer. Library Journal
814 BAR Barry, Dave. Dave Barry's money secrets : like, why is there a giant eyeball on the dollar?. New York : Crown Publishers, c2006.
Barry reveals everything readers need to know, and more, about making and losing money. For example: the truth about get-rich-quick secrets; portfolio management, and the tax code; the stock market, including the all-important Stockbroker Financial-Strategy Decision-making Chart; foolproof techniques about how to get rich in real estate, and if all else fails, the financial benefits of an early death.
920 ANG Angelo, Bonnie. First families : the impact of the White House on their lives. 1st ed. New York : Morrow, c2005.
Bonnie Angelo recounts the stories of the wives, children, extended families, pets, and presidents who have lived in the White House throughout history.
920 LEW Lewis, Jerry, 1926-. Dean & me : (a love story). 1st ed. New York : Doubleday, c2005.
Entertainer Jerry Lewis recalls his long friendship with Dean Martin, and describes how they met, their ten-year partnership on the stage and in films, the split-up, and reconciliation as well as the heartbreak he suffered when his long-time friend died.
921 BELICHICK Halberstam, David. The education of a coach. 1st ed. New York: Hyperion, c2005.
Presents a look at the life and work of National Football League coach Bill Belichick, describing his childhood, his work ethic, his intelligence, and his accomplishments in coaching.
921 CHOROST Chorost, Michael. Rebuilt : how becoming part computer made me more human. Boston : Houghton Mifflin, 2005.
Presents the author's first-hand account of having his hearing restored by having a computer chip surgically implanted in his brain, and includes insights into how his body changed, as well as the future of technology, cyborgs, and humans in the machine age.
921 HENDRIX Cross, Charles R. Room full of mirrors : a biography of Jimi Hendrix. 1st ed. New York : Hyperion, c2005.
Chronicles the life of rock musician Jimi Hendrix, describing his impoverished Seattle childhood, his beginnings as a guitarist, his years in England, his rise to stardom, his evolution as a songwriter and performer, his drug use, and the personal demons with which he struggled until his death at the age of twenty-seven.
921 ISABELLA Weir, Alison. Queen Isabella : treachery, adultery, and murder in medieval England. 1st ed. New York : Ballantine, c2005.
Alison Weir chronicles the life of Isabella of England, discussing her childhood in France, her marriage to the heir of England's throne, her influence on England society, and other related topics.
921 LEWIS Jacobs, Alan, 1958-. The Narnian : the life and imagination of C.S. Lewis. 1st ed. [San Francisco] : HarperSanFrancisco, c2005.
Author Alan presents a biography of writer and religious philosopher C. S. Lewis, providing information on his childhood in Ireland, his literary influences, and his achievements in philosophy, theology, and fiction.
921 NELSON Nicolson, Adam. Seize the fire : heroism, duty, and the Battle of Trafalgar. 1st ed. New York : HarperCollins, 2005.
The author chronicles the events surrounding the battle of Trafalgar, which was fought between the British and Franco-Spanish fleets in October 1805, and uses the battle to explore contemporary ideas about heroism and the heroic.
921 WALLACE Wallace, Mike, 1918-. Between you and me : a memoir. 1st ed. New York : Hyperion, c2005.
Mike Wallace, a reporter on CBS's television news magazine "60 Minutes," shares his recollections of interviews he conducted, and in some cases relationships he formed with presidents, first couples, politicians, artists, con men, and other celebrities throughout his career. Includes a DVD of some of Wallace's most famous interviews.
921 WITT Witt, Katarina, 1965-. Only with passion : figure skating's most winning champion on competition and life. 1st ed. New York : Public Affairs, c2005.
Olympic and world champion figure skater, Katarina Witt shares her childhood, early training in East Germany, and her personal development as an athlete and as a person.
942 BOY Boyle, David, 1958-. Troubadour's song : the capture, imprisonment, and ransom of Richard the Lionheart. New York : Walker & Co., 2005.
Boyle re-creates the twelfth-century kidnapping and ransom of Richard the Lionheart, who was captured while trying to return to his home after the Third Crusade.
958.104 MAC MacPherson, Malcolm. Roberts ridge : a story of courage and sacrifice on Takur Ghar Mountain, Afghanistan. New York : Delacorte Press, 2005.
Afghanistan, March 2002. In the early morning darkness on a frigid mountaintop, a U.S. soldier is stranded, alone, surrounded by fanatical al Qaeda fighters. For the man's fellow Navy SEALs, and for waiting teams of Army Rangers, there was only one rule now: leave no one behind. In this gripping you-are-there account-based on stunning eyewitness testimony and painstaking research-journalist Malcolm MacPherson thrusts us into a drama of rescue, tragedy, and valor.
973.2 STA Starbuck, David R. Massacre at Fort William Henry. Hanover, NH : University Press of New England, c2002.
Starbuck draws from archaeological findings to debunk myths about the Fort William Henry "massacre" of 1757--featured in James Fenimore Cooper's "The Last of the Mohicans"-interpreting tool and weapon artifacts left by the Native Americans, the French, and the British.
973.92 PAT Patterson, James T. Restless giant : the United States from Watergate to Bush v. Gore. Oxford [U.K.] ; New York : Oxford University Press, 2005.
James Patterson examines the social, cultural, political, economic, and international developments in the twenty-seven years between the resignation of Richard Nixon and the election of George W. Bush, and describes the culture wars between liberals and conservatives, the Religious Right, events in Panama, Somalia, Bosnia, and Iraq, and much more.
Media
CD 799.1 GIE Gierach, John, 1946-. At the grave of the unknown fisherman. [United States] : Burlington , NC : Field & Stream Audiobooks ; AMI Audiobooks, p2005, c2003.
Narrated by Michael Prichard. Fishing writer John Gierach chronicles the experiences he had during the year he spent fishing the country's best lakes and rivers.
Please note: Some of the book descriptions have been excerpted from Amazon.com and Barnesandnoble.com. They are most often based on Publisher's descriptions. Sources such as Booklist, the New York Times Book Reviews, Publisher's Weekly, Library Journal, Kirkus and others are specifically identified.
