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Week of November 20, 2017

New in Paperback

Week of November 20, 2017

Paperback releases for the week of November 20th include I'LL TAKE YOU THERE by Wally Lamb, an evocative, deeply affecting tapestry of one Baby Boomer's life and the trio of unforgettable women who have changed it; PRINCE CHARLES, Sally Bedell Smith's biography of the oldest heir to the throne in more than 300 years, and the first authoritative treatment of Charles’ life that sheds light on the death of Diana, his marriage to Camilla, and his preparations to take the throne one day; and COUNTDOWN TO PEARL HARBOR by Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Steve Twomey, a fascinating look at the 12 days leading up to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor --- the warnings, clues and missteps.

All the Gallant Men: An American Sailor's Firsthand Account of Pearl Harbor by Donald Stratton with Ken Gire - Memoir

November 21, 2017

At 8:10am on December 7, 1941, Seaman First Class Donald Stratton was consumed by an inferno. A million pounds of explosives had detonated beneath his battle station aboard the USS Arizona, barely 15 minutes into Japan’s surprise attack on American forces at Pearl Harbor. Near death and burned across two thirds of his body, Don summoned the will to haul himself hand over hand across a rope tethered to a neighboring vessel. In this extraordinary, never-before-told eyewitness account of the Pearl Harbor attack --- the only memoir ever written by a survivor of the USS Arizona --- the 94-year-old veteran finally shares his unforgettable personal tale of bravery and survival, his harrowing recovery, and his inspiring determination to return to the fight.

Anatomy of a Song: The Oral History of 45 Iconic Hits That Changed Rock, R&B and Pop by Marc Myers - Music/History

November 21, 2017

Writer and music historian Marc Myers brings to life five decades of music in ANATOMY OF A SONG, based on the popular ongoing Wall Street Journal column, through oral histories of 45 transformative songs woven from interviews with the artists who created them. Taking readers inside the making of a hit, the book includes Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love,” Janis Joplin’s “Mercedes Benz,” Rod Stewart’s “Maggie May” and Cyndi Lauper’s “Time After Time.” Keith Richards, Mick Jagger, Jimmy Page, Smokey Robinson, Grace Slick, Mavis Staples, Steven Tyler, the Clash, Merle Haggard, Bonnie Raitt, Debbie Harry and many other leading artists reveal the inspirations, struggles and techniques behind their influential works.

Black Widow: A Jack Parlabane Thriller by Christopher Brookmyre - Thriller

November 21, 2017

Diana Jager is a skilled surgeon and fierce campaigner via her blog about sexism in medicine. Yet it takes only hours for her life to crumble when her personal details are released on the internet as revenge for her writing. Then she meets Peter. He is kind, generous and knows nothing about her past. Within six months, they are married. Within six more, Peter is dead in a road accident. Peter's sister, Lucy, tasks rogue reporter Jack Parlabane with discovering the dark truth behind the woman the media is calling the Black Widow. Still on the mend from a turbulent divorce, Jack's investigation into matters of the heart takes him to hidden places no one should ever have to go.

Countdown to Pearl Harbor: The Twelve Days to the Attack by Steve Twomey - History

November 21, 2017

In Washington, DC, in late November 1941, admirals composed the most ominous message in Navy history to warn Hawaii of possible danger --- but they wrote it too vaguely. They thought precautions were being taken, but never checked to be sure. In a small office at Pearl Harbor, overlooking the battleships, the commander of the Pacific Fleet tried to assess whether the threat was real. There were false assumptions and racist ones, misunderstandings, infighting and clashes between egos. Steve Twomey shows how careless decisions and blinkered beliefs gave birth to colossal failure. But he tells the story with compassion and a wise understanding of why people --- even smart, experienced, talented people --- look down at their feet when they should be scanning the sky.

The Fortunate Ones by Ellen Umansky - Fiction

November 21, 2017

As the specter of war darkens Europe in 1939, Rose Zimmer’s parents manage to secure passage for their young daughter on a kindertransport and send her to live with strangers in England. Six years later, Rose cannot help but try to search out one piece of her childhood: the Chaim Soutine painting her mother had cherished. In modern-day Los Angeles, Lizzie Goldstein has returned home for her father’s funeral. The Soutine painting that she loved and had provided lasting comfort to her after her own mother had died was stolen, and has never been recovered. This painting will bring Lizzie and Rose together and ignite an unexpected friendship, eventually revealing long-held secrets that hold painful truths.

George Lucas: A Life by Brian Jay Jones - Biography

November 21, 2017

On May 25, 1977, a problem-plagued, budget-straining independent science-fiction film opened in a mere 32 American movie theaters. Conceived, written and directed by a little-known filmmaker named George Lucas, Star Wars reinvented the cinematic landscape, ushering in a new way for movies to be made, marketed and merchandised. Lucas went on to create the Indiana Jones series, transform the world of special effects, and forever change the way movies sound. His innovation and ambition forged some of today's most prominent companies, including Pixar, Lucasfilm, THX sound and Industrial Light & Magic. This acclaimed biography captures the life and times of a film icon whose influence is unmatched.

I'll Take You There by Wally Lamb - Fiction

November 21, 2017

Felix is a film scholar who runs a Monday night movie club in what was once a vaudeville theater. One evening, while setting up a film in the projectionist booth, he’s confronted by the ghost of Lois Weber, a trailblazing motion picture director from Hollywood’s silent film era. Lois invites Felix to revisit --- and, in some cases, relive --- scenes from his past as they are projected onto the cinema’s big screen. In these magical movies, the medium of film becomes the lens for Felix to reflect on the women who profoundly impacted his life. At first unnerved by these ethereal apparitions, Felix comes to look forward to his encounters with Lois, who is later joined by the spirits of other celluloid muses.

Judas written by Amos Oz, translated by Nicholas de Lange - Historical Fiction

November 21, 2017

Jerusalem, 1959. Shmuel Ash, a biblical scholar, is adrift in his young life when he finds work as a caregiver for a brilliant but cantankerous old man named Gershom Wald. There is, however, a third, mysterious presence in his new home. Atalia Abarbanel, the daughter of a deceased Zionist leader, a beautiful woman in her 40s, entrances young Shmuel even as she keeps him at a distance. Piece by piece, the old Jerusalem stone house, haunted by tragic history and now home to the three misfits and their intricate relationship, reveals its secrets.

The Kid by Ron Hansen - Historical Fiction/Western

November 21, 2017

Born Henry McCarty, Billy the Kid was a diminutive, charming, blond-haired young man who, growing up in New York, Kansas and later New Mexico, demonstrated a precocious dexterity at firing six-shooters with either hand --- a skill that both got him into and out of trouble and that turned him into an American legend of the old West. He was smart, well-spoken, attractive to both white and Mexican women, a good dancer, and a man with a nose for money, horses and trouble. His spree of crimes and murders has been immortalized in dime westerns, novels and movies. In THE KID, Ron Hansen breathes life into history, bringing readers back into Billy’s boyhood as a ranch hand just trying to wrest a fortune from an unforgiving landscape.

Little Broken Things by Nicole Baart - Fiction

November 21, 2017

I have something for you. When Quinn Cruz receives that cryptic text message from her older sister Nora, she doesn’t think much of it. They haven’t seen each other in nearly a year, and their relationship consists mostly of infrequent phone calls and an occasional email or text. But when a haunted Nora shows up at the lake near Quinn's house just hours later, a chain reaction is set into motion that will change both of their lives forever. Nora’s “something” is more shocking than Quinn could have ever imagined: a little girl, cowering, wide-eyed and tight-lipped. But before Quinn can ask even one of the million questions swirling around her head, Nora disappears, and Quinn finds herself the unlikely caretaker of a girl introduced simply as Lucy.

Prince Charles: The Passions and Paradoxes of an Improbable Life by Sally Bedell Smith - Biography

November 21, 2017

Sally Bedell Smith returns once again to the British royal family to give us a new look at Prince Charles, the oldest heir to the throne in more than 300 years. This biography --- the product of four years of research and hundreds of interviews with palace officials, former girlfriends, spiritual gurus and more, some speaking on the record for the first time --- is the first authoritative treatment of Charles’ life that sheds light on the death of Diana, his marriage to Camilla, and his preparations to take the throne one day. PRINCE CHARLES brings to life the real man, with all of his ambitions, insecurities and convictions.

When the Lonesome Dog Barks: A Jace Salome Novel by Trey R. Barker - Mystery

November 20, 2017

Two bodies, recently beaten to death, are discovered on the edges of Zachary County. There is a recent attempt to break into the security office at a resort in nearby Rooster County. And the Zachary County Jail has exploded with seemingly random fights. When Deputy Sheriff Jace Salome finds a smartphone in the jail, she learns the random fights are anything but, that they have been filmed and then emailed from the phone to an intricate web of private email servers and access-only websites. The two dead bodies, as well as the investigation of the resort break-in, and Jace’s look into the fights, all collide when she discovers that a dead girl had been in the Zachary County jail and that video exists of her getting beaten both in the jail and in the security office of the hotel.