May 1, 2012

May 1st

ALL WOMAN AND SPRINGTIME by Brandon W. Jones
Broken from growing up in one of North Korea’s forced-labor camps, Gi has learned to cope with pain by retreating into a realm of numbers and calculations. She becomes enamored of the brash and radiant Il-sun. But Il-sun’s pursuit of a better life imperils both girls when her suitor spirits them across the Demilitarized Zone and sells them as sex workers.
Algonquin Books * 9781616200770

ARE YOU MY MOTHER?: A Comic Drama by Alison Bechdel
In her highly anticipated follow-up to FUN HOME, bestselling author Alison Bechdel searches for the meaning of motherhood in her own life, not only from her actual mother but also from therapists, lovers, writers, and more. ARE YOU MY MOTHER? is a poignant, compelling and utterly fascinating journey from one of the most profound graphic creators of our era.
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt * 9780618982509

BILLY LYNN'S LONG HALFTIME WALK by Ben Fountain
In the final few hours before returning to Iraq, Specialist William Lynn --- one of eight men who survived a ferocious firefight with Iraqi insurgents --- will drink and brawl, yearn for home and mourn those missing, face a heart-wrenching decision, and discover pure love and a bitter wisdom far beyond his 19 years.
Ecco * 9780060885595

THE BODY IN THE BOUDOIR: A Faith Fairchild Mystery by Katherine Hall Page
Weddings can be deadly. Just ask caterer and amateur sleuth Faith Fairchild about her own nuptials to the Reverend Thomas Fairchild, a blissful day filled with family, friends, love --- and a case of attempted murder.
William Morrow * 9780062065483

DEAD LEVEL: A Home Repair Is Homicide Mystery by Sarah Graves
Nobody knows the nuts and bolts of home repair quite like Jacobia “Jake” Tiptree, ex–Wall Streeter turned proud owner of an 1823 Federal-style house in Eastport, Maine. But when a killer with a screw loose sets his sights on Jake, her newest renovation project becomes a dire matter of life and deck.
Bantam * 9780553807905

FUN HOUSE: A John Ceepak Mystery by Chris Grabenstein
By-the-book officer John Ceepak and his wisecracking young partner, Danny Boyle, have to babysit the buff and boozy kids partying it up in a Jersey shore rental house for TV’s summertime hit “Fun House.” But even Ceepak and Danny can’t stop one young cast member from being murdered --- and others from being threatened with the same fate.
Pegasus * 9781605983363

A GIFT FOR MY SISTER by Ann Pearlman
Tara and Sky share a mother, but aside from that, they seem to differ in almost every way. When a series of tragedies strikes, they must somehow come together in the face of heartbreak, dashed hopes, and demons of the past. The journey they embark on forces each woman to take a walk in the other’s shoes and examine what sisterhood really means to them.
Atria/Emily Bestler Books * 9781439159491

ICE FIRE by David Lyons
Jock Boucher has overcome modest beginnings to assume one of the most powerful positions in the land: U.S. District Judge of the Eastern District of Louisiana. Following a trail of cryptic clues from one end of the city to the other on his first case, Boucher is pushed to the limits only to find himself in the line of fire --- and too far from the law to ever return.
Atria/Emily Bestler Books * 9781451629293

MY CROSS TO BEAR by Gregg Allman
For almost 50 years, Gregg Allman has been creating some of the most recognizable songs in American rock, but never before has he paused to reflect on the long road he has traveled. Now, he tells the unflinching story of his life, laying bare the unvarnished truth about his wild ride that has spanned across the years. Click here for info about the enhanced eBook.
William Morrow * 9780062112033

THE NEWLYWEDS by Nell Freudenberger
Amina leaves Bangladesh for Rochester, New York, and for George Stillman, the husband who met and wooed her online. For Amina, the decision echoes the arranged marriages of her home country, while George finds Amina “straightforward” and likes that she “doesn’t play games.” Yet each is hiding something from the other.
Knopf * 9780307268846

OBJECTS OF MY AFFECTION by Jill Smolinski
Jill Smolinski, author of THE NEXT THING ON MY LIST, has written a humorous and heartfelt novel about a personal organizer who must somehow convince a reclusive artist to give up her hoarding ways and let go of the stuff she’s hung on to for decades.
Touchstone * 9781451660753

THE PASSAGE OF POWER: The Years of Lyndon Johnson by Robert A. Caro
The fourth volume in Robert A. Caro’s series on Lyndon Johnson follows Johnson through some of the most frustrating and triumphant periods of his career, including his battle against Robert Kennedy during the 1960 Democratic nomination for president and Johnson’s own unhappy vice presidency.
Knopf * 9780679405078

ROBERT B. PARKER'S LULLABY: A Spenser Novel by Ace Atkins
When 14-year-old Mattie Sullivan asks Spenser to look into her mother's death, he's not completely convinced by her claim that the original investigation was botched. But her need for closure and her determination to make things right hit Spenser where he lives: they're the very characteristics he abides by.
Putnam Adult * 9780399158032

THE UNINVITED GUESTS by Sadie Jones
On their son Emerald’s birthday, a train wreck leaves displaced passengers at the mercy of Charlotte and Edward Shift. Among them is Charlie Traversham-Beechers, a sketchy figure Charlotte once knew, whose presence makes for an unforgettable birthday and an evening of the past that literally comes back to haunt Charlotte.
Harper * 9780062116505


May 4th

THE WEIGHT OF MEMORY by Jennifer Paddock
Memory is the common thread running through the storylines of Chandler, Sarah and Leigh. All three women are from the same hometown, witnessed the death of a boy they all loved in high school, have complicated relationships with their fathers, and ride out Hurricane Katrina together in Destin, Florida.
MacAdam/Cage Publishing * 9781596923768

May 7th

11th HOUR by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
Lindsay Boxer is pregnant at last, but her work doesn't slow for a second. When millionaire Chaz Smith is mercilessly gunned down, she discovers that the murder weapon is linked to the deaths of four of San Francisco's most untouchable criminals, and it was taken from her own department's evidence locker.
Little, Brown and Company * 9780316208086


May 8th

ALONG THE WAY: The Journey of a Father and Son by Martin Sheen and Emilio Estevez, with Hope Edelman
In this dual memoir, film legend Martin Sheen and accomplished actor/filmmaker Emilio Estevez recount their lives as father and son. In alternating chapters, they tell stories spanning more than 50 years of family history, and reflect on their journeys into two different kinds of faith.
Free Press * 9781451643688

BIRDSEYE: The Adventures of a Curious Man by Mark Kurlansky
From the author who gave us COD, SALT and other informative bestsellers comes the first biography of Clarence Birdseye, the eccentric genius inventor whose fast-freezing process revolutionized the food industry and American agriculture.
Doubleday * 9780385527057

BRING UP THE BODIES by Hilary Mantel
Anne Boleyn has failed to give Henry a son, and her sharp intelligence and audacity will alienate his old friends and the noble families of England. When the discarded Katherine dies in exile from the court, Anne stands starkly exposed, the focus of gossip and malice. At a word from Henry, Thomas Cromwell is ready to bring her down.
Henry Holt and Co. * 9780805090031

A DOG’S JOURNEY: Another Novel for Humans by W. Bruce Cameron
The sequel to the New York Times and USA Today bestseller A DOG’S PURPOSE, A DOG’S JOURNEY is a charming and heartwarming story of hope, love and unending devotion that asks the question: Do we really take care of our pets, or do they take care of us?
Forge Books * 9780765330536

THE EMERALD STORM: An Ethan Gage Adventure by William Dietrich
On his latest adventure, Ethan Gage and his new wife, Astiza, are in the Caribbean searching for the Lost Treasure of Montezuma --- a legendary hoard rumored to have been hidden from Cortez’s plundering Spanish conquistadors. But in the pursuit, they will have to face the British and French, who want the treasure for their own sinister purposes.
Harper * 9780061989209

THE FAMILY CORLEONE by Edward Falco
While his youngest children are in school, unaware of their father's true occupation, and his adopted son is a college student, Vito Corleone worries most about Sonny, his eldest child. Vito pushes Sonny to be a businessman, but the 17-year-old wants nothing more than to follow in his father's footsteps and become a part of the real family business.
Grand Central Publishing * 9780446574624

HOME by Toni Morrison
Frank Money is an angry, self-loathing veteran of the Korean War who finds himself back in racist America with more than just physical scars. His home may seem alien to him, but he is shocked out of his crippling apathy by the need to rescue his medically abused younger sister and take her back to the small Georgia town that he’s hated all his life.
Knopf * 9780307594167

IN ONE PERSON by John Irving
Billy, the bisexual narrator and main character of IN ONE PERSON, tells the tragicomic story (lasting more than half a century) of his life as a “sexual suspect,” a phrase first used by John Irving in 1978 in his landmark novel of “terminal cases,” THE WORLD ACCORDING TO GARP.
Simon & Schuster * 9781451664126

THE INQUISITOR’S KEY: A Body Farm Novel by Jefferson Bass
When Miranda Lovelady, Dr. Bill Brockton’s protégé, uncovers a stone chest during an excavation beneath the Palace of the Popes in Avignon, France, she is shocked to find an inscription claiming the chest holds the bones of none other than Jesus of Nazarus. Though she and Dr. Brockton are skeptical, evidence for authenticity appears to be strong.
William Morrow * 9780061806797

THE MASTER’S MUSE by Varley O'Connor
“We set our sights on each other almost from the beginning.” So begins THE MASTER'S MUSE, a novel about the true love affair between two artistic legends: George Balanchine, the Russian émigré to America who is widely considered the Shakespeare of dance, and his wife and muse, Tanaquil Le Clercq.
Scribner * 9781451655384

PERFECT CHAOS: A Daughter's Journey to Survive Bipolar, a Mother's Struggle to Save Her by Linea Johnson and Cinda Johnson
PERFECT CHAOS is the story of a mother's and daughter’s journey through mental illness towards hope. From initial worrying symptoms to long sleepless nights to cross-country flights and the slow understanding and rebuilding of trust, this memoir tells Linea's and Cinda’s harrowing and inspiring story, of an illness that they conquer together every day.
St. Martin's Press * 9780312581824

PINSTRIPE EMPIRE: The New York Yankees from Before the Babe to After the Boss by Marty Appel
Since their breakthrough championship season in 1923, the New York Yankees have been baseball’s most successful franchise. Marty Appel, the Yankees’ PR director during the 1970s, now illuminates the team in all its century-plus of glory: clever, maneuvering owners; rowdy, talented players; and, of course, 27 championships.
Bloomsbury USA * 9781608194926

THE ROAD TO GRACE by Richard Paul Evans
Halfway through his trek from Seattle to Key West, Alan Christoffersen sets out to walk the nearly 1,000 miles between South Dakota and St. Louis, but it’s the people he meets along the way who give the journey its true meaning. Among these individuals is an elderly Polish man who gives Alan a ride and shares a story that Alan will never forget.
Simon & Schuster * 9781451628180

THE SINS OF THE FATHER by Jeffrey Archer
Hoping to escape the consequences of long-buried family secrets, Harry Clifton has joined the Merchant Navy. When he survives the sinking of his ship by a German U-boat, he assumes the identity of the third officer, an American named Tom Bradshaw. But on landing in America, he quickly learns the mistake he has made, when he discovers what is awaiting Bradshaw in New York.
St. Martin’s Press * 9781250000972

SPARKY AND ME: My Friendship with Sparky Anderson and the Lessons He Shared About Baseball and Life by Daniel Ewald
Sparky Anderson met author Dan Ewald in 1979, and thus was born a lifelong friendship not likely ever to be seen again in baseball. Along the way, Dan never took for granted the front row seat he had to watch one of history's most memorable managers’ absolute mastery of baseball's nuances and intricacies.
Thomas Dunne Books * 9781250000262

STARTING AND CLOSING: Perseverance, Faith, and One More Year by John Smoltz and Don Yaeger
From starting pitcher to closer, and miraculously back to the starting rotation, John Smoltz shares the story of his 22-year career in professional baseball, including his struggles and triumphs over the kind of “career-ending” injuries that have sidelined many other players.
William Morrow * 9780062120540

THEY EAT PUPPIES, DON’T THEY? by Christopher Buckley
In an attempt to gain Congressional approval for a top-secret weapons system, Washington lobbyist "Bird" McIntyre and sexy Neo-Con wonkette Angel Templeton start a rumor that the Chinese secret service is trying to assassinate the Dalai Lama. Their outrageous scheme provokes a series of crises involving the White House, the CIA, and a strangely sympathetic and vulnerable Chinese president.
Twelve * 9780446540971

TO THE LAST BREATH: A Memoir of Going to Extremes by Francis Slakey
Before Georgetown physics professor Francis Slakey set out to climb the highest mountain on every continent and surf every ocean, he had shut himself off from other people. But as his journey veered dangerously off course, everything about him began to change. TO THE LAST BREATH depicts the quest that leads Slakey around the globe, almost takes his life, challenges his fiercely held beliefs, and opens his heart.
Simon & Schuster * 9781439198957


May 10th

A GOLDEN VOICE: How Faith, Hard Work, and Humility Brought Me from the Streets to Salvation by Ted Williams and Bret Witter
Ted Williams --- the homeless man with a golden voice --- holds nothing back in his memoir, as he takes the reader through prostitution, theft, crack houses, and homeless shelters in a search, ultimately, for redemption and hope.
Gotham * 9781592407149

HARD COUNTRY by Michael McGarrity
In the wake of the death of his wife as she gives birth to his son, and the killing of his brother, John Kerney is forced to give up his ranch, leave his son behind, and strike out in search of the murderous outlaws and a place where he can start over. He drifts south until he meets a man who offers him work trailing cattle to the New Mexico Territory and forever changes his life.
Dutton Adult * 9780525952466

OVERSEAS by Beatriz Williams
A young Wall Street analyst, Kate Wilson learned to rely on logic and cynicism. So why does she fall so desperately in love with Julian Laurence, a billionaire with a mysterious past? What she doesn't know is that he has been waiting for her...the enchanting woman who emerged from the shadows of the Great War to save his life.
Putnam Adult * 9780399157646

THE SEVENTH GATE by Richard Zimler
Forced to lead a double life when her father and boyfriend become Nazi collaborators, 14-year-old Sophie reserves her dreams of becoming an actress for her beloved elderly neighbor and his friends, most of whom are Jews working against the government in a secret group called the Ring. When a member is sent to Dachau, she realizes there must be a Nazi traitor in the group. But who?
Overlook Hardcover * 9781590207130