Jennifer Parmelee Childs Recommends:

The Palace Circle by Rebecca Dean

This fine piece of historical fiction set just before WWII follows the life of Delia Chandler, an eighteen-year-old Virginian who marries an English Viscount and is whisked away to become part of the Windsor court. Initially a fish out of water, she easily adapts and has society wrapped around her little finger--she wins them over with her vivacious personality, flame-red hair, and her penchant for singing Dixie at the drop of a hat. But her victory soon pales when she realizes that her husband has married her simply to produce heirs and has no intention of leaving his mistress. Her life is thrown into turmoil yet again when her husband is appointed as an advisor to King Fuad of Egypt and she exchanges one palace circle for another, far different one. I found the chapters set in Egypt fascinating and a nice twist on the traditional British court story. And just as it seemed Delia's story was running its course, the author switched narrators and Delia's daughters and their love-interests took center stage. The multiple viewpoints added depth to the story and there were plenty of twists to keep me in suspense. Recommend to fans of Philippa Gregory, romance readers, book groups, and anyone looking for a solid historical yarn.

978-0-7679-3055-0 | $14.00/NCR | Broadway | TR | March 2009

Erica McDonald Recommends:

North Korea Kidnapped My Daughter by Sakie Yokota

This summer, CNN’s Anderson Cooper ran a story that was both shocking in its immediacy and haunting with its heart-wrenching tale. Four years ago, North Korea admitted to a program of abducting Japanese citizens in the hopes of training them as spies during the Cold War. Sakie Yokota lost her thirteen-year-old daughter, Megumi, in 1977 to this insidious scheme. This is the story of one woman’s personal struggle to find the daughter who was so cruelly taken from her and her transformation from happy housewife to political activist and crusader. In August 2006, Sakie met with President Bush to further talks about demanding sanctions on North Korea. The documentary, Abduction: The Megumi Yokota Story is available and also a quick search on YouTube will allow you to explore more coverage of this astonishing emotional and political quagmire. This riveting true story of every parent’s worst nightmare will captivate and horrify you.

978-1-934287-44-6 | $16.95/$18.95C | TR | Vertical | January 2009

Marcia Purcell Recommends:

The Gone Away World by Nick Harkaway

The time is the near future. There has been an absolutely horrific war - short but BRUTAL - which has changed the world forever. (A significant part of the earth and it's people have literally "gone away.") A large pipe and its contents keep at least a portion of the remaining world "safe" in the traditionally accepted sense of the word. The book opens with the unthinkable happening -- the "indestructible" Jorgmund Pipe is on fire in a BIG way. Enter our heroes, the Hualage & HazMat Emergency Civil Freebooting Company of Exmoor County and their fearless leader, one Gonzo William Lubitsch. These are the bare-bone facts. From there the book LAUNCHES off into action, romance (well, kind of), psychological twists and turns and glorious, improbable use of logic and language which will leave you just reeling! No straight road here! Believe me, the narrator has his own take on reality, or what passes for it in the "gone-away world." Behind confused sheep, chilling ninjas, surprising mimes (The Matahuxee Mime Combine), and a close examination of the meaning of family and friendship is a brilliant mind working a top speed. I look forward to the next offering from Nick Harkaway. This first novel is a true corker. An absolute out-of-the-ordinary reading experience!

978-0-307-26886-0 l $25.95/$27.95C l Knopf l HC l September 2008

Marie Kent Recommends:

Atlas of Unknowns by Tania James

There is great joy to be had in recommending something written by a first-time author. Atlas of Uknowns is no different. As in many other books, the reader gets caught up in the plot’s central relationship, this time between the two sisters: homely Linno, kept in the shadows of the family home in Kerala, India and Anju, the dreamer, whose good fortune brings her to New York City where she must navigate the city streets, her family’s dreams, and a life-altering secret all at once. Add to that a set of parents with secrets of their own, a wealthy Hindu-American host family, and a lonely hairdresser with ties Anju and Linno’s past, and you’ve got an interesting cast of characters. Yet what is most striking about Tania James’s new novel are the ever-present myths and realities of the American Dream as seen through the eyes of modern immigrants. These opposing forces are woven together to showcase the balancing act each character faces in an attempt to gain a sense of self and cling to a family identity all at once. A great storyteller, James creates depth in her characters and plot by highlighting the emotional truth associated with the realization of a dream above any fictional fantasies created for the story’s sake. Such poignancy is enough to turn the pages in this refreshing read.

978-0-307-26890-7 | $24.95/$27.95C | Knopf | HC | April 2009

David Eicke Recommends:

Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese

It’s going to be hard to write about this book without sounding gushy. Probably because it’s hard to read this book without getting teary. Or gaspy. I know that’s not a word, but I gasped a lot, is what I’m trying to say. Cutting for Stone is an “epic” novel, and I don’t use the term lightly. It’s a long book, yes, but what makes it “epic” is that it spans so many years and so many miles and so many states of emotion (for the characters and the reader!). The story begins in Ethiopia, years before the conception of Marion, the narrator, and ends in New York, after he’s developed gray hair; so to finish this book is almost to have lived another life. I don’t want to give anything away, so I won’t go into plot summary, but I will say that it is quite the twisty, horrifying road. It’s all here: death, birth, fatherhood, motherhood, brotherhood, love, tyranny, spirituality…aneurisms—and flawlessly written too. To say that it’s worth the page count is diminishing, so I’ll say you won’t notice it.

978-0-375-41449-7 | $26.95/NCR | HC | Knopf | February 2009

 

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Fall 2008

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Spring 2008