by Dan Gibson

Simultaneously, I am the best and worst person to write summaries of bestselling books.  I have no problem with admitting popular titles have some merit; I have little tolerance for elitist snobbery in any form, after all, if something happens to resonate with people who actually buy things, that has to count for something.  On the other hand, seeing a new James Patterson novel on the charts every month has done something to my sanity.  In order to shame myself into being less cranky next year while putting together the Behind the Bestsellers feature, I present my most shamefully opinionated summaries from the last few months of this year.

From the November 2009 issue:

Have A Little Faith, by Mitch Albom

A:  David Black        P:  Hyperion       C:  Self Help/Improvement

A more cynical man than I might say that Mitch Albom is returning to the formula that made him famous with Tuesdays with Morrie, in which an older wise man teaches him the way to really live life, but I prefer to assume that the somewhat similar themes are more of a coincidence.  Albom looks at the lives of two religious figures in his life (a pastor and a rabbi) and ponders the deep questions in life.

The Pioneer Woman Cooks, by Ree Drummond

A:  LJK Literary Management    P:  Morrow     C:  Cooking

She was a city girl, until she met a man, Green Acres style and ended up cooking for him every night in the middle of nowhere at their ranch.  These are the recipes she uses to please both of their tastes, city and country style.

Nine Dragons, by Michael Connelly

A:  Phillip Spitzer     P:  Little, Brown   C:  Mystery/Thriller/Suspense

Detective Harry Bosch takes on the Asian underworld, in a manner which I'm sure is gritty and suspenseful.

From the October 2009 issue:

The Last Song, by Nicholas Sparks

A:  Theresa Park  P:  Grand Central  C:  Mainstream Fiction

Soon to be a film starring Miley Cyrus, Nicholas Sparks revisits themes familiar to his readers:  love, the beach, faith and unfortunate circumstances.   Also, there are loggerhead turtles.

Catching Fire, by Suzanne Collins

A:  Rosemary Stimola    P:  Scholastic Press    C:  Spectulative Fiction

I don't know when the post-apocalyptic second novel of Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games series is set, but I'm quite certain I don't want to be around if this future comes to be as children are forced in a pop culture arena death match.

From the September 2009 issue:

A Big Little Life, by Dean Koontz

A:  Robert Gottlieb   P:  Hyperion   C:  Memoir

A dog taught Dead Koontz how to really live.  I'm sure there's more to this book than that, but at this point, this might be one touching dog book too many.

The Eleventh Victim, by Nancy Grace

A:  Frank Weimann     P:  Hyperion     C:  Mystery/Thriller/Suspense

TV "personality" Nancy Grace writes her first novel.  The lead character is remarkably Nancy Grace-like.  I really hate to say more about this book than that.

Eclipse, by Stephenie Meyer

A: Jodi Reamer       P: Little, Brown     C: Mainstream Fiction

Seriously, by now, you know what this book is about.