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Mar 11
2009
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Behind The Bestsellers: Fiction February 2009Posted by: Adriann Ranta on Mar 11, 2009 Tagged in: Untagged
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Plum Spooky, by Janet Evanovich
Stephanie Plum is back in town, along with her sidekick Lula, her Grandma Mazur, and an ever-widening cast of freaks, criminals, deranged felons, and lunatics looking for love. And just when she thinks her life can't get any more complicated, in walks the mysterious Diesel.
A: Robert Gottlieb P: St. Martin’s G: Mystery/ Thriller/ Suspense
NYT: 3 LAT: 3 BOOKSENSE: 3
The Host: A Novel, by Stephenie Meyer
The author of the #1-bestselling Twilight series delivers her brilliant first novel for adults that are also suitable for teen readers: a gripping story of love and betrayal in a future with the fate of humanity at stake, featuring what may be the first love triangle involving only two bodies.
A: Jodi Reamer P: Little, Brown G: Fantasy/Science Fiction
NYT: 37 LAT: 24 BOOKSENSE: 30
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, by David Wroblewski
Born mute, speaking only in sign, Edgar Sawtelle leads an idyllic life with his parents on their farm in remote northern Wisconsin. For generations, the Sawtelles have raised and trained a fictional breed of dog whose thoughtful companionship is epitomized by Almondine, Edgar's lifelong friend and ally. But with the unexpected return of Claude, Edgar's paternal uncle, turmoil consumes the Sawtelles' once peaceful home. When Edgar's father dies suddenly, Claude insinuates himself into the life of the farm-and into Edgar's mother's affections. Grief-stricken and bewildered, Edgar tries to prove Claude played a role in his father's death, but his plan backfires-spectacularly. Forced to flee into the vast wilderness lying beyond the farm, Edgar comes of age in the wild, fighting for his survival and that of the three yearling dogs that follow him. But his need to face his father's murderer and his devotion to the Sawtelle dogs turn Edgar ever homeward
A: Elenor Jackson P: Ecco G: Literature/ Fiction
NYT: 33 LAT: 27 BOOKSENSE: 33
Agincourt: A Novel, by Bernard Cornwell
One of England's most dramatic victories, the battle of Agincourt is more than just history; it was immortalized by Shakespeare in "Henry V." Cornwell, the greatest writer of historical adventures today ("Washington Post") tackles this most thrilling and rich subject.
A: Toby Eady Associates Ltd P: Harper G: Historical Fiction
NYT: 1 LAT: - BOOKSENSE: 1
Black Ops, by W. E. B. Griffin
The Russian bear is stirring--and it's hungry--in the thrilling fifth novel of the Presidential Agent series. Could sabers be rattling for a new Cold War--or worse? Lieutenant Colonel Charley Castillo is about to find out.
A: JCA Literary Agency P: Putnam G: Mystery/ Thriller/ Suspense
NYT: 4 LAT: 3 BOOKSENSE: -
Scarpetta, by Patricia Cornwell
Leaving behind her private forensic pathology practice in Charleston, South Carolina, Kay Scarpetta accepts an assignment in New York City, where the NYPD has asked her to examine an injured man on Bellevue Hospital's psychiatric prison ward. Is the handcuffed and chained patient a criminally insane stalker who has fixed on Scarpetta? Or is his paranoid tale true?
A: Esther Newberg P: Putnam G: Mystery/ Thriller/ Suspense
NYT: 8 LAT: 6 BOOKSENSE: 8
Mounting Fears, by Stuart Woods
President Will Lee is having a rough week. There are some loose nukes in Pakistan that might just trigger World War III if his diplomatic efforts fall short. It's up to Lee, Holly Barker, Lance Cabot, and few others to save the world--and the upcoming election.
A: Morton Janklow P: Putnam G: Mystery/ Thriller/ Suspense
NYT: 2 LAT: - BOOKSENSE: -
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows.
London, 1946: writer Juliet Ashton receives a letter from a stranger, a founding member of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. And so begins a remarkable tale of Guernsey during the German occupation, and about a society as extraordinary as its name.
A: Amy Renhert P: Dial G: Literature/ Fiction
NYT: 19 LAT: 25 BOOKSENSE: 26
Cross Country (Alex Cross Novels), by James Patterson
When the home of Alex Cross's oldest friend, Ellie Cox, is turned into the worst murder scene Alex has ever seen, the destruction leads him to believe that he's chasing a horrible new breed of killer. "Cross Country" is the most heart-stopping, electrifying Alex Cross thriller yet.
A: Jennifer Rudolph Walsh P: Little, Brown G: Mystery/ Thriller/ Suspense
NYT: 10 LAT: 8 BOOKSENSE: -
The Hour I First Believed: A Novel, by Wally Lamb.
The #1 "New York Times"-bestselling author and two-time Oprah's Book Club pick delivers his first novel in over a decade--an extraordinary work of prodigious scope and ambition that explores the consequences of violent events, and the chaos that ensues.
A: Laurie Fox P: Harper G: Literature/ Fiction
NYT: 11 LAT: - BOOKSENSE: 11
The Piano Teacher, by Janice Y. K. Lee
In the sweeping tradition of "The English Patient" comes this gripping tale set in war-torn Hong Kong. Rich with intrigue, romance, and betrayal, this wonderfully written, utterly captivating novel dazzles
A: Theresa Park P: Viking G: Literature/ Fiction
NYT: 2 LAT: 1 BOOKSENSE: 2
From Dead to Worse, by Charlaine Harris
After the natural disaster of Hurricane Katrina and the manmade explosion at the vampire summit, everyone human and otherwise is stressed, including Louisiana cocktail waitress Sookie Stackhouse, who is trying to cope with the fact that her boyfriend Quinn has gone missing. It’s clear that things are changing whether the wares and vamps of her corner of Louisiana like it or not. And Sookie Friend to the Pack and blood-bonded to Eric Northman, leader of the local vampire communities caught up in the changes. In the ensuing battles, Sookie faces danger, death, and once more, betrayal by someone she loves. And when the fur has finished flying and the cold blood finished flowing, her world will be forever altered.
A: Joshua Bilmes P: ACE G: Science Fiction/ Fantasy
NYT: 5 LAT: - BOOKSENSE: -
Beat the Reaper by Josh Bazell (Debut)
In this wild and hilarious debut thriller, Peter Brown is a young Manhattan emergency room doctor with a past, a secret, and a gun--and he has 24 hours to save himself and beat the reaper.
A: Markus Hoffmann P: Little, Brown G: Mystery/ Thriller/ Suspense
NYT: 2 LAT: 2 BOOKSENSE: 2
Reporter Sophie Rose follows a mystery to Alaska. Because of the reputation of her father, a suave and notorious thief, she's assigned a bodyguard--sexy FBI agent Jack Prescott. Sophie and Jack form an uneasy alliance--one sparked with intense attraction, in Garwood's latest blockbuster.
A: Jane Rotrosen P: Ballantine G: Mystery/Thriller/Suspense
NYT: 4 LAT: - BOOKSENSE: -
A powerful tragedy distilled into a jewel of a masterpiece by the Nobel Prize-winning author of Beloved and, almost like a prelude to that story, set two centuries earlier. In the 1680s the slave trade was still in its infancy. In the Americas, virulent religious and class divisions, prejudice and oppression were rife, providing the fertile soil in which slavery and race hatred were planted and took root. Jacob is an Anglo-Dutch trader and adventurer, with a small holding in the harsh north. Despite his distaste for dealing in flesh, he takes a small slave girl in part payment for a bad debt from a plantation owner in Catholic Maryland. This is Florens, with the hands of a slave and the feet of a Portuguese lady. Florens looks for love, first from Lina, an older servant woman at her new master's house, but later from a handsome blacksmith, an African, never enslaved. There are other voices: Lina, whose tribe was decimated by smallpox; their mistress, Rebekka, herself a victim of religious intolerance back in England; Sorrow, a strange girl who spent her early years at sea; and finally the devastating voice of Florens' mother. These are all men and women inventing themselves in the wilderness. A Mercy reveals what lies beneath the surface of slavery. But at its heart it is the ambivalent, disturbing story of a mother who casts off her daughter in order to save her, and of a daughter who may never exorcise that abandonment. Acts of mercy may have unforeseen consequences.
A: Amanda Urban P: Knopf G: Literature/ Fiction
NYT: 11 LAT: 9 BOOKSENSE: 11
As Seattle is ravaged by a string of mysterious killings and a malicious vampire continues her quest for revenge, Bella once again finds herself surrounded by danger. In the midst of it all, she is forced to choose between her love for Edward and her friendship with Jacob -- knowing that her decision has the potential to ignite the ageless struggle between vampire and werewolf. With her graduation quickly approaching, Bella has one more decision to make: life or death. But which is which?
A: Jodi Reamer P: Little, Brown G: Fantasy/Science Fiction
NYT: - LAT: 28 BOOKSENSE: -
Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer
When you loved the one who was killing you, it left you no options. How could you run, how could you fight, when doing so would hurt that beloved one? If your life was all you had to give, how could you not give it? If it was someone you truly loved? To be irrevocably in love with a vampire is both fantasy and nightmare woven into a dangerously heightened reality for Bella Swan. Pulled in one direction by her intense passion for Edward Cullen and in another by her profound connection to werewolf Jacob Black, a tumultuous year of temptation, loss, and strife have led her to the ultimate turning point. Her imminent choice to either join the dark but seductive world of immortals or to pursue a fully human life has become the thread from which the fates of two tribes hang. Now that Bella has made her decision, a startling chain of unprecedented events is about to unfold with potentially devastating, and unfathomable, consequences. Just when the frayed strands of Bella's life-first discovered in Twilight, then scattered and torn in New Moon and Eclipse-seem ready to heal and knit together, could they be destroyed... forever? The astonishing, breathlessly anticipated conclusion to the Twilight Saga, Breaking Dawn illuminates the secrets and mysteries of this spellbinding romantic epic that has entranced millions.
A: Jodi Reamer P: Little, Brown G: Fantasy/Science Fiction
NYT: - LAT: 25 BOOKSENSE: -
The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling
The Tales of Beedle the Bard, a Wizarding classic, first came to Muggle reader's attention in the book known as Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Now, thanks to Hermione Granger's new translation from the ancient runes, we present this stunning edition with an introduction, notes, and illustrations by J. K. Rowling, and extensive commentary by Albus Dumbledore. Never before have Muggles been privy to these richly imaginative tales: "The Wizard and the Hopping Pot", "The Fountain of Fair Fortune", "The Warlock's Hairy Heart", "Babbitty Rabbitty and Her Cackling Stump", and of course, "The Tale of the Three Brothers". But not only are they the equal of fairy tales we now know and love, reading them gives new insight into the world of Harry Potter.
A: Christopher Little P: Children's High Level Group G: Science Fiction/ Fantasy
NYT: - LAT: 6 BOOKSENSE: -
2666: A Novel by Roberto Bolaño
Composed in the last years of Roberto Bolano's life, "2666 "was greeted across Europe and Latin America as his highest achievement, surpassing even his previous work in its strangeness, beauty, and scope. Its throng of unforgettable characters includes academics and convicts, an American sportswriter, an elusive German novelist, and a teenage student and her widowed, mentally unstable father. Their lives intersect in the urban sprawl of Santa Teresa--a fictional Juarez--on the U.S.-Mexico border, where hundreds of young factory workers, in the novel as in life, have disappeared.
A: Andrew Wylie P: Farrar, Straus & Giroux G: Literature/ Fiction
NYT: - LAT: 9 BOOKSENSE: -
The Private Patient by P.D. James
Commander Adam Dalgliesh and his team are called in to investigate a murder at a private nursing home for rich patients being treated by the famous plastic surgeon George Chandler-Powell, in this welcome addition to the Dalgliesh canon.
A: Green & Heaton LTD P: Knopf G: Mystery/ Thriller/ Suspense
NYT: - LAT: 8 BOOKSENSE: 10
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, by Stieg Larsson
In this European publishing sensation, a crusading journalist joins forces with a 24-year-old pierced and tattooed genius hacker to investigate the whereabouts of a missing woman from one of the wealthiest families in Sweden.
A: - P: Knopf G: Mystery/ Thriller/ Suspense
NYT: - LAT: - BOOKSENSE: 19
Unaccustomed Earth, by Jhumpa Lahiri
From the internationally best-selling, Pulitzer Prize-winning author, a superbly crafted new work of fiction: eight stories-longer and more emotionally complex than any she has yet written-that take us from Cambridge and Seattle to India and Thailand as they enter the lives of sisters and brothers, fathers and mothers, daughters and sons, friends and lovers.
A: Eric Siminoff P: Knopf G: Literature/ Fiction
NYT: - LAT: - BOOKSENSE: 31
Lark and Termite, by Jayne Anne Phillips
Phillips's first novel in nine years is a rich, many-layered work. Set in the 1950s in West Virginia and Korea, it is a story of the power of loss and love, the echoing ramifications of war, family secrets, dreams and ghosts, and the unseen, almost magical bonds that unite and sustain families.
A: Emilie Stewart P: Knopf G: Literature/ Fiction
NYT: - LAT: - BOOKSENSE: 2
The Art of Racing in the Rain, by Garth Stein
Meet Enzo, the unforgettable canine narrator of this bittersweet and transformative story of family, love, loyalty, and hope. Enzo is a philosopher with a nearly human soul, and he's gained a wealth of knowledge from hours spent in front of the TV.
A: Jeff Klienman P: Harper G: Literature/ Fiction
NYT: - LAT: - BOOKSENSE: 29