Childhood as performance art

The Family Fang is a funny and strange novel about a performance artist couple who raise their children to paticipate in their "art" and warp them in the process. Japanese author, Haruki Murakami's, new book, 1q84, is an homage to George Orwell's 1984. The Leftovers by Tom Perrota tells the story of the people who must learn to cope after being left behind by the Rapture, but it's more comic than tragic, and less about the book of Revelation than about the human condition. Browse through the list, lots of new books by favorite authors appear there!

Barnes, Julian. Pulse: Stories. Knopf Publishing Group. 5/3/2011. Short Stories

Boyd, Noah. The Bricklayer. William Morrow & Company. 2/1/2010.

Brown, Rita Mae. Murder Unleashed. Ballantine Books. 10/4/2011.

Castillo, Linda. Breaking Silence. Minotaur Books. 6/21/2011. Mystery

Child, Lee. The Affair: A Reacher Novel. Delacorte Press. 10/18/2011.

Dams, Jeanne M. A Dark and Stormy Night. Severn House Publishers. 4/1/2011. Mystery

Doctorow, E.L. All the Time in the World: New and Selected Stories. Random House. 3/22/2011. Short Stories

Dunmore, Helen. The Betrayal. Grove Press. 9/6/2011.

Estep, Jennifer. Tangled Threads. Pocket Books. 4/26/2011. Fantasy

Frazier, Charles. Nightwoods. Random House. 10/4/2011.

Guterson, David. Ed King. Alfred A. Knopf. 10/18/2011.

Habel, Lia. Dearly, Departed. Del Rey Books. 10/18/2011.

Harrison, Jim. The Great Leader. Grove Press. 10/4/2011.

Hollinghurst, Alan. The Stranger's Child. Knopf Publishing Group. 10/11/2011.

Liss, David. The Darkening Green. Random House. 10/11/2011.

Meyer, Deon. Trackers. Atlantic Monthly Press. 9/6/2011.

Murakami, Haruki. 1q84. Knopf Publishing Group. 10/25/2011.

Nesser, Hakan. The Inspector and Silence: An Inspector Van Veeteren Mystery. Pantheon Books. 6/14/2011. Mystery

Ondaatje, Michael. The Cat's Table. Knopf Publishing Group. 10/4/2011.

Pelecanos, George. The Cut. Little Brown and Company. 8/1/2011. Mystery

Perrotta, Tom. Leftovers. St. Martin's Press. 8/30/2011.

Perry, Anne. A Christmas Homecoming. Ballantine Books. 10/25/2011.

Poole, Sara. Borgia Betrayal. St. Martin's Griffin. 6/7/2011.

Reece, Gordon. Mice. Viking Books. 8/18/2011.

Reichs, Kathy. Flash and Bones. Scribner Book Company. 8/23/2011.

Schlesak, Dieter. Druggist of Auschwitz. Farrar Straus Giroux. 4/26/2011.

Smith, Wilbur. Those in Peril. Thomas Dunne Books. 5/10/2011.

Weir, Ian. Daniel O'Thunder. Douglas & McIntyre. 4/1/2011. New A Pab

Wilson, Kevin. The Family Fang. Ecco Press. 8/9/2011.

Wolff, Isabel. The Very Picture of You. Bantam. 10/4/2011.

Book Popularity Contest

Wondering what books are hot at Schlow right now? Would you like something to read while you're waiting for your request to come in?

By the way, did you know that we order another copy of a book for every three requests that we receive?

The most requested books this week and some suggested books you might also like are:

1. Toys by James Patterson. You might also like Gone for Good by Harlan Coben.

2. Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult. You might also like The Secret Between Us by Barbara Delinsky.


3. Smokin Seventeen by Janet Evanovich. You might also like Bubbles Unbound by Sarah Strohmeyer.


4. Live Wire by Harlan Coben. You might also like Now and Then by Robert Parker.

5. A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness. You might also like The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova.

 

6. The Fifth Witness by by Michael Connelly. You might also like Dark Justice by William Bernhardt.

Hello Book X, meet Book Y

Introductions all around for these books that remind reviewers of similar books.

Minding Ben by Victoria Brown is being marketed as "The Nanny Diaries meets The Help."
Conquistadora by Esmerelda Santiago is a big colorful saga set on a Caribbean sugar plantation. Publisher's Weekly calls it the "Puerto Rican Gone with the Wind." 
If you're getting excited for next week's release of the movie based on Water for Elephants, you might enjoy circus-themed The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb by Melanie Benjamin. It's about a little person who stars in one of P.T. Barnum's famous attractions.
There's early buzz for Ready Player One by Ernest Cline, screenwriter of Fanboys. It's the adventure of a geeky kid searching for a real treasure in a virtual world. The blurbs from fantasy and sci-fi authors describe it as a dystopian novel combined with 80's nostalgia, and of course, Warner Brothers is planning to turn it into a movie. Ready Player One is being described as "a blend of Avatar, The Matrix and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" and also "Tron meets the Nintendo Kid."

Let me also allow you to make the aquaintance of these other books just added to our collection:

Anam, Tahmima. The Good Muslim. Harper. 8/1/2011.

Andrews, Donna. Real Macaw. Minotaur Books. 7/19/2011. Mystery

Armstrong, Kelley. Spell Bound. Dutton Books. 7/26/2011. Fantasy

Balogh, Mary. The Secret Mistress. Delacorte Press. 7/12/2011. Romance

Balzo, Sandra. Running on Empty. Severn House Publishers. 4/1/2011. Mystery

Benjamin, Melanie. The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb. Delacorte Press. 7/26/2011.

Berry, Steve. The Jefferson Key. Ballantine Books. 5/17/2011.

Box, C.J. Back of Beyond. Minotaur Books. 8/2/2011. Mystery

Brockovich, Erin. Rock Bottom. Vanguard Press. 3/1/2011.

Brown, Victoria. Minding Ben. Hyperion Books. 4/12/2011.

Cline, Ernest. Ready Player One. Crown Publishing Group (NY). 8/16/2011. Sci-Fi

Cook, Claire. Best Staged Plans. Hyperion Books. 6/7/2011.

Cox, Josephine. Blood Brothers. William Morrow Paperbacks. 8/1/2011.

Deaver, Jeffery. Carte Blanche: The New James Bond Novel. Simon & Schuster. 6/14/2011.

Duncan, Glen. The Last Werewolf. Knopf Publishing Group. 7/12/2011.

Dunn, Matthew. Spycatcher. William Morrow & Company. 8/9/2011.

Edwards, Martin. The Hanging Wood. Poisoned Pen Press. 4/5/2011. Mystery

Garwood, Julie. The Ideal Man. Dutton Books. 8/9/2011. Romance

Geda, Fabio. In the Sea There Are Crocodiles: Based on the True Story of Enaiatollah Akbari. Doubleday Books. 8/9/2011.

Griffin, W.E.B. Victory and Honor. Putnam Adult. 8/9/2011.

Griffiths, Elly. The House at Sea's End. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH). 1/12/2012. Mystery

Hadley, Tessa. The London Train. Harper Perennial. 6/1/2011.

Hayes, Jonathan. A Hard Death. Harper. 4/1/2011.

Heley, Veronica. False Money. Severn House Publishers. 3/1/2011. Mystery

Hill, Reginald. The Woodcutter (First Ustion). Harper. 8/1/2011.

Jacobson, Douglas W. The Katyn Order. McBooks Press. 5/1/2011.

Jance, J.A. Betrayal of Trust: A J.P. Beaumont Novel. William Morrow & Company. 8/1/2011.

Juby, Susan. Home to Woefield. Harper. 3/1/2011.

Kennedy, Douglas. The Moment. Atria Books. 5/3/2011.

Kingsbury, Karen. Leaving. Zondervan. 3/22/2011.

LaHaye, Tim. Thunder of Heaven: A Joshua Jordan Novel. Zondervan. 6/28/2011.

Levien, David. Thirteen Million Dollar Pop: A Frank Behr Novel. Doubleday Books. 8/9/2011.

McCaffrey, Anne. Dragon's Time: Dragonriders of Pern. Del Rey Books. 6/28/2011. Fantasy

McCall Smith, Alexander. The Dog Who Came in from the Cold: A Corduroy Mansions Novel. Pantheon Books. 6/21/2011.

McCleary, Carol. The Illusion of Murder. Forge. 4/12/2011. Mystery

McNamara, Frances. Death at Pullman. Allium Press. 3/15/2011. Mystery

Polansky, Daniel. Low Town. Doubleday Books. 8/16/2011. Fantasy

Preston, Douglas J. Cold Vengeance. Grand Central Publishing. 8/2/2011.

Ratzinger, Joseph. Jesus of Nazareth, Part Two: Holy Week: From the Entrance Into Jerusalem to the Resurrection. Ignatius Press. 3/10/2011. Nonfiction

Robards, Karen. Justice. Gallery Press. 7/19/2011. Romance

Santiago, Esmeralda. Conquistadora. Knopf Publishing Group. 7/12/2011.

Schulman, Helen. This Beautiful Life. Harper. 8/1/2011.

Simon, Clea. Dogs Don't Lie. Poisoned Pen Press. 4/5/2011. Mystery

Spencer, Sally. Echoes of the Dead. Severn House Publishers. 3/1/2011. Mystery

Unger, Lisa. Darkness, My Old Friend. Crown Publishing Group (NY). 8/2/2011.

Wiggs, Susan. The Goodbye Quilt. Mira Books. 3/29/2011. Romance

Try a syringe of adrenaline

Breach of Trust is an exciting legal thriller from David Ellis. Mary Higgins Clark AND her daughter Carol Higgins Clark both have new mystery/suspense novels coming out in April. James Patterson has a book called Now You See Her coming out in June. The science fiction adventure Mad Skills by Walter Greatshell is "the literary equivalent of a syringe full of adrenaline" according to Publisher's Weekly. The Paris Wife by Paula McClain is getting lots of attention- it's about the marriage of Ernest Hemingway and Hadley Richardson as they hang out with influential people in Paris.

Bakopoulos, Dean. My American Unhappiness. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH). 6/7/2011.

Ben Jelloun, Tahar. A Palace in the Old Village. Penguin Books. 1/25/2011.

Bishop, Anne. Twilight's Dawn: A Black Jewels Book. Roc. 3/1/2011. Fantasy

Bova, Ben. Leviathans of Jupiter. Tor Books. 2/1/2011. Sci-Fi

Bunn, Davis. The Damascus Way. Bethany House Publishers. 1/1/2011.

Clark, Carol Higgins. Mobbed: A Regan Reilly Mystery. Scribner Book Company. 4/12/2011.

Clark, Mary Higgins. I'll Walk Alone. Simon & Schuster. 4/5/2011.

Corleone, Douglas. One Man's Paradise. Minotaur Books. 4/27/2010.

Dekker, Ted. The Priest's Graveyard. Center Street. 4/19/2011.

Drabble, Margaret. A Day in the Life of a Smiling Woman: Complete Short Stories. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH). 5/18/2011. short stories

Ellis, David. Breach of Trust. Putnam Adult. 2/3/2011.

Evans, Sara. Softly and Tenderly. Thomas Nelson Publishers. 1/4/2011.

Gardner, Lisa. Love You More. Bantam. 3/8/2011.

Greatshell, Walter. Mad Skills. Ace Books. 12/28/2010. Sci-Fi

Gunn, Val. In the Shadow of Swords. Errant Press. 2/28/2011. Fantasy

Harris, Charlaine. Dead Reckoning. Ace Books. 5/3/2011.

Heathcock, Alan. Volt. Graywolf Press. 3/1/2011. Short stories

Helton, Peter. Falling More Slowly: Introducing Detective Inspector Liam McLusky. Soho Constable. 1/18/2011. Mystery

Henry, Sara J. Learning to Swim. Crown Publishing Group (NY). 2/22/2011.

Higashino, Keigo. The Devotion of Suspect X. Minotaur Books. 2/1/2011.

Isaka, Kotaro. Remote Control. Kodansha International (JPN). 3/1/2011.

Jackson, Lisa. Devious. Kensington Publishing Corporation. 4/1/2011.

Johnson, Mat. Pym. Spiegel & Grau. 3/1/2011.

Jones, Howard Andrew. The Desert of Souls. Thomas Dunne Books. 2/15/2011. Fantasy

Joyce, Graham. The Silent Land. Doubleday Books. 3/22/2011.

Kent, Graeme. Devil-Devil. Soho Crime. 2/8/2011. Mystery

Khemiri, Jonas Hassen. Montecore. Knopf Publishing Group. 3/1/2011.

Kline, Savannah. Beloved of the Fallen. Ulysses Press. 12/1/2010. Fantasy

Laken, Valerie. Separate Kingdoms: Stories. Harper Perennial. 4/1/2011. short stories

Long, Kelly. An Amish Love. Thomas Nelson Publishers. 12/28/2010. Romance

Loweecey, Alice. Force of Habit. Midnight Ink. 2/8/2011. Mystery


Lydon Simonsen, Mary. The Perfect Bride for Mr. Darcy. Sourcebooks Landmark. 1/1/2011. Romance

Makkai, Rebecca. The Borrower. Viking Books. 6/9/2011.

McLain, Paula. The Paris Wife. Ballantine Books. 2/22/2011.

Meeropol, Ellen. House Arrest. Red Hen Press. 2/1/2011.

Meister, Ellen. The Other Life. Putnam Adult. 2/17/2011.

Meldrum, Christina. Amaryllis in Blueberry. Gallery Press. 2/8/2011.

Michaels, Fern. Southern Comfort. Kensington Publishing Corporation. 4/26/2011.

Miller, A. D. Snowdrops. Doubleday Books. 2/22/2011.

Parks, Brad. Eyes of the Innocent. Minotaur Books. 2/1/2011. Mystery

Patterson, James. Now You See Her. Little Brown and Company. 6/27/2011.

Priest, Cherie. Bloodshot. Spectra Books. 1/25/2011. Fantasy

Rahimi, Atiq. A Thousand Rooms of Dream and Fear. Other Press. 1/11/2011.

Rosenfelt, David. On Borrowed Time. Minotaur Books. 2/15/2011.

Russinovich, Mark. Zero Day (Firsttion). Thomas Dunne Books. 3/15/2011.

Soule, Maris. As the Crow Flies. Five Star (ME). 3/16/2011. Mystery

Tallis, Frank. Vienna Twilight: A Max Liebermann Mystery. Random House Trade. 4/12/2011. Mystery

Tapply, William G. The Nomination: A Novel of Suspense. Skyhorse Publishing. 1/20/2011.

Waite Clayton, Meg. The Four Ms. Bradwells. Ballantine Books. 3/22/2011.

Wilson, Laura. Empty Death. Minotaur Books. 3/15/2011. Mystery

Plan now for summer reading?

Some of these just-ordered books won't be released until June, so reserve them now for your summer vacation. They include the latest Stephanie Plum novel (are you planning to see the One for the Money movie?), a grown-up Sisterhood book from Ann Brashares, a tear-jerker from David Baldacci and a new spy novel from Daniel Silva. Silver Girl by Elin Hilderbrand and Folly Beach by Dorthea Benton Frank look perfect for the beach.

Atherton, Nancy. Aunt Dimity and the Family Tree. Viking Books. 2/17/2011. Mystery

Baldacci, David. One Summer. Grand Central Publishing. 6/14/2011.

Bauermeister, Erica. Joy for Beginners. Putnam Adult. 6/9/2011.

Birch, Carol. Jamrach's Menagerie. Doubleday Books. 6/14/2011.

Brackston, Paula. The Witch's Daughter. Thomas Dunne Books. 1/18/2011.

Brashares, Ann. Sisterhood Everlasting. Random House. 6/14/2011.

Christensen, Kate. The Astral. Doubleday Books. 6/14/2011.

Cooke, Carolyn. Daughters of the Revolution. Knopf Publishing Group. 6/7/2011.

Cussler, Clive. The Kingdom. Putnam Adult. 6/7/2011.

DeWitt, Patrick. The Sisters Brothers. Ecco. 5/1/2011.

Evanovich, Janet. Smokin' Seventeen: A Stephanie Plum Novel. Bantam. 6/21/2011.

Frank, Dorothea Benton. Folly Beach: A Lowcountry Tale. William Morrow & Company. 6/1/2011.

Friedman, George. The Next Decade: Where We've Been...and Where We're Going. Doubleday Books. 1/25/2011. Nonfiction

Gabhart, Ann H. Angel Sister. Fleming H. Revell Company. 2/1/2011.

Gran, Sara. Claire DeWitt and the City of the Dead. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH). 6/2/2011.

Haji, Nafisa. The Sweetness of Tears. Avon A. 6/1/2011.

Henderson, Eleanor. Ten Thousand Saints. Ecco. 6/1/2011.

Hilderbrand, Elin. Silver Girl. Reagan Arthur Books. 6/21/2011.

Hornfischer, James D. Neptune's Inferno: The U.S. Navy at Guadalcanal. Bantam. 1/25/2011. Nonfiction

Ignatius, David. Bloodmoney: A Novel of Espionage. W.W. Norton & Company. 6/6/2011.

Keating, Ray. Warrior Monk. Createspace. 9/16/2010.

Knopf, Chris. Bad Bird. Minotaur Books. 2/1/2011. Mystery

Koryta, Michael. The Ridge. Little Brown and Company. 6/8/2011.

Lupton, Rosamund. Sister: A Novel. Crown Publishing Group (NY). 6/7/2011.

Mallery, Susan. Finding Perfect. Harlequin Books. 8/31/2010.

Mallery, Susan. The Best of Friends. Pocket Star Books. 9/28/2010. Romance

Rothfuss, Patrick. The Wise Man's Fear: The Kingkiller Chronicle: Day Two. Daw Books. 3/1/2011. Fantasy

Silva, Daniel. Portrait of a Spy. Harper. 7/1/2011.

Walker, Martin. Black Diamond. Knopf Publishing Group. 8/30/2011.

Winspear, Jacqueline. A Lesson in Secrets: A Maisie Dobbs Novel. Harper. 3/22/2011. Mystery

Return of the Megalist

What were the best books of 2010? There are hundreds of publications and book award committees that have an opinion about this. Suppose they could all vote in one contest. You can see the winners in the Megalist created by Neil Hollands of the Williamsburg Regional Library on Blogging for a Good Book. He has compiled all the major best lists and awards into one spreadsheet. The books are divided into a number of different categories so that you can easily find the genre you like best.

And the books with the most votes are:
General Fiction: Freedom by Jonathan Franzen
Nonfiction: The Big Short by Michael Lewis
Biography/Memoir: The Immortal Life on Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

Mystery/Thriller: Room by Emma Donoghue
Fantasy/Sci-Fi: The Passage by Justin Cronin
Historical: The Invisible Bridge by Julie Orringer
Young Adult Fiction: Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Take a look at the Megalist for an amazing recommended reading list!

 

Zombies at the Star Trek convention, a National Book Award winner, a scapegoat spy, a talking chimp and more new books.

Meet the regulars of a seedy West Virginia horse track in the National Book Award Winner Lord of Misrule. 

Travel to a remote outpost for disgraced spies in the Republic of Georgia with MI5 agent Harry Tate in Red Station, an exciting new espionage novel by Adrian Magson.  

The Evolution of Bruno Littlemore by Benjamin Hale is about a talking chimpanzee who falls in love with the university primatologist who is working with him. Book reviewers think it's great, but warn that readers might be shocked by the love scene. (I wonder if the author got his ideas from Sue Savage-Rumbaugh and Kanzi, the language-using bonobo, and did you see when Anderson Cooper dressed up like a bunny rabbit to interact with Kanzi?)

Take a look at these and more of the books just added to our collection!

Aboulela, Leila. Lyrics Alley. Grove Press. 3/1/2011.

Ahern, Cecelia. The Book of Tomorrow. Harper. 2/1/2011.

Allen, Sarah Addison. The Peach Keeper. Bantam. 3/22/2011.

Anderson, Kevin David. Night of the Living Trekkies. Quirk Books. 7/28/2010.

Barbieri, Maggie. Third Degree. Minotaur Books. 11/23/2010. Mystery

Beaton, M.C. Death of a Chimney Sweep. Grand Central Publishing. 2/25/2011. Mystery

Boyd, Noah. Agent X. William Morrow & Company. 2/1/2011.

Boyle, T. Coraghessan. When the Killing's Done. Viking Books. 2/22/2011.

Briggs, Patricia. River Marked. Ace Books. 3/1/2011. Fantasy

Brockmeier, Kevin. The Illumination. Pantheon Books. 2/1/2011.

Burton, Mary. Senseless. Zebra. 1/1/2011. Romance

Childress, Mark. Georgia Bottoms. Little Brown and Company. 2/23/2011.

Coonts, Stephen. Deep Black: Death Wave. St. Martin's Press. 2/1/2011.

Crocker, Gareth. Finding Jack. St. Martin's Press. 2/15/2011.

Cussler, Clive. The Jungle. Putnam Adult. 3/8/2011.

DasGupta, Rana. Solo. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH). 2/1/2011.

Dew, Robb Forman. Being Polite to Hitler. Little Brown and Company. 1/6/2011.

Dorsey, Tim. Electric Barracuda. William Morrow & Company. 2/1/2011.

Fforde, Katie. Love Letters. St. Martin's Press. 1/18/2011.

Fletcher, Susan. Corrag. W.W.Norton & Company. 11/15/2010.

Fuentes, Carlos. Destiny and Desire. Random House. 1/4/2011.

Gordon, Jaimy. Lord of Misrule. McPherson. 11/15/2010. National Book Award Winner

Greenwood, T. This Glittering World. Kensington Publishing Corporation. 1/1/2011.

Hale, Benjamin. The Evolution of Bruno Littlemore. Twelve. 2/2/2011.

Hayder, Mo. Gone. Atlantic Monthly Press. 2/1/2011. Mystery

Hoffman, Alice. The Red Garden. Crown Publishing Group (NY). 1/25/2011.

Hunter, Madeline. Sinful in Satin. Jove Books. 9/28/2010. Romance

Jensen, Carsten. We, the Drowned. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH). 2/9/2011.

Katchor, Ben. The Cardboard Valise. Pantheon Books. 3/8/2011.

Kelly, Erin. The Poison Tree. Pamela Dorman Books. 1/6/2011.

Lee, Cavanaugh. Save as Draft. Simon & Schuster. 2/1/2011.

Levithan, David. Lover's Dictionary. Farrar Straus Giroux. 1/4/2011.

Linz, Cathie. Luck Be a Lady. Berkley. 10/5/2010. Romance

Lovett, Li Miao. In the Lap of the Gods. Leapfrog Press. 11/2/2010.

Lukas, Michael David. The Oracle of Stamboul. Harper. 2/1/2011.

Magson, Adrian. Red Station. Severn House Publishers. 12/1/2010.

Newton, Heather. Under the Mercy Trees. Harper Paperbacks. 1/1/2011.

O'Connor, Joseph. Ghost Light. Farrar Straus Giroux. 2/1/2011.

Packer, Ann. Swim Back to Me: Stories. Knopf Publishing Group. 4/12/2011.

Palmer, Michael. A Heartbeat Away. St. Martin's Press. 2/15/2011.

Pearson, Allison. I Think I Love You. Knopf Publishing Group. 2/8/2011.

Perry, Anne. Treason at Lisson Grove: A Charlotte and Thomas Pitt Novel. Ballantine Books. 4/19/2011.

Pittard, Hannah. The Fates Will Find Their Way. Ecco. 2/1/2011.

Preston, Douglas. Gideon's Sword. Grand Central Publishing. 2/22/2011.

Robertson, Imogen. Instruments of Darkness. Pamela Dorman Books. 2/17/2011.

Schlink, Bernhard. The Gordian Knot. Vintage Books USA. 12/7/2010.

Upson, Nicola. Two for Sorrow: A Mystery Featuring Josephine Tey. Harper Paperbacks. 8/1/2011.

Wilks, Eileen. Blood Challenge. Berkley. 1/4/2011. Romance

Winter, Kathleen. Annabel. Grove Press. 1/4/2011.