Every week I am going to be reviewing a large variety of new books that
are soon be be on the bestseller list everywhere. I would like to be able
to put the graphics for each book on here but the time would be considerable
and I might not be able to put up a review every week so I am making this site
simple and very easy to navigate for everyone.
Below is a listing of each book review and a link to the book at Amazon.com
with all the additional information as well as a graphic for the book so you can get
an idea if it might be something you would enjoy ordering and reading. As I said
I will try very hard to make sure this is updated weekly so as not to fall behind.
Make sure you bookmark my bookstore so you don't miss any updates in case there
is something here you might be missing. Thanks for stopping by
White Oleander
by Janet Fitch
When teenage Astrid Magnussen's boyfriend dumps her, her mom
poisons him with oleander flowers and gets a life sentence.
How Astrid survives her own life is the subject of this
riveting first novel. Oprah's book club picked a winner in
Janet Fitch.
Management Challenges for the 21st Century
by Peter F. Drucker
Around the time Bill Gates was born, Peter Drucker pretty
much invented the discipline of business management. In his
brilliant new book, Drucker explains the "New Information
Revolution" and gives a driving lesson for the tricky road
ahead.
Body for Life
by Bill Phillips
Phillips is like an Andrew Weil with muscle, and he's got a
12-week program to mental and physical strength that's
working for plenty of people.
We'll Meet Again
by Mary Higgins Clark
Higgins Clark's 18th suspense novel features plucky crime
reporter Fran Simmons, who discovers the dark side of the
medical establishment when she investigates the murder of an
HMO director whose wife was convicted of bashing his skull in.
Real Boys: Rescuing Our Sons from the Myths of Boyhood
by Robin Williams and John Tollett
A Harvard psychologist unravels the "boy code," debunks
gender stereotypes and the myth of testosterone's tyranny
over behavior, and teaches parents to read their sons' moods
and sons to find out what they're really made of.
ALMOST PUBLISHED
Bag of Bones
by Stephen King
In "Bag of Bones," Stephen King proves himself once again
the master of supernatural suspense--but he adds a whole
new tone of romantic yearning. If you've got the heart,
join King's hero Mike Noonan at the haunted Maine cabin
Sara Laughs, as he tries to solve his wife's death and
figure out who keeps spelling clues with the magnets on
the fridge. On sale June 8.
Prayers for Rain
by Dennis Lehane
Boston detectives (and ex-lovers) Patrick Kenzie and Angela
Gennaro try to tackle a murderer who actually seems able to
induce suicide in his victims by some uncanny means. On sale
May 19.
L.A. Requiem
by Robert Crais
Joe Pike is one of the most intriguing gumshoes to sleuth
out devilry in the City of Angels since Chandler. On sale
June 1.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
by J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and
Wizardry crashes his magical flying car into a Whomping
Willow in the most eagerly awaited children's-literature
sequel of the season. On sale June 2.
The Falcon at the Portal
by Elizabeth Peters
Egypt, excavation, and her husband, Emerson, are the three
loves of Amelia Peabody's life--and all feature prominently
in Elizabeth Peters's 11th Victorian mystery. On sale June 8.
Hannibal
by Thomas Harris
Seven years after Hannibal "The Cannibal" Lecter escaped in
"The Silence of the Lambs," he's back--and we doubt he's
gone vegetarian. Is there a more wildly anticipated horror
sequel this year? We doubt that, too. On sale June 8.
Black Notice
by Patricia Cornwell
Dr. Kay Scarpetta finds a stowaway cadaver that sends her to
the Paris morgue and back to Virginia on a mission she just
might not survive. On sale July 12.
East of the Mountains
by David Guterson
Memory and death intertwine in a new story from the author
of "Snow Falling on Cedars." A bereft man dying of colon
cancer sets out on a last journey through the Western
landscape of his youth. On sale April 20.
PAPERBACK BESTSELLERS
The Reader
by Bernhard Schlink
A young man has an affair with a mysterious older woman who
turns out to be implicated in the Holocaust. An austerely
beautiful narrative of the attempt to breach the gap between
Germany's pre- and postwar generations, and between the
guilty and the innocent. Schlink's novel is the ultimate
high- and mass-culture achievement, winning the Boston Book
Review's Fisk Prize and the imprimatur of Oprah Winfrey.
The Deep End of the Ocean
by Jacquelyn Mitchard
It's no wonder Michelle Pfeiffer chose to make Mitchard's
novel into a movie. The story of the kidnapping of a 3-year-
old boy, its impact on the devastated mother and fractured
family, and the rebirth of hope is blockbuster material, and
Mitchard handles it like a master.
FOR THE KIDS
Skellig(Ages 10 and older)
by David Almond
I thought he was dead. He was sitting with his legs
stretched out and his head tipped back against the wall. He
was covered with dust and webs like everything else and his
face was thin and pale. Dead bluebottles were scattered on
his hair and shoulders. I shined the flashlight on his
white face and his black suit." This is young Michael's
introduction to Skellig, the man-owl-angel who lies
motionless behind the tea chests in the abandoned garage in
back of the boy's dilapidated new house. The lyrical,
magical story that unfolds casts light on the beauty,
horror, and breathtaking connections in life... and the
healing power of love. Recently voted the Whitbread Book
Award 1998 Children's Book of the Year, David Almond's
exquisite novel is sure to keep young readers on the edge of
their seats.
Ice Cream Larry(Ages 4 to 8)
by Daniel Pinkwater, illustrated by Jill Pinkwater
Larry is a polar bear who lives in a hotel and lifeguards at
the hotel pool. One day he heads for Cohen's Cones, the ice-
cream shop, where he becomes overheated and is generously
allowed to sleep in the walk-in freezer. Unfortunately, he
eats 250 pounds of ice cream while he's in there: "'He said
we had nothing to fear,' Mrs. Cohen said. 'I think he meant
to tell you that he would not eat any people,' I said." In
the end, Larry makes the headlines and is recruited to
develop an entire line of ice-cream bars (including codfish
flavor). "Ice Cream Larry" is vintage Pinkwater, and
youngsters will adore the matter-of-fact absurdity of it
all.
Anthology for the Earth(All ages)
edited by Judy Allen
We can't think of a better way to honor Earth Day (April 22)
than with this elegant tribute to our fragile planet. "This
anthology started in my early teens when I was given a stout
hardcover notebook," writes award-winning author and editor
Judy Allen. "In it I copied out extracts and poems about the
natural world that seemed to me important, special,
magical." The resulting collection of voices from many
cultures is beautiful, with each turn of a page revealing
writings from John Muir to Willa Cather to Douglas Adams,
coupled with artwork from the likes of Caldecott winner
Peter Sis and Quentin Blake.
Poems for Children Nowhere Near Old Enough to Vote" (Ages 7
and older)
by Carl Sandburg, illustrated by Istvan Banyai
"The harvest moon grins 'Howdy.' / The half moon says
neither Yes nor No." "Music is when ears like what they
hear." In Carl Sandburg's "Poems for Children Nowhere Near
Old Enough to Vote," young readers will discover 19 playful
prose poems about everything from ears to manners, with
illustrations by the whimsical artist Istvan Banyai.
Do's and Don'ts" (Baby to preschool)
by Todd Parr
Do eat all the food on your plate. Don't put it in your
hair." "Do brush your teeth after every meal. Don't brush
with peanut butter." You get the idea. In Todd Parr's
colorful, childlike "Do's and Don'ts," toddlers may pick up
a few basic etiquette tips amidst their giggles.
The Absolutely Awful Alphabet" (Ages 5 and older)
by Mordicai Gerstein
With their blue tongues and pointy fangs, the letters in
Mordicai Gerstein's "The Absolutely Awful Alphabet" are
wonderfully terrible to behold. The best of the worst? "V,"
a "voracious vegetable vampire who is viciously vile." Even
the most reluctant letter learners won't be able to resist
the revolting charms of this monstrous alphabet book.
Under the Lemon Moon" (Ages 3 and older)
by Edith Hope Fine, illustrated by Rene King Moreno
One night young Rosalinda wakes up to a "Wsss--shhh--snap!"
outside. She slips out of bed and peers out the front door
into the darkness. Way back by the lemon tree, something is
moving. It's a man stuffing lemons, her very own lemons,
into a cloth sack! Rosalinda's concern for her beloved tree
and her kindness towards the thieving Night Man will appeal
to young children on many levels. "Under the Lemon Moon"--a
luminous tale of human compassion--shares a gentle lesson
with the lightest touch imaginable.
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