THE PASSPORT

BOOK OF THE MONTH: Switch by Chip Heath and Dan Heath

Why is it so hard to make lasting changes in our companies, in our communities, and in our own lives?

Change doesn't always have to be hard. There are certain things that we can't wait to change; like rushing into an exciting new relationship or launching a redesigned newsletter. But other things like starting a diet or changing your work routine can be off putting and frustrating.

With Switch, brothers Chip and Dan Heath investigate why certain changes come easier than others. With entertaining and informative examples ranging from personal success stories to massive corporate overhauls, Switch promises to help you prepare for changes in both your personal and professional life.

Chip and Dan Heath's previous bestseller Made to Stick helped businesses and individuals around the world, making Switch a must read companion. If you've never been exposed to their emotional and motivational writing before, well...isn't it time for a change?

BACKLIST BUZZ: Charlie Huston

I cried myself to sleep last night, reading the end of Charlie Huston's new book, Sleepless. And, before the last 50 pages, I would never have thought that I would cry over anything Charlie Huston wrote.

Charlie Huston is one of the most consistently entertaining authors I have come to on the Random House backlist. His first books, beginning with Caught Stealing, are about a not quite pro-baseball player turned bartender, in the wrong place at the wrong time, who goes on a killing rampage, mostly in revenge and self-defense. The books are funny and weird and violent and profane—pretty much everything one looks for in a thriller. The next series of books concern the fate of Joe Pitt, who appears first in Already Dead, a bartender wild child turned vampire, who freelances his assistance to several different vampire syndicates. Again, these books are funny and weird, slightly less violent and less profane than the earlier books, and approach the daily trials of being a vampire with a level of practicality not often seen in vampire fiction.

Sleepless, on the other hand, is a stand-alone novel. It is set in Los Angeles, in the near future, and the population of the world is being ravaged by a plague of sleeplessness, a disease that always ends in an excruciating death. It has a very post-apocalyptic feel, even though the apocalypse hasn't really yet arrived, and the narration switches between a lethal killer and a drug dealer, searching for an illegal stash of the drug that will ease his wife's pain, who is sleepless. It's not the most immediately accessible book, it took me a bit of time to understand who was taking over the narration, but once I was immersed, there was only the heartbreaking race to the end.

These books are wholly satisfying. The hero is never completely without blame, the bad guys get their due, and the plot proceeds with such a rush, one feels propelled to the ending. There is a breathless air to them, possibly because one can never quite believe what has happened, and one can't stop reading until one finds out what happens next. But, what keeps me, at least, coming back, is that Huston's characters are so recognizably human, along with everyone else in their lives: their girlfriends, their neighbors, the people they menace, and the people they protect. Charlie Huston is a compelling writer of plot and character. I hope you experience him for yourself.

LIKE THIS? TRY THIS:
Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking and Ina Garten's Barefoot in Paris

KID'S CORNER:
The Magic Treehouse series

Traveling around the world and across space and time, Jack and Annie's latest adventure finds our heroes in Ireland. In Leprechaun in late Winter, the 43rd book in the hit series, young readers will embark on a magical journey, and along the way will meet leprechauns and a young girl who will go on to help the Irish people regain both their heritage and pride.

Also, be sure to visit Random House's official Magic Tree House website, where readers can find more Magic Treehouse books, download their official Magic Tree House passport, and answer quiz questions about Jack and Annie's adventures to win passport stamps.