Jennifer Parmelee Childs Recommends:

When We Were Romans by Matthew Kneale

As a new mother, I often obsess about how what I say and do now will affect my two-year-old in the future. Does he file it away every time I scold him or choose doing the dishes over making a puzzle together, someday to revisit it on a therapist's couch? I try to remember that my son is certainly luckier than many-nine-year-old Lawrence, for instance-acting the man in the family as his mother packs he and his little sister up and drives them through the night from their home in England to Rome. She fears their father is stalking them and feels she must put as much distance between them as possible. Told in Lawrence's voice, complete with misspellings and misconceptions, this is a fascinating look at a young boy trying to comprehend the incomprehensible at his age. As Lawrence tells his story, it becomes apparent that something is not right, the problems that haunted them in England have followed them to Rome, and it is heartbreaking to see how they impact the young boy. Reader's can't help but engage with Lawrence (even when he's being bratty) and young adults will certainly relate to the young narrator. Perfect for fans of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.

978-0-385-52625-8 | $23.95/$27.95C | Nan A. Talese | HC | July 2008

Erica McDonald Recommends:

Hurry Down Sunshine by Michael Greenberg

The subject of mental illness makes many people uncomfortable. It is difficult to understand, wrenching to witness, and frightening to experience. Greenberg’s powerful memoir of his daughter’s psychotic break at the age of fifteen intimately reveals the life altering experience for himself and his family. The brilliantly crafted descriptions from inside a psych ward offer insight into the tumultuous journey his daughter must endure, through diagnosis of her bipolar disorder and her eventual adaptation to a life forever changed by mental illness. Every relationship is affected and strained. But through this painful, sometimes surreal experience, Greenberg is able to illicit occasional glints of humor and light. It is a testament to how, with the love of family, and an enduring spirit, one is able to put the pieces back together and move forward.

978-1-59051-191-6 | $22.00 / NCR | HC | Other Press | September 2008

Marcia Purcell Recommends:

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo: A Novel by Stieg Larsson

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is a buzz book. ("Buzz is not hype and hype is not buzz. Hype is paid for. Buzz is free. Hype is often unreliable. Buzz, on the other hand, is almost always reliable." —Stephen King, Entertainment Weekly) A recent in-house meeting found five of us reading it. This first novel is a dark exploration of the human psyche set in Sweden. It is also a classic locked-room (or in this case, closed-off island) mystery. It is populated by fascinating characters. It is populated by utterly loathsome characters. It is extremely slippery and twisty. It is a book you race through because you must find the ending, only there really is no ending as such and you want to keep going with these characters in spite of everything that happens. I won't give anything away—suffice it to say one becomes grateful for the genealogical chart provided. Clear at least one whole day in preparation for straight-through reading. Thankfully, there are two more books remaining to be published from Stieg Larsson, who, regretfully, died shortly after submitting his manuscripts. I'd like to know your thoughts. Send your comments to library@randomhouse.com.

978-0-307-26975-1 l $24.95/NCR l Knopf l HC l September 2008

Marie Kent Recommends:

The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff

At first glance this novel appears to be straightforward historical fiction surrounding the life of Ann Eliza Young, the outcast wife of Brigham Young, a founding prophet and leader of the Mormon Church. Yet, intertwined is a modern tale of a murder mystery involving a polygamist family in present-day Utah. The research lengths the author went to for his novel are impressive. At a recent lunch event he told attendees stories of interviewing former members of FLDS communities, of visiting one Utah community himself, and of hours spent poring over historical documents. While the connection between the historical and fictitious is especially strong, what is most extraordinary are the “documents” interspersed within it: a Wikipedia entry, newspaper articles, a college thesis paper, and more, all penned by the author himself but seemingly so authentic that I had to flip back to the Author’s Note to check for citations. A complex, timely and addictive mixture of past and present, this book will no doubt spark discussion and entice readers to learn more about this piece of American religious history. Great for book clubs!

978-1-4000-6397-0 | $26.00/$30.00C | Random House | HC | August 2008

David Eicke Recommends:

The Alcoholic by Jonathan Ames and Dean Haspiel

Just like a Long Island Iced Tea, this book is not for beginners and not for kids. But it is also, like the aforementioned, unbeatable. The Alcoholic is Jonathan Ames’ first—hopefully not his last—foray into the graphic novel world. Teamed with award-winning artist Dean Haspiel, Ames tells the life story of “Jonathan A.,” who, we might assume, is a fictionalized version of himself. (Perhaps thinly fictionalized? Just a guess.) The book covers Jonathan’s rocky adolescence, his sexual misadventures, his romance with alcohol, his numerous heartbreaks, his Kerouacian ambitions, his shattered love, his close relationship with his aunt, and the horror being orphaned just out of college. How this all fit in under 200 pages is still not something I can wrap my head around. Half of it is profoundly amusing, the other half is frighteningly real. There are some things, as humans, we don’t like to talk about, for fear of coming off as pathetic or freakish, but Ames spills it all out without hesitation, and Haspiel captures it all impeccably with his poignant illustrations. This probably isn’t the best graphic novel to start off with if you’re inexperienced with the medium, but it is one of the best you’ll find on the market. Drink it up.

978-1-4012-1056-4 | $19.99/$22.99C | HC | Vertigo | September 2008

 

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