Which brings me to my NEW CONTEST: the first reader who emails me the name of that SLJ reviewer and the library where he/she works will win an American dollar ($1 U.S.) and get a mention in the next Books for Dudes column. You want it want it want it!

Less important: there has also been mucho good new reading around BFD HQ lately, so much so that it’s hard to tear myself away from it to play Fruit Ninja. Or mountain bike. Or shower.

To those who resist “new” books: I urge you, try these. Sure, you could stick with the completely enjoyable work of an established writer—say, Howard Swindle (Doin’ Dirty, Jitter Joint, etc), whose protagonist, Dallas cop and recovering alcoholic Jeb Quinlin, goes rogue, taking down international drug traffickers and criminal kingpins. Does the suspenseful writing blur the line between bad guys and good guys? Yes. In the audio version, does Richard Ferrone give his trademark gritty, cigarette-stained performance? Yes. (Same as he does in his readings of Lawrence Block’s books, or any of his audiobook performances you’re lucky enough to hear^‡). But mightn’t you also like a book about the scuzzy urban landscape in near-future Ireland? Or a distressingly believable tale about a vinegary marriage? Or maybe an engaging retelling of the life of Sir William Wallace—not only hanged but also drawn and quartered?

Sure you would!
^*Lies, mostly. It’s a great book, I didn’t write it; there really is a luckily named David Melling.
^‡And in the film Burn After Reading as “guy stretching in gym who feels something pop in his ass.”

Barry, Kevin. City of Bohane. Graywolf, dist. by Farrar. Mar. 2012. 288p. ISBN 9781555976088. $25. F
This wild-ass ripsnorter, set in Ireland about 40 years from now, is a bravura, Nabokovian mind-blower in which the story competes with the muscular, musical writing. It’s elegiac, lyrical, rollicking fun that mixes Brian Friel with A Clockwork Orange. Because of the characters’ vibrant slang and dense dialect, I could only follow about two-thirds of the time^*, and while that’s enough for your usual Nevada Barr/Anna Pigeon title, here readers need to focus to figure out that it’s about two rival gangs heading for a showdown. Gant Broderick, “smart as a hatful of snakes,” leads one side; Logan Hartnett leads the other group—the Fancy Boys, dudes who “talked lazily of bloodshed, and tush, and new lines in kecks. They combed each other’s hair and tried out new partings.” Both tribes sound dirty, brutal, simple, and fun. “Skirmishes. Blood spilling. Hormones raging” is life for these dudes—not worrying about how Ben Bernanke is going to affect their indexed mutual funds. Lit crit geeks might say that first-time novelist Barry is trying too hard to be “stirring,” but they can’t write like he can.
So…why should dudes read it? Try it if you like “new,” if you’re progressive, if you are tired of the same old crap.
^*Like when some fella says, “Our only problem is we got a loolah up on the Rises and he has a horn on him for a massive fucking ruck,” I’m a little thrown.

Bazell, Josh. Wild Thing. Reagan Arthur Bks: Little, Brown. 2012. 240p. ISBN 9780316032193. $25.99. F
Instead of telling you that the writing is fluid or lyrical, or sharing crap like, “This follows doctor and novelist Bazell’s internationally best-selling Beat the Reaper,” let me just give you a line off the first page: “It caused her skin to tighten all the way to her nipples, and her pussy to unclench like a fist.” Neither lyrical nor fluid, but I bet it got your attention. Our hero, the mysterious Dr. Lionel Azimuth, is hired to accompany a super-hot catastrophic paleontologist to remote Ford, MN, to find out whether a lake monster there is real. Unfortunately, the townsfolk are hostile (they export crystal meth) and everyone, from the backcountry tour guide to the Ford country doctor, seems to be hiding something. Bazell is a special, fun writer, and his stories provide a skin-crawling, visceral frisson. The guy always has a surprise up his sleeve, a punch for your bookish gut. Even in a monster novel, his characters hold on to a sense of honor despite their rampant venality. And every so often, Bazell reveals this extremely pissed-off, rageful, leftish streak that is just so unpeacefully funny. Consider his take on waterskiing: he describes it as wasting a “stretch of pristine, previously drinkable water, all for a dumb rush lasting three minutes at a time.”
So…why should dudes read it? The better question is: Why wouldn’t dudes read it?

O’Nan, Stewart. The Odds: A Love Story. Viking. 2012. c.179p. ISBN 9780670023165. $25.95. F
This turns out not to be Viking’s hotly anticipated sequel to The Odd Couple, featuring superdudes Oscar Madison and Felix Unger^*. Nope, this quiet little book would be nice, even tranquil, except for the riptide of discomfort, surliness, bloat, and subdural unpleasantness perhaps reminiscent of a certain time of the month for female readers. The scant plot follows a sad-sack husband and a sourpuss wife on the brink of (choose one): a) divorce; b) bankruptcy; c) one last spending binge in Niagara Falls; d) all of the above. It’s good, but sad. Dudes will recognize themselves in Art’s small gestures: “He met her when she stood, and kissed her, holding her shoulders, rubbed the tops of her arms as if she were cold.” But Marion is aloof and needs to quit having a cow while listening to Art sing in the shower: “As he did the solos, ridiculously impersonating the various instruments, she lay there listening, clicker in her lap, not understanding how he could be that oblivious, and that happy, both of which, she thought, were at least partly her fault.” She must read Proust.
So…why should dudes read it? O’Nan (Emily, Alone; Last Night at the Lobster) shows remarkable versatility with these two characters, but if “writerly” writing isn’t enough to keep you turning pages, the odds (heh) are you’ll put it down. It’s a lollipop of a book, just sour-apple flavored.
^*If only! In a new gay version starring Jeremy Piven and Ray Romano.

Pelicanos, George. What It Was. Reagan Arthur Bks: Little, Brown. 2012. 272p. ISBN 9780316209533. $35; pap. ISBN 9780316209540. $9.99.
Derek Strange, a private dick in 1972 Washington, D.C, is chasing bad guy Red Fury, who’s making the move from mere lowlife to local drug-dealing kingpin. Does that sound good to you? Then trust me, go forth and read it. Thing is, I get fined by the book reviewers union if I squander the 200-word allotment, so…Pelicanos makes old-school fun with a propulsive plot featuring multiple teams—the cops, the mafia, even some hookers—all, for various reasons, chasing Fury. With no master plan, Red is burning his bridges faster than Patton’s Third Army ripping through Avranches. Loving little details of the ’70s are expertly interwoven: Strange gets $8 an hour, wears “slacks,” and says “dig it.” Still, if the action is hot and the details are chunky, the characters are shallow. These are doers, not thinkers, primal and unsophisticated. You’re not surprised that a cop and his paramour “put a June Christy record on the console stereo and fixed a couple of cocktails. They had some laughs and fucked like animals in her bed.” It’s easy to see how Pelicanos’s work translates to the small screen (The Wire, Treme).
So…why should dudes read it? It’s easy to read with lots of action and violence. What’s not to like?

Roslund, Anders & Börge Helström. Cell 8. Silver Oak. 2012. 384p. ISBN 9781402787157. $24.95. F
This confusing, murky, and totally compelling stunner from the authors of 3 Seconds centers on a hopelessly romantic Swedish cop with a catastrophically disabled wife. No wait, it chronicles an American murderer on death row in Ohio. Hang on—it’s about a reanimated corpse that rises to kill again! Actually, it’s all this and more. While most thrillers are constructed so that two disparate stories collide, here the multiple threads are so distinct that for the first 90 pages they can only be considered parallel stories. By page 91, however, they are inextricably bound. The authors keep readers wondering who the protagonist actually is, or if perhaps the villain is the same guy. Is it the vigilante lounge singer who goes batshit within 48 hours of his arrest? The hippopotamus rider from 1971? Or a cop, for instance Swedish Detective Superintendant Ewert Grens, the unlikeliest singing detective since Cop Rock? The continual roll and thrum of the plot teases readers onward; before you know it, five minutes of bedtime reading have turned into an insomniac episode straight out of The Twilight Zone. Well written, even strangely believable, the experience is slightly disorienting, akin to watching your favorite TV show but with different actors portraying the usual characters.
So…why should dudes read it? It’s like a torte; the layers are all good but so different. Great ride.

Whyte, Jack. The Forest Laird: A Tale of William Wallace. Forge: Tor. 2012. c.483p. ISBN 9780765331564. $25.99. F
Whyte traces the life, development, and awesomeness of William Wallace who, after he became Mel Gibson and insulted Jewish people everywhere, was one of the main dudes leading 13th-century Scotland’s independence movement^*. Through a cleverly invented narrator, Wallace’s cousin Jamie, Whyte describes daily routines and historical events and lays down the detail needed to convey a story of this historical complexity. As a monk, Jamie’s dual concerns are learning (he’s the abbey’s librarian) and serving as liaison between church and nobility; these jobs give him insight into the political attitudes of everyone from the royalty to the peasants. Jamie also chronicles Will’s growth into a fleshed-out hero/outlaw/rebel/patriot. The details that usually bog historical fiction down to “unreadable” are here, but damn if Whyte doesn’t manage to keep things engaging and consistently paced. One learns of archering as well as monking (Wallace begins as a bowman): “Iberian yew was unobtainable now in its native form, since most of Iberia had fallen to the Moors in the eighth century, but prudent merchants had salvaged a few thousand seedlings and saplings from the largely unoccupied but still contested areas of Galicia and Asturias during the tenth century, and plantations had been established in Italia and had flourished there, precious and close guarded.” Wait, did Proust write this?
So…why should dudes read it?It’s thick. There’s brotherhood, patriotism, and political intrigue. And archery. Plus there’s just enough Scottish dialect to leave a hint of haggis.
^*Never mind that a scant 400 freaking years later England and Scotland joined up again anyway, thus wasting the lives of thousands of soldiers and “all those innocent contractors” hired to fix the castles and schlep the catapults and grog for the armies.

MAILBAG: Whatz Can My Dog To Eatz?

Two letters stand out as representative of the many hundreds that BFD HQ received in response to last month’s topic of dog care. The first type ran to the effect of, “Doug, you suck. Signed, A. Bass Ethound from Topeka.” The second kind was more along the lines of, “Doug, I care for my dog and wanted to know what to feed her. She likes hamburgers, not fries, and tuna sushi but not egg drop soup. Signed, Confused Near Boston.”

To the first, I merely wrinkle my nose. To all the writers like Confused, I reply, “If you keep doing what you’re doing, your dog won’t like it. Do your dog a favor and go all paleo, e.g., feed that meat-eater some meat.” And, personally, I find it pretty funny to give dogs a freshly caught fish because they usually love it (not as much as cats do, though. A cat with a fish, that’s entertainment). Or you could try BRBC: TODBC. (See below. Right below. Right there.)

Bubba Rose Biscuit Company. The Organic Dog Biscuit Cookbook. Cider Mill. 2008. 224p. ISBN 9781933662954. $14.95. PETS
Do you have no life? Is your only loved one an animal? Then rejoice—this is the book for you! (If not, then go ahead and do something valuable with your time that actually helps society. Volunteer somewhere, be a Big Sister, train your animal to be a therapy dog.) Anyway, this stuff is definitely good for your dog, but remember that there are people out there who don’t eat this well. I’d eat the Tuna Melt (p.82), it sounds great. Oat flour, brown rice flour, oat bran, cheddar cheese, and wham-o: lunch for you and your dog. I’ll skip the Liver and Oats Biscuit, but there’s Grilled Cheese with Bacon. The cutesy names, though, are too much. Snickerdoodle Poodle-poos? Sniffin’ Down the Bunny Trail? While the impetus for the book is noble, do yourself and your dog a favor: do some romping after you both volunteer at the local hospice. Btw, if you doubt the redemptive or therapeutic power of a nice dog, I dare you to flip through Angel on a Leash: Therapy Dogs and the Lives They Touch (BowTie Press, 2011). Love is just something that most dogs (and book reviewers) are made of.

Kalstone, Shirlee. How To Housebreak Your Dog in 7 Days. Rev. ed. Bantam. 2004. 96p. ISBN 9780553382891. $7.99. PETS
Though hardly revolutionary, this is Good Stuff. According to Kalstone, it comes down to “a simple formula: feed them regular and nutritious meals, put them on a strict outdoor-walking or indoor-paper schedule, confine them at night and at specific times during the day until they can be trusted to have the run of the house, and give them plenty of praise.” Now, re-read that sentence knowing that it is also the recipe for success in caring for your dude. We need regular, nutritious meals. We need plenty of praise—something that’s in short supply around the house, any dude will tell you. The rest is gravy and again fits both man and beast. Keep him well exercised and pay attention to him. Keep him clean so he doesn’t get used to the smell of sitting in his own poop. “This time spent playing with and loving your puppy [dude] will be repaid by his faithfulness and loving companionship.” If you extend the metaphor, Kirsten Cole-MacMurray and Stephanie Nishimoto’s all-too-freaky See Spot Run: 100 Ways To Work Out with Your Dog (Quayside, 2010) might work as well. Capice?

The full list of nominees follows:

AUDIO DRAMA

The Arthur Miller Collection, by Arthur Miller, Narrated by Stacy Keach, Richard Dreyfuss, Ed O’Neill, Brian Cox and a full cast, L.A. Theatre Works

The Graduate, adapted for the stage by Terry Johnson, based on the novel by Charles Webb and the screenplay by Calder Willingham and Buck Henry, Narrated by Bruce Davidson, John Getz, Jamison Jones, Devon Sorvari, Linda Purl, Matthew Rhys and Kathleen Turner, L.A. Theatre Works

I, Claudius, by Robert Graves, Narrated by Derek Jacobi, Tim McInnerny, Harriet Walter, AudioGO/BBC Audio

The Mark of Zorro, by Johnston McCulley and Yuri Rasovsky, Narrated by Val Kilmer and a full cast, Blackstone Audio

We’re Alive, by Kc Wayland, Narrated by a full cast, Blackstone Audio

BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR

Bossypants, by Tina Fey, Narrated by Tina Fey, Hachette Audio

The Dirty Life, by Kristin Kimball, Narrated by Tavia Gilbert, Tantor Audio

Here Comes Trouble, by Michael Moore, Narrated by Michael Moore, Hachette Audio

My Dog Tulip, by J.R. Ackerley, Narrated by Ralph Cosham, Blackstone Audio

Until Tuesday, by Louis Carlos Montalvan, Narrated by Louis Carlos Montalvan, Audible, Inc.

BUSINESS/EDUCATIONAL

23 Things They Don’t Tell You About Capitalism, by Ha-Joon Chang, Narrated by Joe Barrett, Audible, Inc.

Aftershock: Protect Yourself and Profit in the Next Global Financial Meltdown, by David Wiedemer, Robert A. Wiedemer and Cindy S. Spitzer, Narrated by Christopher Kipiniak, Audible, Inc.

The Barefoot Executive, by Carrie Wilkerson, Narrated by Carrie Wilkerson, Oasis Audio

The Blue Sweater, by Jacqueline Novogratz, Narrated by Jacqueline Novogratz, Audible, Inc.

I’m Feeling Lucky, by Douglas Edwards, Narrated by Douglas Edwards, Audible, Inc.

The Thank You Economy, by Gary Vaynerchuk, Narrated by Gary Vaynerchuk, HarperAudio

CHILDREN’S TITLES FOR AGES 8-12

Countdown, by Deborah Wiles, Narrated by Emma Galvin, Random House Audio/Listening Library

The Flint Heart, by Katherine Paterson and John Paterson, Narrated by Ralph Lister, Brilliance Audio

Heart and Soul, by Kadir Nelson, Narrated by Debbie Allen, HarperAudio

The Hidden Valley: The Incorrigible Children of Aston Place: Book II, by Maryrose Wood, Narrated by Katherine Kellgren, HarperAudio

A Tale Dark and Grimm, by Adam Gidwitz, Narrated by Johnny Heller, Recorded Books, LLC

CHILDREN’S TITLES FOR AGES UP TO 8

Black Jack: The Ballad of Jack Johnson, by Charles R. Smith, Jr., Narrated by Dion Graham, Live Oak Media

Django: World’s Greatest Jazz Guitarist, by Bonnie Christensen, Narrated by George Guidall, Live Oak Media

Looking Like Me, by Walter Dean Myers, Narrated by Dion Graham and Quincy Tyler Bernstine, Live Oak Media

Stone Soup, by John J. Muth, Narrated by BD Wong, Weston Woods

When I Grow Up, by Al Yankovic, Narrated by Al Yankovic, HarperAudio

Wolf Pie, by Brenda Seabrooke, Narrated by Andrew Watts, Recorded Books, LLC

CLASSIC

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain, Narrated by Elijah Wood, Audible, Inc.

Deliverance, by James Dickey, Narrated by Will Patton, Audible, Inc.

Heart of Darkness, by Joseph Conrad, Narrated by Kenneth Branagh, Audible, Inc.

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou, Narrated by Maya Angelou, Random House/Books on Tape

The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, by Charles Dickens, Narrated by Simon Vance, Tantor Audio

FANTASY

The Automatic Detective, by A. Lee Martinez, Narrated by Marc Vietor, Audible, Inc.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone, by Laini Taylor, Narrated by Khristine Hvam, Hachette Audio

The Land of Laughs, by Jonathan Carroll, Narrated by Edoardo Ballerini, Audible, Inc.

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dreadfully Ever After, by Steve Hockensmith, Narrated by Katherine Kellgren, Audible, Inc.

Rumo & His Miraculous Adventures, by Walter Moers, Narrated by Bronson Pinchot, Blackstone Audio.

FICTION

Alas, Babylon, by Pat Frank, Narrated by Will Patton, Audible, Inc.

American Gods: The Tenth Anniversary Edition, by Neil Gaiman, Narrated by Neil Gaiman, Dennis Boutsikaris, Daniel Oreskes, Ron McLarty, Sarah Jones and a full cast, HarperAudio

Heat Rises, by Richard Castle, Narrated by Johnny Heller, Hyperion Audio

Portrait of a Spy, by Daniel Silva, Narrated by Simon Vance, HarperAudio

Winds of War, by Herman Wouk, Narrated by Kevin Pariseau, Audible, Inc.

HISTORY

1812: The Navy’s War, by George C. Daughan, Narrated by Marc Vietor, Audible, Inc.

1861: The Civil War Awakening, by Adam Goodheart, Narrated by Jonathan Davis, Audible, Inc.

Eichmann in Jerusalem, by Hannah Arendt, Narrated by Wanda McCaddon, Tantor Audio

The Emperor of All Maladies, by Siddhartha Mukherjee, Narrated by Stephen Hoye, Tantor Audio

In the Garden of Beasts, by Erik Larson, Narrated by Stephen Hoye, Random House Audio/Books on Tape

HUMOR

Bossypants, by Tina Fey, Narrated by Tina Fey, Hachette Audio

Go the F—k to Sleep, by Adam Mansbach, Narrated by Samuel L. Jackson, Audible, Inc.

In Fifty Years We’ll All Be Chicks, by Adam Carolla, Narrated by Adam Carolla, Random House/Books on Tape

Shatner Rules, by William Shatner with Chris Regan, Narrated by William Shatner, Penguin Audio

This Is an Audiobook, by Demetri Martin, Narrated by Demetri Martin, Hachette Audio

INSPIRATIONAL/FAITH-BASED FICTION

The Christmas Note, by Donna VanLiere, Narrated by Donna VanLiere, Macmillan Audio

Courageous, by Randy Alcorn, Alex Kendrick and Stephen Kendrick, Narrated by Roger Mueller, Oasis Audio

Lion of Babylon, by Davis Bunn, Narrated by Paul Boehmer, eChristian, Inc.

The Resurrection of Nat Turner, Part 1: The Witnesses, by Sharon Ewell Foster, Narrated by John McLain, Oasis Audio

Thunder of Heaven, by Tim LaHaye and Craig Parshall, Narrated by Stefan Rudnicki, Zondervan

Wonder of Your Love, by Beth Wiseman, Narrated by Kirsten Potter, eChristian, Inc.

INSPIRATIONAL/FAITH-BASED NON-FICTION

All Is Grace, by Brennan Manning, Narrated by Maurice England, eChristian, Inc.

Buddha Standard Time, by Lama Surya Das, Narrated by Peter Berkrot, Tantor Audio

The Invisible World: Understanding Angels, Demons, and the Spiritual Realities that Surround Us, by Anthony DeStefano, Narrated by Anthony DeStefano, Audible, Inc.

The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything, by James Martin, Narrated by James Martin, HarperAudio

Resolving Everyday Conflict, by Ken Sande and Kevin Johnson, Narrated by Maurice England, eChristian, Inc.

The Story, by Zondervan, Narrated by Michael Blain-Rozgay, Allison Moffett and a full cast, Zondervan

LITERARY FICTION

Emily and Einstein, by Linda Francis Lee, Narrated by Dan John Miller and Cassandra Campbell, Tantor Audio

Follow the River, by James Alexander Thom, Narrated by David Drummond, Tantor Audio

The Marriage Plot, by Jeffrey Eugenides, Narrated by David Pittu, Macmillan Audio

No One in the World, by E. Lynn Harris and R.M. Johnson, Narrated by Alan Bomar Jones, Tantor Audio

State of Wonder, by Ann Patchett, Narrated by Hope Davis, HarperAudio

MULTI-VOICED PERFORMANCE

1Q84, by Haruki Murakami, Narrated by Mark Boyett, Marc Vietor and Allison Hiroto, Audible, Inc.

Bruiser, by Neal Shusterman, Narrated by Nick Podehl, Kate Rudd, Luke Daniels and Laura Hamilton, Brilliance Audio

The Graduate, adapted for the stage by Terry Johnson, based on the novel by Charles Webb and the screenplay by Calder Willingham and Buck Henry, Narrated by Bruce Davidson, John Getz, Jamison Jones, Devon Sorvari, Linda Purl, Matthew Rhys and Kathleen Turner, L.A. Theatre Works

A Raisin in the Sun, by Lorraine Hansberry, Narrated by Judyann Elder, James Gleason, Noah Gray-Cabey, Corey Hawkins, Deidrie Henry, Terrell Tilford, Rutina Wesley and Mirron E. Willis, L.A. Theatre Works

The Watch That Ends in the Night, by Allan Wolf, Narrated by Michael Page, Phil Gigante, Christopher Lane, Laural Merlington and Angela Dawe, Brilliance Audio

MYSTERY

Feast Day of Fools, by James Lee Burke, Narrated by Will Patton, Simon & Schuster Audio

Naughty in Nice: A Royal Spyness Mystery, by Rhys Bowen, Narrated by Katherine Kellgren, Audible, Inc.

One Dog Night, by David Rosenfelt, Narrated by Grover Gardner, Listen & Live Audio

Return to Marshall’s Bayou: A Dassas Cormier Mystery, by S.H. Baker, Narrated by a full cast, Siren Audio Solutions

Rogue Island, by Bruce DeSilva, Narrated by Jeff Woodman, Audible, Inc.

NARRATION BY THE AUTHOR or AUTHORS

Libba Bray, Beauty Queens, Scholastic Audio

Tina Fey, Bossypants, Hachette Audio

John Lithgow, Drama, HarperAudio

Ellen DeGeneres, Seriously… I’m Kidding, Hachette Audio

Rob Lowe, Stories I Only Tell My Friends, Macmillan Audio

NON-FICTION

The 4 Percent Universe, by Richard Panek, Narrated by Ray Porter, Blackstone Audio

Dog Sense, by John Bradshaw, Narrated by Michael Page, Tantor Audio

The Murder of the Century, by Paul Collins, Narrated by William Dufris, AudioGO

My Korean Deli, by Ben Ryder Howe, Narrated by Bronson Pinchot, Blackstone Audio

Unbroken, by Laura Hillenbrand, Narrated by Edward Herrmann, Random House Audio/Books on Tape

ORIGINAL WORK

Macbeth: A Novel, by A.J. Hartley and David Hewson, Narrated by Alan Cumming, Audible, Inc.

METAtropolis: Cascadia, by Jay Lake, Mary Robinette Kowal, Elizabeth Bear, Ken Scholes, Karl Schroeder, and Tobias S. Buckell, Narrated by Rene Auberjonois, Kate Mulgrew, Wil Wheaton, Gates McFadden, Jonathan Frakes and LeVar Burton, Audible, Inc.

The New Adventures of Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer, Vol. 3, by Max Allan Collins and Mickey Spillane, Narrated by Stacy Keach and a full cast, Blackstone Audio

Prayers: A Personal Selection, by various authors, Narrated by Michael York, eChristian, Inc.

Solaris, by Stanislaw Lem, Narrated by Alessandro Juliani, Audible, Inc.

The Witches of Lublin – Collector’s Edition, by Ellen Kushner, Elizabeth Schwartz and Yale Strom, Narrated by Ellen Kushner and a full cast, SueMedia Productions

Jane Austen: Classic BBC Radio Productions, by Jane Austen, Narrated by Angharad Rees and a full cast; Hannah Gordon and a full cast, Juliet Stevenson; Annette Crosbie, AudioGO/BBC Audio

Kardashian Konfidential, by Kim Kardashian, Kourtney Kardashian and Khloe Kardashian, Narrated by Kim Kardashian, Kourtney Kardashian and Khloe Kardashian, Macmillan Audio

NPR American Chronicles: The Civil War, by NPR, Narrated by various performers, hosted by Neal Conan, HighBridge Company

One Grave at a Time, by Jeaniene Frost, Narrated by Tavia Gilbert, Blackstone Audio

Sherrilyn Kenyon Audio Coffin Box Set, by Sherrilyn Kenyon, Narrated by Fred Berman and Carrington MacDuffie, Macmillan Audio

The Witches of Lublin – Collector’s Edition, by Ellen Kushner, Elizabeth Schwartz and Yale Strom, Narrated by Ellen Kushner and Miriam Margolyes, SueMedia Productions

PARANORMAL

The Cypress House, by Michael Koryta, Narrated by Robert Petkoff, Hachette Audio

Dragon Bound, by Thea Harrison, Narrated by Sophie Eastlake, Tantor Audio

First Grave on the Right, by Darynda Jones, Narrated by Lorelei King, Macmillan Audio

Hard Magic, by Larry Correia, Narrated by Bronson Pinchot, Audible, Inc.

Monster Hunter International, by Larry Correia, Narrated by Oliver Wyman, Audible, Inc.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

The Courage to Be Free, by Guy Finley, Narrated by Sean Runnette, Tantor Audio

Don’t Sing at the Table, by Adriana Trigiani, Narrated by Adriana Trigiani, HarperAudio

Fortytude, by Sarah Brokaw, Narrated by Sarah Brokaw, Macmillan Audio

iGetSlim: Amazing Daily Weight-Loss Program, by Tony Wrighton, Narrated by Tony Wrighton, 70,000 thoughts audiobooks

Money Secrets of the Amish, by Lorilee Craker, Narrated by Lorilee Craker, Oasis Audio, LLC

Prime Time, by Jane Fonda, Narrated by Jane Fonda, Random House Audio/Books on Tape

ROMANCE

The Darkest Surrender, by Gena Showalter, Narrated by Max Bellmore, Audible, Inc.

New York to Dallas, by J.D. Robb, Narrated by Susan Ericksen, Brilliance Audio

Notorious, by Nicola Cornick, Narrated by Katherine Kellgren, Audible, Inc.

Summer Rental, by Mary Kay Andrews, Narrated by Isabel Keating, Macmillan Audio

When Beauty Tamed the Beast, by Eloisa James, Narrated by Susan Duerden, HarperAudio

The Winter Sea, by Susanna Kearsley, Narrated by Rosalyn Landor, Audible, Inc.

SCIENCE FICTION

Agent to the Stars, by John Scalzi, Narrated by Wil Wheaton, Audible, Inc.

The Cold Commands, by Richard K. Morgan, Narrated by Simon Vance, Tantor Audio

Fuzzy Nation, by John Scalzi, Narrated by Wil Wheaton, Audible, Inc.

Leviathan Wakes, by James S.A. Corey, Narrated by Jefferson Mays, Recorded Books, LLC.

Solaris, by Stanislaw Lem, Narrated by Alessandro Juliani, Audible, Inc.

The Tears of the Sun, by S.M. Stirling, Narrated by Todd McLaren, Tantor Audio

SHORT STORIES/COLLECTIONS

Black Mask: Doors in the Dark, Edited by Otto Penzler, Narrated by Eric Conger, Oliver Wyman, Alan Sklar, Pete Larkin and Jeff Gurner, HighBridge Company

Bullfighting, by Roddy Doyle, Narrated by Lorcan Cranitch, AudioGO

The Collected Stories of Eudora Welty, by Eudora Welty, Narrated by Barbara Rosenblat, Jessica Almasy, Victor Bevine, Mark Boyett, Jonathan Davis and Coleman Domingo, Audible, Inc.

Selected Short Stories: New American Stories, by Aleksandar Hemon, Jhumpa Lahiri, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Sherman Alexie, Narrated by Boyd Gaines, Rita Wolf, Condola Rashad and BD Wong, Symphony Space

The Yellow Wallpaper and Other Stories, by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Narrated by Kirsten Potter, Tantor Audio

You Know When the Men Are Gone, by Siobhan Fallon, Narrated by Cassandra Campbell, Tantor Audio

SOLO NARRATION—FEMALE

Katherine Kellgren, narrator of Ashes: Ashes Trilogy, Book 1, by Ilsa J. Bick, Audible, Inc.

Katherine Kellgren, narrator of The Wake of the Lorelei Lee, by L.A. Meyer, Listen & Live Audio

Lorelei King, narrator of First Grave on the Right, by Darynda Jones, Macmillan Audio

Rosalyn Landor, narrator of The Winter Sea, by Susanna Kearsley, Audible, Inc.

Sissy Spacek, narrator of Loretta Lynn: Coal Miner’s Daughter, by Loretta Lynn with George Vecsey, Random House/Books on Tape

SOLO NARRATION—MALE

Kenneth Branagh, narrator of Heart of Darkness, by Joseph Conrad, Audible, Inc.

Dion Graham, narrator of Going to Meet the Man, by James Baldwin, AudioGO

Charlton Griffin, narrator of The Complete Stories of Sherlock Holmes, Volume 3, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Audio Connoisseur

Bronson Pinchot, narrator of Hard Magic, by Larry Correia, Audible, Inc.

Simon Vance, narrator of The King’s Speech: How One Man Saved the British Monarchy, by Mark Logue and Peter Conradi, Tantor Audio

TEENS

Beauty Queens, by Libba Bray, Narrated by Libba Bray, Scholastic Audio

Chime, by Franny Billingsley, Narrated by Susan Duerden, Random House Audio/Listening Library

Okay for Now, by Gary D. Schmidt, Narrated by Lincoln Hoppe, Random House Audio/Listening Library

Pick-Up Game, by Marc Aronson and Charles R. Smith Jr., Narrated by Dion Graham and Quincy Tyler Bernstine, Brilliance Audio

The Wake of the Lorelei Lee, by L.A. Meyer, Narrated by Katherine Kellgren, Listen & Live Audio

THRILLER/SUSPENSE

Adrenaline, by Jeff Abbott, Narrated by Kevin T. Collins, Hachette Audio

The Bone House, by Brian Freeman, Narrated by Joe Barrett, Blackstone Audio

A Kiss Before Dying, by Ira Levin, Narrated by Mauro Hantman, AudioGO

The Nightmare Thief, by Meg Gardiner, Narrated by Susan Ericksen, Brilliance Audio

Out of My Head, by Didier van Cauwelaert, Narrated by Bronson Pinchot, Blackstone Audio

Silent Screams, by Karen Rose, Narrated by Marguerite Gavin, Blackstone Audio

• Stay Awake by Dan Chaon (Ballantine)
• What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank by Nathan Englander (Knopf)
• This Isn’t the Sort of Thing That Happens to Someone Like You by Jon McGregor (Bloomsbury)
• Binocular Vision by Edith Pearlman (Lookout Bks.)
• In-Flight Entertainment by Helen Simpson (Knopf)

Stedman, ML. The Light Between Oceans. Scribner. Aug. 2012. NAp. ISBN 9781451681734. $25. HISTORICAL
After World War I, Tom Sherbourne takes a job as lighthouse keeper on isolated Janus Rock, off the coast of Australia, where the supply boat comes only four times a year. His spunky wife, Isabel, suffers two miscarriages and a still birth in three years, so it’s no surprise that when a boat washes up carrying a dead man and a live baby, Isabel persuades Tom not to report the incident and takes the baby as hers. That causes trouble, of course, when they eventually return to the mainland. Big in-house excitement for his first novel, which will be backed by NPR coverage and a reading group guide. Tops on my reading list. 

Grunwald, Michael. The New New Deal.  S. & S. Aug. 2012. 352p. ISBN 9781451642322. $27. CURRENT EVENTS
Listen up, voters: though Democrats don’t get it and Republicans hate it, Obama’s stimulus bill truly has been transformative, a broader-reaching program than even the New Deal. It not only short-circuited a looming depression and saved millions of jobs but is helping restructure America’s energy program, bringing healthcare into the Digital age, and changing everything from unemployment insurance to the government’s approach to homelessness. So argues Time senior correspondent Grunwald, winner of a George Polk Award, in a book that will surely prompt lots of discussion. 

Marton, Kati. Paris: A Love Story. S. & S. Aug. 2012. 224p. ISBN 9781451691542. $24. MEMOIR
Paris is important to many of us, but it’s really important to journalist/author Marton (Enemies of the People). There she studied as a college student in the explosive year of 1968; researched her family’s escape to France from communist Hungary; served as ABC bureau chief in a career breakthrough; met her first husband, Peter Jennings; and then met her second husband, Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, finally returning to Paris to mourn his death. A distinctive view of the City of Light.

Greanias, Thomas. Dominus Dei. Atria: S. & S. Aug. 2012. 384p. ISBN 9781451612431. $24. THRILLER
At the time of the Emperor Domitian, himself a bossy sort who insists that all must bow down before him or be killed, a subversive group called Dominus Dei (“Rule of God”) has a nasty plan to extend Rome’s rule forever. The Greek playwright Athanasius, accused of being its leader, manages to escape execution at the Games and teams up with a mysterious woman and a prophet locked up in an island prison to beat Dominus Dei at its own game. Thus Greanias discloses the origins of the conspiracy that has driven his best-selling Atlantis novels and the trilogy that began with The Promised War. Fans will understand.     

Krueger, William Kent. Trickster’s Point. Atria: S. & S. Aug. 2012. 320p. ISBN 9781451645675. $24.99. THRILLER
Cork O’Connor has gone bow hunting with Jubal Little, Minnesota’s first Native American governor-elect, when an arrow out of nowhere slices through Little’s heart. Alas, the arrow belongs to Connor, and he must find out who framed him for this murder, even as he ponders his past relationship with Little, an ambitious young man who grew up to be a perhaps too wily politician. With a nine-city tour to Minneapolis, Chicago, Madison, Milwaukee, St. Louis, Kansas City, Houston, Phoenix, and San Diego.

Lennon, F.J. Devil’s Gate. Atria: S. & S. Aug. 2012. 384p. ISBN 9781439186602. pap. $15. PARANORMAL
Actually, what’s causing trouble here is not a gate but Pasadena’s notorious Suicide Bridge: some force there is drawing defenseless victims to their death and then snaring their souls. First seen in last year’s popular Soul Trapper, Kane Pryce investigates the bridge’s supernatural powers even as he finds himself sucked into the dark world of Hollywood’s underground music scene (Kane’s a guitarist), the minds of the suicide victims, and his own ill-advised romances. Note the paperback original after Soul Trapper’s hardcover premier, which suggests the author’s audience.   

Reichs, Kathy. Bones Are Forever. Scribner. Aug. 2012. NAp. ISBN 9781439102435. $26.99. CD: S. & S. Audio. THRILLER
Temperance Brennan is examining the corpses of three babies in Montreal when their mother, a putative prostitute under investigation by Brennan’s beloved, Detective Ryan, flees to Canada’s distant diamond-mining country. They follow, joined by a Royal Canadian Mounted Police sergeant with whom our heroine once had a not-so-smart affair. With a seven-city tour to Charlotte, Denver, Houston, New York, Phoenix, Portland (OR), and Seattle; get multiples.

Rendell, Ruth. The St. Zita Society. Scribner. Aug. 2012. NAp. ISBN 9781451666687. $26. SUSPENSE
All the homes along London’s Hexam Place look imperturbably classy, but of course they aren’t. The valet to Lord Studley is sleeping with both the lord’s wife and his daughter, the au pair for Mrs. Still is earning extra money by covering for her affair, a housekeeper wants to form a “society” of disgruntled servants, and Dex the gardener is getting ghostly instructions on his cellphone that could lead to violence. More thrills from the ever-juicy Rendell, a three-time Edgar Award winner still going strong after more than 40 years.

Shomer, Enid. The Twelve Rooms of the Nile. S. & S. Aug. 2012. 544p. ISBN 9781451642964. $26. HISTORICAL
As it happens, Florence Nightingale and Gustave Flaubert sailed up the Nile at the same time. No, they didn’t meet, but in this first novel Iowa Fiction Prize winner Shomer imagines that they did. Radical thinker Nightingale was not much familiar with men, especially true roués like Flaubert. But both were at turning points— Flaubert would soon write Madame Bovary and Nightingale would launch her famous career—so the idea of a friendship between them seems rich and fertile.

Sohn, Amy. Motherland. S. & S. Aug. 2012. 320p. ISBN 9781439158494. $25. POP FICTION
Upscale urban life, tellingly satirized by the author of Prospect Park West: as Labor Day looms, parents in Brooklyn’s chic Park Slope and Manhattan’s Greenwich Village or returning from Cape Cod face personal crisis. Among them are ubermommy Karen, deserted by her husband, who hopes to regain traction by launching an affair with a sexy single dad, and Marco, stuck with the kids when husband Todd goes on a business trip. How a certain set lives; it’s not all glamor.                                

Thor, Brad. Black List. Atria: S. & S. Aug. 2012. 336p. ISBN 9781439192986. $27.99. CD/downloadable: S. & S. Audio. THRILLER
The list? Comprising enemies of the nation, it’s known to very few in the government,  and once your name has been placed there by the President, it won’t be erased until you are. Former Navy SEAL–turned–counterterrorism operative Scot Harvath discovers that his name is on the list, and he spends the novel evading assassins so that he can figure out why someone wanted him out of the way. From a No. 1 New York Times best-selling author gearing up for a ten-city tour.

Bobrick, Benson. The Caliph’s Splendor: Islam and the West in the Golden Age of Baghdad. S. & S. Aug. 2012. 288p. ISBN 9781416567622. $28. HISTORY
Recipient of the Literature Award of the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters, historian Bobrick tends to focus on American history but has ranged from Ivan the Terrible to the English Bible. Here he goes forth to examine the late 700s caliphate of Harun al-Rashid, when Islam spread from the Iberian Peninsula to China and Harun’s capital, Baghdad, glowed at the world’s center. Fascinating history and fascinating perspective as we leave Iraq.

Douglas, Ron. America’s Most Wanted Recipes Just Desserts: Sweet Indulgences from Your Family’s Favorite Restaurants. Atria: S. & S. Aug. 2012. NAp. ISBN 9781451623369. pap. $18.99. COOKING
The “America’s Most Wanted Recipes” series has been going strong since 2009, and now it’s time for my favorite type of food: desserts. Over 100 recipes, from “Applebee’s Deadly Chocolate Sin” to “Cracker Barrel’s Banana Pudding,” collected by former JP Morgan finance director Douglas, who founded the top-ranked RecipeSecrets.net.  

Grande, Reyna. The Distance Between Us: A Memoir. Atria: S. & S. Aug. 2012. 320p. ISBN 9781451661774. $25. MEMOIR
After writing two award-winning novels, Across a Hundred Mountains and Dancing with Butterflies, Grande gets down to the nitty-gritty and chronicles her life as an undocumented immigrant, crossing the border at age nine to live with her father. The distance widens between her and her father, ambitious for his children but hobbled by his alcohol-fueled anger, until she must finally leave home and make her own life. My first thought: brave to write this memoir.         

Lee, Martin A. Smoke Signals: A Social History of Marijuana—Medical, Recreational & Scientific. Scribner. Aug. 2012. NAp. ISBN 9781439102602. $30. SOCIAL SCIENCE
While investigative reporter Lee (Acid Dreams) does discuss the social history of marijuana, especially its place in the culture wars starting in the 1960s, his focuses just as much on its medical use—and the often underreported scientfic research showing how helpful it is—to treat cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, and more. Serious stuff. 

Meredith, James with William Doyle. A Mission from God: A Memoir and Challenge for America. Atria: S. & S. Aug. 2012. 320p. ISBN 9781451674729. $25. MEMOIR
Though he spearheaded the desegregation of the University of Mississippi in 1962 and the March Against Fear in 1966, Meredith declared, “I am not a civil rights hero. I am a warrior, and I am on a mission from God.” Here he recalls key moments in that crusade, as well as key figures, from Medgar Evers to former Klan leader David Duke. As the “challenge” in the subtitle suggests, there’s a prescriptive element here, too.

Sherrod, Shirley with Catherine Whitney. The Courage To Hope: How I Stood Up to the Politics of Fear. Atria: S. & S. Aug. 2012. NAp. ISBN 9781451650945. $24.99.  MEMOIR/CURRENT EVENTS
In July 2010, Sherrod was fired from her job as Georgia State Director for Rural Development at the USDA after a blogger alleged that she was racist, deftly excerpting from a speech she had made. When the White House and the NAACP finally viewed the entire video of the speech, it was evident that the allegation was false. Obama offered her another job, and the NAACP’s Ben Jealous apologized both publicly and privately. Here Sherrod offers her side of the story, assesses the media coverage, and explains why efforts to help the poor, black or white, have been repeatedly stymied. Sounds like an eye-opener.

That was 10 years ago, but I think the advice we gave in that article is even more needed in the today of 2012, when online communication of many kinds is both the norm and omnipresent. In that long-ago article, Ed and I observed that whatever you do online, and wherever it appears, it can rise up and haunt you. We noted, “Be aware that if you are doing [online communication] with your professional name, you are making a public record that is easily accessible…. Adopting a consistent, professional style and competent presentation in all communications is becoming more important as the geographical separations between us shrink… [and] the digital age increases the audience and scope of mistakes made online.”

Out of curiosity, I looked up “civility” in Wikipedia, and it led me to Wikipedia’s Five Pillars, one of which is, “Editors should interact with each other in a respectful and civil manner. Respect and be polite to your fellow Wikipedians, even when you disagree.” Wikipedia’s article on Civility is just as explicit: “Stated simply, editors should always treat each other with consideration and respect.”

I applaud this as one of the Five Pillars holding up the impressive online edifice that is Wikipedia, and I would hope that it would be a generally-accepted pillar of virtual society. But I don’t think we’re there yet. I continue to see communications coming across my virtual desk that are disrespectful and insensitive to others’ needs and goals, communications that reveal a basic discourtesy, irresponsibility, and thoughtlessness in the communicator that is repellent. As Ed and I said in our long-ago and faraway article, “If you are responsible in your web communication, it’s a good bet that you will also be responsible in your job. And vice versa.”

I can only add, as we concluded that article, “With the web’s power comes responsibility.” Please, please, dear readers, DO act responsibly anywhere, and everywhere, online.

More as it happens,
Cheryl

Jerome works with Professor Yochai Benkler to develop “new interactive survey methods to uncover the foundations and dynamics of interactions and behavior in online social spaces.” This event is being webcast live at 12:30 pm ET  and archived on the Berkman Center site shortly thereafter.

Worth tuning in, I think.

More as it happens,
Cheryl

Last Ranking/
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NONFICTION

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