Here are some books that have crossed our desks recently.
HARDBACKS
"FAITHFUL PLACE," by Tana French, Viking, $25.95 (f)
Back in 1985, Frank Mackey was 19, growing up poor in Dublin's inner city, and living crammed into a small flat with his family on Faithful Place. But he had his sights set on a lot more. He and Rosie Daly were all ready to run away to London together. But on the night when they were supposed to leave, Rosie didn't show. Frank took it for granted that she'd dumped him. He never went home again. Neither did Rosie. Twenty-two years later, Rosie's suitcase shows up behind a fireplace in a derelict house on Faithful Place, and Frank is going home whether he likes it or not.
"THE COOKBOOK COLLECTOR," by Allegra Goodman, Dial Press, $26 (f)
Emily and Jessamine Bach are opposites in every way: 28-year-old Emily is the CEO of Veritech, 23-year-old Jess is an environmental activist and graduate student in philosophy. Pragmatic Emily is making a fortune in Silicon Valley, romantic Jess works in an antiquarian bookstore. This is a novel about getting and spending, and about the substitutions we make when we can't find what we're looking for.
More hardbacks recently released:
"The Questing Road," by Lyn McConchie (f): A desperate wizard opens a door between realms to get an animal for sacrifice, but he takes an animal from an intelligent race of telepaths and warriors, who follow through the portal to the wizard's world to save their young one. "I Curse the River of Time," by Per Petterson (f): In 1989, Arvid Jansen, 37, is in the midst of divorce, his mother is diagnosed with cancer, and he struggles to find a new footing in his life. He looks back at former relationships and his early working life when, as a young communist, he abandoned his studies to work on a production line. "Babylon Nights," by Daniel Depp (f, a David Spandau novel): Actress Anna Mayhew, on the wrong side of 40, is no longer on the A-list, but she has a stalker. David Spandau reluctantly takes the case of trying to keep her alive from the stalker, and from herself, since she's decided that a good way to make headlines is to take a priceless vial of lethal toxin at the Cannes Film Festival.
"Higher Education? How Colleges are Wasting Our Money and Failing Our Kids — and What We Can Do About It," by Andrew Hacker and Claudia Dreifus (nf). "Internecine," by David J. Schow (f): When advertising executive Conrad Maddox returns from a red-eye flight and finds a locker key waiting in his rental car, his curiosity prevails and he discovers a briefcase loaded with guns and money. A few hours later, he meets Dandine, the case's owner and former contract assassin for an organization called Norco — now out to kill both of them.
PAPERBACKS
"VANISHED SMILE: The Mysterious Theft of the Mona Lisa," by R.A. Scotti, Vintage, $15 (nf)
On Aug. 21, 1911, Leonardo da Vinci's most celebrated painting vanished from the Louvre. The prime suspects were as shocking as the crime: Pablo Picasso and Guillaume Apollinaire, young provocateurs of a new art. Almost a century later, questions still linger: Who really pinched Mona Lisa, and why? Part love story, part mystery, Vanished Smile reopens the puzzling case that transformed a Renaissance portrait into the most enduring icon of all time.
"OUTSIDE THE ORDINARY WORLD" by Dori Ostermiller, Mira, $14.95 (f)
Sylvia Sandon is at a crossroads in her life. A wife and mother of two daughters, she and her city-planner husband grapple with the escalating renovation of their antique farmhouse. Facing a failing marriage and a famished career as an art teacher, Sylvia finds herself suddenly powerless to the allure of Tai Rosen, the father of her most difficult art student. As their passion ignites, Sylvia is forced to examine her past, and the seeds of betrayal that were sown decades earlier by her mother's secret life.
More paperbacks recently released:
"The Hornbrook Prophecy," by Robert Wickes (f): What would happen if the United States government suddenly went bankrupt? Maverick Sen. Henley Hornbrook fights against unscrupulous President Winston Dillard while a nationwide tax revolt plunges the country into chaos before Hornbrook unveils a stunning plan that will forever change the nation and preserve its destiny. "Fully Present: The Science, Art, and Practice of Mindfulness," by Susan L. Smalley and Diana Winston (nf): An all-in-one guide for anyone interested in bringing mindfulness to daily life as a means of enhancing well-being. "Wicked Intentions," by Elizabeth Hoyt (f): Lord Caire is searching for a killer in St. Giles, London's most notorious slum, and for help from widowed Temperance Dews, who knows St. Giles like the back of her hand, he promises to introduce her to London's high society.
"A Kiss at Midnight," by Eloisa James (f): When Miss Katherine Daltry, on the shelf at 23, meets Gabriel, youngest princeling of the duchy of Warl-Marburg-Baalsfeld, she finds him not at all charming, and he finds her most unsuitable. "The Art of Metal Clay: Techniques for Creating Jewelry & Decorative Objects," by Sherri Haab (nf): Includes DVD with four bonus projects. "Lincoln's Sword," by Debra Doyle and James D. Macdonald (f): Alternate historical fantasy in which Mercy (a psychic) and Thomas (a man who can travel to different points in time), must set in motion events that will end in the assassination of Lincoln and the preservation of the United States. "The Hanging Tree," by Bryan Gruley (f, a Starvation Lake mystery): Twenty years after she went away, Gracie McBride returns to Starvation Lake, only to be found six months later, hanging from a shoe tree at the edge of the lake. She had committed suicide, or had she?
REPRINTS
"The Ego Tunnel: The Science of the Mind and the Myth of the Self," by Thomas Metzinger (nf). "The Hunted," by Brian Haig (f). "Miss O'Dell: Hard Days and Long Nights with The Beatles, The Stones, Bob Dylan, and Eric Clapton," by Chris O'Dell with Katherine Ketcham (nf).
"Devil's Trill," by Gerald Elias (f). "What Would Susie Say?" by Susie Essman (nf humor). "The Fallen Sky: An Intimate History of Shooting Stars," by Christopher Cokinos (nf). "Fixing My Gaze: A Scientist's Journey Into Seeing in Three Dimensions," by Susan R. Barry (nf).
"Labor Day," by Joyce Maynard (f). "Last Lion: The Fall and Rise of Ted Kennedy," by the Team at The Boston Globe, edited by Peter S. Canellos (nf, with new chapters on his death and legacy). "The Geneva Deception," by James Twining (f). "What the Heck Are you Up To, Mr. President? Jimmy Carter, America's 'Malaise,' and the Speech That Should Have Changed the Country," by Kevin Mattson (nf).
YOUNG READERS
People around the world know the story of Peter Pan, but not many know the story of his creator, J.M. Barrie. Barrie's young childhood was marked by sorrow, but also held great adventure. His adult life and relationship with the Davies family brought about a second childhood that helped him to create his lasting triumph. With the use of Barrie's own words and lovely illustrations, children will learn the fun details behind Peter Pan.
"READ TO TIGER," by S.J. Fore and R.W. Alley, Viking, $15.99 (ages 4-8)
In this role-reversal story, a serious little boy wants is to settle down quietly and read his book. But that's not so easy when there's an imaginative tiger behind the couch, wanting attention and someone to play with. Repetitive refrains and sound effects make and vibrant, energetic illustrations make this a great read-aloud book.
— compiled by Kari Morandi