HITTING THE SHELVES
Just out is a new piece of fiction by celebrity author James Patterson aimed at young adults called “Maximum Ride,” accompanied by a screed from hot comedian Lewis Black, “Nothing Sacred.” Look for new ones by Iris Johansen and spymaster Robert Littell in the next several weeks.
FICTION
“Maximum Ride,” by James Patterson, Little, Brown, 422 pages, $16.95|The megaselling author takes a foray into the young-adult market with a story of a group of young people who are mostly human – but partly bird.
“No Place Like Home,” by Mary Higgins Clark, Simon & Schuster, 368 pages, $25.95|What happens when a young woman returns to the house where she accidentally killed her mother and wounded her stepfather.
“The Boy Who Loved Anne Frank,” by Ellen Feldman, Norton, 264 pages, $23.95
|The fictional account of a person virtually unknown to us except for the passages in a young girl’s diary.
NONFICTION
“Soldier Dead: How We Recover, Identify, Bury, and Honor Our Military Fallen” by Michael Sledge, Columbia University Press, 357 pages, $29.95|It examines the processes of what happens to slain military personnel, including recovery, identification, return, burial and remembrance.
“Faith at War: A Journey on the Frontlines of Islam, From Baghdad to Timbuktu,” by Yaroslav Trofimov, Henry Holt, 312 pages, $26|The author, fluent in Arabic, spent three years in the Arab world to determine how that world is changing as a result of Sept. 11.
“Nothing’s Sacred,” by Lewis Black, Simon & Schuster, 217 pages, $22.95|The popular comedian goes nuclear against power and stupidity, which he says go hand in hand.
“Uninsured in America: Life & Death in the Land of Opportunity,” by Susan Starr Sered and Rushika Fernadopulle, University of California Press, 247 pages, $24.95|The authors explain why more than 40 million Americans are falling through the cracks of the American healthcare system.
PAPERBACKS
“Skeletons on the Zahara,” by Dean King, Back Bay, 351 pages, $14.95|A harrowing tale of survival by a crew shipwrecked on the coast of Africa in the early 19th century.
“Empress Orchid,” by Anchee Min, Houghton Mifflin/Mariner, 336 pages, $14|Set in Beijing’s Forbidden City, Min (“Red Azalea,” “Wild Ginger”) tells the story of a concubine who becomes China’s last empress.
COMING SOON
“Countdown,” by Iris Johansen, Bantam, 405 pages, $25, May|Secrets hound a young woman who is also being stalked by a serial killer. She’s determined to find out why.
“Legends,” by Robert Littell, Overlook, 400 pages, $25.95, May|Martin Odum used to work for the CIA under many assumed names and backgrounds, or “legends.” Now he is having trouble determining who he really is.
“First In: An Insider’s Account of How the CIA Spearheaded the War on Terror in Afghanistan,” by Gary C. Schroen, Presidio, 364 pages, $25.95, June|Schroen was selected to lead a team of operatives deep into Afghanistan and prepare the way for an American assault.
