Richard Powers’ new novel, “The Echo Maker,” tackles such weighty issues as the environment and neurological disorders, all wrapped in a mystery. Pervez Musharraf, as president of Pakistan, is playing a central role in the battle against terrorism. He tells his story in “In the Line of Fire: A Memoir.” When David Foster Wallace’s novel “Infinite Jest” was published a decade ago, it caused a sensation. Little, Brown has republished the paperback version with a new foreword by Dave Eggers. In January, look for a new take on the Atlantis legend from thriller writer Lincoln Child called “Deep Storm.”
FICTION
The Echo Maker, by Richard Powers, Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 464 pages, $26.95 | Set during the Sandhill Crane migration in Nebraska, Powers explores the case of a young man whose mind is boggled after a single-car accident.
Haters, by Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez, Little, Brown, 351 pages, $16.95 | In this young-adult novel, the author of “The Dirty Girls Social Club” tells the story of a high school girl who moves from Taos, N.M., to Los Angeles and of her efforts to fit in.
Morning Spy, Evening Spy, by Colin MacKinnon, St. Martin’s, 304 pages, $23.95 | The author mixes fact with fiction in this story of a senior CIA agent in the days leading up to the 9/11 attacks.
NONFICTION
In the Line of Fire, by Pervez Musharraf, Free Press, 368 pages, $28 | Musharraf talks about such things as the hunt for Osama bin Laden, the attempts on his life by assassins and the killing of journalist Daniel Pearl.
Blood Brothers: Among the Soldiers of Ward 57, by Michael Weisskopf, Henry Holt, 320 pages, $25 | Weisskopf, a journalist, was wounded during the fighting in Iraq. Here is his story of losing a hand, and that of three other amputees as they try to heal.
Lessons in Becoming Myself, by Ellen Burstyn, Riverhead, 453 pages, $25.95 | The renowned actress tells her story – personal, professional and spiritual – from growing up in Detroit to becoming an award-winning actress.
PAPERBACKS
Infinite Jest, by David Foster Wallace, Little, Brown, 1,104 pages, $10 | The title of this groundbreaking novel refers to a movie that is said to be so entertaining that people fall into a sort of suspended animation, then die.
The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt’s Darkest Journey, by Candice Millard, Broadway, 416, $14.95 | This thoroughly engaging history is the story of a former president and his small group of men to travel down a previously uncharted river in the South American rain forest.
Wickett’s Remedy, by Myla Goldberg, Anchor, 366 pages, $14 | The author of the wildly successful “Bee Season” is back with a story set during the 1918 flu epidemic as it spreads through Boston.
COMING UP
Deep Storm, by Lincoln Child, Doubleday, 352 pages, $24.95, Jan. | Here’s another thriller, co-author with Douglas Preston of such books as “The Book of the Dead.” This one centers on the crew of an oil platform in the North Atlantic who all come down with a strange ailment.
At All Costs: How a Crippled Ship and Two American Merchant Mariners Turned the Tide of World War II, by Sam Moses, Random House, 320 pages, $25.95, Nov. | The story of a desperate attempt to provide fuel for the allies on the island of Malta so they can attack Germany’s army in Northern Africa.
The Bastard of Istanbul, by Elif Shafak, Viking, 368 pages, $24.95, Jan. | Four sisters and their friend – the title character – find that they have connections to the Armenian genocide in the early years of the 20th century.
