Editor’sChoice
The Children’s Book, by A.S. Byatt, $26.95. Byatt encompasses the paradigm shift from Victorian to modern England in a sweeping tale of four families. The deeper subject, however, is the complex, not always benign bond that attaches children to adults. It is ambitious, accomplished and intelligent in the author’s vintage manner. Kirkus
FICTION
True Blue, by David Baldacci, $27.99. Baldacci presents a law-enforcement sister act curtain-raiser for a new series that has every chance of keeping the pot boiling. Beth and Mace Perry are loving, totally supportive of each other and remarkably untroubled by anything resembling sibling rivalry. Yet they are very different. Beth, the older, is rock-solid reliable; Mace is flamboyant, tempestuous, hard-wired for heedlessness. Kirkus
The Monster in the Box, by Ruth Rendell, $26. In Edgar-winner Rendell’s 22nd Inspector Wexford novel, the British police detective confronts a man from his past, Eric Targo, whom he suspects is guilty of multiple murders. Rendell easily outdistances most mystery writers with her complex characters and her poetic yet astringent style. Publishers Weekly
NONFICTION
Children of Dust: A Memoir of Pakistan, by Ali Eteraz, $25.99. Born in Pakistan but raised in the U.S. from age 10, Eteraz moves easily between describing the holy history and tenets of his faith while exploring and explaining the differences between the Islamic world and Western society. A gifted writer and scholar, Eteraz is able to create a true-life Islamic tale as he effortlessly conveys his coming-of-age tale while educating the reader. Publishers Weekly
When Everything Changed: The Amazing Journey of American Women From 1960 to the Present, by Gail Collins, $27.99. You’ve come a long way, baby: That is Collinsss conclusion about American women, who once lacked the right to publicly wear pants and now take their place on the presidential campaign trail and the battlefield. Publishers Weekly
Clinton’s Secret Wars: The Evolution of a Commander in Chief, by Richard Sale, $7.99. The book provides insight into an administration that sought to “wage war in a way that would do the least political damage while achieving the maximum effect,” laying bare facets of Clinton’s foreign policy that are largely underexamined, including early encounters with al-Qaeda and Saddam Hussein. Publishers Weekly
PAPERBACKS
The English Major, by Jim Harrison, $14. A tale of a Michigan farmer, dumped by his wife after 38 years, who decides to visit all 48 states in the continental United States. Cliff only makes it to 16 states — unsurprisingly, since our amiable narrator is easily distracted and not very firm of purpose. The author’s fans will find this an agreeable rest from the dark, deep fictions on which Harrison’s reputation properly rests. Kirkus
The Longest Trip Home, by John Grogan, $14.99. The memoir takes the author of the popular “Marley and Me” from a boyhood as Mom’s “little daffodil” into the shadow of somber, adult grief. The New York Times
Long Gray Line, by Rick Atkinson, $17. Atkinson joins a host of journalists and military men who have tried to explain the impact of Vietnam on the U.S. Army. His approach is to examine the experiences of the West Point Class of 1966. Focusing on a half dozen or so cadets, Atkinson shows how their careers epitomized the problems faced by their generation and by members of their profession. Library Journal
COMING UP
The Lady in the Tower: The Fall of Anne Boleyn, by Allison Weir, $28. The best-selling historian gives us the story of the final days of one of history’s most visible and fascinating heroines. (December)
