Fiction
The Emperor of Lies, by Steve Sem-Sandberg (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
A Swedish best seller, this sprawling, Dickensian novel of the Holocaust now lands in America, where it is sure to attract attention. Kirkus Reviews
The Leftovers, by Tom Perrotta (St. Martin’s Press)
Perrotta has delivered a troubling disquisition on how ordinary people react to extraordinary and inexplicable events, the power of family to hurt and to heal, and the unobtrusive ease with which faith can slide into fanaticism. The New York Times
Emory’s Gift, by W. Bruce Cameron (Forge)
When Charlie Hall loses his mother at the age of 13, he feels adrift. His father is distant, and eighth grade isn’t treating him well. That is until he has a chance encounter with a grizzly bear, who saves him from the jaws of a hungry cougar. Publishers Weekly
Nonfiction
The Ballad of Tom Dooley, by Sharyn McCrumb (St. Martin’s/Thomas Dunne)
Forget the Kingston Trio folk song and Doc Watson’s more authentic version, both of which proclaim Dooley’s guilt. Not so, maintains Appalachian author McCrumb. Library Journal
Arguably: Essays by Christopher Hitchens (Twelve)
Feisty and free-ranging; brilliant skepticism. Barnes & Noble
Captain for Life by Harry Carson (St. Martin’s Press)
Retired New York Giants linebacker Carson (“Point of Attack: The Defense Strikes Back”) traces his development from a high-school player confronted with racism and desegregation, to his election to the Professional Football Hall of Fame.
Publishers Weekly
Harper’s Bazaar: Greatest Hits, by Glenda Bailey
Harper’s collects some of its best fashion photos. A big, beautful picture book for the style-minded.
Paperback
Call Me Irresistible, by Susan Elizabeth Phillips (Morrow)
Even if you aren’t a self-proclaimed “SEPpie” — one of Phillips’s die-hard romance readers — “Call Me Irresistible” is just a bit irresistible. It’s satisfyingly mindless and mirth-inducing without being in the least moronic. The Washington Post
