Recordpub.com - One for the Books: Social Consciousness

Those of us who are news-hounds or who are into social consciousness-raising will have a field day with these books that can help us look at the world in a new way.

"All Things Being Equal: Instigating Opportunity in an Inequitable Time" edited by Brian D. Smedley and Alan Jenkins contains original essays that point to areas in American life where opportunity seems to be missing, with suggestions for change. Topics include incarceration, poverty, health care, immigration, education and more. 5.5 x 8.25, 256 pages, hardcover, $24.95. The New Press, (212) 629-8802.

"Inequality Matters: The Growing Economic Divide in America and Its Poisonous Consequences" edited by James Lardner and David A. Smith includes a range of essays that illuminate the growing divergence between the "haves" and the "can't haves" with a foreword by Bill Moyers. More than 20 essays by such writers as Barbara Ehrenreich, Jim Wallis and David Cay Johnston discuss how the economy affects class, race, health care, retirement, the working poor and more. 7.4 x 5.2, 336 pages, paperback, $16.95. The New Press, (212) 629-8802.

"Since Sliced Bread: Common-Sense Ideas from America's Working Families" is edited by Don Stillman. This is a remarkable book of ideas for those who want to think outside the box. The Service Employees International Union sponsored a contest at www.sinceslicedbread.com in which anyone could submit their best ideas "since sliced bread" to help working families. Tens of thousands of people participated with ideas on employment, energy, taxes, health care, retirement, education, saving Social Security and more. You won't agree with all of these (or maybe any of them), but they'll make you ponder. Color photos. 5.9 x 8.9, 160 pages, paperback, $12.95. Chelsea Green, (800) 639-4099.

"Portraits in Prisons" by Luigi Gariglio presents simple images of people around the world who are serving in prison, with nothing but a blank page opposite each photo. Just seeing the faces of these people, you wouldn't know they're prisoners. Sometimes we see their cells or get to read a letter written by a prisoner: "Today I reached the half-way point of the sentence, from now on it's all downhill." (This was half of a 25-year sentence.) This is a whole different perspective on criminal justice -- not necessarily empathy, but fellow humanity. 68 color photos, some nudity (on cell walls). 8 x 10, 152 pages, hardcover, $35. Contrasto Books, (800) 283-3572.

"My Brother's Keeper: Documentary Photographers and Human Rights" edited by Alessandra Mauro is a collaboration between editors involved in the Utet "Human Rights" project. The book uses essays and the power of photographs to convey human rights abuses around the world, including poverty, immigration, child labor, war and its aftermath, Apartheid, famine and other ecological disasters, genocide, AIDS, and violence against women. Black and white and color photographs, some nudity. 9.8 x 7, 314 pages, hardcover, $50. Contrasto Books, (800) 283-3572.

National Geographic teamed up with Getty Images to produce "100 Days in Photographs: Pivotal Events that Changed the World" by Nick Yapp. They used pictures from "photographers whose work links us to the experience of humanity." The astonishing images depict history-changing world events, from President Kennedy's assassination and Germany's Kristallnacht to Elvis Presley on "The Ed Sullivan Show." We see the building of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the August 1945 dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, the opening of King Tut's tomb. There are examples of triumph and tragedy, history, war, politics, entertainment, and even fashion. 350 color and black and white photographs. 9.1 x 10.8 inches, 320 pages, hardcover, $35. National Geographic Books, (800) 437-5521.

"Broken Threads: The Destruction of the Jewish Fashion Industry in Germany and Austria" by Roberta S. Kremer grew out of an exhibition of period clothing related to the Jewish designers, retailers and manufacturers who played an integral role in German-Austrian fashion prior to World War II. Kremer discusses how and why the Nazis targeted the clothing industry and what happened to the Jewish designers and manufacturers. Black and white photos feature the stars of society and even newspaper cartoons. 7.2 x 11, 128 pages, hardcover, $29.95. Palgrave Macmillan, (888) 330-8477.

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What's Happening: Local bookstore owners responded to my recent request. Maybe I'll see you at one of them.

Ellen Eckhouse of The Village Bookstore in Garrettsville said her store features both used and new books. Her hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday. The store is located at 8140 Main St. (S.R. 82) between the Main Street Grille and the Chinese restaurant. Call her at (330) 527-3010.

Ann Kardos of Logos Bookstore in Kent said they're celebrating a "Birthday Party for Jesus" from 11 a.m. to noon Saturday. Children ages 3 to 12 can enjoy stories, games, crafts, songs and cake at this free event. The Logos Christmas catalog features holiday titles and everyday books, with coupons valid through January. From 5 to 9 p.m. Dec. 22, the annual "Night Before the Night Before Christmas Sale" (which is actually a day early this year because the store isn't open on Sundays) will feature 30 percent off everything in stock (with certain restrictions). Kardos invites visitors to enjoy coffee and wassail in the Victorian house. The store was recently selected as "Best Bookstore in Northeast Ohio" by the viewers of WJW-TV. Regular store hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Wednesday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday and Friday, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. Logos is located at 976 W. Main St. (at the intersection of S.R. 59 and Longmere Drive). Call (330) 673-6099 or visit www.kentlogos.com.

For a list of best-sellers and more book news, go to www.recordpub.com, click on "Lifetimes," and check out "One for the Books" online.

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Welcome to BOOK NOTES,
One for the Books Extra Online Exclusives:

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From the Associated Press:

J.K. Rowling Fairy Tale Sells for $4M
By THOMAS WAGNER

LONDON (AP) " A book of fairy tales created, handwritten and illustrated by J.K. Rowling sold for nearly $4 million at auction [Dec. 13].
The buyer, London art agent Hazlitt, Gooden and Fox, now has one of only seven copies of "The Tales of Beedle the Bard," which is leather bound with silver mounts.
The book originally had been expected to sell for about $100,000. The standing-room-only crowd at Sotheby's auction house applauded as bidding topped the 1 million pound ($2 million) mark.
The money will benefit The Children's Voice, a charity co-founded in 2005 by Rowling and Baroness Nicholson, a member of Britain's House of Lords.
Rowling, 42, watched the auction on the Web from her home in Edinburgh, Scotland, and said she was ecstatic.
"This will mean so much to children in desperate need of help," she said in a statement. "It means Christmas has come early to me."
Rowling, whose Harry Potter books have sold nearly 400 million copies and been translated into 64 languages, wrote the Beedle tales after finishing the seventh and final work in the Potter series.
"'The Tales of Beedle the Bard' is really a distillation of the themes found in the Harry Potter books, and writing it has been the most wonderful way to say goodbye to a world I have loved and lived in for 17 years," Rowling said.
She said the six other copies of the Beedle books have been given to people who were closely connected to the Harry Potter collection.
The Children's Voice campaigns for children's rights across Europe, especially in Eastern Europe, where many children and teenagers grow up in institutions, often in what many activists regard as unacceptable conditions.
Rowling said the proceeds of the auction will "help institutionalized children who are in desperate need of a voice."

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FLASH! Just in: It was Amazon.com that bought the book, through the British art agent. Here's the news straight from them, on their Web site, with pictures and everything!:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=amb_link_6059972_2?ie=UTF8&docId=1000179911&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-0&pf_rd_r=0V45MY20KWZ4HH4CDFGA&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=340739801&pf_rd_i=507846

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The New York Times has come out with its list of the 10 best books of 2007.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/09/books/review/10-best-2007.html?_r=1&ref=books&oref=slogin

and Amazon.com has its top 100 of the year:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=amb_link_5832972_13?ie=UTF8&docId=1000158311&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=1YRDSR3SWRQD28XZSYNK&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=324381701&pf_rd_i=383166011

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Here are the Book Sense picks for December:

Born Standing Up - By Martin, Steve
Gods Behaving Badly - By Phillips, Marie
The Art of the Snowflake: A Photographic Album - By Libbrecht, Kenneth George
T Is for Trespass - By Grafton, Sue
Remembering the Bones - By Itani, Frances
The Redbreast - By Nesbo, Jo
Night Train to Lisbon - By Mercier, Pascal
The Hearts of Horses - By Gloss, Molly
Someone Knows My Name - By Hill, Lawrence
The Rowing Lesson - By Landsman, Anne
A Slave No More: Two Men Who Escaped to Freedom, Including Their Own Narratives of Emancipation - By Blight, David W.
Them - By McCall, Nathan
Last Night at the Lobster - By O'Nan, Stewart
Gentlemen of the Road: A Tale of Adventure - By Chabon, Michael
The Ghost: A Novel - By Harris, Robert
Bless This Food: Ancient & Contemporary Graces from Around the World - By Butash, Adrian
Die with Me - By Forbes, Elena
Super America: Stories - By Panning, Anne
The Lost Sailors - By Izzo, Jean-Claude
Small-Batch Baking: When Just Enough for 1 or 2...Is Just Enough! - By Nakos, Debby Maugans/ LaFrance, Laurie (Illus.)
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PUBLISHERS WEEKLY BEST-SELLERS

HARDCOVER FICTION
1. "T is for Trespass" by Sue Grafton (Putnam)
2. "The Darkest Evening of the Year" by Dean Koontz (Bantam)
3. "For One More Day" by Mitch Albom (Hyperion)
4 "Double Cross" by James Patterson (Little, Brown and Company)
5. "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini (Riverhead Hardcover)
6. "World Without End" by Ken Follett (Dutton)
7. "Playing for Pizza" by John Grisham (Doubleday)
8. "Stone Cold" by David Baldacci (Grand Central Publishing)
9. "Home to Holly Springs" by Jan Karon (Viking)
10. "The Choice" by Nicholas Sparks (Grand Central Publishing)
11. "The Chase" by Clive Cussler (Putnam Adult)
12. "Book of the Dead" by Patricia Cornwell (Putnam Adult)
13. "Protect and Defend: A Thriller" by Vince Flynn (Atria)
14. "Rhett Butler's People" by Donald McCaig (St. Martin's Press)
15. "Confessor" by Terry Goodkind (Tor Books)
NONFICTION/GENERAL
1. "I Am America (And So Can You!)" by Stephen Colbert (Grand Central Publishing)
2. "You: Staying Young: The Owner's Manual for Extending Your Warranty" by Michael F. Roizen and Mehmet C. Oz (Free Press)
3. "Boom!: Voices of the Sixties Personal Reflections on the '60s and Today" by Tom Brokaw (Random House)
4. "The Dangerous Book for Boys" by Conn Iggulden and Hal Iggulden (Collins)
5. "The Daring Book for Girls" by Andrea J. Buchanan, Miriam Peskowitz (Collins)
6. "Deceptively Delicious" by Jessica Seinfeld (HarperCollins)
7. "Jim Cramer's Stay Mad for Life: Get Rich, Stay Rich (Make Your Kids Even Richer)" by James J. Cramer, Cliff Mason (Simon & Schuster)
8. "Born Standing Up: A Comic's Life" by Steve Martin (Scribner)
9. "An Inconvenient Book: Real Solutions to the World's Biggest Problems" by Glenn Beck (Threshold Editions)
10. "A Family Christmas" by Caroline Kennedy (Hyperion)
11. "The Secret" by Rhonda Byrne (Atria Books/Beyond Words)
12. "Become a Better You: 7 Keys to Improving Your Life Every Day" by Joel Osteen (Free Press)
13. "Clapton: The Autobiography" by Eric Clapton (Broadway)
14. "Rescuing Sprite: A Dog Lover's Story of Joy and Anguish" by Mark R. Levin (Pocket Books)
15. "Good Dog. Stay." by Anna Quindlen (Random House)
MASS MARKET PAPERBACKS
1. "Blood Brothers: Sign of Seven Trilogy, Book 1" by Nora Roberts (Jove)
2. "The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town" by John Grisham, (Dell)
3. "Next" by Michael Chrichton (Harper)
4. "Fury (Star Wars: Legacy of the Force)" by Aaron Allston (Del Rey)
5. "I am Legend" by Richard Matheson (Tor)
6. "Cross" by James Patterson (Grand Central Publishing)
7. "The Alexandria Link" by Steve Berry (Ballantine)
8. "Wild Fire" by Nelson DeMille (Vision)
9. "Brother Odd" by Dean Koontz (Bantam)
10. "The Pillars of the Earth" by Ken Follett (NAL Trade)
11. "Treasure of Khan" by Clive Cussler, Dirk Cussler (Berkley)
12. "The Mist" by Stephen King (Signet)
13. "Dust: A Richard Jury Mystery" by Martha Grimes (Signet)
14. "The Fifth Vial" by Michael Palmer (St. Martins)
15. "For a Few Demons More" by Kim Harrison (Eos)
TRADE PAPERBACKS
1. "Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia" by Elizabeth Gilbert (Penguin)
2. "The Pillars of the Earth" by Ken Follett (NAL Trade)
3. "Love in the Time of Cholera" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (Vintage)
4. "Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace ... One School at a Time" by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin (Penguin)
5. "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini (Riverhead)
6. "Atonement" by Ian McEwan (Anchor)
7. "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen (Algonquin)
8. "The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town" by John Grisham, (Dell)
9. "Into the Wild" by John Krakauer (Anchor)
10. "Rachael Ray: Just in Time" by Rachael Ray (Clarkson Potter)
11. "Skinny B----" by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin (Running Press)
12. "The World Almanac and Book of Facts 2008" by World Almanac
13. "I Am Legend" by Richard Matheson (Tor)
14. "90 Minutes in Heaven: A True Story of Death and Life" by Don Piper with Cecil Murphey (Revell)
15. "No Country for Old Men" by Cormac McCarthy (Vintage)
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WALL STREET JOURNAL BEST-SELLERS
FICTION
1. "T is for Trespass" by Sue Grafton (Putnam)
2. "The Darkest Evening of the Year" by Dean Koontz (Bantam)
3. "Double Cross" by James Patterson (Little, Brown and Company)
4. "For One More Day" by Mitch Albom (Hyperion)
5. "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini (Riverhead Hardcover)
6. "Stone Cold" by David Baldacci (Grand Central Publishing)
7. "World Without End" by Ken Follett (Dutton)
8. "The Choice" by Nicholas Sparks (Grand Central Publishing)
9. "Olivia Helps with Christmas" by Ian Falconer (Atheneum)
10. "Playing for Pizza" by John Grisham (Doubleday)
11. "The Chase" by Clive Cussler (Putnam Adult)
12. "Puff, the Magic Dragon" by Peter Yarrow, Lenny Lipton and Eric Puybaret (Sterling)
13. "Book of the Dead" by Patricia Cornwell (Putnam Adult)
14. "Home to Holly Springs" by Jan Karon (Viking Adult)
15. "Protect and Defend: A Thriller" by Vince Flynn (Atria Books)
NONFICTION
1. "I Am America (And So Can You!)" by Stephen Colbert (Grand Central Publishing)
2. "The Dangerous Book for Boys" by Conn Iggulden and Hal Iggulden (Collins)
3. "The Daring Book for Girls" by Andrea J. Buchanan, Miriam Peskowitz, (Collins)
4. "You: Staying Young: The Owner's Manual for Extending Your Warranty" by Michael F. Roizen and Mehmet C. Oz (Free Press)
5. "Boom!: Voices of the Sixties Personal Reflections on the '60s and Today" by Tom Brokaw (Random House)
6. "Deceptively Delicious" by Jessica Seinfeld (HarperCollins)
7. "Jim Cramer's Stay Mad for Life: Get Rich, Stay Rich (Make Your Kids Even Richer)" by James J. Cramer, Cliff Mason (Simon & Schuster)
8. "Born Standing Up: A Comic's Life" by Steve Martin (Scribner)
9. "An Inconvenient Book: Real Solutions to the World's Biggest Problems" by Glenn Beck (Threshold Editions)
10. "Clapton: The Autobiography" by Eric Clapton (Broadway)
11. "Rescuing Sprite: A Dog Lover's Story of Joy and Anguish" by Mark R. Levin (Pocket)
12. "Good Dog. Stay." by Anna Quindlen (Random House)
13. "Become a Better You: 7 Keys to Improving Your Life Every Day" by Joel Osteen (Free Press)
14. "Quiet Strength: The Principles, Practices, and Priorities of a Winning Life" by Tony Dungy, Nathan Whitaker (Tyndale)
15. "The Secret" by Rhonda Byrne (Atria Books/Beyond Words)
The Wall Street Journal's list reflects nationwide sales of hardcover books during the week ended last Saturday at more than 2,500 Barnes & Noble, B. Dalton, Bookland, Books-a-Million, Books & Co., Bookstar, Bookstop, Borders, Brentano's, Coles, Coopersmith, Doubleday, Scribners and Waldenbooks stores, as well as sales from online retailers Amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com.
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USA TODAY BEST-SELLERS

Key: F-Fiction; NF-Nonfiction; H-Hardcover; P-Paperback
1. "Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia" by Elizabeth Gilbert (Penguin) (NF-P)
2. "The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town" by John Grisham, (Dell) (NF-P)
3. "Blood Brothers: Sign of Seven Trilogy, Book 1" by Nora Roberts (Jove) (F-P)
4. "T is for Trespass" by Sue Grafton (Putnam) (F-H)
5. "The Pillars of the Earth" by Ken Follett (NAL Trade) (F-P)
6. "For One More Day" by Mitch Albom (Hyperion) (F-H)
7. "I Am America (And So Can You!)" by Stephen Colbert (Grand Central Publishing) (NF-H)
8. "The Darkest Evening of the Year" by Dean Koontz (Bantam) (F-H)
9. "Double Cross" by James Patterson (Little, Brown and Company) (F-H)
10. "You: Staying Young: The Owner's Manual for Extending Your Warranty" by Michael F. Roizen and Mehmet C. Oz (Free Press) (NF-H)
11. "The Dangerous Book for Boys" by Conn Iggulden and Hal Iggulden (Collins) (NF-H)
12. "The Daring Book for Girls" by Andrea J. Buchanan, Miriam Peskowitz, (Collins)(NF-H)
13. "His Dark Materials" by Philip Pullman (Knopf Books for Young Readers) (F-P)
14. "Deceptively Delicious" by Jessica Seinfeld (HarperCollins) (NF-H)
15. "The Golden Compass" by Philip Pullman (Yearling) (F-P)
16. "Become a Better You: 7 Keys to Improving Your Life Every Day" by Joel Osteen (Free Press) (NF-H)
17. "Love in the Time of Cholera" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (Vintage) (F-P)
18. "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini (Riverhead Hardcover) (F-H)
19. "Boom!: Voices of the Sixties Personal Reflections on the '60s and Today" by Tom Brokaw (Random House) (NF-H)
20. "Jim Cramer's Stay Mad for Life: Get Rich, Stay Rich (Make Your Kids Even Richer)" by James J. Cramer, Cliff Mason (Simon & Schuster) (NF-H)
21. "I Am Legend" by Richard Matheson (Tor) (F-P)
22. "Born Standing Up: A Comic's Life" by Steve Martin (Scribner) (NF-H)
23. "Atonement" by Ian McEwan (Anchor)
24. "The Secret" by Rhonda Byrne (Atria Books/Beyond Words) (NF-H)
25. "Three Cups Of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace ... One School at a Time" by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin (Penguin) (NF-P)
26. "Guinness World Records 2008" by Guinness World Records (Guinness) (NF-H)
27. "Clapton: The Autobiography" by Eric Clapton (Broadway)(NF-H)
28. "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen (Algonquin) (F-P)
29. "An Inconvenient Book: Real Solutions to the World's Biggest Problems" by Glenn Beck (Threshold Editions) (NF-H)
30. "Playing for Pizza" by John Grisham (Doubleday) (F-H)
31. "World Without End" by Ken Follett (Dutton) (F-H)
32. "Rachael Ray: Just in Time" by Rachael Ray (Clarkson Potter) (NF-H)
33. "Rescuing Sprite: A Dog Lover's Story of Joy and Anguish" by Mark R. Levin (Pocket) (NF-H)
34. "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini (Riverhead) (F-P)
35. "The Choice" by Nicholas Sparks (Grand Central Publishing) (F-H)
36. "Into the Wild" by John Krakauer (Anchor) (NF-P)
37. "Star Wars: A Pop-Up Guide to the Galaxy" by Matthew Reinhart (Orchard Books/Scholastic) (F-H)
38. "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling, art by Mary GrandPre (Arthur A. Levine/Scholastic)
39. "Home to Holly Springs" by Jan Karon (Viking) (F-H)
40. "Good Dog. Stay." by Anna Quindlen (Random House) (NF-H)
41. "Stone Cold" by David Baldacci (Grand Central Publishing) (F-H)
42. "Quiet Strength: The Principles, Practices, and Priorities of a Winning Life" by Tony Dungy, Nathan Whitaker (Tyndale)
43. "Christmas with Paula Deen: Recipes and Stories from My Favorite Holiday" by Paula Deen (Simon and Schuster) (NF-H)
44. "Next" by Michael Chrichton (Harper) (F-P)
45. "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown) (F-P)
46. "90 Minutes in Heaven: A True Story of Death and Life" by Don Piper with Cecil Murphey (Revell) (NF-P)
47. "Skinny B----" by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin (Running Press) (NF-P)
48. "The Chase" by Clive Cussler (Putnam Adult) (F-H)
49. "Rhett Butler's People" by Donald McCaig (St. Martin's Press) (F-H)
50. "Stars: Hidden Starptive Star" by Nora Roberts (Silhouette Special Releases) (F-P)
Reporting stores include: Amazon.com, B. Dalton Bookseller, Barnes & Noble.com, Barnes & Noble Inc., Books-A-Million and Bookland, Booksamillion.com, Borders Books & Music, Bookstar, Bookstop, Brentano's, Davis Kidd Booksellers in Nashville, Jackson, Memphis, Tenn., Doubleday Book Shops, Hudson Booksellers, Joseph-Beth Booksellers (Lexington, Ky.; Cincinnati, Cleveland), Powell's Books (Portland, Ore.), Powells.com, R.J. Julia Booksellers (Madison, Conn.), Schuler.

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Check out www.bookreporter.com for great holiday gift ideas:
Their featured titles in the Holiday Spirit category:

CANDY CANE MURDER by Joanne Fluke, Laura Levine and Leslie Meier
A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS: The Making of a Tradition by Charles M. Schulz
A CHRISTMAS BEGINNING by Anne Perry
THE CHRISTMAS PEARL by Dorothea Benton Frank
THE CHRISTMAS PROMISE by Donna VanLiere
AN IRISH CHRISTMAS by Melody Carlson
ON STRIKE FOR CHRISTMAS by Sheila Roberts
WHERE ANGELS GO by Debbie Macomber
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from Shelf Awareness
New Books Out Dec. 11 and Dec. 18:

Watchman: A Novel by Ian Rankin
The Venetian Betrayal: A Novel by Steve Berry
Condoleezza Rice: An American Life by Elisabeth Bumiller
The Secret Gratitude Book by Rhonda Byrne
Hand of Evil by J.A. Jance

New in paperback:

The Hunters: A Presidential Agent Novel by W.E.B. Griffin
Teach Like Your Hair's on Fire: The Methods and Madness Inside Room 56 by Rafe Esquith
Kabul Beauty School: An American Woman Goes Behind the Veil by Deborah Rodriguez and Kristin Ohlson
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By Lynn Andriani -- Publishers Weekly, 12/10/2007 7:13:00 AM

Tor Books announced today that novelist Brandon Sanderson has been chosen to finish writing the final novel in Robert Jordan's best-selling Wheel of Time fantasy series. Jordan"described by some as Tolkien's heir"died Sept. 16 from a rare blood disease. The new novel, A Memory of Light, will be the 12th and final book in the fantasy series which has sold more than 14 million copies in North America and more than 30 million copies worldwide. The last four books in the series were all #1 New York Times bestsellers.

A Memory of Light is scheduled for publication in fall 2009.
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HarperCollins Mystery Best-sellers

1. The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon
2. The Judas Strain by James Rollins
3. Dirty Blonde by Lisa Scottoline
4. Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill
5. The Wrong Hostage by Elizabeth Lowell
6. The Blue Zone by Andrew Gross
7. Up in Honey's Room by Elmore Leonard
8. For a Few Demons More by Kim Harrison
9. No Good Deeds by Laura Lippman
10. The Book of Air and Shadows by Michael Gruber
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Comics, anime and graphic novel on-sale calendar from Publishers Weekly
Dec. 12:

Welcome to Tranquility Vol. 1
NYC Mech Vol. 2: Beta Love
New X-Men Childhoods Ends Vol. 5
Criminal Vol. 2: Lawless
Andromeda Stories Vol. 2
Guin Saga Manga Vol. 1: Seven Magi
Wild Ones Vol. 1
Japan Ai: A Tall Girls Adventures in Japan
Robot Vol. 4
Acme Novelty Datebook Vol. 2
Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service Vol. 5
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Top 10 HarperCollins Books:

1. Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld
2. Daring Book for Girls by Andrea J. Buchanan, Miriam Peskowitz
3. Dangerous Book for Boys by Conn and Hall Iggulden
4. The Chronicles of Narnia Pop-Up by C.S. Lewis
5. The Luxe by Anna Godbersen
6. Wicked by Gregory Magure
7. Next by Michael Crichton
8. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
9. Good to Great by Jim Collins
10. A Lifetime of Secrets by Frank Warren

Harper Collins "Insider's Top Ten from Other Houses":

1. War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
2. The Abstinence Teacher by Tom Perrotta
3. Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts
4. Astrid and Veronika by Linda Olsson
5. My Life in France by Julia Child
6. Chosen by a Horse by Susan Richards
7. Born on a Blue Day by Daniel Tammet
8. Lonely Planet Signspotting 2 edited by Doug Lansky
9. The Portable Atheist edited by Christopher Hitchens
10. The New Kings of Nonfiction edited by Ira Glass
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from Shelf Awareness:

Five finalists have been named for this year's Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature, which honors "an emerging author in the field of Jewish literature who has written a book of exceptional literary merit that stimulates an interest in themes of Jewish concern." The award focuses on fiction and nonfiction in alternating years. The $100,000 prize, administered by the Jewish Book Council and created last year by the children and grandchildren of Sami Rohr, will be given next spring. The inaugural winner last year was fiction writer Tamar Yellin for The Genizah at the House of Shepher (Toby Press).

The finalists for this year are:
Ilana M. Blumberg for Houses of Study: A Jewish Woman Among Books (University of Nebraska Press)
Eric L. Goldstein for The Price of Whiteness: Jews, Race and American Identity (Princeton University Press)
Lucette Lagnado for The Man in the White Sharkskin Suit: My Family's Exodus from Old Cairo to the New World (Ecco)
Michael Makovsky for Churchill's Promised Land: Zionism and Statecraft (Yale University Press)
Haim Watzman for A Crack in the Earth: A Journey Up Israel's Rift Valley (FSG)
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From Shelf Awareness:
Sadly, Terry Pratchett has been diagnosed with a rare form of early onset Alzheimer's, as he stated online [Dec. 12, see link below]. He added:
"We are taking it fairly philosophically down here and possibly with a mild optimism. For now work is continuing on the completion of Nation and the basic notes are already being laid down for Unseen Academicals. All other things being equal, I expect to meet most current and, as far as possible, future commitments but will discuss things with the various organisers. Frankly, I would prefer it if people kept things cheerful, because I think there's time for at least a few more books yet :o)"

http://www.paulkidby.com/news/index.html

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From the Associated Press:

By HILLEL ITALIE, AP National Writer

NEW YORK (AP) " Three days before Thanksgiving, Amazon.com unveiled its Kindle e-book reader, the latest, and surely not the last, hand-held device meant to bring the centuries-old experience of the printed page to the digital age.
In December, Kindle best sellers included some of the year's most popular books, among them Elizabeth Gilbert's "Eat, Pray, Love," Khaled Hosseini's "A Thousand Splendid Suns" and Jessica Seinfeld's "Deceptively Delicious." Actual sales figures were not available. Absent from the list, and unlikely to appear, was the biggest release of 2007, J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," the seventh and final volume of her record-breaking fantasy series.
Rowling has never permitted her work to appear in e-book form and it's not because she's waiting for an instrument to surpass the Kindle, or the Sony Reader, or the Gemstar. Her objection is more philosophical than mechanical. Her books are written in longhand and she has long favored having them read unplugged as well.
"Deathly Hallows" was a triumph of the size and efficiency of modern technology " selling 10 million copies in 24 hours was physically impossible even a few years ago. It also was a triumph of the old-fashioned caress of ink on paper.
In a year otherwise defined by uninspiring sales and dire forecasts for reading, as compiled by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Potter book demonstrated that nothing sells, or lasts, like the bound text of a great story.
Potter's rise parallels the bumpier history of the e-book. Rowling's debut, "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," came out in the United States in 1998, around the same time that the word "e-book" began appearing in the mainstream press.
In 2000, when Potter books were so hot that stores began holding midnight parties to welcome them, e-book fever was peaking. Stephen King's e-story, "Riding the Bullet," was downloaded hundreds of thousands of times and digital texts were the talk of that year's BookExpo America. The convention's featured speaker, Amazon.com head Jeff Bezos, predicted that digital texts could well make traditional retailers obsolete.
Over the next few years, e-books cooled from phenomenon to niche, while Potter soared from phenomenon to way of life. No press conference was needed to announce "Deathly Hallows." A brief message appeared one February morning on Rowling's Web site and within hours the book was No. 1 on Amazon.com, and remained so for months. Not even the unauthorized leak of the text online, days before the July 21 publication, kept "Deathly Hallows" from selling faster than any work in history.
"If you go back in time, the landscape is littered with the bodies of dead e-book ... (instruments)," Bezos acknowledged upon introducing the Kindle.
The landscape is also littered with millions of warm and worn Potter books, in hardcover and paper, on shelves around the world, ready to be opened by the next generation of hands.
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From the Associated Press: Publishing hits and misses in 2007

By HILLEL ITALIE, AP National Writer
NEW YORK (AP) " It was the "confession" that nobody wanted to read in 2007 " at least until they had the chance to read it.
O.J. Simpson's "If I Did It," vilified when first announced a year ago, dropped by HarperCollins, then issued this fall by tiny Beaufort Books, sold more than 100,000 copies, according to Nielsen BookScan, which tracks about 70 percent of industry sales.
Simpson's book, supposedly so untouchable that Barnes & Noble Inc. initially declined to stock it in stores, had Nielsen numbers comparable to such high-profile releases as former CIA director George Tenet's "At the Center of the Storm" and Alice Sebold's "The Almost Moon," her first novel since the best seller "The Lovely Bones."
It outsold books by Jenna Bush (62,000), Lynne Cheney (9,000), National Book Award for fiction winner Denis Johnson (34,000) Man Booker Prize winner Anne Enright (34,000) and perennial best seller Jimmy Carter (16,000).
A look at some books that topped Simpson's in 2007, and some others that didn't:

HITS
"A Thousand Splendid Suns," Khaled Hosseini. First-time sensations are supposed to flop, or at least come up short the second time. Not Hosseini, whose follow up to "The Kite Runner" was another million seller and received even better reviews.
"Eat, Pray, Love," Elizabeth Gilbert. A paperback phenomenon, Gilbert's million-selling breakup/travel memoir was so popular " especially with women " that spotting readers seemed as easy in 2007 as finding a Starbucks. A plug from Oprah Winfrey didn't hurt.
"Skinny B----," Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin. Oprah's not the only hitmaker. Modestly successful when first published, in 2005, this trendy diet book soared after Victoria "Posh Spice" Beckham was photographed holding a copy at a Hollywood boutique.
"The Dangerous Book for Boys," Conn and Hal Iggulden. Anyone who wasn't reading "Eat, Pray, Love" (or "Skinny B----") was reading this how-to guide that covers everything from paper airplanes to go-carts to skipping stones to skinning a rabbit.

MISSES
The Hillary Clinton trio: Carl Bernstein's "A Woman in Charge," Jeff Gerth and Don Van Natta Jr.'s "Her Way" and Sally Bedell Smith's "For Love of Politics." When people want to learn about Hillary, they read Hillary. According to Nielsen BookScan, sales for these three highly publicized books totaled 88,000 (most were Bernstein's book) through early December, less than half the first-day take for Clinton's "Living History."
"Fair Game," Valerie Plame. The long-awaited memoir by the former CIA official whose outing by columnist Robert Novak became a political scandal and led to a long federal investigation. Published in October with an announced first printing of 400,000, "Fair Game" had BookScan sales of 42,000.
"The Higher Power of Lucky," Susan Patron. Winner of the Newbery medal for best children's book and briefly in the headlines for its use of the word "scrotum." Sales: 49,000.
"The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao," Junot Diaz. One of the year's best reviewed novels and a likely Pulitzer Prize contender. Sales: 27,000.
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From the Associated Press:
By MARK KENNEDY, Associated Press Writer

NEW YORK (AP) " For those rock 'n' roll fans on your gift list this holiday season, there are plenty of new offerings to keep their heads bopping along happily into the new year.
There are fresh sounds from Eric Clapton, Sting, Genesis, Ronnie Wood of the Rolling Stones, Velvet Revolver guitarist Slash and Motley Crue bassist Nikki Sixx.
There's just one twist: None are on CD racks. All are on bookshelves " part of an unusual flurry of autobiographies out this winter by aging rockers with some hair-raising stories.
Clapton's self-titled autobiography is already a hit, having sold 525,000 copies. Joining him on best-seller lists is "Slash," "Ronnie" and Sixx's "The Heroin Diaries."
Why would rockers " those near-mythical gods of sex, drugs and general excess " turn to that most stodgy of storytelling modes, the written word?
"I think there are a couple of motivations: One, they've lived their lives and it's time to look back on them " the lived life is worth examining," says Broadway Books Executive Editor Charlie Conrad, who worked on Clapton's book.
"And also, from the standpoint of the public, rock figures are out there on the cutting edge " the knife edge. They live life to its extreme. And if they survived, they have a good story to tell."
Those stories include tales of love, loss and friendship, but also nasty bouts with venereal diseases, scary strippers and mountains of controlled substances.
Clapton, who pushed aside a ghost writer in favor of penning his own book, discusses the death of his son Conor, his various addictions, and his love triangle with Pattie Boyd and George Harrison, a topic already broached in Boyd's recent tell-all "Wonderful Tonight."
Wood, who offers his own night bedding Boyd, also delves into his years freebasing cocaine and the time he had an armed face-off with Keith Richards, with both pointing guns at each other.
The original lineup of Genesis " including Peter Gabriel " collaborated for the first time in over 20 years for "Genesis: Chapter and Verse," which offers polite first-person account and photos.
Sixx's diary is a tad darker " an unvarnished look at his life on the road in 1987, when he struggled with addictions and depression. There's the time he woke up during an earthquake and ran outside, naked and clutching a crack pipe. In another entry, he writes: "This morning I woke up with my shotgun in bed with me."
Not to be outdone, Slash, a founding member of Guns N' Roses who makes several wicked cameos in Sixx's book, has his own accounts of debauchery, delivered in a straightforward, often amusing way. He tells of one night being kicked out of a Canadian hotel, drunk and soaked in his own urine. But to his surprise, he's not as frozen as he feared: "That's a wonderful side effect of leather pants: when you pee yourself in them, they're more forgiving than jeans," he writes.
Publishers say the warts-and-all profiles that emerge from these books are crucial for their success. In an Internet-fed and reality-TV soaked world, book buyers already consider themselves insiders, and successful authors can't just phone it in.
"I'm sure they're not telling every single crevice of their darkest soul, but they are giving you some real stuff. I think that's a real difference," says Elizabeth Beier, executive editor of St. Martin's Press, which published the Wood and Genesis books.
For the less squeamish reader, there's always "Mosaic: Pieces of My Life So Far" by Amy Grant, which includes the singer's lyrics, poetry and vignettes " all of a decidedly uplifting variety.
And Sting has published a book of his lyrics, complete with his more highbrow observations. Of the song "Synchronicity II," he writes: "I was trying to dramatize Jung's theory of meaningful coincidence."
Publishers say the current crop of rock tell-alls owes much to the success of Bob Dylan's 2004 autobiography "Chronicles: Volume One," which sold 425,000 hardcover copies.
Other rock books available this winter include a biography on Gram Parsons by David N. Meyer, and an upcoming unauthorized bio of Guns N' Roses front man Axl Rose, by Mick Wall.
The next big rock autobiographies on the horizon? One by Pete Townshend, and one by another Rolling Stone " Keith Richards, who was reportedly paid more than $7 million by Little, Brown & Company for his drug-fueled memories.
That may be a risky prospect. Conrad recalls band mate Mick Jagger also being under contract to write his autobiography many years ago, only for him to back out.
"There's a great story about how he was signed up for all this money and then he just couldn't remember anything," says Conrad. "And if he can't remember, what about Keith? Let's just hope his collaborator can do a lot of interviews."

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