Recordpub.com - One for the Books: Novels To Get Lost In

I just love finding books you may not have heard about. I've found three novels that aren't long, but they're so good you can get lost in them.

"The Art of Racing in the Rain" by Garth Stein is narrated by a dog named Enzo. He's old now, and as he looks back on his life, we get to fall in love with him.

Enzo belongs to his best friend, Denny, who's a race car driver. Denny accidentally leaves the TV on one day, and Enzo is entranced by what he finds: "The Weather Channel is not about weather; it is about the world!" He loves to watch tapes of Denny's races. And one of his favorite shows is a documentary about dogs, which says that a good dog, when he's ready, will next reincarnate into a man. Well, Enzo's ready. "My soul is very human," he says. Enzo is much more intuitive than the people around him, because he's a listener (although he bemoans his inability to talk, along with his lack of opposable thumbs). He's a thinker, a philosopher, with the mind of a sage and the soul of a guru. The dog ponders religion, history, science, politics -- "All dogs are progressively inclined regarding social issues." Enzo says he is "not above using the tools of my dogness to exact justice." He sees magical things around him, provides a bit of zen wisdom, and understands the metaphysical truth of "The Secret": "That which you manifest is before you."

We know right at the beginning that Enzo is dying and that Denny's wife, Eve, is already gone, so we can foresee that this will be a tear-jerker. But it's also much more. The book starts out joyful, then becomes somber. And worse. Still, as dead serious as it is, there's humor. And a few adult situations. It's a roller-coaster; one part of the book will really lift the spirit and the next will plunge you right down into frustration and despair. You will learn to hate in-laws, teenagers, and lawyers, meet the best people in the world and the worst. I don't know when I've reacted so physically to a book. I cried so hard I could hardly see the words I was reading. And on the next page, I was filled with joy. And when I finished, I held onto the book and wouldn't let go for quite a while. I know it gets depressing when Eve is ill, but after her death, it becomes a whole different book, and I can't tell you about it or I'll spoil it. Promise me this: On the page where Eve dies, take a break and when you come back, don't put the book down until you've finished it. The last lap is well worth the long race. For me, it joins the ranks of the classic animal stories. I will never forget Enzo the dog. The book is just extraordinary. I love it, and I can't say enough about how glorious it is.

"The Commoner" by John Burnham Schwartz is about a young woman selected to join the Japanese royal family in a plot line that parallels historical reality. The story is told in the first-person voice of Haruko, who was born in 1934. She tells us what life was like in Tokyo and its environs before and during World War II and describes the horrifying fire bombings of 1945. At the university, her excellent skills at tennis bring her to the attention of the Crown Prince, whom she meets at a tennis match. They become acquaintances, and eventually the prince's agent asks her parents for her hand; they refuse. Her father is a successful businessman, but they are still commoners and don't feel worthy. But the prince won't give up. Finally, she and her parents agree; she will marry the heir to the Chrysanthemum Throne and become the Crown Princess. Suddenly, she is constantly pestered by photographers as she begins her "all-consuming lessons in the many imperial functions and ceremonies," including duties, protocol and Japan's new constitution. Entering the palace for the first time, she says, "I had the sensation of entering a children's story, though without the comforting knowledge that I could close the book if it turned out to be too frightening, if the forest suddenly came alive or the dragon began breathing fire." We go through the entire wedding day with her as she details all the rituals and describes her elaborate hairstyle and many-layered traditional bridal costume, weighing a total of about 18 kilos. Her life in the palace is no fairy tale, but she perseveres, and at age 55 she becomes the empress of Japan. Then her grown son decides he wants to marry a reluctant commoner. Now what?

The dialogue is often clipped and simple, which felt natural to me, but there are also beautiful, lyrical moments: "There was a pause. Beyond the terrace, a light breeze stirred the reeds at the edge of a small viewing pond. Looking out at this intimate vista, one could see the reeds and a stone lantern and the brightest of the evening's stars floating on the gloaming mirror of the pond." A couple of things don't quite ring true for me, but it's a lovely book, and it's perfectly acceptable for young people. It reminds me of Pearl S. Buck's "Imperial Woman," Arthur Golden's "Memoirs of a Geisha," and books about Diana, Princess of Wales, of which there have been about 3,489,732.

"Austenland" by Shannon Hale is a great summer read for all us Jane Austen fanatics. In the 21st century, Jane Hayes, 32, is a hard-working single woman living in Manhattan. Her aunt notices how obsessed Jane is with Colin Firth, who plays the character of Mr. Darcy in the DVD of Austen's "Pride and Prejudice," and that no other man will do. She arranges for Jane to live out a fantasy in "the past," at a hidden estate in England for three weeks, with a group of people pretending it's 1816. Jane enters a fantasy not unlike the movie "West World," but set in "Austenland": "Here she was, a grown woman playing dress-up, but it felt so good." She's taught manners and graces of the Regency Era, how to dance and play cards. Then she meets the others in her fantasy world. But are they guests, or professional actors? Who's telling the truth and who's just playing a role? And the attractive but brooding guy -- what's his story? Can Jane end her obsession with finding the Perfect Man? "Off and on, she realized now, she'd been forgetting the entire real world in order to let herself sink into the fantasy." This is a deliciously fun romance. And it's just fine for young people to read. Jane's obsession reminds me of "Bridget Jones's Diary" by Helen Fielding.

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

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BOOK NOTES,
One for the Books Extra Online Exclusives:

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The Reel Readers group at Reed Memorial Library in Ravenna will watch the movie and discuss the book "I, Robot" by Isaac Asimov at 5:30 p.m. July 16. Call 330-296-2827, ext. 202.

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Local author Audrey Lavin of Canton will appear from 6 to 8 p.m. July 18 at The Learned Owl Book Shop, 204 N. Main St. in Hudson, for a book signing and reading. Her appearance is part of the store's Friday Fresh Voices series.
Lavin's current book is "Eloquent Corpse," a sequel to her 2004 book, "Eloquent Blood." The new book is a murder mystery set at a writers conference in Ohio and features amateur detective Mary Beth Goldberg.
Lavin earned a bachelor's degree at Northwestern University followed by a master's from the University of Akron. She went on to earn a doctorate and teach at Case Western Reserve University.
Refreshments will be served. No reservations are required.
For more information, call the store at 330-653-2252 or 800-968-2685 or visit www.learnedowl.com.
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Bob Adamov, author of the popular Put-In-Bay mystery novels, will be at The Learned Owl Book Shop, 204 N. Main St. in Hudson, from 7 to 8 p.m. on July 25. His appearance is part of the Friday Fresh Voices series.
He will be autographing his newest book, "The Other Side of Hell," which features a bonus 11-song CD from Mike "Mad Dog" Adams. It is the fifth in the series. Refreshments will be served. No reservations are required.
A Kent State University graduate, Adamov resides in Wooster.
For more information, contact The Learned Owl Book Shop at 330-653-2252 or 800-968-2685 or visit www.learnedowl.com.

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Wine critic and author Gary Vaynerchuk will visit The Learned Owl Book Shop, 204 N. Main St. in Hudson, on July 31. From 7 to 9 p.m., he will sign copies of his book, "Gary Vaynerchuk's 101 Wines Guaranteed to Inspire." A reception and cash wine bar will follow at the Vue Restaurant in the First & Main area of downtown Hudson. All events are open to the public, with no reservations required.
For more information or to pre-order a copy of the book, contact the Learned Owl Book Shop at 330-653-2252 or 800-968-2685 or visit www.learnedowl.com.
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from Shelf Awareness:

"Israeli author Amos Oz has won the 2008 Heinrich Heine Prize, which has an award of 50,000 euros (about $79,000) and is sponsored by the city of Duesseldorf, Germany, the poet's birthplace. The jury lauded Oz for his literary creativity, political sensibility and humanistic engagement. Oz will accept the award on December 13, Heine's 211th birthday."
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Science fiction author Thomas M. Disch has died.

http://www.locusmag.com/2008/Disch_Obit.html

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A book club for "Lost" fans? Oh, yeah.

http://www.upi.com/Entertainment_News/2008/07/01/ABC_establishes_Lost_book_club/UPI-48391214963662/

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According to The Guardian, hectic bidding during a recent auction of first editions of the Harry Potter books almost caused the software to crash.

http://books.guardian.co.uk/harrypotter/story/0,,2288354,00.html

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Salman Rushdie has been named winner of the Best of the Booker Award for his 1981 novel, "Midnight's Children."

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from Shelf Awareness: New Books Out July 8:

Tribute by Nora Roberts
Palace Council by Stephen L. Carter
Swan Peak: A Dave Robicheaux Novel by James Lee Burke
Victory of Eagles by Naomi Novik
Silent Thunder by Iris Johansen and Roy Johansen
Time Is a River by Mary Alice Monroe
So Long at the Fair: A Novel by Christina Schwarz

New Books Out July 15:

The Time Paradox by Eoin Colfer
Say Goodbye by Lisa Gardner
Rules of Deception by Christopher Reich

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The Star Tribune has come up a book list of "What Would Jesus Read?" Be sure you click on the "next page" button for the rest of the list.

http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/faith/23281969.html?location_refer=Homepage:highlightModules:6

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from ISI Books public relations:

ISI Books, the imprint of the Intercollegiate Studies Institute, announces the publication of ELIOT AND HIS AGE: T. S. ELIOT'S MORAL IMAGINATION IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY by Russell Kirk, with a new Introduction by Benjamin G. Lockerd Jr. For Eliot devotees, Russell Kirk fans, and those simply interested in one of the towering figures of twentieth-century literature, ELIOT AND HIS AGE is a literary biography that will endure when much of the more recent writing on Eliot is gathering dust.

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Publishers Weekly On-Sale Calendar for Comics/Graphic Novels:

July 2, 2008

Complete K Chronicles (Dark Horse)
Superman: Last Son (DC)
Water Baby (DC/ Minx)
Lore (IDW Publishing)
After the Cape II: All Falls Down
Anita Blake Vampire Hunter Guilty Pleasures Vol. 2 (Marvel)
Cola Madness (Picturebox)
Coraline (Harper Collins)
Warriors: Rise of Scourge (Harper Collins)
Fairy Tail Vol. 3 (Del Ray Manga)
Mamoru: The Shadow Protector Vol. 1 (DR Masters Publications)
Romance Papa Vol. 3 (Netcomics)
COWA (Viz Media)
Kannazuki No Miko Vol. 2 (Tokyopop)
Time Stranger Kyoko Vol. 1 (Viz Media)
Guardian Hearts Vol. 1 (Tokyopop)

July 9, 2008:

North Wind Vol. 1 (Boom!)
Batman and Son (DC)
New York Four (DC/Minx)
American Virgin Vol. 4 Around The World (DC/Vertigo)
Gentleman Jim HC (Drawn & Quarterly)
Bone Vol. 8 Treasure Hunters (Graphix)
Runaways Dead Ends Kids (Marvel)
Criminal Vol. 3. The Dead and the Dying (Marvel/Icon)
Yakitate!! Japan Vol. 12 (Viz)
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Oops! They wanted Sean Connery to write his autobiography; but he wanted to write a book about Scotland.

http://news.scotsman.com/entertainment/Why-Connery-and-Canongate-failed.4260546.jp

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How's the Amazon Kindle doing?

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/07/04/MN3611KC3M.DTL

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It's that time of year -- Webster's has added more than 100 new entries to the dictionary.

http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6575788.html?nid=2286&source=title&rid=108544603

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The Guardian reports that Jhumpa Lahiri has won the Frank O'Connor award for her short story collection, "Unaccustomed Earth."

http://books.guardian.co.uk/news/articles/0,,2289362,00.html

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The Southern Independent Booksellers Association has announced its SIBA Award winners.

http://www.sibaweb.com/

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Sci-fi author's estate embroiled in will dispute

By KRISTIN M. HALL, Associated Press Writer
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (AP) " Andre Norton, one of science fiction's most prolific female writers until she died three years ago, intrigued her readers by creating hundreds of fantasy worlds during her 70 years of writing.
And in a decision that may have been accidental or calculated, the Ohio native left her friends and fans a final puzzle: Who should control the rights to her more than 130 books, including the popular "Witch World" series.
Like a plot out of a novel, conflicting claims have erupted over the copyrights and royalties of Norton's work. One comes from the woman who cared for Norton in her later years, the other from a fan who contends he's better suited to care for Norton's literary legacy.
As courts sort out the disputes, Norton's unpublished works are on hold, leaving collaborating authors and Norton fans eager for a resolution.
...
Norton moved to Murfreesboro, a Nashville suburb, in the 1990s and established a writer's research library. As she got older, the library was closed and Norton, who had no children or other close relatives, moved in with her caretaker, Sue Stewart. Over the years, she gave Stewart more than $250,000, according to court testimony.
Norton updated her will several times and in the final version said she wanted to be cremated with a copy of her first and last books, and wanted her estate split among co-authors, friends and Stewart.
Stewart was named as the beneficiary of the "residuary clause" " all other property or money not explicitly assigned in the will.
But the will also said that Norton's longtime fan, Horadam, was to get "the royalties from all posthumous publication of any of my works."

for the rest of the story ...
http://edition.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/books/07/08/books.disputedwill.ap/

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PUBLISHERS WEEKLY BEST-SELLERS

HARDCOVER FICTION
1. "Fearless Fourteen" by Janet Evanovich (St. Martin's Press)
2. "The Last Patriot" by Brad Thor (Atria)
3. "Sail" by James Patterson and Howard Roughan, (Little, Brown)
4. "TailSpin" by Catherine Coulter (Putnam)
5. "The Host" by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown)
6. "Rogue" by Danielle Steel (Delacorte Press)
7. "The Story of Edgar Sawtelle" by David Wroblewski (Ecco)
8. "Chasing Darkness" by Robert Crais (Simon & Schuster)
9. "Death Angel: by Linda Howard (Ballantine Books) (F-H)
10. "Love the One You're With" by Emily Giffin (St. Martin's Press)
11. "The Beach House" by Jane Green (Viking)
12. "The Last Oracle" by James Rollins (William Morrow)
13. "Chasing Harry Winston" by Lauren Weisberger (Simon & Schuster)
14. "The Broken Window" by Jeffery Deaver (Simon & Schuster)
15. "Nothing to Lose" by Lee Child (Delacorte)

NONFICTION/GENERAL
1. "The Last Lecture" by Randy Pausch, Jeffrey Zaslow (Hyperion)
2. "When You Are Engulfed in Flames" by David Sedaris (Little, Brown)
3. "The Secret" by Rhonda Byrne (Atria Books/Beyond Words)
4. "What Happened: Inside the Bush White House and Washington's Culture of Deception" by Scott McClellan (PublicAffairs)
5. "Fleeced:How Barack Obama, Media Mockery of Terrorist Threats, Liberals Who Want to Kill Talk Radio, The Do-Nothing Congress, Companies That Help Iran, and Washington Lobbyists for Foreign Governments Are Scamming Us ... and What to Do About It" by Dick Morris, Eileen McGann (Harper)
6. "Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea" by Chelsea Handler (Simon Spotlight Entertainment)
7. "The Monster of Florence" by Douglas Preston with Mario Spezi (Grand Central)
8. "My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist's Personal Journey" by Jill Bolte Taylor (Viking)
9. "Audition" by Barbara Walters (Knopf)
10. "The Post-American World" by Fareed Zakaria (W.W. Norton)
11. "Stori Telling" by Tori Spelling (Simon Spotlight)
12. "The South Beach Diet Supercharged: Faster Weight Loss and Better Health for Life" by Arthur Agatston and Joseph Signorile (Rodale Books)
13. "StrengthsFinder 2.0" by Tom Rath (Gallup Press)
14. "The Billionaire's Vinegar: The Mystery of the World's Most Expensive Bottle of Wine" by Benjamin Wallace (Crown)
15. "Women & Money: Owning the Power to Control Your Destiny" by Suze Orman (Spiegel & Grau)

MASS MARKET PAPERBACKS
1. "Lean Mean Thirteen" by Janet Evanovich (St. Martin's Press)
2. "Into the Shadow" by Christina Dodd (Signet)
3. "Double Take" by Catherine Coulter (Jove)
4. "The Wheel of Darkness" by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child (Vision)
5. "Step on a Crack" by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge (Vison)
6. "The Navigator" by Clive Cussler, Paul Kemprecos (Berkley)
7. "Someday Soon" by Debbie Macomber (Avon)
8. "Bones To Ashes" by Kathy Reichs (Pocket Star)
9. "Fast Track" by Fern Michaels (Zebra)
10. "The Secret Servant" by Daniel Silva (Signet)
11. "Return to Summerhouse" by Jude Deveraux (Pocket Star)
12. "Dear John" by Nicholas Sparks (Grand Central)
13. "The Darkest Pleasure" by Gena Showalter (HQN)
14. "The Ideal Wife" by Mary Balogh (Dell)
15. "The Judas Strain" by James Rollins (Harper)

TRADE PAPERBACKS
1. "The Shack" by William P. Young (Windblown Media)
2. "A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose" by Eckhart Tolle (Plume)
3. "Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace ... One School at a Time" by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin (Penguin)
4. "Big Russ and Me: Father and Son: Lessons of Life" by Tim Russert (Miramax Books)
5. "Wisdom of Our Fathers: Lessons and Letters from Daughters and Sons" by Tim Russert (Random House)
6. "Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia" by Elizabeth Gilbert (Penguin)
7. "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen (Algonquin)
8. "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini (Riverhead)
9. "The Friday Night Knitting Club" by Kate Jacobs (Berkley)
10. "Skinny B----" by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin (Running Press)
11. "The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream" by Barack Obama (Three Rivers Press)
12. "The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment" by Eckhart Tolle (New World Library)
13. "Dreams from my Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance" by Barack Obama (Three Rivers Press)
14. "The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho (Harper)
15. "Nineteen Minutes" by Jodi Picoult (Washington Square Press)
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USA TODAY BEST-SELLERS

Key: F-Fiction; NF-Nonfiction; H-Hardcover; P-Paperback
1. "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown) (F-P)
2. "New Moon" by Stephenie Meyer (Little Brown for Young Readers) (F-H)
3. "Someday Soon" by Debbie Macomber (Avon) (F-P)
4. "The Shack" by William P. Young (Windblown Media) (F-P)
5. "Fast Track" by Fern Michaels (Zebra) (F-P)
6. "Eclipse" by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown) (F-H)
7. "Fearless Fourteen" by Janet Evanovich (St. Martin's Press)(F-H)
8. "The MacGregor Grooms" by Nora Roberts (Silhouette) (F-P)
9. "Double Take" by Catherine Coulter (Jove) (F-P)
10. "The Last Lecture" by Randy Pausch, Jeffrey Zaslow (Hyperion) (NF-H)
11. "Rogue" by Danielle Steel (Delacorte Press) (F-H)
12. "The Last Patriot" by Brad Thor (Atria) (F-H)
13. "Sail" by James Patterson and Howard Roughan, (Little, Brown) (F-H)
14. "Lean Mean Thirteen" by Janet Evanovich (St. Martin's Press) (F-H)
15. "When You Are Engulfed in Flames" by David Sedaris (Little, Brown) (NF-H)
16. "TailSpin" by Catherine Coulter (Putnam) (F-H)
17. "Bones To Ashes" by Kathy Reichs (Pocket Star) (F-P)
18. "The Clique Summer Collection 4: Kristen" by Lisi Harrison (Poppy) (F-P)
19. "That Summer Place" by Jill Barnett, Debbie Macomber, Susan Wiggs, (Mira) (F-P)
20. "A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose" by Eckhart Tolle (Plume) (NF-P)
21. "Into the Shadow" by Christina Dodd (Signet) (F-P)
22. "Death Angel: by Linda Howard (Ballantine Books) (F-H)
23. "Big Russ and Me: Father and Son: Lessons of Life" by Tim Russert (Miramax Books) (NF-P)
24. "The Host" by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown) (F-H)
25. "Dear John" by Nicholas Sparks (Grand Central Publishing) (F-P)
26. "Return to Summerhouse" by Jude Deveraux (Pocket Star) (F-P)
27. "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)
28. "The Secret" by Rhonda Byrne (Atria Books/Beyond Words) (NF-H)
29. "Wisdom of Our Fathers: Lessons and Letters from Daughters and Sons" by Tim Russert (Random House) (NF-P)
30. "Step on a Crack" by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge (Vison) (F-P)
31. "High Noon" by Nora Roberts (Jove) (F-P)
32. "Chasing Darkness" by Robert Crais (Simon & Schuster) (F-H)
33. "What Matters Most" by Luanne Rice (Bantam) (F-P)
34. "The Navigator" by Clive Cussler, Paul Kemprecos (Berkley) (F-P)
35. "Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia" by Elizabeth Gilbert (Penguin) (NF-P)
36. "The Ideal Wife" by Mary Balogh (Dell) (F-P)
37. "Fleeced:How Barack Obama, Media Mockery of Terrorist Threats, Liberals Who Want to Kill Talk Radio, The Do-Nothing Congress, Companies That Help Iran, and Washington Lobbyists for Foreign Governments Are Scamming Us ... and What to Do About It" by Dick Morris, Eileen McGann (Harper)(NF-H)
38. "The Friday Night Knitting Club" by Kate Jacobs (Berkley) (F-P)
39. "The Story of Edgar Sawtelle" by David Wroblewski (Ecco) (F-H)
40. "Love the One You're With" by Emily Giffin (St. Martin's Press) (F-H)
41. "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen (Algonquin) (F-P)
42. "The Beach House" by Jane Green (Viking) (F-H)
43. "You Can Heal Your Life" by Louise L. Hay (Hay House) (NF-P)
44. "The Last Oracle" by James Rollins (William Morrow) (F-H)
45. "Naruto, Volume 30" by Masashi Kishimoto (Viz Media LLC) (F-P)
46. "Skinny B----" by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin (Running Press) (NF-P)
47. "Duchess By Night" by Eloisa James (Avon) (F-P)
48. "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini (Riverhead) (F-P)
49. "The Wheel of Darkness" by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child (Vision) (F-P)
50. "Second Chance" by Jane Green (Plume) (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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WALL STREET JOURNAL BEST-SELLERS

FICTION
1. "The Last Patriot" by Brad Thor (Atria)
2. "Fearless Fourteen" by Janet Evanovich (St. Martin's Press)
3. "Sail" by James Patterson and Howard Roughan, (Little, Brown)
4. "TailSpin" by Catherine Coulter (Putnam)
5. "The Story of Edgar Sawtelle" by David Wroblewski (Ecco)
6. "The Host" by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown)
7. "Chasing Darkness" by Robert Crais (Simon & Schuster)
8. "Love the One You're With" by Emily Giffin (St. Martin's Press)
9. "The Beach House" by Jane Green (Viking)
10. "The Last Oracle" by James Rollins (William Morrow)
11. "Rogue" by Danielle Steel (Delacorte Press)
12. "Death Angel: by Linda Howard (Ballantine Books)
13. "The Shack" by William P. Young (Windblown Media)
14. "Chasing Harry Winston" by Lauren Weisberger (Simon & Schuster)
15. "The Broken Window" by Jeffery Deaver (Simon & Schuster)

NONFICTION
1. "The Last Lecture" by Randy Pausch, Jeffrey Zaslow (Hyperion)
2. "When You Are Engulfed in Flames" by David Sedaris (Little, Brown)
3. "Fleeced:How Barack Obama, Media Mockery of Terrorist Threats, Liberals Who Want to Kill Talk Radio, The Do-Nothing Congress, Companies That Help Iran, and Washington Lobbyists for Foreign Governments Are Scamming Us ... and What to Do About It" by Dick Morris, Eileen McGann (Harper)
4. "The Secret" by Rhonda Byrne (Atria Books/Beyond Words)
5. "Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea" by Chelsea Handler (Simon Spotlight Entertainment)
6. "When Markets Collide: Investment Strategies for the Age of Global Economic Change" by Mohamed El-Erian (McGraw-Hill)
7. "What Happened: Inside the Bush White House and Washington's Culture of Deception" by Scott McClellan (PublicAffairs)
8. "StrengthsFinder 2.0" by Tom Rath (Gallup Press)
9. "The Monster of Florence" by Douglas Preston with Mario Spezi (Grand Central)
10. "Good to Great" by Jim Collins (Collins)
11. "Audition" by Barbara Walters (Knopf)
12. "My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist's Personal Journey" by Jill Bolte Taylor (Viking)
13. "The Post-American World" by Fareed Zakaria (W.W. Norton)
14. "Stori Telling" by Tori Spelling (Simon Spotlight)
15. "The South Beach Diet Supercharged: Faster Weight Loss and Better Health for Life" by Arthur Agatston and Joseph Signorile (Rodale Books)

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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from Publishers Weekly:
July Christian Marketplace Bestsellers

Hardcovers
1. Walking with God, John Eldredge. Thomas Nelson
2. Jesus, Charles R. Swindoll. Thomas Nelson
3. Dead Heat, Joel C. Rosenberg. Tyndale
4. Cinderella, Steven Curtis Chapman. Thomas Nelson
5. Adam, Ted Dekker. Thomas Nelson
6. Love and Respect, Emerson Eggerichs. Thomas Nelson
7. Do Hard Things, Alex and Brett Harris. Waterbrook/Multnomah
8. Jesus Calling, Sarah Young. Thomas Nelson
9. Have a New Kid by Friday, Kevin Leman. Revell/Baker
10. 3:16: The Numbers of Hope, Max Lucado. Thomas Nelson

Paperbacks
1. The Shack, William P. Young . Windblown Media
2. The List, Robert Whitlow. Thomas Nelson
3. 90 Minutes in Heaven, Don Piper with Cecil Murphey. Revell/Baker
4. Quiet Strength, Tony Dungy. Tyndale
5. The Five Love Languages, Gary Chapman. Moody/Northfield
6. Captivating, John and Stasi Eldredge. Thomas Nelson
7. The Purpose Driven Life, Rick Warren. Zondervan
8. The Forbidden, Beverly Lewis. Bethany House/Baker
9. The Last Jihad, Joel C. Rosenberg . Tyndale
10. Allison's Journey, Wanda E. Brunstetter. Barbour

All rights reserved. 2008 CBA Services Corp. and Spring Arbor Distributors by Evangelical Christian Publishers Associations.
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What would Jesus read? Reading suggestions from Scripps Howard News Service, Minneapolis Star Tribune
By JEFF STRICKLER, Minneapolis Star Tribune

Tim Franklin has a handy way of checking when the Northwestern Bookstore he manages in Edina, Minn., has its marketing finger on the pulse of the reading community.

"I walk through Target," he said. "When I see them selling the same books we are, I know we're on the right track because all they're interested in is numbers (of sales)."

The explosive interest in religious books is reshaping the marketplace. Once largely the domain of niche bookstores, religious books have elbowed their way into mass-market bookstores. While it used to be unusual for a religious book to make a national best-seller list, it's the rare list today that lacks at least one as they jockey for attention in multiple genres: fiction, nonfiction, advice, biography and children's books.

We checked with several local religious bookstores to see which books they're recommending to customers this summer. Here are their suggestions:

"The Shack" by William P. Young (Windblown Media, $14.99). A man returns to the abandoned cabin where his daughter was murdered. It's No. 1 on The New York Times paperback trade fiction list. "It's really not a Christian book," Franklin said. "It's just a book that is based on an interesting theological premise. It started out in secular bookstores. Then our readers found out about it. We actually had to go seek out the book because it didn't come to us through our usual distributors."

"Dead Heat" by Joel C. Rosenberg (Tyndale, $24.99). This political thriller is the fifth book in a series that is based on events in the not-too-distant future. "All of the books in the series have been extremely popular," said Rose Hintz, owner of Christian Book Store in Red Wing, Minn. "He's also got a nonfiction book, 'Epicenter' (Tyndale, $19.99), that's doing well. People who like his novels read it as background" because it explains the political underpinnings of his stories.

"The Door Within" trilogy by Wayne Thomas Batson (Thomas Nelson, $9.99). A youngster visits a magical kingdom ruled by a benevolent king. "They're like the 'Harry Potter' books, only better," said Cindy Fischer, manager of the Wooddale Bookstore in Eden Prairie, Minn.

"DragonSpell," the first of five in a series by Donita K. Paul (WaterBrook, $13.99). A fantasy in which a 14-year-old girl encounters adventures.

"Quiet Strength" by Tony Dungy (Tyndale, $26.99). The coach of the Indianapolis Colts reflects on his Super Bowl-winning football team as well as the suicide of his son.

"Finding the Monk Within" by Edward C. Sellner (HiddenSpring, $24). This nonfiction book examines how centuries-old monastic values can be applied to modern life. "The author is a professor at (the Twin Cities' College of) St. Catherine," said Tim Doran, manager of the three St. Patrick Guild stores. "This book is doing very well."

"Thin Places" by Mary Treacy O'Keefe (Beaver's Pond Press, $17). Another hot local author, O'Keefe reflects on the deaths of her parents, which were separated by only three months. The book is subtitled "Where Faith Is Affirmed and Hope Dwells."

"How to Raise a Jewish Dog" by Ellis Weiner (Little Brown, $12.99). Despite its title, it's not a training book. The former National Lampoon editor has shaped a series of doggie "inner monologues." Toots Vodovoz, the owner of Elijah's Cup in St. Louis Park, Minn., has only one complaint about the book: "Cat people are mad that there isn't a version for them."

"unChristian" by David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons (Baker, $17.99). The subhead, "What a New Generation Really Thinks About Christianity ... And Why It Matters," sums up this study based on the religious perceptions of people under 30.

"The Reason for God" by Timothy Keller (Dutton, $24.95). A minister addresses the most common causes of religious doubt.

"The Faith" by Charles Colson (Zondervan, $18.99). Stories about courageous Christians throughout history are combined with accounts from Colson's prison ministry.

"Take the Risk" by Ben Carson (Zondervan, $19.99). A physician explores how taking risks can lead to a higher calling.

"Love and Respect" by Emerson Eggerichs (Thomas Nelson, $22.99). This marriage-advice book originally was published in 2004, "but for the first couple of years, nobody heard of it," Northwestern's Franklin said. "For the last two years, it's been one of the strongest nonfiction books. And for the last nine months, it's been one of our best sellers."

"Do Hard Things" by Alex and Brett Harris (Multnomah Books, $16.99). These twins challenge their fellow teens to refute the low expectations that hound their generation.

"Mother Teresa: Come Be My Light" (Doubleday, $22.95) This collection of letters written over her 66-year career was published last fall but continues to be a strong seller.

"90 Minutes in Heaven" by Don Piper (Libri, $12.99). A true story by a man who was pronounced dead at the scene of a car crash, only to return to life an hour and a half later.

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The following authors are making the media rounds, talking about their books:

--Louise Hay, You Can Heal Your Life
--Jonathan Miles, author of Dear American Airlines
--Jim Hightower, Swim Against the Current: Even a Dead Fish Can Go With the Flow
--Anthony Lewis, Freedom for the Thought We Hate: A Biography of the First Amendment
--Fay Vincent, We Would Have Played for Nothing: Baseball Stars of the 1950s and 1960s Talk About the Game They Loved
--Kevin Nealon, Yes, You're Pregnant, But What about Me?
--Naomi Klein, author of The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism
--Rob Mitchell, Castaway Kid: One Man's Search for Hope and Home
--Jen Singer, author of You're a Good Mom . . . And Your Kids Aren't So Bad Either
--David Gilmour, author of The Film Club: A Memoir
--Salman Rushdie, author of The Enchantress of Florence: A Novel
--Brad Thor, author of The Last Patriot
--William Shatner, author of Up Till Now: The Autobiography
--Kathryn Harrison, author of While They Slept: An Inquiry into the Murder of a Family
--Janet Evanovich, author of Fearless Fourteen
--Linda Mills, author of Violent Partners: A Breakthrough Plan for Ending the Cycle of Abuse
--Jen Singer, author of You're a Good Mom (And Your Kids Aren't So Bad Either)
--Melody Petersen, Our Daily Meds: How the Pharmaceutical Companies Transformed Themselves into Slick Marketing Machines and Hooked the Nation on Prescription Drugs
--Paul Roberts, The End of Food
--Paul Light, A Government Ill Executed: The Decline of the Federal Service and How to Reverse It
--Jeremy Scahill, Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army [Revised and Updated]
--Matt Tavares and Doreen Rappaport, authors of Lady Liberty: A Biography
--James P. Carse, The Religious Case Against Belief
--Janice Kaplan, A Job to Kill For
--Robert Rogers, author of Into the Deep: One Man's Story of How Tragedy Took His Family but Could Not Take His Faith
--Pamela Weintraub, Cure Unknown: Inside the Lyme Epidemic
--Liza Monroy, author of Mexican High
--Geoffrey Perret, author of Commander in Chief: How Truman, Johnson, and Bush Turned a Presidential Power into a Threat to America's Future
--Wes Moss, author of Make More, Worry Less: Secrets from 18 Extraordinary People Who Created a Bigger Income and a Better Life
--David Iglesias, In Justice: Inside the Scandal That Rocked the Bush Administration
--Philippe Sands, author of Torture Team: Rumsfeld's Memo and the Betrayal of American Values
--Christopher Hopkins, author of Staging Your Comeback: A Complete Beauty Revival for Women Over 45
--Brian Hall, author of Fall of Frost
--John Siceloff, author of Your America: Democracy's Local Heroes
--Robyn Moreno, author of Practically Posh: The Smart Girls' Guide to a Glam Life
--Martin Atkins, author of Tour:Smart
--Douglas J. Feith, author of War and Decision: Inside the Pentagon at the Dawn of the War on Terrorism
--Jeff Shaara, author of The Steel Wave: A Novel of World War II
--Walter Borneman, author of Polk: The Man Who Transformed the Presidency and America
--Arthur Herman, author of Gandhi & Churchill: The Epic Rivalry That Destroyed an Empire and Forged Our Age
--Katha Pollitt, Learning to Drive: And Other Life Stories
--Jolene Brackey, Creating Moments of Joy for the Person with Alzheimer's or Dementia, 4th Edition
--Lee Child, Nothing to Lose
--Elizabeth Pisani, The Wisdom of Whores: Bureaucrats, Brothels, and the Business of AIDS
--Amanda Ripley, The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes--And Why
--Doreen Rappaport and Matt Tavares, author and illustrator, respectively, of Lady Liberty: A Biography
--Joe Nick Patoski, Willie Nelson: An Epic Life
--James Carse, The Religious Case Against Belief
--Benjamin Wittes, author of Law and the Long War: The Future of Justice in the Age of Terror
--Linda Mills, Violent Partners: A Breakthrough Plan for Ending the Cycle of Abuse
--Russell Banks, Dreaming Up America
--Chris Hedges, author of Collateral Damage: America's War Against Iraqi Civilians
--Lee Daniels, Last Chance: The Political Threat to Black America
--Oscar De La Hoya, author of American Son: My Story
--Eric Liu, The True Patriot
--Bill Bishop, author of The Big Sort: Why the Clustering of Like-Minded America Is Tearing Us Apart
--Michael Dobbs, author of One Minute to Midnight: Kennedy, Khrushchev, and Castro on the Brink of Nuclear War
--David Maraniss, author of Rome 1960: The Olympics That Changed the World
--Tony Dungy, author of You Can Do It!
--James Van Praagh, author of Ghosts Among Us: Uncovering the Truth About the Other Side
--Mark Stein, How The States Got Their Shapes
--Douglas J. Feith, War and Decision: Inside the Pentagon at the Dawn of the War on Terrorism
--Hao Jiang Tian, Along the Roaring River: My Wild Ride from Mao to the Met
--Pamela Paul, author of Parenting, Inc.
--Paul Muolo, author of Chain of Blame: How Wall Street Caused the Mortgage and Credit Crisis
--Julia Reed, author of The House on First Street: My New Orleans Story
--Naomi Baron, author of Always On: Language in an Online and Mobile World
--Barbara Walters, author of Audition
--Susie Castillo, Confidence Is Queen: The Four Keys to Ultimate Beauty Through Positive Thinking
--Bernadette Peters, Broadway Barks
--Zoe Ferraris, Finding Nouf
--Martin Schram, author of Vets Under Siege: How America Deceives and Dishonors Those Who Fight Our Battles
--Coral Bracho and Forrest Gander, author and translator of Firefly under the Tongue: Selected Poems
--James Harding, author of Alpha Dogs: The Americans Who Turned Political Spin into a Global Business
--Barbara Ehrenreich, author of This Land Is Their Land: Reports from a Divided Nation
--Paulina Porizkova, author of A Model Summer
--the dance troupe Pilobolus, "author" of The Human Alphabet
--David Sirota, The Uprising: An Unauthorized Tour of the Populist Revolt Scaring Wall Street and Washington
--E. Benjamin Skinner, author of A Crime So Monstrous: Face-to-Face with Modern Day Slavery
--Jim Webb, author of A Time to Fight: Reclaiming a Fair and Just America
--Ingrid Betancourt, Letters to My Mother: A Message of Love, A Plea for Freedom, foreword by Elie Wiesel
(Next month Ecco is reportedly issuing a new paperback version of her 2002 memoir, Until Death Do Us Part: My Struggle to Reclaim Colombia.)
--Frances Kiernan, The Last Mrs. Astor: A New York Story
--Terri Irwin, author of Steve and Me: Life with the Crocodile Hunter
--Michael Rose, author of Washington's War: The American War of Independence to the Iraqi Insurgency
--Eileen McGann and Dick Morris, co-authors of Fleeced: How Barack Obama, Media Mockery of Terrorist Threats, Liberals Who Want to Kill Talk Radio, the Do-Nothing Congress, Companies That Help Iran, and Washington Lobbyists for Foreign Governments Are Scamming Us . . . and What to Do About It
--Raj Patel, author of Stuffed and Starved: The Hidden Battle for the World Food System
--John Gorenfeld, author of Bad Moon Rising: How Reverend Moon Created the Washington Times, Seduced the Religious Right, and Built an American Kingdom
--Nicholas Daniloff, author of Of Spies and Spokesmen: My Life as a Cold War Correspondent
--S.E. Cupp and Brett Joshpe, co-authors of Why You're Wrong About The Right: Behind the Myths--The Surprising Truth About Conservatives
--Cathy Alter, author of Up for Renewal: What Magazines Taught Me about Love, Sex, and Starting Over
--Steve Wax, Kafka Comes to America: Fighting for Justice in the War on Terror - A Public Defender's Inside Account
--Martin Schram,Vets Under Siege: How America Deceives and Dishonors Those Who Fight Our Battles
--Nicholson Baker, author of Human Smoke: The Beginnings of World War II, the End of Civilization
-- Julia Reed, author of The House on First Street: My New Orleans Story
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Here are links to other recent One for the Books columns:

Farewell, Harry Potter -- http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/2313851

Armchair Traveling -- http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/1919262

Global Inhumanity -- http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/2253081

Bookmarks -- http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/110723

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