Recordpub.com - One for the Books: President-elect Barack Obama

In just a few days, we will have a new president. How does he plan to lead the country? Let's start with his own words.

In 1995, Barack Obama wrote a memoir, titled "Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance." What a surprise it was for me to find that the writing is absolutely beautiful! He didn't just call it in; he has filled its pages with insight and emotion and layered images (in high school: "Each of us chose a costume, armor against uncertainty") that make it a pure pleasure to read. He talks about his schooling, his travels and his dreams, tries to define himself in terms of and in spite of race, and chases his father's identity around the world. He writes of living in Indonesia with his mother, in Hawaii with his grandparents, in Africa visiting his father's family, and in New York and Chicago working as a community organizer, where he says he learned every day from the people and their "sacred stories" of their lives. He allows the reader to understand not only what he believes, but what led him to that belief.

But I must go back to the writing. In Indonesia: "Along the side of the road, wizened brown women in faded brown sarongs stacked straw baskets high with ripening fruit, and a pair of mechanics squatted before their open-air garage, lazily brushing away flies as they took an engine apart. Behind them, the brown earth dipped into a smoldering dump where a pair of round-headed tots frantically chased a scrawny black hen. The children slipped in the mud and corn husks and banana leaves, squealing with pleasure, until they disappeared down the dirt road beyond." It's as readable as any novel and has descriptions as beautiful. In Africa: "As we pull out of camp, we see a caravan of giraffe, their long necks at a common slant, seemingly black before the rising red sun, strange markings against an ancient sky. It was like that for the rest of the day, as if I were seeing as a child once again, the world a pop-up book, a fable, a painting by Rousseau." I could fill this column with lovely quotes from this book and only be beginning. He uses words tenderly and optimistically, creating sentences that have the power to enrich the spirit and show how much he appreciates all the goodness life has to offer.

While "Dreams" is very personal, Obama's book "The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream" is more political, more policy-oriented. In it, the Illinois senator discusses what government can and should do, and we can see what his probable priorities will be as president. He says the book offers "personal reflections on those values and ideals that have led me to public life, some thoughts on the ways that our current political discourse unnecessarily divides us, and my own best assessment -- based on my experience as a senator and lawyer, husband and father, Christian and skeptic -- of the ways we can ground our politics in the notion of a common good." He discusses political history and partisanship ("politics as a full-contact sport"), interest groups and the media, Americans' personal economic insecurity, racial and religious tensions, terrorism, faith and more. He looks at history and culture, points out changes and then explains how and why they occurred -- all in understandable language that doesn't sling negative epithets or assume that the reader is a fool. He discusses constitutional law, which he taught for 10 years at the University of Chicago, and makes it accessible: "Much of my appreciation of our Bill of Rights comes from having spent part of my childhood in Indonesia and from still having family in Kenya, countries where individual rights are almost entirely subject to the self-restraint of army generals or the whims of corrupt bureaucrats." And finally, he suggests that we need more empathy: "I find myself returning again and again to my mother's simple principle -- 'How would that make you feel?' -- as a guidepost for my politics."

In "Obama's Challenge: America's Economic Crisis and the Power of a Transformative Presidency," liberal author Robert Kuttner says Barack Obama has the potential -- and, because of the current economic crisis, the opportunity -- to become one of the most effective presidents we've ever had. He shows examples of leadership from "transformative" presidents such as FDR, Lincoln, Reagan and others. "Obama backers saw in him the raw material of transforming leadership, even of greatness," says Kuttner. "The public hungers for such leadership." He goes on: "At his best, Obama uses his speeches as occasions to teach, to persuade the country that we need to move in a better direction." Regarding Obama's speech on foreign policy, he says, "Like Roosevelt's Fireside Chats or Lincoln's great addresses, the speech suggested a serious mind at work, a leader interested in teaching, a voice with the potential to call America to be its best self." He calls for Obama to be bold, to make "very substantial social investments," to bring back a government that works for the people. "Obama's challenge is to reverse the thirty-year trend not just of Republican rule but of voter quiescence and Democratic complicity. He must raise expectations -- and then rise to meet them. More than anything else, he needs to rehabilitate the constructive role of government, both in the minds of the people and in what government delivers. For in the current economic crisis, there is no alternative to the redemption of government to serve a broad common good."

John R. Talbott explains in "Obamanomics: How Bottom-Up Economic Prosperity Will Replace Trickle-Down Economics" that he wrote the book "to examine Obama's core beliefs and better understand his underlying logic and strategy." He says that in his presidential campaign, by "emphasizing personal liberty, equality, and economic justice, Obama was able to describe a country in which economic opportunity would be available to all under an Obama administration." He discusses the complexities of the economic crisis, globalization and jobs, global warming and energy policy, affordable health care, the aging population, ethics and much more, and he says he agrees with Obama "that a healthy economy is a bottom-up economy, not a top-down economy dependent on trickle-down economics. In a bottom-up economy, the rules of business and government are fair and apply to all. There is a level playing field."

For book news and more, go to www.recordpub.com and visit my blog, "Shine A Light," or click on "Lifetimes" and look for "One for the Books" online.

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BOOK NOTES, One for the Books Extra Online Exclusives:
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Check out my new blog on books, inspiration, fun and thought-provoking goodies! It's called "Shine A Light!"

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LOCAL BOOK CLUBS:

The Book Discussion Group at the Randolph Library meets the first Monday of the month, except August, at 6:30 p.m. in the Randolph Senior Center. The group is open to everyone, and new members are always welcome. The library will stock copies of the books each month. Call the library at 330-325-7003.

Pierce-Streetsboro Library's Book Discussion Group meets regularly on the second Monday of each month at 6:45 p.m. in the library's meeting room. New members are always welcome to attend and participate in the discussion. The library is located at 8990 Kirby Lane in Streetsboro, next to the administrative offices of the Streetsboro City Schools. For more information, call the library at 330-626-4458.

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The National Catholic Reporter has published a review of THE PREDATOR STATE: HOW CONSERVATIVES ABANDONED THE FREE MARKET AND WHY LIBERALS SHOULD TOO.

http://ncronline3.org/drupal/?q=node/3009

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Publishers Weekly
By The Associated Press

HARDCOVER FICTION
1. "Black Ops" by W.E.B. Griffin (Putnam Adult)
2. "Scarpetta" by Patricia Cornwell (Putnam Adult)
3. "Running Hot" by Jayne Ann Krentz (Putnam Adult)
4. "The Host" by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown)
5. "Fire and Ice" by Julie Garwood (Ballantine Books)
6. "The Story of Edgar Sawtelle" by David Wroblewski (Ecco)
7. "Cross Country" by James Patterson (Little, Brown)
8. "The Christmas Sweater" by Glenn Beck (Threshold Editions)
9. "The Hour I First Believed" by Wally Lamb (Harper)
10. "Arctic Drift" by Clive Cussler and Dirk Cussler (Putnam)
11. "Just After Sunset: Stories" by Stephen King (Scribner)
12. "A Mercy" by Toni Morrison (Knopf)
13. "The Lucky One" by Nicholas Sparks (Grand Central Publishing)
14. "Your Heart Belongs to Me" by Dean Koontz (Bantam)
15. "The Charlemagne Pursuit" by Steve Berry (Ballantine Books)

NONFICTION/GENERAL
1. "Outliers: The Story of Success" by Malcolm Gladwell (Little, Brown)
2. "The Last Lecture" by Randy Pausch and Jeffrey Zaslow (Hyperion)
3. "Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World" by Vicki Myron, Brett Witter (Grand Central)
4. "Flat Belly Diet" by Liz Vaccariello and Cynthia Sass (Rodale Books)
5. "American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House" by Jon Meacham (Random House)
6. "A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity" by Bill O'Reilly (Broadway)
7. "Multiple Blessings: Surviving to Thriving with Twins and Sextuplets" by Jon and Kate Gosselin, Beth Carson (Zondervan)
8. "Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics: Fabulous Flavor from Simple Ingredients" by Ina Garten (Clarkson Potter)
9. "The Purpose Of Christmas" by Rick Warren (Howard Books)
10. "Too Fat To Fish" by Artie Lange and Anthony Bozza (Spiegel & Grau)
11. "The Return of Depression Economics" by Paul Krugman (W.W. Norton)
12. "Guinness: World Records 2009" by Guinness World Records (Guinness)
13. "The Snowball" by Alice Schroeder (Bantam)
14. "Hot, Flat and Crowded" by Thomas Friedman (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
15. "Why We Suck: A Feel Good Guide to Staying Fat, Loud, Lazy and Stupid" by Denis Leary (Viking Adult)

MASS MARKET PAPERBACKS
1. "Marley & Me: Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog" by John Grogan (Harper)
2. "Murder Game" by Christine Feehan (Jove)
3. The Appeal" by John Grisham (Dell)
4. "Married in Seattle" by Debbie Macomber (Mira)
5. "Final Justice" by Fern Michaels (Zebra)
6. "Shadow Music" by Julie Garwood (Ballantine Books)
7. "The Pagan Stone" by Nora Roberts (Jove)
8. "Glitter Baby" by Susan Elizabeth Phillips (Avon)
9. "T is for Trespass" by Sue Grafton (Berkley)
10. "Dead Until Dark" by Charlaine Harris (Ace)
11. "Veil of Midnight" by Lara Adrian (Dell)
12. "At Graves End" by Jeaniene Frost (Avon)
13. "Revolutionary Road" by Richard Yates (Vintage)
14. "The 6th Target" by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro (Vision)
15. "The Shooters" by W.E.B. Griffin (Jove)

TRADE PAPERBACKS
1. "The Shack" by William P. Young (Windblown Media)
2. "Dreams from My Father" by Barack Obama (Three Rivers Press)
3. "The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream" by Barack Obama (Three Rivers Press)
4. "Eat This, Not That! Supermarket Survival Guide" by David Zinczenko and Matt Goulding (Rodale Books)
5. "Suze Orman's 2009 Action Plan" by Suze Orman (Spiegel & Grau)
6. "Eat This, Not That! Thousands of Simple Food Swaps that Can Save You 10, 20, 30 Pounds " or More! by David Zinczenko and Matt Goulding (Rodale Books)
7. "Skinny B----" by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin (Running Press)
8. "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini (Riverhead)
9. "Marley & Me: Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog" by John Grogan (Harper)
10. "Three Cups Of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace ... One School at a Time" by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin (Penguin)
11. "Change of Heart" by Jodi Picoult (Washington Square Press)
12. "Revolutionary Road" by Richard Yates (Vintage)
13. "The Reader" by Bernhard Schlink (Vintage)
14. "Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln" by Doris Kearns Goodwin (Simon & Schuster)
15. "Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia" by Elizabeth Gilbert (Penguin)
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USA Today Best-Sellers
By The Associated Press
Key: F-Fiction; NF-Nonfiction; H-Hardcover; P-Paperback

1. "New Moon" by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers) (F-P)
2. "Eclipse" by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers) (F-H)
3. "Breaking Dawn" by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers) (F-H)
4. "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers) (F-P)
5. "The Shack" by William P. Young (Windblown Media) (F-P)
6. "Marley & Me: Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog" by John Grogan (Harper) (NF-P)
7. "The Tales of Beedle the Bard" by J.K. Rowling (Arthur A. Levine/Scholastic) (F-H)
8. "Murder Game" by Christine Feehan (Jove) (F-P)
9. "Married In Seattle: First Comes Marriage 1/4Wanted: Perfect Partner" by Debbie Macomber (Mira) (F-P)
10. "The Appeal" by John Grisham (Dell) (F-P)
11. "Eat This Not That! Supermarket Survival Guide: The No-Diet Weight Loss Solution" by David Zinczenko, Matt Goulding (Rodale Press) (NF-P)
12. "Final Justice" by Fern Michaels (Zebra) (F-P)
13. "The Last Lecture" by Randy Pausch and Jeffrey Zaslow (Hyperion) (NF-H)
14. "Outliers: The Story of Success" by Malcolm Gladwell (Little, Brown) (NF-H)
15. "Flat Belly Diet" by Liz Vaccariello, Cynthia Sass (Rodale Books)(NF-H)
16. "Fire and Ice" by Julie Garwood (Ballantine) (F-H)
17. "Suze Orman's 2009 Action Plan: Keeping Your Money Safe and Sound" by Suze Orman (Spiegel & Grau) (NF-P)
18. "The Host" by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown) (F-H)
19. "Shadow Music" by Julie Garwood (Ballantine) (F-P)
20. "Revolutionary Road" by Richard Yates (Vintage) (F-P)
21. "Scarpetta" by Patricia Cornwell (Putnam) (F-H)
22. "The Pagan Stone" by Nora Roberts (Jove) (F-P)
23. "Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World" by Vicki Myron and Brett Witter (Grand Central Publishing) (NF-H)
24. "Black Ops" by W.E.B. Griffin (Putnam) (F-H)
25. "Dreams from My Father" by Barack Obama (Three Rivers Press) (NF-P)
26. "Cross Country" by James Patterson (Little, Brown) (F-H)
27. "Glitter Baby" by Susan Elizabeth Phillips (Avon) (F-P)
28. "The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream" by Barack Obama (Three Rivers Press)(NF-P)
29. "Watchmen" by Alan Moore, Dave Gibbons (DC Comics) (F-P)
30. "Dead Until Dark" by Charlaine Harris (Ace) (F-P)
31. "Eat This Not That!: Thousands of Simple Food Swaps That Can Save You 10, 20, 30 Pounds-or More!" by David Zinczenko, Matt Goulding (Rodale) (NF-H)
32. "Running Hot" by Jayne Ann Krentz (Putnam) (F-H)
33. "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini (Riverhead Trade) (F-P)
34. "Veil of Midnight" by Lara Adrian (Dell) (F-P)
35. "The Story Of Edgar Sawtelle" by David Wroblewski (Ecco) (F-H)
36. "T is for Trespass" by Sue Grafton (Berkley) (F-P)
37. "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy (Vintage) (F-P)
38. "The Death Dealer" by Heather Graham (Mira) (F-P)
39. "Skinny B----" by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin (Running Press) (NF-P)
40. "Light of the Moon" by Luanne Rice, Bantam (F-P)
41. "Change of Heart" by Jodi Picoult (Washington Square Press) (F-P)
42. "Brisingr" by Christopher Paolini (Knopf Books for Young Readers)(F-H)
43. "The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread" by Kate DiCamillo (Candlewick) (F-P)
44. "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)
45. "The 6th Target" by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro (Vision) (F-P)
46. "Simply Perfect" by Mary Balogh (Dell) (F-P)
47. "American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House" by Jon Meacham (Random House) (NF-H)
48. "The Reader" by Bernhard Schlink (Vintage) (F-P)
49. "The Hour I First Believed" by Wally Lamb (Harper) (F-H)
50. "The CalorieKing Calorie, Fat & Carbohydrate Counter 2009 Edition" by Allan Borushek (Family Health Publications) (NF-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
By The Associated Press

FICTION
1. "Eclipse" by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)
2. "Breaking Dawn" by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown for Young Readers)
3. "New Moon" by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)
4. "The Tales of Beedle the Bard" by J.K. Rowling (Arthur A. Levine/Scholastic)
5. "Black Ops" by W.E.B. Griffin (Putnam)
6. "Scarpetta" by Patricia Cornwell (Putnam)
7. "Fire and Ice" by Julie Garwood (Ballantine)
8. "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)
9. "The Host" by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown)
10. "Running Hot" by Jayne Ann Krentz (Putnam Adult)
11. "Cross Country" by James Patterson (Little, Brown)
12. "The Story Of Edgar Sawtelle" by David Wroblewski (Ecco)
13. "The Hour I First Believed" by Wally Lamb (Harper)
14. "Brisingr" by Christopher Paolini (Knopf Books for Young Readers)
15. "The Christmas Sweater" by Glenn Beck (Threshold Editions)

NONFICTION
1. "Outliers: The Story of Success" by Malcolm Gladwell (Little, Brown)
2. "The Last Lecture" by Randy Pausch and Jeffrey Zaslow (Hyperion)
3. "Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World" by Vicki Myron and Brett Witter (Grand Central Publishing)
4. "American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House" by Jon Meacham (Random House)
5. "I Can Make You Thin: The Revolutionary System Used by More Than 3 Million People" by Paul McKenna (Sterling)
6. "Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics: Fabulous Flavor from Simple Ingredients" by Ina Garten (Clarkson Potter)
7. "The Secret" by Rhonda Byrne (Atria Books/Beyond Words)
8. "Multiple Blessings: Surviving to Thriving with Twins and Sextuplets" by Jon and Kate Gosselin, Beth Carson (Zondervan)
9. "Wishful Drinking" by Carrie Fisher (Simon & Schuster)
10. "Why We Suck: A Feel Good Guide to Staying Fat, Loud, Lazy and Stupid" by Denis Leary (Viking Adult)
11. "Hot, Flat and Crowded" by Thomas Friedman (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
12. "Too Fat To Fish" by Artie Lange and Anthony Bozza (Spiegel & Grau)
13. "YOU: Being Beautiful: The Owner's Manual to Inner and Outer Beauty" by Michael F. Roizen and Mehmet Oz (Free Press)
14. "Breakthrough" by Suzanne Somers (Crown)
15. "A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity" by Bill O'Reilly (Broadway)
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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The following authors are making the media rounds, talking about their books:

--Teri Gault, author of Shop Smart, Save More: Learn The Grocery Game and Save Hundreds of Dollars a Month
--Michael F. Roizen and Mehmet Oz, YOU: Being Beautiful: The Owner's Manual to Inner and Outer Beauty
--Shmuel Boteach, author of The Kosher Sutra: Eight Sacred Secrets for Reigniting Desire and Restoring Passion for Life
--Arielle Ford, author of Soulmate Secret: Manifest the Love of Your Life with the Law of Attraction
--Joy Bauer, author of Joy's LIFE Diet: Four Steps to Thin Forever
--James Fallows, author of Postcards from Tomorrow Square: Reports from China
--Jeffrey Meyers, author of Samuel Johnson: The Struggle
--Azar Nafisi, author of Things I've Been Silent About: Memories
--Bob Greene, author of The Best Life Diet Revised and Updated
--Ali Velshi, Gimme My Money Back: Your Guide to Beating the Financial Crisis
--Christopher Kennedy Lawford, author of Moments of Clarity: Voices from the Front Lines of Addiction and Recovery
--Jeff Henderson, author of Chef Jeff Cooks: In the Kitchen with America's Inspirational New Culinary Star
--Jodi Lipper, author of How to Love Like a Hot Chick
--Michael Davis, author of Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street
--Deepak Chopra, author of Jesus
--Michael Wolff, author of The Man Who Owns the News: Inside the Secret World of Rupert Murdoch
--Matt Miller, author of The Tyranny of Dead Ideas: Letting Go of the Old Ways of Thinking to Unleash a New Prosperity
--Paul McKenna,I Can Make You Thin: The Revolutionary System Used by More Than 3 Million People
--Arielle Ford, The Soulmate Secret: Manifest the Love of Your Life with the Law of Attraction
--Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, The Kosher Sutra: Eight Sacred Secrets for Reigniting Desire and Restoring Passion for Life
--Robin McGraw, What's Age Got to Do with It?: Living Your Healthiest and Happiest Life
--Jim Cramer, Jim Cramer's Real Money: Sane Investing in an Insane World
--Teri Gault, Shop Smart, Save More: Learn The Grocery Game and Save Hundreds of Dollars a Month
--Perez Hilton, Red Carpet Suicide: A Survival Guide on Keeping Up With the Hiltons
--Aaron Glantz, The War Comes Home: Washington's Battle against America's Veterans
--Benoit Denizet-Lewis, America Anonymous: Eight Addicts in Search of a Life
--Steven Rinella, American Buffalo: In Search of a Lost Icon
--Jane Kamensky and Jill Lepore, Blindspot
-- Joel C. Rosenberg, Dead Heat
--Noah Andre Trudeau, author of Southern Storm: Sherman's March to the Sea
--Victoria Osteen, author of Unexpected Treasures
--Mark Bittman, author of Food Matters: A Guide to Conscious Eating with More Than 75 Recipes
--Ian K. Smith, author of The 4 Day Diet
--Greg Behrendt, He's Just Not That Into You: The No-Excuses Truth to Understanding Guys
--Philippe Sands, author of Torture Team: Rumsfeld's Memo and the Betrayal of American Values
--Victoria Osteen, Unexpected Treasures
--Scott Hamilton, The Great Eight: How to Be Happy (Even When You Have Every Reason to be Miserable)
--Jodi Lipper and Cerina Vincent, How To Love Like a Hot Chick: The Girlfriend to Girlfriend Guide to Getting the Love You Deserve
--Chef Jeff Henderson, Chef Jeff Cooks: In the Kitchen with America's Inspirational New Culinary Star
--Steve Knopper, author of Appetite for Self-Destruction: The Spectacular Crash of the Record Industry in the Digital Age
--Michael Davis, author of Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street
--Mark Hyman, The UltraMind Solution: Fix Your Broken Brain by Healing Your Body First
--Jay Parini, author of Promised Land: Thirteen Books That Changed America
--Andrew Carmellini, Urban Italian: Simple Recipes and True Stories from a Life in Food
--Norah Vincent, Voluntary Madness: My Year Lost and Found in the Loony Bin
--Charles Seife, Sun in a Bottle: The Strange History of Fusion and the Science of Wishful Thinking
--Jana Lipman, Guantanamo: A Working-Class History Between Empire and Revolution
--William F. Baker, Leading with Kindness: How Good People Consistently Get Superior Results
--Gregory Feifer, The Great Gamble: The Soviet War in Afghanistan
--John Quinones, author of Heroes Among Us: Ordinary People, Extraordinary Choices
--Hilary Black, author of The Secret Currency of Love: The Unabashed Truth About Women, Money, and Relationships
--Catherine Hickland, author of The 30-Day Heartbreak Cure: Getting Over Him and Back Out There One Month from Today
--Suze Orman, author of Suze Orman's 2009 Action Plan
--Amitav Ghosh, author of Sea of Poppies
--Lawrence Lessig, author of Remix: Making Art and Commerce Thrive in the Hybrid Economy
--Amy Sedaris, author of I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence
--Whitney Casey, The Man Plan: Drive Men Wild... Not Away
--Mark Bittman, Food Matters: A Guide to Conscious Eating with More Than 75 Recipes
--Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo, He's Just Not That Into You: The No-Excuses Truth to Understanding Guys
--Catherine Hickland, author of The 30-Day Heartbreak Cure: Getting Over Him and Back Out There One Month from Today
--Larry Winget, People Are Idiots and I Can Prove It! The 10 Ways You Are Sabotaging Yourself and How You Can Overcome Them
--Matthew Goodman, The Sun and The Moon: The Remarkable True Account of Hoaxers, Showmen, Dueling Journalists, and Lunar Man-Bats in Nineteenth-Century New York
--Steven Johnson, The Invention of Air
--David Cay Johnston, Free Lunch: How the Wealthiest Americans Enrich Themselves at Government Expense (and StickYou with the Bill)
--Joan Rivers, Men Are Stupid And They Like Big Boobs: A Woman's Guide to Beauty Through Plastic Surgery
--Jon Meacham, author of American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House
--William Leuchtenburg, author of Herbert Hoover
--Barbara Lee, author of Renegade for Peace & Justice: Congresswoman Barbara Lee Speaks for Me
--Christopher Horner, author of Red Hot Lies: How Global Warming Alarmists Use Threats, Fraud and Deception to Keep You Misinformed
--Edward Djerejian, author of Danger and Opportunity: An American Ambassador's Journey Through the Middle East
--Saree Makdisi, author of Palestine Inside and Out: An Everyday Occupation

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Here are links to other recent One for the Books columns:

More links are available on my blog at http://blogs.dixcdn.com/shine_a_light/

Christmas! -- http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/4482323

Photography -- http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/4475598

Going Green -- http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/4466424

Books for ages 8 to 12 -- http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/4449028

Politics Left and Right -- http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/4451553

Recent Jewish Nonfiction -- http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/4442453

Animal Companions -- http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/4433390

Queens, First and Last -- http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/4381292

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"One for the Books" appears the second, fourth, and fifth Fridays of the month in the Record-Courier. Extra columns may appear on occasion, especially preceding Christmas and Hanukkah.