Recordpub.com - One for the Books: Lighter goodies

I've been reading some pretty long, heavy books lately, so I decided to take a break and read a few lighter goodies. And I had a great time with three totally different books.

Janet Evanovich always makes me happy, and this time it's with "Plum Spooky," her latest "Between-the-Numbers" novel about Stephanie Plum. The New Jersey skip tracer's crushes and calamities have filled the pages of the "numbered" books that began with "One for the Money." The "between" books have kept us fans from chewing our nails while waiting for the newest "official" Plum adventure to come out each summer. But, unlike previous entries in this ancillary series, this one is not just "Plum light." It's a solid, thrill-packed comic mystery filled with monkeys, magic men, and lots of food -- unbelievable amounts of food.

The story begins when Stephanie finds a monkey named Carl outside her door. He's holding a note from his owner, asking Steph to take care of him while "Mom" is on her honeymoon. Carl is joined by a host of other interesting characters, and the interactions among them are hysterical. There's Martin Munch, a quantum physics genius who steals a cesium vapor magnetometer; Gerwulf Grimoire, or "Wulf," one of the spookiest guys you wouldn't want to encounter on a dark night; the "gorgeous" Diesel, a man with paranormal talents who always smells like Christmas; an odd assortment of miscreants who have skipped their court dates; the familiar and outrageous Lula; Stephanie's hilarious family; the fine-smelling Ranger; and the handsome Joe Morelli, who's lending a room in his house to his slob of a brother because his wife has thrown him out.

This book is just what I needed. It's completely and thoroughly enjoyable -- a page-turning plot, plenty of laughs, and wonderful escapist fun.

In "Jane Austen Ruined My Life" by Beth Pattillo, 33-year-old Dr. Emma Grant adores the author Jane Austen and believes in the possibility of finding love with a man like the dashing heroes within Austen's novels. But one day Emma, who teaches English literature at a university, discovers that her husband has been cheating on her with her own teaching assistant. Their betrayal even causes her to lose her job. Dispirited and disillusioned, she takes an opportunity to travel to London to investigate "a stack of old documents" that could be Jane Austen's letters to her sister Cassandra, which were supposedly destroyed after Jane's death. The documents were sent to Emma by an eccentric recluse named Gwendolyn Parrot, who looks like "Hyacinth Bucket." Parrot tells Emma she has about 3,000 of the "Austen letters," but will not show them to Emma until she completes several "tasks." As Emma travels around London and Bath picking up clues and answering riddles, she is reacquainted with an attractive old flame named Adam, who also happens to be a professor of English.

While Emma has her small adventures, she's also dealing with a broken heart: "What I truly wanted back, I could never regain. I wanted to believe in happy endings again. I wanted to believe that I could trust a man. I wanted to believe there was a hero out there for me, worthy of the title of Darcy or Knightley, Wentworth or Tilney." And she finds herself in "a Jane Austen fantasy" as she tries to solve a sort of mystery: Are the documents truly Jane Austen's letters? (If they are, they reveal a fascinating and believable part of Austen's life we never knew before.) Who is the strange woman who has access to the letters? Why did she contact Emma in the first place? And what's up with Adam? Does he know about the letters, too? Will a flame reignite and bring her true love? Or is there another romance in her future?

The book is very nicely written, with an easy-to-read style. I didn't like the end at all, but the character did, so it's a happy ending. I really enjoyed the light and breezy book.

Kate Westbrook's "The Moneypenny Diaries" revives the character of Jane Moneypenny of the James Bond movies. Jane was M's secretary, who was always portrayed as being madly in love with agent 007. It turns out that Jane was Westbrook's late aunt, and Westbrook is sent a box filled with Jane's old journals from her days as a member of the British Secret Intelligence Service. Westbrook tries to verify the information in the journals, details how she authenticates her facts, and reveals that even Ian Fleming's Bond stories were based on the truth. But keep in mind: All of this is fiction.

Westbrook says she has released Jane's diary from 1962 for publication because of its pertinence to history. Within its pages, we are taken right back to the Cold War, and we find both Jane and 007 becoming personally involved --and risking their lives -- in the Soviet missile crisis in Cuba. The first words of the diary -- "My heart breaks for James" -- led me to think it would be a more romantic story than it is. I had expected it to be a sexy spy romp, but it turned out to be not quite what I had anticipated. It definitely has adventure, but the otherwise-intelligent Jane sometimes proves to be rather silly, not taking seriously the danger she could be bringing on herself by dating men of questionable intentions.

The book is surprisingly dry reading at first, and Westbrook attempts to make it as realistic as possible with editor's remarks before each month (chapter) and with footnotes on almost every page -- often three of four in the same paragraph -- but they're distracting. The footnote information is a combination of explaining the Bond missions and enemies, Jane's detailed family history, and actual world history. But don't get me wrong; it's fun. Once I got used to the footnotes, I was caught up in it; it became an almost believable autobiography. There are mysteries over here and a mole over there and spies in every corner, and good guys and bad guys that may or may not be trustworthy. Westbrook's work is exhaustive, with an explanation for everything, and she's built a complete world for Jane to inhabit. This is the first book in a popular series in Britain, finally available in the U.S. market. It's a tension-filled literary adventure on several levels. I don't think I've ever read a book quite like this before.

For book news and more, go to www.recordpub.com and visit my blog, "Shine A Light," or click on "News," then "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!"

http://blogs.dixcdn.com/shine_a_light/

If you lose that link, go to www.recordpub.com. Click "Blogs" in the blue bar at the top of the page, and find "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.

The Book Discussion Group at the Mogadore Branch of the Akron-Summit County Library meets at 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays to discuss books as follows:

March 4: The Adventures of Huckleberr Finn by Mark Twain
March 18: Caesar's Women by Colleen McCullough
April 1 TBA
May 6 TBA
May 20: Caesar: Let the Dice Fly by Colleen McCullough
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Al Roker has chosen "The Mysterious Benedict Society" for his Al's Book Club on the Today Show.

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/18179145

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from Shelf Awareness: New Books Out February 24:

White Witch, Black Curse by Kim Harrison
Terminal Freeze by Lincoln Child
One Day at a Time by Danielle Stee
Temptation and Surrender: A Cynster Novel by Stephanie Laurens
Promises in Death by J.D. Robb
Death of a Witch by M. C. Beaton
A Jury of Her Peers: American Women Writers from Anne Bradstreet to Annie Proulx by Elaine Showalter

Now out in paperback:

Sonata for Miriam: A Novel by Linda Olsson
Plague Ship: A Novel of the Oregon Files by Clive Cussler and Jack DuBrul
First Execution by Domenico Starnone and Anthony Sugaar

New Titles Out March 3:

Handle with Care: A Novel by Jodi Picoult
Paths of Glory by Jeffrey Archer
Peaks and Valleys: Making Good and Bad Times Work for You--At Work and in Life by Spencer Johnson
Enough Already!: Clearing Mental Clutter to Become the Best You by Peter Walsh
Don't Look Twice: A Novel by Andrew Gross
The Kindly Ones by Jonathan Littell and Charlotte Mandell
Fight For Your Money: How to Stop Getting Ripped Off and Save a Fortune by David Bach

Now in paperback:

The Black Book of Hollywood Pregnancy Secrets by Kym Douglas and Cindy Pearlman
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Publishers Weekly Best-sellers
By The Associated Press

HARDCOVER FICTION
1. "The Associate" by John Grisham (Doubleday)
2. "Run for Your Life" by James Patterson, Michael Ledwidge (Little, Brown)
3. "Heart and Soul" by Maeve Binchy (Knopf)
4. "The Host" by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown)
5. "Fool" by Christopher Moore (William Morrow)
6. "Bone Crossed" by Patricia Briggs (Ace)
7. "Dog on It: A Chet and Bernie Mystery" by Spencer Quinn (Atria)
8. "True Colors" by Kristin Hannah (St. Martin's Press)
9. "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society" by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows (Dial)
10. "The Story of Edgar Sawtelle" by David Wroblewski (Ecco)
11. "Very Valentine" by Adriana Trigiani (Harper)
12. "Plum Spooky" by Janet Evanovich (St. Martin's Press)
13. "The Women" by T.C. Boyle (Viking Adult)
14. "Drood" by Dan Simmons (Little, Brown)
15. "While My Sister Sleeps" by Barbara Delinsky (Doubleday)

HARDCOVER NONFICTION
1. "Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man: What Men Really Think About Love, Relationships, Intimacy, and Commitment" by Steve Harvey (Amistad)
2. "The Yankee Years" by Joe Torre, Tom Verducci (Doubleday)
3. "Outliers: The Story of Success" by Malcolm Gladwell (Little, Brown)
4. "The Last Lecture" by Randy Pausch and Jeffrey Zaslow (Hyperion)
5. "Uncommon: Finding Your Path to Significance" by Tony Dungy and Nathan Whitaker (Tyndale House Publishers)
6. "Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World" by Vicki Myron, Brett Witter (Grand Central)
7. "The Secret" by Rhonda Byrne (Atria Books/Beyond Words)
8. "Obama: The Historic Journey" by Jill Abramson, Bill Keller (Callaway Adult)
9. "The Gamble: General David Petraeus and the American Military Adventure in Iraq, 2006-2008" by Thomas E. Ricks (Penguin Press HC)
10. "Multiple Blessings: Surviving to Thriving with Twins and Sextuplets" by Jon Gosselin, Kate Gosselin (Zondervan)
11. "Why We Suck" by Denis Leary (Viking Adult)
12. "Meltdown: A Free-Market Look at Why the Stock Market Collapsed, the Economy Tanked, and Government Bailouts Will Make Things Worse" by Thomas E. Woods Jr. (Regnery)
13. "A Slobbering Love Affair: The True (and Pathetic) Story of the Torrid Romance Between Barack Obama and the Mainstream Media" by Bernard Goldberg (Regnery Publishing)
14. "Flat Belly Diet" by Liz Vaccariello and Cynthia Sass (Rodale Books)
15. "A. Lincoln" by Ronald C. White Jr. (Random House)

MASS MARKET PAPERBACKS
1. "Confessions of a Shopaholic" by Sophie Kinsella (Dell)
2. "The Appeal" by John Grisham (Dell)
3. "Secrets" by Jude Deveraux (Pocket)
4. "Revolutionary Road" by Richard Yates (Vintage)
5. "Honor Thyself" by Danielle Steel (Dell)
6. "The Ghost War" by Alex Berenson (Jove)
7. "Fireside: The Lakeshore Chronicles" by Susan Wiggs (Mira)
8. "Tempted All Night" by Liz Carlyle (Pocket)
9. "Dream Warrior" by Sherrilyn Kenyon (St. Martin's)
10. "Angels & Demons" by Dan Brown (Pocket)
11. "Charmed & Enchanted" by Nora Roberts (Silhouette)
12. "Wicked Game" by Lisa Jackson and Nancy Bush (Zebra)
13. "Stranger in Paradise" by Robert B. Parker (Berkley)
14. "Montana Creeds: Logan" by Linda Lael Miller (HQN)
15. "Marley & Me: Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog" by John Grogan (Harper)

TRADE PAPERBACKS
1. "The Shack" by William P. Young (Windblown Media)
2. "Eat This, Not That! Supermarket Survival Guide" by David Zinczenko and Matt Goulding (Rodale Books)
3. "The Reader" by Bernhard Schlink (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. "Sundays At Tiffany's" by James Patterson, Gabrielle Charbonnet (Grand Central Publishing)
6. "Dreams from My Father" by Barack Obama (Three Rivers Press)
7. "Suze Orman's 2009 Action Plan" by Suze Orman (Spiegel & Grau)
8. "Firefly Lane" by Kristin Hannah (St. Martin's Griffin)
9. "The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream" by Barack Obama (Three Rivers Press)
10. "Eat This, Not That! by David Zinczenko and Matt Goulding (Rodale Books)
11. "He's Just Not That Into You: The No-Excuses Truth to Understanding Guys" by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo (Simon Spotlight Entertainment)
12. "Skinny B----" by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin (Running Press)
13. "What to Expect When You're Expecting" by Heidi Murkoff, Sharon Mazel (Workman Publishing Group)
14. "Team of Rivals" by Doris Kearns Goodwin (Simon & Schuster)
15. "American Wife" by Curtis Sittenfeld (Random House)
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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. "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers) (F-P)
3. "Eclipse" by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers) (F-H)
4. "Breaking Dawn" by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers) (F-H)
5. "The Shack" by William P. Young (Windblown Media) (F-P)
6. "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw" by Jeff Kinney (Amulet) (F-H)
7. "The Associate" by John Grisham (Doubleday) (F-H)
8. "Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man: What Men Really Think About Love, Relationships, Intimacy, and Commitment" by Steve Harvey (Amistad) (NF-H)
9. "The Love Dare" by Stephen Kendrick and Alex Kendrick (B&H) (NF-P)
10. "Watchmen" by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons (DC Comics) (F-P)
11. "Run for Your Life" by James Patterson (Little, Brown) (F-H)
12. "The Reader" by Bernhard Schlink (Vintage) (F-P)
13. "The Yankee Years" by Joe Torre and Tom Verducci (Doubleday)(NF-H)
14. "The Clique: P.S. I Loathe You" by Lisi Harrison (Poppy) (F-P)
15. "The Host" by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown) (F-H)
16. "Confessions of a Shopaholic" by Sophie Kinsella (Dell) (F-P)
17. "Eat This Not That! Supermarket Survival Guide: The No-Diet Weight Loss Solution" by David Zinczenko, Matt Goulding (Rodale Press) (NF-P)
18. "The Appeal" by John Grisham (Dell) (F-P)
19. "Heart and Soul" by Maeve Binchy (Knopf) (F-H)
20. "Secrets" by Jude Deveraux (Pocket) (F-P)
21. "Revolutionary Road" by Richard Yates (Vintage) (F-P)
22. "Honor Thyself" by Danielle Steel (Dell) (F-P)
23. "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)
24. "Wicked Game" by Lisa Jackson and Nancy Bush (Zebra) (F-P)
25. "Charmed & Enchanted" by Nora Roberts (Sillhouette) (F-P)
26. "Outliers: The Story of Success" by Malcolm Gladwell (Little, Brown) (NF-H)
27. "Sundays At Tiffany's" by James Patterson, Gabrielle Charbonnet, (Grand Central Publishing) (F-P)
28. "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" by Jeff Kinney (Amulet) (F-H)
29. "Montana Creeds: Logan" by Linda Lael Miller (HQN) (F-P)
30. "Dreams from My Father" by Barack Obama (Three Rivers Press) (NF-P)
31. "Fireside" by Susan Wiggs (Mira) (F-P)
32. "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules" by Jeff Kinney (Amulet Books) (F-H)
33. "Suze Orman's 2009 Action Plan: Keeping Your Money Safe and Sound" by Suze Orman (Spiegel & Grau) (NF-P)
34. "Eat This Not That! by David Zinczenko, Matt Goulding (Rodale Press) (NF-P)
35. "Firefly Lane" by Kristin Hannah (St. Martin's Griffin) (F-P)
36. "Dream Warrior" by Sherrilyn Kenyon (St. Martin's) (F-P)
37. "The Last Lecture" by Randy Pausch and Jeffrey Zaslow (Hyperion) (NF-H)
38. He's Just Not That Into You: The No-Excuses Truth to Understanding Guys" by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo (Simon Spotlight Entertainment) (NF-P)
39. "The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream" by Barack Obama (Three Rivers Press)(NF-P)
40. "Marley & Me: Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog" by John Grogan (Harper) (NF-P)
41. "Fool: A Novel" by Christopher Moore (William Morrow) (F-H)
42. "Coraline" by Neil Gaiman, Dave McKean (HarperFestival) (F-P)
43. "What to Expect When You're Expecting" by Heidi Murkoff, Sharon Mazel (Workman Publishing Group) (NF-P)
44. "Marked" by P.C. Cast Kristin Cast (St. Martin's Griffin) (F-P)
45. "The Calorie King Calorie, Fat & Carbohydrate Counter 2009 Edition" by Allan Borushek (Family Health Publications) (NF-P)
46. Get Motivated!: Overcome Any Obstacle, Achieve Any Goal and Accelerate Your Success with Motivational DNA" by Tamara Lowe (Doubleday Business) (NF-H)
47. "The Final Warning" by James Patterson (Vision) (F-P)
48. "Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World" by Vicki Myron and Brett Witter (Grand Central Publishing) (NF-H)
49. "The Tales of Beedle the Bard" by J.K. Rowling (Children's High Level Group) (F-H)
50. "Tempted All Night" by Liz Carlyle (Pocket) (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
By The Associated Press

FICTION
1. "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw" by Jeff Kinney (Amulet)
2. "Eclipse" by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)
3. "Breaking Dawn" by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)
4. "The Associate" by John Grisham (Doubleday)
5. "Run for Your Life" by James Patterson (Little, Brown)
6. "Heart and Soul" by Maeve Binchy (Knopf)
7. "The Host" by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown)
8. "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules" by Jeff Kinney (Amulet)
9. "Dog on It: A Chet and Bernie Mystery" by Spencer Quinn (Atria)
10. "Graveyard Book" by Neil Gaiman (Harper Collins)
11. "Fool: A Novel" by Christopher Moore (William Morrow)
12. "Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney (Amulet)
13. "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society" by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows (Dial)
14. "New Moon" by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)
15. "Among the Mad" by Jacqueline Winspear (Henry Holt and Co.)

NONFICTION
1. "Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man: What Men Really Think About Love, Relationships, Intimacy, and Commitment" by Steve Harvey (Amistad)
2. "The Yankee Years" by Joe Torre and Tom Verducci (Doubleday)
3. "Outliers: The Story of Success" by Malcolm Gladwell (Little, Brown)
4. "The Last Lecture" by Randy Pausch, Jeffrey Zaslow (Hyperion)
5. "StrengthsFinder 2.0: A New and Upgraded Edition of the Online Test from Gallup's Now, Discover Your Strengths" by Tom Rath (Gallup Press)
6. "Get Motivated: Overcome Any Obstacle, Achieve Any Goal and Accelerate Your Success with Motivational DNA" by Tamara Lowe (Doubleday Business)
7. "Obama: The Historic Journey" by Jill Abramson, Bill Keller (Callaway Adult)
8. "Uncommon: Finding Your Path to Significance" by Tony Dungy and Nathan Whitaker (Tyndale House Pubilshers)
9. "The Secret" by Rhonda Byrne (Atria Books/Beyond Words)
10. "Rubies in the Orchard: How to Uncover the Hidden Gems in Your Business" by Lynda Resnick, Francis Wilkinson (Doubleday Business)
11. "Obama: The Historic Front Pages" by David Elliot Cohen, Mark Greenberg, Howard Dodson (Sterling)
12. "Flat Belly Diet" by Liz Vaccariello and Cynthia Sass (Rodale Books)
13. "The Gamble: General David Petraeus and the American Military Adventure in Iraq, 2006-2008" by Thomas E. Ricks (Penguin Press HC)
14. "Who Moved My Cheese?: An amazing way to deal with change in your work and in your life" by Spencer Johnson (G. P. Putnam's Sons)
15. "The Next 100 Years: A Forecast for the 21st Century" by George Friedman (Doubleday)
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:

--Thomas E. Ricks, author of The Gamble: General David Petraeus and the American Military Adventure in Iraq, 2006-2008
--Amy Dickinson, author of The Mighty Queens of Freeville: A Mother, a Daughter, and the Town That Raised Them
--M. Gigi Durham, author of The Lolita Effect: The Media Sexualization of Young Girls and What We Can Do About It
--John Hanc, author of The Coolest Race on Earth: Mud, Madmen, Glaciers and Grannies at the Antarctica Marathon
--Jimmy Carter, author of We Can Have Peace in the Holy Land: A Plan That Will Work
--Jess McCann, author of You Lost Him at Hello: A Saleswoman's Secrets to Closing the Deal with Any Guy You Want
--Alec Greven, How to Talk to Girls
--Lori Uscher-Pines, The Get-Your-Man-to-Marry-You Plan: Buying the Cow in the Age of Free Milk
--Joan Rivers, author of Men Are Stupid And They Like Big Boobs: A Woman's Guide to Beauty Through Plastic Surgery
--Garry Leech, author of Beyond Bogota: Diary of a Drug War Journalist in Colombia
--David Denby, author of Snark
--Peter S. Canellos, author of Last Lion: The Fall and Rise of Ted Kennedy
--Don Rickles, author of Rickles' Letters
--Steve Harvey, author of Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man: What Men Really Think About Love, Relationships, Intimacy, and Commitment
--Yiyun Li, author of The Vagrants
--Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, The Kosher Sutra: Eight Sacred Secrets for Reigniting Desire and Restoring Passion for Life
--Alison Weir, Mistress of the Monarchy: The Life of Katherine Swynford, Duchess of Lancaster
--Dr. Abraham Verghese, Cutting for Stone
--Steven Greenhouse, The Big Squeeze: Tough Times for the American Worker
--Suze Orman, author of Suze Orman's 2009 Action Plan
--Micheline Aharonian Marcom, author of The Mirror in the Well
--Peter Walsh, author of Does This Clutter Make My Butt Look Fat?: An Easy Plan for Losing Weight and Living More
--Robert Ballard, Titanic: The Last Great Images
--Joan Rivers, Murder at the Academy Awards: A Red Carpet Murder Mystery
--Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot, author of The Third Chapter: Passion, Risk, and Adventure in the 25 Years After 50
--Ann Coulter, author of Guilty: Liberal 'Victims' and Their Assault on America
--James Mathews, author of Last Known Position
--Alexandra Avakian, author of Windows of the Soul: My Journeys in the Muslim World
--Ted Widmer, author of Ark of the Liberties: America and the World
--William Iggiagruk Hensley, author of Fifty Miles from Tomorrow: A Memoir of Alaska and the Real People
--Norman Bussel, author of My Private War: Liberated Body, Captive Mind--A World War II POW's Journey
--Roger Simon, author of Blacklisting Myself: Memoir of a Hollywood Apostate in the Age of Terror
--Dean Baker, author of Plunder and Blunder: The Rise and Fall of the Bubble Economy
--Michele Borba, author of 12 Simple Secrets Real Moms Know: Getting Back to Basics and Raising Happy Kids
--Fred Strebeigh, Equal: Women Reshape American Law
--Steve Adubato, What Were They Thinking? Crisis Communication -- the Good, the Bad, and the Totally Clueless
--Jane Brody, Jane Brody's Guide to the Great Beyond: A Practical Primer to Help You and Your Loved Ones Prepare Medically, Legally, and Emotionally for the End of Life
--Richard Newman, Freedom's Prophet: Bishop Richard Allen, the AME Church, and the Black Founding Fathers
--William Iggiagruk Hensley, author of Fifty Miles from Tomorrow: A Memoir of Alaska and the Real People
--Viktor Suvorov, The Chief Culprit: Stalin's Grand Design to Start World War II
--Norman Busse, My Private War: Liberated Body, Captive Mind - A World War II POW's Journey
--William Holstein, Why GM Matters: Inside the Race to Transform an American Icon
--Ron Robinson, co-author of Funding Fathers: The Unsung Heroes of the Conservative Movement
--Rip Esselstyn, author of The Engine 2 Diet: The Texas Firefighter's 28-Day Save-Your-Life Plan that Lowers Cholesterol and Burns Away the Pounds
--Jon Friedman, author of Rejected: Tales of the Failed, Dumped, and Canceled
-- Liza Mundy, author of Everything Conceivable: How Assisted Reproduction Is Changing Our World
--T.C. Boyle, author of The Women
--Helen Fisher, author of Why Him? Why Her?: Finding Real Love By Understanding Your Personality Type
--Sharon Meers, author of Getting to 50/50: How Working Couples Can Have It All by Sharing It All
--Nancy L. Snyderman, author of Medical Myths That Can Kill You: And the 101 Truths That Will Save, Extend, and Improve Your Life
--Felix Rohatyn, author of Bold Endeavors: How Our Government Built America, and Why It Must Rebuild Now
--Emmanuel Jal, author of War Child: A Child Soldier's Story
--Kat Von D., author of High Voltage Tattoo
--David Grann, author of The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon
--Ali Velshi, author of Gimme My Money Back: Your Guide to Beating the Financial
--Adam Cohen, author of Nothing to Fear: FDR's Inner Circle and the Hundred Days That Created Modern America
--Cliff Sloan, author of The Great Decision: Jefferson, Adams, Marshall, and the Battle for the Supreme Court
--Jon Friedman, Rejected: Tales of the Failed, Dumped, and Canceled
--Daniyal Mueenuddin, In Other Rooms, Other Wonders
--Flora Fraser, Pauline Bonaparte: Venus of Empire
--Alice and Philip Shabecoff, authors of Poisoned Profits: The Toxic Assault on Our Children
--Louis Ferrante, Unlocked: The Life and Crimes of a Mafia Insider
--Sam Zien, author of Sam the Cooking Guy: Just a Bunch of Recipes
--Felix Rohatyn, author of Bold Endeavors: How Our Government Built America, and Why It Must Rebuild Now
--Thomas E. Ricks, author of The Gamble: General David Petraeus and the American Military Adventure in Iraq, 2006-2008
--Tony Dungy, author of Uncommon: Finding Your Path to Significance
--Steve Weisman, The Truth About Avoiding Scams
--Alida Brill, co-author of Dancing at the River's Edge: A Patient and Her Doctor Negotiate Life with Chronic Illness
--Mark Bittman, author of Food Matters: A Guide to Conscious Eating with More Than 75 Recipes
--Robert Wagner, Pieces of My Heart: A Life
--Jim Burns, The Purity Code: God's Plan for Sex and Your Body
--Dexter Filkins, author of The Forever War
--Mark Gonsalves, author of Out of Captivity: Surviving 1,967 Days in the Colombian Jungle
--Rae Armantrout, author of Versed
--Azim Khamisa, co-author of The Secrets of the Bulletproof Spirit: How to Bounce Back from Life's Hardest Hits
--Anthony Delorenzo, co-author of Warning Signs: How to Know if Your Partner Is Cheating-and What to Do About It
--Stanley Greenberg, Dispatches from the War Room: In the Trenches with Five Extraordinary Leaders
--Alan Boss, The Crowded Universe: The Search for Living Planets
--Mark Gonsalves, author of Out of Captivity: Surviving 1,967 Days in the Colombian Jungle
--Neil DeGrasse Tyson, author of The Pluto Files
--Ronald White, Jr., author of A. Lincoln: A Biography
--Robert Roper, author of Now the Drum of War: Walt Whitman and his Brothers in the Civil War
--Frank Keating, author of The Trial of Standing Bear
--Azar Nafisi, author of Things I've Been Silent About: Memories
--Jimmy Carter, author of We Can Have Peace in the Holy Land: A Plan That Will Work
--Ronald Takaki, A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America
--Keith Stansell, Marc Gonsalves and Tom Howe, authors of Out of Captivity: Surviving 1,967 Days in the Colombian Jungle
--Felix Rohatyn, Bold Endeavors: How Our Government Built America, and Why It Must Rebuild Now
--Jane Seymour, Open Hearts: If Your Heart Is Open, Love Will Always Find Its Way In

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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/

Slavery -- http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/4525809

Memoirs of Women Searching -- http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/4515783

Return to Amish Country -- http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/4511270

President-elect Barack Obama -- http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/4501793

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