Recordpub.com - One for the Books: Novels Set in India

Three recent novels that I thoroughly enjoyed all happen to be set in India. But they could not be more different from each other.

First published in Great Britain, "East of the Sun" by Julia Gregson is now being published on this side of the Pond. It has already been named Romantic Novel of the Year by the Romantic Novelists' Association. But don't think of it as a romance novel; I don't. There are love stories, yes, but really, it's a wonderful, old-fashioned novel about friendship, relationships, and coming-of age, set amid a historic backdrop (It's the era of Gandhi; the people of India are displaying their contempt for the British, and the Muslims and Hindus can't get along), and it's a nice, long-enough-to-live-with-these-characters-awhile read.

The story begins in London in 1928. Viva Holloway, age 25, has been hired as a chaperone to accompany three young people to India, where Viva grew up. One is a girl engaged to marry an English military captain serving in India -- a man she barely knows. She is accompanied by her best friend and designated bridesmaid, who secretly has no intention of returning to England and to her mother, "who could be mean in several languages." The third is a troubled 16-year-old whose aunt describes him as "a difficult boy." First, we take the two-week sea voyage to India with the characters on their boat, which is like a mystical world of its own: "When Viva looked up, the moon was chasing their boat, spinning a faint golden mist over the haze of stars." When they get to their destination, they discover that India isn't quite the dream they'd imagined: "Well, the heat for one thing. You have never, ever felt anything like it in England, it's like being clubbed over the head sometimes, the flies, appalling poverty, but if you love it, as I do, it gets to you, it bores its way into your soul," Viva explains.

This is the kind of book I always hope to find. The writing is lovely, and the characters, though not fully developed, are likable. When I got to page three, I wrote in my notes, "I may fall in love with this book." And I did. It was just a pleasure.

For a more traditionally literary read, try "The Weight of Heaven" by Kent's own Thrity Umrigar. Michigan residents Ellie Benton and her husband, Frank, are trying to survive the sudden death of their 7-year-old son in 2006. When Frank's boss offers him an opportunity to head the company's new factory in India, Ellie sees it as "a chance to save her marriage," to get away from constant reminders of their boy's death. A year later, we find that they've settled into their life in India. Ellie loves the place: "India fit Ellie like a garment cut to size." Frank is "constantly confused and repelled" by it. "For all practical purposes, Frank lived in a different India than she did." A collision of class and culture begins at the factory, which has labor troubles, and the union organizer is found dead. Work stress and personal stress -- he still blames his wife for his son's death -- are getting to Frank; the only joy he finds is spending time with his servant's young son, who reminds him of the boy he lost. A metaphorical boulder starts rolling down that mountain of conflict and oh, you can just see disaster coming -- but it takes a turn.

The writing is beautiful: "A particularly rude clap of thunder shattered the cocoon of mindlessness that she had built for herself and jolted her back into the world." And Ellie describes India: "This was a country where the lines between metaphors and reality, fact and fiction, were virtually nonexistent because strange, improbable things happened all the time." Part of the book is romantic, showing how three very different couples deal with their relationships. Part is contemplative; part will touch your social consciousness; part is a thriller. There is gentle love; there is raw, horrendous grief; there is madness. It's a powerful, lyrical tragedy.

Now, switch gears -- all the gears you can find -- because "The White Tiger" by Aravind Adiga is nothing like most books you've ever read. This winner of the prestigious Man Booker Prize is now in paperback. The entire book takes the form of a letter Balram is writing to the premier of China, in which Balram describes his life and defends the actions he has taken -- such as murder. The son of a rickshaw driver, Balram grew up in extreme poverty, and some of the scenes he depicts are most unpleasant. Balram is often disrespectful and severe, but we come to understand a bit of what drives him. As a child in school, he is praised for his intelligence and is referred to as the white tiger, "the rarest of animals -- the creature that comes along only once in a generation." His education is halted when his parents take him out of school and indenture him with a local tea shop owner to pay their debt. But he's clever: "I used my time at the tea shop ... to spy on every customer at every table, and overhear everything they said. I decided this was how I would keep my education going forward." He learns to drive a car and to be a mechanic, and uses his skills to climb out of poverty. Then his family comes calling and demands his salary. He doesn't just drive a car; he must perform the other duties of a servant, including "playing cricket with any brat in the household who wanted to play -- and letting him win, handsomely." He poses the question: "Do we loathe our masters behind a facade of love -- or do we love them behind a facade of loathing?"

Balram is occasionally funny, often irreverent, and bordering on insane. But he is absolutely fascinating. I wasn't sure about the book at first because of its unique rhythm, but it didn't take long before I was under the spell of Balram's story, and I could not put it down.

All three of these books have adult situations and language, but I'm reasonably prudish, and they didn't bother me. More suggestions: "Shantaram" by Gregory David Roberts and "Q & A" by Vikas Swarup, on which the movie "Slumdog Millionaire" was based.

For book news, best-seller lists and more, go to www.recordpub.com, click on "News," then "Lifetimes," and find "One for the Books" online. And visit my blog, "Shine A Light," at http://blogs.dixcdn.com/shine_a_light.

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BOOK NOTES, One for the Books Extra Online Exclusives:
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Follow me on Twitter @One4TheBooks.
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Check out my 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, 144 S. Cleveland Ave., 330-628-9228, meets at 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays.
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National Catholic Reporter has launched a new blog at
http://ncronline.org/blogs/ncr-today


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from Shelf Awareness: New Titles Out May 18 and 19:

My Remarkable Journey by Larry King
The Increment: A Novel by David Ignatius
Home Game: An Accidental Guide to Fatherhood by Michael Lewis
Gone Tomorrow by Lee Child
The Sign by Raymond Khoury
Lost Boy by Brent W. Jeffs and Maia Szalavitz
Ted Kennedy: The Dream That Never Died by Edward Klein
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New Titles Out May 26:

The Scarecrow by Michael Connelly
Shanghai Girls: A Novel by Lisa See
A Brain Wider Than the Sky: A Migraine Diary by Andrew Levy
Take Charge of Your Money Now! Workbook: Essential Strategies for Winning in Any Financial Climate by A.J. Monte and Rick Swope
Excuses Begone!: How to Change Lifelong, Self-Defeating Thinking Habits by Wayne W. Dyer

Now out in paperback:

My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist's Personal Journey by Jill Bolte Taylor
Blood Noir by Laurell K. Hamilton
The Front by Patricia Cornwell
The Beach House: A Novel by Jane Green
Bulls Island by Dorothea Benton Frank
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NCR Online has published a review of THE SPIRITUAL LANDSCAPE OF MARK by Bonnie B. Thurston:
http://ncronline.org/node/13182

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PUBLISHERS WEEKLY BEST-SELLERS
By The Associated Press

HARDCOVER FICTION
1. “Wicked Prey” by John Sandford (Putnam)
2. “Cemetery Dance” by Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child (Grand Central Publishing)
3. “Dead and Gone” by Charlaine Harris (Ace)
4. “The 8th Confession” by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro (Little, Brown)
5. “First Family” by David Baldacci (Grand Central Publishing)
6. “Pygmy” by Chuck Palahniuk (Doubleday)
7. “The Host” by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown)
8. “Tea Time for the Traditionally Built: The New No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency Novel” by Alexander McCall Smith (Pantheon)
9. “Lover Avenged” by J.R. Ward (NAL Hardcover)
10. “Assegai” by Wilbur Smith (Thomas Dunne)
11. “Just Take My Heart” by Mary Higgins Clark (Simon & Schuster)
12. “Summer on Blossom Street” by Debbie Macomber (Mira)
13. “Loitering with Intent” by Stuart Woods (Putnam Adult)
14. “The Last Child” by John Hart (Minotaur Books)
15. “Road Dogs” by Elmore Leonard (William Morrow)

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. “Resilience: Reflections on the Burdens and Gifts of Facing Life’s Adversities” by Elizabeth Edwards (Broadway)
3. “Liberty and Tyranny: A Conservative Manifesto” by Mark R. Levin (Threshold Editions)
4. “Master Your Metabolism: The 3 Diet Secrets to Naturally Balancing Your Hormones for a Hot and Healthy Body!” by Jillian Michaels and Mariska van Aalst (Crown)
5. “Always Looking Up: The Adventures of an Incurable Optimist” by Michael J. Fox (Hyperion)
6. “The Girls from Ames: A Story of Women and Friendship” by Jeffrey Zaslow (Gotham)
7. “The Last Lecture” by Randy Pausch with Jeffrey Zaslow (Hyperion)
8. “Outliers: The Story of Success” by Malcolm Gladwell (Little, Brown)
9. “The G-Free Diet: A Gluten-Free Survival Guide” by Elisabeth Hasselbeck (Center Street)
10. “Losing Mum and Pup” by Christopher Buckley (Twelve)
11. “A-Rod: The Many Lives of Alex Rodriguez” by Selena Roberts (Harper)
12. “No Matter What: 9 Steps to Living the Life You Love” by Lisa Nichols (Wellness Central)
13. “Columbine” by Dave Cullen (Twelve)
14. “The Secret” by Rhonda Byrne (Atria/Beyond Words)
15. “The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite “ by David Kessler (Rodale Books)

MASS MARKET PAPERBACKS
1. “Angels & Demons” by Dan Brown (Pocket)
2. “Sail” by James Patterson and Howard Roughan (Vision)
3. “Phantom Prey” by John Sandford (Berkley)
4. “Odd Hours” by Dean Koontz (Bantam)
5. “Robert Ludlum’s The Bourne Sanction” by Eric Van Lustbader (Grand Central Publishing)
6. “Just Breathe” by Susan Wiggs (Mira)
7. “Hot Mahogany” by Stuart Woods (Signet)
8. “Burning Wild” by Christine Feehan (Jove)
9. “From Dead to Worse” by Charlaine Harris (Ace)
10. “Careless in Red” by Elizabeth George (Harper)
11. “The Broken Window” by Jeffery Deaver (Pocket Star)
12. “At Last Comes Love” by Mary Balogh (Dell)
13. “Dead Until Dark” by Charlaine Harris (Ace)
14. “Living Dead in Dallas” by Charlaine Harris (Ace; MTI edition)
15. “Dark Summer” by Iris Johansen (St. Martin’s Paperbacks)

TRADE PAPERBACKS
1. “The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society” by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows (Dial)
2. “The Shack” by William P. Young (Windblown Media)
3. “Vision in White” by Nora Roberts (Berkley Trade)
4. “City of Thieves” by David Benioff (Plume)
5. “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies” by Jane Austin and Seth Grahame-Smith (Quirk Books)
6. “Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace ... One School at a Time” by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin (Penguin)
7. “Love the One You’re With” by Emily Giffin (St. Martin’s Griffin)
8. “Cook Yourself Thin: Skinny Meals You Can Make in Minutes” by Lifetime Television (Voice)
9. “Naturally Thin” Bethenny Frankel with Eve Adamson (Fireside)
10. “Angels & Demons” by Dan Brown (Washington Square Press)
11. “The Middle Place” by Kelly Corrigan (Voice)
12. “Unaccustomed Earth: Stories” by Jhumpa Lahiri (Vintage)
13. “Testimony” by Anita Shreve (Back Bay Books)
14. “Sarahs Key” by Tatiana de Rosnay (St. Martins Griffin)
15. “Star Trek” by Alan Dean Foster (Star Trek; MTI edition)
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WALL STREET JOURNAL BEST-SELLERS
By The Associated Press

FICTION
1. “The Last Olympian” by Rick Riordan (Disney Hyperion Books for Children)
2. “Wicked Prey” by John Sandford (Putnam)
3. “Cemetery Dance” by Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child (Grand Central Publishing)
4. “Eclipse” by Stephenie Meyer (Little Brown for Young Readers)
5. “Breaking Dawn” by Stephenie Meyer (Little Brown for Young Readers)
6. “The Soldiers of Halla” by D.J. MacHale (Aladdin)
7. “Dead and Gone” by Charlaine Harris (Ace)
8. “The 8th Confession” by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro (Little, Brown)
9. “Terrible Things” by Eve Bunting, Stephen Gammell, illus. (Jewish Publication Society)
10. “First Family” by David Baldacci (Grand Central Publishing)
11. “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!” by Dr. Seuss (Random House)
12. “Pygmy” by Chuck Palahniuk (Doubleday)
13. “Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw” by Jeff Kinney (Amulet)
14. “The Host” by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown)
15. “Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules” by Jeff Kinney (Amulet Books) (F-H)

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. “Resilience: Reflections on the Burdens and Gifts of Facing Life’s Adversities” by Elizabeth Edwards (Broadway)
3. “Master Your Metabolism: The 3 Diet Secrets to Naturally Balancing Your Hormones for a Hot and Healthy Body!” by Jillian Michaels and Mariska van Aalst (Crown)
4. “Liberty and Tyranny: A Conservative Manifesto” by Mark R. Levin (Threshold Editions)
5. “Outliers: The Story of Success” by Malcolm Gladwell (Little, Brown)
6. “The Last Lecture” by Randy Pausch and Jeffrey Zaslow (Hyperion)
7. “Always Looking Up: The Adventures of an Incurable Optimist” by Michael J. Fox (Hyperion)
8. “The Girls from Ames: A Story of Women and Friendship” by Jeffrey Zaslow (Gotham)
9. “The G-Free Diet: A Gluten-Free Survival Guide” by Elisabeth Hasselbeck (Center Street)
10. “StrengthsFinder 2.0: A New and Upgraded Edition of the Online Test from Gallup’s Now, Discover Your Strengths” by Tom Rath (Gallup Press)
11. “The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite “ by David Kessler (Rodale Books)
12. “Losing Mum and Pup” by Christopher Buckley (Twelve)
13. “No Matter What: 9 Steps to Living the Life You Love” by Lisa Nichols (Wellness Central)
14. “Columbine” by Dave Cullen (Twelve)
15. “The Noticer: Sometimes, All a Person Needs Is a Little Perspective” by Andy Andrews (Thomas Nelson)

The Wall Street Journal’s list reflects nationwide sales of hardcover books during the week ended last Saturday at more than 2,500 Barnes & Noble, B. Dalton, Bookland, Books-a-Million, Books & Co., Bookstar, Bookstop, Borders, Brentano’s, Coles, Coopersmith, Doubleday, Scribners and Waldenbooks stores, as well as sales from online retailers Amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com.
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USA TODAY BEST-SELLERS
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. “The Last Olympian” by Rick Riordan (Disney Hyperion Books for Children) (F-H)
3. “Twilight” by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers) (F-P)
4. “Eclipse” by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers) (F-H)
5. “Angels & Demons” by Dan Brown (Pocket) (F-P)
6. “Breaking Dawn” by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers) (F-H)
7. “Vision in White” by Nora Roberts (Berkley Trade) (F-P)
8. “The Shack” by William P. Young (Windblown Media) (F-P)
9. “Wicked Prey” by John Sandford (Putnam) (F-H)
10. “The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society” by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows (Dial)
11. “Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man: What Men Really Think About Love, Relationships, Intimacy, and Commitment” by Steve Harvey (Amistad) (NF-H)
12. “Dead and Gone” by Charlaine Harris (Ace) (F-H)
13. “Cemetery Dance” by Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child (Grand Central Publishing) (F-H)
14. “The 8th Confession” by James Patterson (Little, Brown) (F-H)
15. “The Soldiers of Halla” by D.J. MacHale (Aladdin) (F-H)
16. “Sail” by James Patterson and Howard Roughan (Vision) (F-P)
17. “Phantom Prey” by John Sandford (Berkley) (F-P)
18. “Just Breathe” by Susan Wiggs (Mira Books) (F-P)
19. “Resilience: Reflections on the Burdens and Gifts of Facing Life’s Adversities” by Elizabeth Edwards (Broadway) (NF-H)
20. “Liberty and Tyranny: A Conservative Manifesto” by Mark R. Levin (Threshold Editions) (NF-H)
21. “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!” by Dr. Seuss (Random House) (F-H)
22. “Master Your Metabolism: The 3 Diet Secrets to Naturally Balancing Your Hormones for a Hot and Healthy Body!” by Jillian Michaels and Mariska van Aalst (Crown)
23. “The Law of Love” by Nora Roberts (Silhouette) (F-P)
24. “Always Looking Up: The Adventures of an Incurable Optimist” by Michael J. Fox (Hyperion) (NF-H)
25. “Odd Hours” by Dean Koontz (Bantam) (F-P)
26. “City of Thieves” by David Benioff (Plume) (F-P)
27. “First Family” by David Baldacci (Grand Central Publishing) (F-H)
28. “The Host” by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown) (F-H)
29. “Dark Summer” by Iris Johansen (St. Martin’s Paperbacks) (F-P)
30. “Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw” by Jeff Kinney (Amulet) (F-H)
31. “The Last Lecture” by Randy Pausch with Jeffrey Zaslow (Hyperion) (NF-H)
32. “Outliers: The Story of Success” by Malcolm Gladwell (Little, Brown) (NF-H)
33. “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies” by Jane Austin and Seth Grahame-Smith (Quirk Books)
34. “Burning Wild” by Christine Feehan (Jove) (F-P)
35. “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)
36. “Love the One You’re With” by Emily Giffin (St. Martin’s Griffin) (F-P)
37. “At Last Comes Love” by Mary Balough (Dell) (F-P)
38. “The Love Dare” by Stephen Kendrick and Alex Kendrick (B&H) (NF-P)
39. “The Girls from Ames: A Story of Women and Friendship” by Jeffrey Zaslow (Gotham) (NF-H)
40. “Tribute” by Nora Roberts (Jove) (F-P)
41. “Pygmy” by Chuck Palahniuk (Doubleday) (F-H)
42. “The Lightning Thief” by Rick Riordan (Miramax/Hyperion Books for Children) (F-P)
43. “Testimony” by Anita Shreve (Back Bay Books) (F-P)
44. “Where Are You Now?” by Mary Higgins Clark (Pocket) (F-P)
45. “7th Heaven” by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro (Grand Central Publishing) (F-P)
46. “No Choice But Seduction: A Malory Novel” by Johanna Lindsey (Pocket) (F-P)
47. “Flowers on Main” by Sherryl Woods (Mira) (F-P)
48. “Marked” by P.C. Cast, Kristin Cast (St. Martin’s Griffin) (F-P)
49. “Dead Until Dark” by Charlaine Harris (Ace) (F-P)
50. “Naturally Thin” Bethenny Frankel with Eve Adamson (Fireside) (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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The following authors are making the media rounds, visiting talk shows, and/or talking about their books:

--Cheryl Saban, author of What Is Your Self-Worth?: A Woman's Guide to Validation
--Adam Perry Lang, Serious Barbecue: Smoke, Char, Baste, and Brush Your Way to Great Outdoor Cooking
--Elizabeth Edwards, Resilience: Reflections on the Burdens and Gifts of Facing Life's Adversities
--Matt Skinner, author of Heard it Through the Grapevine: The Things You Should Know to Enjoy Wine
--Alyse Myers, Who Do You Think You Are? A Memoir
--Alec Greven, How to Talk to Moms
--Peter Marber, Seeing the Elephant: Understanding Globalization from Trunk to Tail
--Selena Roberts, A-Rod: The Many Lives of Alex Rodriguez
--Tim Wise, Between Barack and a Hard Place: Racism and White Denial in the Age of Obama
--Dr. Sheila Schuller Coleman, Mommy Grace: Erasing Your Mommy Guilt
--Mariel Hemingway, Mariel's Kitchen: Simple Ingredients for a Delicious and Satisfying Life
--Rachel Lehmann-Haupt, In Her Own Sweet Time: Unexpected Adventures in Finding Love, Commitment, and Motherhood
--Winifred Gallagher, Rapt: Attention and the Focused Life
--Sam Staggs, Born to Be Hurt: The Untold Story of Imitation of Life
--Tamara Draut, Strapped: Why America's 20- and 30-Somethings Can't Get Ahead
--Frank Partnoy, The Match King: Ivar Kreuger, The Financial Genius Behind a Century of Wall Street Scandals
--Joe Queenan, Closing Time: A Memoir
--William Baker, Leading with Kindness: How Good People Consistently Get Superior Results
--Janice Lieberman, How to Shop for a Husband: A Consumer Guide to Getting a Great Buy on a Guy
--Richard Haass, War of Necessity, War of Choice: A Memoir of Two Iraq Wars
--Edmund L. Andrews, Busted: Life Inside the Great Mortgage Meltdown
--Steve Harvey, author of Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man: What Men Really Think About Love, Relationships, Intimacy, and Commitment
--Maria Celeste Arraras, Make Your Life Prime Time: How to Have It All Without Losing Your Soul
--James Van Praagh, Unfinished Business: What the Dead Can Teach Us About Life
--Kate Kelly, Street Fighters: The Last 72 Hours of Bear Stearns, the Toughest Firm on Wall Street
--Karl Taro Greenfeld, Boy Alone: A Brother's Memoir
--Bethenny Frankel, Naturally Thin: Unleash Your SkinnyGirl and Free Yourself from a Lifetime of Dieting
--Lisa Nichols, No Matter What!: 9 Steps to Living the Life You Love
--David Kessler, The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite
--John Delucie, The Hunger: A Story of Food, Desire, and Ambition
--Gary Indiana, The Shanghai Gesture
--Forrest Griffin, Got Fight?: The 50 Zen Principles of Hand-to-Face Combat
--Michael Pollan, In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto
--Laura Lippman, Life Sentences: A Novel
--Gretchen Peters, Seeds of Terror: How Heroin Is Bankrolling the Taliban and al Qaeda
--Clara Kramer, Clara's War: One Girl's Story of Survival
--Reif Larsen, The Selected Works of T. S. Spivet
--Christopher McDougall, Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen
--Newt Gingrich and Jackie Gingrich Cushman, 5 Principles for a Successful Life: From Our Family to Yours
--Elisabeth Hasselbeck, The G-Free Diet: A Gluten-Free Survival Guide
--Dr. Cheryl Saban, What Is Your Self-Worth: A Woman’s Guide to Validation
--E. Ethelbert Miller, The 5th Inning
--Christopher Beha, The Whole Five Feet: What the Great Books Taught Me About Life, Death, and Pretty Much Everything Else
--Giulia Melucci, I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti
--Neil MacFarquhar, The Media Relations Department of Hizbollah Wishes You a Happy Birthday
--Doug Scott, Our Wilderness: America's Common Ground
--Robert Shiller and George Akerlof, authors of Animal Spirits: How Human Psychology Drives the Economy, and Why It Matters for Global Capitalism
--Brooke Shields, It's the Best Day Ever, Dad!
--Neil Patrick Harris, The Bro Code by Barney Stinson
--Steve Milloy, Green Hell: How Environmentalists Plan to Control Your Life and What You Can Do to Stop Them
--Richard Beeman, Plain, Honest Men: The Making of the American Constitution
--Arnie Bernstein, Bath Massacre: America's First School Bombing
--David Horowitz, One-Party Classroom: How Radical Professors at America's Top Colleges Indoctrinate Students and Undermine Our Democracy
--Mark Rudd, Underground: My Life with SDS and the Weathermen
--Jay W. Richards, Money, Greed and God: Why Capitalism Is the Solution and Not the Problem
--Janice Lieberman, How to Shop for a Husband: A Consumer Guide to Getting a Great Buy on a Guy
--Andy Andrews, The Noticer: Sometimes, All a Person Needs Is a Little Perspective.
--Aleksandar Hemon, Love and Obstacles
--Jill Jonnes, Eiffel's Tower: And the World's Fair Where Buffalo Bill Beguiled Paris, the Artists Quarreled, and Thomas Edison Became a Count
--Dr. Michelle R. Callahan, Ms. Typed: Discover Your True Dating Personality and Rewrite Your Romantic Future
--Ricki Lake, Your Best Birth: Know All Your Options, Discover the Natural Choices, and Take Back the Birth Experience
--Peter Singer, The Life You Can Save: Acting Now to End World Poverty
--Gary Indiana, The Shanghai Gesture
--Michael Fauntroy, Republicans and the Black Vote
--Martha Stewart, Martha Stewart's Cupcakes: 175 Inspired Ideas for Everyone's Favorite Treat
--Ira Rosofsky, Nasty, Brutish, and Long: Adventures in Old Age and the World of Eldercare
--Zachary Mexico, China Underground
--Edward Nixon, The Nixons: A Family Portrait
--David Korten, Agenda for a New Economy: From Phantom Wealth to Real Wealth
--Edwin Black, Nazi Nexus: America's Corporate Connections to Hitler's Holocaust
--Jeff Jarvis, What Would Google Do?
--Emeril Lagasse, Emeril at the Grill: A Cookbook for All Seasons
--James Carville, 40 More Years: How the Democrats Will Rule the Next Generation
--Curtis Stone, Relaxed Cooking with Curtis Stone: Recipes to Put You in My Favorite Mood
--Thomas Sowell, The Housing Boom and Bust
--Jesse Ventura, Don't Start the Revolution Without Me
--Colm Toibin, Brooklyn
--David Ignatius, The Increment
--Bethenny Frankel, Naturally Thin: Unleash Your SkinnyGirl and Free Yourself from a Lifetime of Dieting
--Charlie Todd, Causing a Scene
--Lisa Rinna, Rinnavation: Getting Your Best Life Ever
--Barbara Bradley Hagerty, Fingerprints of God: The Search for the Science of Spirituality
--Andy Raskin, author of The Ramen King and I: How the Inventor of Instant Noodles Fixed My Love Life
--Larry King, My Remarkable Journey
--Walter Kirn, Lost in the Meritocracy: The Undereducation of an Overachiever
--Dr. Louis Aronne, The Skinny: On Losing Weight Without Being Hungry-the Ultimate Guide to Weight Loss Success
--Colm Toibin, Brooklyn: A Novel
--Reynolds Price, Ardent Spirits: Leaving Home, Coming Back
--Joel C. Rosenberg, Inside the Revolution: How the Followers of Jihad, Jefferson & Jesus Are Battling to Dominate the Middle East and Transform the World
--Dani Klein Modisett, Afterbirth: Stories You Won't Read in a Parenting Magazine
--Reza Aslan, author of How to Win a Cosmic War: God, Globalization, and the End of the War on Terror
--Seth Shostak, author of Confessions of an Alien Hunter: A Scientist's Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence
--Matthew Amster-Burton, author of Hungry Monkey: A Food-Loving Father's Quest to Raise an Adventurous Eater
--Charlie Todd and Alex Scordelis, Causing a Scene: Extraordinary Pranks in Ordinary Places with Improv Everywhere
--Eric Sanderson, Mannahatta: A Natural History of New York City
--Lawrence Block, Step by Step: A Pedestrian Memoir
--Clinton Heylin, author of So Long As Men Can Breathe: The Untold Story of Shakespeare's Sonnets
--Simon Schama, The American Future: A History
--Emma Mclaughlin and Nicola Kraus, authors of The Real Real
--Christine Avanti, author of Skinny Chicks Don't Eat Salads: Stop Starving, Start Eating and Losing
--Paula Deen, author of The Deen Family Cookbook
--Tamar Geller, author of The Loved Dog: The Playful, Nonaggressive Way to Teach Your Dog Good Behavior
--Christopher Buckley, Losing Mum and Pup
--Tony Horwitz, author of A Voyage Long and Strange: Rediscovering the New World
--Philippe Sands, Torture Team: Rumsfeld's Memo and the Betrayal of American Values

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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/one-for-the-books/

Books for Mom -- http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/4583126

Historical Thrillers -- http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/4573374

Picture Books for Children -- http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/4563834

WWII Internment of Japanese Americans -- http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/4554807

Book Club Recommendations -- http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/4545419

About Jane (Austen) -- http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/3688662

Irish Fiction -- http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/3614762

The Amish -- http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/3142161

Social Consciousness -- http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/3557381

And a few of my favorites:

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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Thanks for reading One for the Books. Please let us know what kind of book news you’d like to see on this page. Send e-mail to Books@recordpub.com. Send other mail to Mary Louise Ruehr, Books Editor, Record-Courier, 126 N. Chestnut St. (P.O. Box 1201), Ravenna, OH 44266.

“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.