"Except for the stink and the heat and the mosquitoes, it was beautiful at night. Like being out in the country," says Barb Johnson of living on her balcony post-Hurricane Katrina and working on her collection of short stories, "More of This World or Maybe Another" (HarperCollins, October), often by the light of a headlamp.
Living-Books
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"The Lacuna" by Barbara Kingsolver; HarperCollins (507 pages, $26.99)
"The Devil's Punchbowl" by Greg Iles, read by Dick Hill; Brilliance Audio. Unabridged, 20 CDs, 24 hours, 14 minutes. $38.99. In print: Scribner. $26.99. 592 pp.
In John Irving's latest novel, the main character shares the author's profession, but that's not the most important similarity.
When browsing online or in a bookstore, one might easily conclude that every third person in the country is actively engaged in writing or reading a memoir.
"The Lady Queen: The Notorious Reign of Joanna I, Queen of Naples, Jerusalem, and Sicily" by Nancy Goldstone; Bloomsbury, NY (365 pages, $27)
"Top Dogs and Their Pets," photography by David Woo and Richard Pruitt; Parapet Press (208 pages, $29.95)
"The Brutal Telling" by Louise Penny; Minotaur (372 pages, $24.99)
Foodies will naturally gravitate toward this book: "Tips Cooks Love" by Rick Rodgers and Sur La Table (Andrews McMeel Publishing, $15). In fact, unless they're food professionals, most cooks will appreciate the knowledge served up in this stubby (read: easily portable) book.
"Last Night in Twisted River" by John Irving; Random (553 pages, $28)
PHILADELPHIA - If you were a newspaper editor, would you run a picture of a young woman and toddler falling from a fire escape? Of a man plunging to his death from the World Trade Center on 9-11?
SAN JOSE, Calif. Google's ambitious plan to scan millions of old, out-of-print books, many of them forgotten in musty university libraries, has turned into one of the biggest controversies in the young company's history.
"Zingerman's Guide to Better Bacon: Stories of Pork Bellies, Hush Puppies, Rock 'N' Roll Music and Bacon Fat Mayonnaise"
"Get Cooking: 150 Simple Recipes to Get You Started in the Kitchen"
If you've got a credit card, you've likely been zinged already.
AP Photo
DEARBORN, Mich. One of the troubled Detroit Three automakers, Ford, is making money again and looking for better times in no more than two years.
WASHINGTON The envy of nearly every other first-time author, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's good fortune includes an advance upward of $1.25 million, an appearance on Oprah Winfrey's talk show the day before publication, and a print run of 1.5 million books for a memoir that already sits on bestseller lists.
Here are the best sellers for the week ending Saturday, Oct. 24, compiled from data from independent and chain bookstores, book wholesalers and independent distributors nationwide.
Halloween falls on Saturday night this year - a scary thought in itself. To creep yourself out as you wait for trick-or-treaters, here's a list of recommended reading that may well keep you spellbound through the New Year's. Safety tip: Leave on the lights. All the lights.
-"The Zombie Survival Guide: Recorded Attacks" by Max Brooks and Ibraim Roberson. Three Rivers. $17.
In Print
