Fiction New Releases

The Emperor's Tomb by Steve Berry

The tomb of China’s First Emperor, guarded by an underground army of terra-cotta warriors, has remained sealed for more than 2,000 years. Though it’s regarded as one of the greatest archaeological sites in the world, the Chinese government won’t allow anyone to open it. Why?  That question is at the heart of a dilemma faced by former Justice Department operative Cotton Malone, whose life is shattered when he receives an anonymous note carrying an unfamiliar Web address. [read more]

Happy Ever After by Nora Roberts

Number-one New York Times best-selling author Nora Roberts cordially invites you to meet childhood friends Parker, Emma, Laurel, and Mac - the founders of Vows, one of Connecticut's premier wedding planning companies.

Parker Brown turned the quartet's childhood game of Wedding Day into their dream jobs. And now she's the face of Vows - the one who meets every bride's demands; keeps every event on schedule; and brings Emma's romantic flowers, Laurel's delicious treats, and Mac's stunning photography together in one glorious package. She knows how to make dreams come true.  [read more] 

Crescent Dawn by Clive Cussler

Dirk Pitt returns, in the extraordinary new novel from the number-one New York Times-best-selling author.

In A.D. 327, a Roman galley barely escapes a pirate attack with its extraordinary cargo. In 1916, a British warship mysteriously explodes in the middle of the North Sea. In the present day, a cluster of important mosques in Turkey and Egypt are wracked by explosions. Does anything tie them together?  [read more]

Room by Emma Donoghue

To five-year-old Jack, Room is the entire world. It is where he was born and grew up; it's where he lives with his Ma as they learn and read and eat and sleep and play. At night, his Ma shuts him safely in the wardrobe, where he is meant to be asleep when Old Nick visits.

Room is home to Jack, but to Ma, it is the prison where Old Nick has held her captive for seven years.  [read more]

Djibouti by Elmore Leonard

Dara Barr, documentary filmmaker, is at the top of her game. Looking for a bigger challenge, Dara and her right-hand-man, Xavier LeBo, head to Djibouti to film modern-day pirates hijacking merchant ships. They learn soon enough that almost no one in the Middle East is who he seems to be.  [read more]

I Still Dream About You by Fannie Flagg

Meet Maggie Fortenberry, a still beautiful former Miss Alabama. To others, Maggie’s life seems practically perfect - she’s lovely, charming, and a successful real-estate agent at Red Mountain Realty. Still, Maggie can’t help but wonder how she wound up in her present condition.  [read more]

Moonlight Mile by Dennis Lehane

Acclaimed New York Times best-selling author Dennis Lehane delivers an explosive tale of integrity and vengeance - heralding the long-awaited return of private investigators Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro.

Amanda McCready was four years old when she vanished from a Boston neighborhood 12 years ago. Kenzie and Gennaro risked everything to find the young girl - only to orchestrate her return to a neglectful mother and a broken home. [read more]

Non Fiction New Releases

Life by Keith Richards

As lead guitarist of the Rolling Stones, Keith Richards created the riffs, the lyrics, and the songs that roused the world. A true and towering original, he has always walked his own path, spoken his mind, and done things his own way.  Now at last, Richards pauses to tell his story in the most anticipated autobiography in decades. And what a story!  [read more] 

Chapters from My Autobiography by Mark Twain

Collected here is a wonderful selection of anecdotes from Mark Twain's life, as told with candor by the great man himself. This book is part memoir, part philosophical text, part study in human behavior, from one of America's greatest literary treasures. Narrated masterfully by Bronson Pinchot, this audiobook also includes Twain's popular short story, "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County", as well as a printable eBook in PDF format.  [read more]

Pinheads and Patriots by Bill O'Reilly

In his latest spirited book, O'Reilly prompts further debate with the president and the American people on the current state of the union. While the changes that took place in America during President Obama's first 18 months in office are dizzying to just think about, their real-life impact on the average American is a helluva lot stronger than that. Tempers have reached the boiling point over the shifts in health care, immigration, national security, energy, and the environment. And then there's the economy.  [read more]

The Last Boy by Mickey Mantle

As she did so memorably in her biography of Sandy Koufax, Jane Leavy transcends the hyperbole of hero worship to reveal the man behind the coast-to-coast smile, who grappled with a wrenching childhood, crippling injuries, and a genetic predisposition to alcoholism. In The Last Boy she chronicles her search to find out more about the person he was and, given what she discovers, to explain his mystifying hold on a generation of baseball fans, who were seduced by that lopsided, gap-toothed grin. It is an uncommon biography, with literary overtones: not only a portrait of an icon, but an investigation of memory itself.  [read more]

Meditations to Change Your Brain by Rick Hanson and Rick Mendius

The structure of your brain changes constantly, in a dynamic, unfolding process that you yourself can direct to create the life you want. This is the exciting premise of Meditations to Change Your Brain, a breakthrough program from psychologist Rick Hanson, Ph.D. and neurologist Rick Mendius, M.D. Listeners join Dr. Hanson and Dr. Mendius to learn specific practices for making positive changes in their body and mind, plus four guided practices to strengthen their meditative abilities, and four guided meditations to heal and nourish their relationships.  [read more]
 

I'm Dreaming of a Black Christmas by Lewis Black

Christmas is supposed to be a time of peace on earth and goodwill toward all. But not for Lewis Black. He says humbug to the Christmas traditions and trappings that make the holiday memorable. In I'm Dreaming of a Black Christmas, his hilarious and sharply observed book about the holiday, Lewis lets loose on all things Yule. It's a very personal look at what's wrong with Christmas, seen through the eyes of "the most engagingly pissed-off comedian ever."  [read more] 
 

Atlantic by Simon Winchester

From best-selling author Simon Winchester comes the immense and thrilling story of the world's most mysterious and breathtaking natural wonder: the Atlantic Ocean.

Atlantic is a biography of a tremendous space that has been central to the ambitions of explorers, scientists, and warriors, and continues to affect profoundly our character, attitudes, and dreams. Spanning the ocean's story, from its geological origins to the age of exploration, from World War II battles to today's struggles with pollution and over-fishing, Winchester's narrative is epic, intimate, and awe inspiring. [read more]

Amnesty International and Decision Points

It's not every day that you see allegations of war crimes based on a presidential memoir, but then again, George W. Bush has always been controversial!  According to Reuters, Amnesty International is calling for prosecution based on Bush's defense of waterboarding in his new memoir, Decision Points.  From the article:

"Amnesty International's Senior Director Claudio Cordone said in a statement: 'Under international law, anyone involved in torture must be brought to justice, and that does not exclude former President George W. Bush.' " 

Click here to read more.

If you're interested in hearing Bush's side of the story, you can check out his self-narrated audiobook here.

The Wave by Susan Casey

If  Jaws made you never want to go to the beach again, be prepared for The Wave to make you never want to go on a cruise.  The Wave explores the phenomenon of giant waves from the perspective of both scientists and surfers, alternating between those who are accidentally caught by them and those who seek them out. 

It turns out that the nightmare wave from the Poseidon Adventure is not pure myth--waves topping 100 feet pop up in the middle of the ocean, and the impact on ships can be enough to rip them apart.  At the same time, some surfers seek the 100 foot wave, despite the potential for brutal injuries or death if it goes wrong.

The Wave is written in the first person, and the audiobook is narrated perfectly by Kirsten Potter.  You're actually eager to find out how events will turn out as the author talks about a major surfing event, or a particularly ugly cruise.  This audiobook should not be missed by those who enjoy popular science and compelling non-fiction generally.

Earth: the Audiobook

It's been a little difficult to tell what Jon Stewart's Earth: the Audiobook is actually about, so it's nice to see that the Mount Observer has cleared it up for us!  From the review:

"Unlike the show and their previous book, Earth (The Book) touches on subjects such as; science, culture, and the life cycle, the kind that have no need for a political view, so if you stay away from Jon Stewart because you disagree with his views, this book is a good way to enjoy his type of humor without offending your political sensibilities."

Click to read the rest of the review.

Or click here for the audiobook.

Short stories vs. long novels

In an unusual double review, the New York Times compares Stephen King and John Grisham, who have both had a novel and a short story collection published in the last year.  It's an interesting take on how the same writer can handle different forms more or less effectively.  From the review:

"These stories were revelatory. They showed how much verve, suspense, instruction and moral ambiguity Mr. Grisham could pack into bare-bones plotlines. He could accomplish in 40-page virtual synopses what he normally does in 400-page novels."


Click to read the rest of the review.

Or, check out the audiobooks for Full Dark, No Stars and The Confession.

Non-Fiction New Releases

At Home by Bill Bryson

Bill Bryson and his family live in a Victorian parsonage in a part of England where nothing of any great significance has happened since the Romans decamped. Yet one day, he began to consider how very little he knew about the ordinary things of life as he found it in that comfortable home. To remedy this, he formed the idea of journeying about his house from room to room to "write a history of the world without leaving home."  [read more]

The Power by Rhonda Byrne

The Secret revealed the law of attraction. Now Rhonda Byrne reveals the greatest power in the universe: The Power to have anything you want.

In this book you will come to understand that all it takes is just one thing to change your relationships, money, health, happiness, career, and your entire life.  [read more]

Obama's Wars by Bob Woodward

Working behind the scenes for 18 months, Bob Woodward has written the most intimate and sweeping portrait of President Obama making the critical decisions on the Afghanistan War, the secret war in Pakistan, and the worldwide fight against terrorism. Drawing on internal memos, classified documents, meeting notes, and hundreds of hours of interviews with most of the key players, including the president, Woodward offers an original, you-are-there account of Obama and his team in this time of turmoil and uncertainty. [read more]

UltraCalm by Mark Hyman

Most relaxation techniques focus on either soothing the body or settling the mind - and achieve only limited results. Dr. Mark Hyman's approach helps you address the mind and body at once to achieve a state he calls "ultracalm". On UltraCalm, this best-selling author presents his simple, powerful method for generating a peaceful and harmonious state in the body-mind - one that allows the body's natural healing intelligence to work at its most effective level.  [read more]

The Wave by Susan Casey

For centuries, mariners have spun tales of gargantuan waves, 100-feet high or taller. Until recently scientists dis­missed these stories - waves that high would seem to violate the laws of physics. But in the past few decades, as a startling number of ships vanished and new evidence has emerged, oceanographers realized something scary was brewing in the planet's waters.  [read more]

The Other Wes Moore by Wes Moore

Two kids with the same name lived in the same decaying city. One went on to be a Rhodes Scholar, decorated combat veteran, White House Fellow, and business leader. The other is serving a life sentence in prison. Here is the story of two boys and the journey of a generation.  [read more]

Fiction New Releases

The Confession by John Grisham

For every innocent man sent to prison, there is a guilty one left on the outside. He doesn't understand how the police and prosecutors got the wrong man, and he certainly doesn't care. He just can't believe his good luck. Time passes and he realizes that the mistake will not be corrected: the authorities believe in their case and are determined to get a conviction.  [read more] 

Worth Dying For by Lee Child

There's deadly trouble in the corn country of Nebraska... and Jack Reacher walks right into it. First he falls afoul of the Duncans, a local clan that has terrified an entire county into submission. But it's the unsolved case of a missing child, already decades-old, that Reacher can't let go.  [read more] 

Our Kind of Traitor by John Le Carre

Perry and Gail are idealistic and very much in love when they splurge on a tennis vacation at a posh beach resort in Antigua. But the charm begins to pall when a big-time Russian money launderer enlists their help to defect. In exchange for amnesty, Dima is ready to rat out his vory (Russian criminal brotherhood) compatriots and expose corruption throughout the so-called legitimate financial and political worlds. Soon, the guileless couple find themselves pawns in a deadly endgame whose outcome will be determined by the victor of the British Secret Service's ruthless internecine battles.  [read more]

The Reversal by Michael Connelly

Longtime defense attorney Mickey Haller is recruited to change stripes and prosecute the high-profile retrial of a brutal child murder. After 24 years in prison, convicted killer Jason Jessup has been exonerated by new DNA evidence. Haller is convinced Jessup is guilty, and he takes the case on the condition that he gets to choose his investigator, LAPD Detective Harry Bosch.  [read more]

Don't Blink by James Patterson

New York's Lombardo's Steak House is famous for three reasons: the menu, the clientele, and now, the gruesome murder of an infamous mob lawyer. Effortlessly, the assassin slips through the police's fingers, and his absence sparks a blaze of accusations about who ordered the hit. [read more]

And Thereby Hangs a Tale by Jeffrey Archer

International bestselling author Jeffrey Archer has spent the last five years gathering spellbinding stories from around the globe. These fifteen brand-new tales showcase Archer's talent for capturing an unforgettable moment in time, whether tragic, comic, or outrageous.  [read more]