Vladimir Nabokov’s last work has finally been published by his son, Dmitri, and the book received a cool reception from some corners of the literary world. Nabokov was working on The Original of Laura just prior to his death in 1977, and though some regard its publishing as an unearthing of a literary treasure, others feel it is a violation of a dying man’s last wish. Before his passing, the author requested that his wife, Vera, burn the collection of 138 index cards that held all his notes for the book. After his death, Vera could not bear to destroy the work, and stored the cards in a Swiss bank vault. This was not the first time she had prevented Nabokov’s work from being destroyed; she previously stopped him from burning the manuscript of his seminal work Lolita. The notes remained locked away for decades, even after Vera’s death in 1991, until their son, Dmitri, recently decided to publish them. Further eyebrows were raised when, Dmitri, released a 5,000-word excerpt to Playboy magazine, though he defended his choice by explaining his father’s fondness for the publication’s cartoons.
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By Edward Rutherfurd
Doubleday | 880pgs
Release Date: November 10, 2009
Bestselling historical novelist, Edward Rutherfurd, weaves the compelling strands of The Big Apple’s rich history into a fascinating multi-generational tale. The story follows several families, from different ethnic and economic backgrounds, through the years as their fates intertwine to become part of the tapestry of New York’s history. New York: The Novel spans more than three centuries, beginning in the 1600′s with the Native American and Dutch settlements, leading into the bloody conflicts of the Revolutionary and Civil wars, followed by the explosion of the Industrial revolution and the tragedy of the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire. Rutherfurd details New York’s development as a financial center, and its rapid population growth due to massive waves of immigrants looking for a better life in the late 1800′s and early 1900′s. Readers experience New York’s rocky ride in the 20th century, with the stress of World War II and the financial recession of the ’70′s, as well as its economic and cultural resurgence in the ’90′s. The tragic events of 9/11 and the collapse of the World Trade Center bring the novel to a close.
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By Stephen King
Scribner | 1088pgs
Release Date: November 10, 2009
Stephen King’s latest opus hit stores on Tuesday, and rabid fans can finally discover what’s Under the Dome. The novel centers on the small town of Chester’s Mill, Maine, as its tranquility is shattered by an all-encompassing invisible dome. When the force field materializes, planes and cars explode on impact, and a few unsuspecting limbs are severed. No one can get in or out, and the cause of the dome is a complete mystery. Could it be little green men? A military experiment gone horribly wrong? An act of God? Hefting in at nearly 1,100 pages, Under the Dome approaches the epic scale of The Stand. And like The Stand, at the core of this story is a battle between the forces of good and evil. This time around the Baddie is town Selectman “Big Jim” Rennie, who sees the imprisoning dome as an opportunity to take control of Chester’s Mill and run the town as his own police state. Fighting against Rennie’s murderous corruption is a small group of townspeople led by Dale Barbara, local fry cook and guilt ridden Iraq War vet. The factions clash in a bloody battle, with heavy casualties on both sides. But do the good guys win? It is a Stephen King novel after all, so a happy ending is never guaranteed.
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By Sam Tanenhaus
Random House ©2009 | Hardback 144pgs
Editor’s Note: This is a guest post by Russ Imamura
Sam Tanenhaus’ book whose title is written in a combination of cursive red letters and black bold letters on the cover – The Death of Conservatism tells us that the obituary of Conservatism may have already been written. Throughout his excellent book which covers the evolution of conservatism and even liberalism – from the New Deal, LBJ’s Great Society, the Nixon years Reaganism, Clinton, both Bushes and the present Obama era – the conclusion is that conservatism, i.e., real conservatism today is on life support. And there is a possibility, if it gets back to its real roots, it may start breathing on its own and even flourish again.
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By John Irving
Random House | 576pgs
Release Date: October 27, 2009
John Irving’s latest novel opens in a small logging camp near the Twisted River in 1954. The status quo of Dominic Baciagalupo’s life as the camp cook is violently shaken when his 12 year old son, Danny, mistakes the Constable’s girlfriend for a bear and kills her. Father and son are forced to flee the New Hampshire camp, followed relentlessly by the obsessed Constable Carl. Last Night in Twisted River spans 50 years and traces Dominic and Danny’s movement from state to state, in an effort to escape Carl and thwart his vengeance. The only connection to their old life is Dominic’s best friend Ketchum, a gruff logger with a warm heart. Over the decades Dominic works a series of restaurant jobs as Danny develops his writing talent and becomes a bestselling author under the pen name Danny Angel. The narration of this novel has been described as chaotic, jumping forward and backward in time with little transition, but at its core, is a touching story about the love between a father and son.
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Retail giants Walmart, Amazon and Target have come under fire recently for starting a price war on new hardcover titles, and pricing mom & pop bookstores out of the market. Walmart fired the first shot earlier in the month by offering online customers the chance to pre-order 10 of the holiday season’s hottest new books, including titles from Stephen King, John Grisham and Sarah Palin, for only $10. Amazon and Target then entered the fray and the pre-order price was whittled down to just $8.98. In the aftermath, The American Booksellers Association, which represents independent bookstores, wrote a letter to the Justice Department calling for an investigation of this “predatory pricing”. The ABA’s letter accused the mammoth retailers of selling the books at a loss in order to “win control of the market for hardcover best sellers.” Target, Amazon and Walmart are able to offset these losses, but independent booksellers operate on much slimmer profit margins and do not have this luxury. These price wars could not have come at a worse time for small bookstores, since the weakened economy and the rise in e-book popularity have steadily eaten away at their profits.
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By Patricia Cornwell
Putnam Adult | 512pgs
Release Date: October 20, 2009
A series of dark and dangerous events ensnare Medical Examiner Kay Scarpetta in The Scarpetta Factor, Cornwell’s seventeenth novel in the series. Now working as CNN’s senior forensic analyst, she is grilled on air about Hannah Starr, a young woman missing and presumed dead. When previously undisclosed information comes to light, and a mysterious package arrives at Scarpetta’s home, she realizes this case reaches much farther than Starr’s disappearance. As the investigation becomes more sensationalized and Scarpetta’s viewership rises, her producer pushes her to launch her own show called The Scarpetta Factor. But she fears becoming a media cliché, and that her newfound fame will attract unwanted, or even deadly, attention.
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By William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer
William Morrow | 288pgs
Release Date: September 29, 2009
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope is an inspiring true story that follows the struggle of a young Malawian boy to build a windmill and pull his family out of famine and poverty. William Kamkwamba was just fourteen years old when a nationwide drought left his family impoverished and forced him to leave school. Though he could no longer pursue his dream of education, he threw his heart and soul into the improbable plan of building a functional windmill. His lofty goal was to bring the luxuries of electricity and running water to his starving family. With the help of his school librarian and an ingenious amalgamation of bicycle parts, scrap metal and various other junk yard cast-offs, this incredibly bright young man was able to find all the information and materials he needed to succeed. Proving the village naysayers wrong, he built a fully operational windmill to power four lights in his home, and then later a second windmill that turned a water pump.
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David Garrick as Richard III (detail) by William Hogarth
Did history and literature give Richard III a bad rap? Shakespeare immortalized the English king as a Machiavellian tyrant, and history has branded him as a hunched-backed villain, rumored to have murdered two princes in order to secure his ascension to the thrown. But according to author Philippa Gregory, Richard III may have just been misunderstood. In a recent interview with the LA Times, she discusses her new historical novel The White Queen (Touchstone, 432pgs), and her surprising take on this controversial figure. “It’s an act of historical recovery,” she says, “…history, of course, gets told by the victors. That’s what Shakespeare tapped into in his play about Richard — that and a medieval belief that a malformed mind led to a malformed body.” Gregory argues that there is historical evidence that supports a case for Richard’s innocence and for the guilt of the Tudor family, who eventually took Richard’s life and his thrown during the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485.
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by Jeff Kinney
Amulet Books | 224pgs
Release Date: October 12, 2009
Tweens and adults will delight in the fourth installment of Kinney’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. Middle Schooler Greg Heffley has planned the perfect summer vacation: playing video games all day long, with the curtains closed. What could be better? Unfortunately, his mom has other ideas. Will her plans of outdoor activities (gasp!) and family bonding ruin Greg’s ultimate vacation? Readers will have to pick up the new book to find who wins this battle of the wills.
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