October 2006
Time Out
THIS MONTH’S SELECTION OF BOOKS
Lisey’s Story by Steven King
Scribner, 2006
From clowns to hotels and cell phones, author Steven King has long spun fantastical tales of horror around the most mundane of subjects. In his latest effort, King follows the grieving process of widow Lisey Landon, as she prepares her novelist husband’s papers for donation to an archive. Throughout the novel, Lisey undergoes significant psychic and physical transformation that almost extend to the reader: King’s surprisingly deft treatment of love and marriage will pull your heart strings, while a bloodthirsty stalker provides the goose-bumps and stomach-turns that his name guarantees.
Thirteen Moons by Charles Frazier
Random House, 2006
Fans of the novel Cold Mountain have been waiting almost ten years for author Charles Frazier to write another and, with his latest release, the 1997 National Book Award winner does not disappoint. Once more employing the odyssey theme, Frazier weaves the life- and love story of an 18th-century wilderness trader and a Native American woman. Minutely detailed descriptions of life under the Monroe Administration anchor (sometimes too heavily) soaring themes of passion, loss and patriotism.
Bush at war III
(Title not finalized at press time.)
by Bob Woodward
Simon and Schuster, 2006
Though questions about American foreign and domestic policy are mounting, it is difficult to find answers in a mediascape cluttered with sound bites and “truthiness.” Even when first-hand explanations are offered, the obtuse “Bush-isms” practically require a translator. Befuddled politicos will find one in famed reporter Bob Woodward. Through decades at the Washington Post and the publication of many previous bestsellers, Woodward has established himself as Washington’s foremost historian and the greatest ally of an inquisitive public. Equal parts character study and chronology, Woodward’s latest offering ensures that even if you don’t agree with the decisions of the White House, at least you’ll understand them.
