The help

 by Kathryn Stockett. What perfect timing for this optimistic, uplifting debut novel (and maiden publication of Amy Einhorn's new imprint) set during the nascent civil rights movement in Jackson, Miss., where black women were trusted to raise white children but not to polish the household silver. Eugenia "Skeeter" Phelan is just home from college in 1962, and, anxious to become a writer, is advised to hone her chops by writing "about what disturbs you." The budding social activist begins to collect the stories of the black women on whom the country club sets relies--and mistrusts--enlisting the help of Aibileen, a maid who's raised 17 children, and Aibileen's best friend Minny, who's found herself unemployed more than a few times after mouthing off to her white employers. The book Skeeter puts together based on their stories is scathing and shocking, bringing pride and hope to the black community, while giving Skeeter the courage to break down her personal boundaries and pursue her dreams. Assured and layered, full of heart and history, this one has bestseller written all over it. --Library Journal (Check Catalog)

The imperfectionists : a novel

 by Tom Rachman. At the Caffe Greco in Rome, circa 1953, Atlanta financier Cyrus Ott makes an offer that can't be refused. He will establish an international English-language newspaper to be run in Italy by Betty, the woman he once loved, and her husband, Leo, a hack writer for a Chicago daily. Within the building's walls an entire history of the print news business plays out over a 50-year span as writers, editors, and accountants grow in professional stature, squander their reputations, and fade into obsolescence. A former editor for the Paris branch of the International Herald Tribune, Rachman makes outstanding use of his credentials to place readers in the center of a newsroom so palpable one can hear the typewriters clacking and feel the uncomfortable undercurrent of professional jealousy among the writers jockeying for position. Navigating the minefields of relationships, parenthood, loneliness, and failure, each realistically imperfect character, developed through intimate, candid detail, becomes a story unto himself (or herself). VERDICT With its evocative Italian setting and its timely handling of an industry in flux, this polished, sophisticated debut can be relished in one sitting or read piecemeal as a satisfying series of vignettes linked by historical references to the Ott family empire. Buy it, read it, talk it up. --Library Journal (Check catalog)

The eyes of Willie McGee : a tragedy of race, sex, and secrets in the Jim Crow South

 by Alex Heard. An iconic criminal case-a black man sentenced to death for raping a white woman in Mississippi in 1945-exposes the roiling tensions of the early civil rights era in this provocative study. McGee's prosecution garnered international protests-he was championed by the Communist Party and defended by a young lawyer named Bella Abzug (later a New York City congresswoman and cofounder of the National Women's Political Caucus), while luminaries from William Faulkner to Albert Einstein spoke out for him-but journalist Heard (Apocalypse Pretty Soon) finds the saga rife with enigmas. The case against McGee, hinging on a possibly coerced confession, was weak and the legal proceedings marred by racial bias and intimidation. (During one of his trials, his lawyers fled for their lives without delivering summations.) But Heard contends that McGee's story-that he and the victim, Willette Hawkins, were having an affair-is equally shaky. The author's extensive research delves into the documentation of the case, the public debate surrounding it, and the recollections of McGee and Hawkins's family members. Heard finds no easy answers, but his nuanced, evocative portrait of the passions enveloping McGee's case is plenty revealing. --Library Journal (Check Catalog)

Every last one : a novel

 by Anna Quindlen. Mary Beth Latham seems to have an idyllic life in a Vermont town as the wife of a respected doctor and the mother of three teenagers. But her son Max has been withdrawn and depressed, unlike his outgoing and popular twin, Alex, and her moody and sensitive daughter, Ruby, wants to break up with her emotionally needy boyfriend, who is practically a member of the family. Quindlen gives her readers an ominous sense of impending tragedy, but it still arrives with a shock. The book is divided into before and after, and it is compulsive reading. You might find yourself racing through the story, which could be drawn from today's headlines or TV news, and only later reflecting on how skillful the author is in her portrayal of family life in all its little details and in her flawless pacing. Verdict This gripping novel will undoubtedly be the choice of many book groups, too. --Library Journal (Check Catalog)

Best easy day hikes, Albany

 by Randi Minetor. For more than a decade, Best Easy Day Hikes has been one of FalconGuides most popular series. Small enough to fit in a back pocket, each guide describes approximately 20 to 30 easy-to- follow, scenic trails in and around national parks, cities and urban areas, and popular outdoor destinations across America. From Anchorage to Atlanta, the North Cascades to Northeast New Jersey, these guides take hikers and nature lovers to the best - and easiest - trails, whether in their own backyards or in and around their favorite vacation destinations. --Summary (Check catalog)

Fever dream

 by Douglas Preston. Special Agent Pendergast returns in a new thriller with personal ramifications. Twelve years earlier, he watched in horror as his wife was mauled and killed by a lion in the African veldt. Now, while digging through stuff in his Louisiana home, he stumbles on the rifle that she had with her that fateful day and discovers that it had been loaded with blanks. Pendergast quickly enlists his friend Lieutenant D'Agosta to help him uncover a crafty murderer. Their journey will unveil terrible secrets his wife kept from Pendergast during their marriage and an obsession she had with the famed naturalist-painter John James Audubon. VERDICT This is no dream; it's the authors' best book in years. Pendergast has to rein in his feelings to pay attention to the details, and it's fun to see the role reversal between him and the usually emotional D'Agosta. Not to be missed by either newcomers or die-hard fans. --Library Journal. (Check Catalog)

Saddled : how a spirited horse reined me in and set me free

 by Susan Richards. In this follow-up (really a prequel) to Chosen by a Horse, Richards's account of her relationship with an abused mare she nursed back to health, Richards buys Georgia, the bossy and beautiful Morgan mare. Suddenly, the necessity of taking proper care of this animal gives Richards the courage to confront and deal with her alcoholism. Alcoholism had shielded Richards from realizing how shy and vulnerable she feels and how fearful she is of being her true self. One often wonders how people who have so much trouble with human relationships find relating to difficult animals so easy. Richards shares her insights into this phenomenon. Verdict This is not only a horse story but a "drunkalogue" in which the alcoholic tells what drinking was like, what happened to cause her to stop, and what recovery is like now. Animal lovers and recovering alcoholics will be inspired by this story. --Library Journal. (Check catalog)

House rules : a novel

 by Jodi Picoult. In life some things are never to be broken-especially if you are an autistic child who takes "everything" literally. For example, some things that can't be broken are the house rules: tell the truth, brush your teeth, and, most important, take care of your brother; he's the only one you've got. In this 18th novel from Picoult (My Sister's Keeper), Jacob Hunt is a teenager with Asperger's syndrome and a morbid fascination with forensic science. He can recite all the intricacies of fingerprint analysis and recall the episode and number of his favorite TV crime show, but he can't feel your pain or emotions. For emotional intelligence Jacob has a tutor-until the tutor is found murdered. When Jacob is questioned, the same hallmark signs of his Asperger's that made him quirky also make him look very guilty-even to those who love him. Verdict Picoult has many fans, and they won't be disappointed here. She is the master of telling a story that at first glance seems predictable but seldom is. --Library Journal. (Check Catalog)

Secrets of a Jewish mother : real advice, real stories, real love

 by Jill Zarin. The latest of TV's Real Housewives of New York City to enter the publishing arena, Zarin wisely recruits her sister, radio host Wexler, and their mother, online columnist Kamen, to produce an opinionated guide to life from the point of view of three Jewish moms-the kind whose "stereotypical traits" ("domineering, interfering, tactless and loud") have resulted in strong families and successful careers. Insisting that "if a lesson is worth teaching once, it is worth teaching at least two thousand times," the trio use a conversational, collaborative approach to make each themed chapter (including dating, health and beauty, education, career, and, of course, parenting) stick, trading off charismatic group narration with first-person interjections and personal stories that expand upon traditional, time-tested advice: "We come from a long line of long marriages. .We were taught it is normal to go through bad times in a marriage, even bad year." They also provide "ask yourself" questions to motivate further exploration, and a short chapter on "Superstitions and the Cliches that Matter." Honest, self-aware, and frequently funny, these women deliver a triple-strength dose of universal advice. --Publishers Weekly. (Check Catalog)

Dimanche and other stories

 by Irène Némirovsky. Ten luminous and newly translated stories by Nemirovsky (Suite FranAaise), who died at Auschwitz, expose the miseries that undermine happy families. Set mostly in France, where the author immigrated after the Russian revolution, these accomplished tales create worlds full of secrets and treacheries, such as in the title story, set on one typical Sunday at a bourgeois Parisian home where the middle-aged wife and mother, Agnes-once embittered by her husband's taking of a mistress, but now apathetic to his wanderings-remembers her own lost love. "Flesh and Blood" is a masterpiece of familial subterfuge revolving around an aged matriarch who falls ill and tries to keep peace among her three self-absorbed sons and their grasping wives. In "The Spell," a young visitor to a messy Russian household gleans dark mysteries around a lovelorn aunt's romantic sorcery; several of the tales, such as "The Spectator" and "Monsieur Rose," capture aloof, prosperous gentlemen fleeing Paris in advance of the Nazis. In this superlative translation, Nemirovsky's characters emerge full-fleshed, and her voice remains timeless and relevant. --Publishers Weekly. (Check Catalog)

Sissinghurst : an unfinished history

 by Adam Nicholson. This book is a treasure for Anglophiles. In addition to a detailed history of the Sissinghurst estate, bought by Bloomsbury writer Vita Sackville-West and her husband, Harold Nicolson, in 1930, the author provides an extensive history of the county of Kent, home to the estate and its extensive farmlands, all of which were turned over, after much negotiation, to the National Trust in the 1960s after Sackville-West's death. The author, a grandson of Vita and Harold, has dedicated much of his life to restoring Sissinghurst. Its famous gardens are open to the public, including the vegetable garden that provides a good deal of the food served in the restaurant on the premises. Sissinghurst's current fame results largely from the author's devotion to its restoration, with the resurrection of a productive, working farm there. He credits his grandmother with the beauty of the gardens, as she was "greater as a gardener than as a poet." VERDICT This is both a wonderful landscape and property history and a warm family history, taking the book beyond being only about the restoration and popularity of Sissinghurst. Perfect for studying a slice of rural English history, for lovers of gardening and farming memoirs, and for readers of English country-house studies. --Library Journal (Check catalog)

 by Karl Marlantes.  Thirty years in the making, Marlantes's epic debut is a dense, vivid narrative spanning many months in the lives of American troops in Vietnam as they trudge across enemy lines, encountering danger from opposing forces as well as on their home turf. Marine lieutenant and platoon commander Waino Mellas is braving a 13-month tour in Quang-Tri province, where he is assigned to a fire-support base and befriends Hawke, older at 22; both learn about life, loss, and the horrors of war. Jungle rot, leeches dropping from tree branches, malnourishment, drenching monsoons, mudslides, exposure to Agent Orange, and wild animals wreak havoc as brigade members face punishing combat and grapple with bitterness, rage, disease, alcoholism, and hubris. A decorated Vietnam veteran, the author clearly understands his playing field (including military jargon that can get lost in translation), and by examining both the internal and external struggles of the battalion, he brings a long, torturous war back to life with realistic characters and authentic, thrilling combat sequences. Marlantes's debut may be daunting in length, but it remains a grand, distinctive accomplishment. --Publishers Weekly. (Check Catalog)

The publisher : Henry Luce and his American century

 by Alan Brinkley. Founded by Henry R. Luce, Time Inc. not only helped create a new form of magazine journalism but also changed the way we receive our news. That is the main premise behind Brinkley's magisterial biography. The surefooted Brinkley (Voices of Protest: Huey Long, Father Coughlin and the Great Depression) details the formative events of the publisher's life and skillfully explains how Luce succeeded in launching Time in 1923, targeting middle-class readers through its novel format. Soon after, Luce created Fortune and Life magazines, which made him one of the most powerful publishers in the business. Moreover, he was not hesitant to use his power, whether to advocate the cause of Chiang Kai-shek in China or support Republican presidential candidate Dwight D. Eisenhower. Brinkley also vividly depicts Luce's tumultuous marriage to Clare Booth, but while he covers all the important events, Ralph G. Martin's Henry & Clare: An Intimate Portrait of the Luces is a more successful recounting of their marriage as well as of Clare Booth's own fascinating life. VERDICT In this era, with print media in crisis, Brinkley reminds us of its heyday. Thoroughly researched and well written, this outstanding biography is mandatory reading for all journalism students and will appeal to all readers of American history. --Library Journal (Check Catalog)

Caught

 by Harlan Coben. Teenager Haley McWaid doesn't come home one night, and when months go by without a word her parents assume the worst. Reporter Wendy Tynes conducts a sexual predator sting, working with the local police to capture men on camera and later televising the footage. Her latest suspect is community social worker Dan Mercer, and those who know him can't believe he's guilty. Tynes begins to question her instincts, but she carries on with her investigation, which reveals a shocking link between Mercer and the missing Haley, with aftershocks that will destroy a community. VERDICT Coben is in top form exposing the dark underside of modern suburbia. The story will chill readers, especially parents of teenagers. Complex and intricate, this is his best book since Promise Me. Don't escape, get Caught. --Library Journal (Check catalog)

Spoken from the heart

 by Laura Welsh Bush. In a captivating and compelling voice that ranks with many of the greatest memoirists, Laura Bush tells the story of her unique path from dusty Midland, Texas, to the world stage as First Lady. She captures presidential life in the frantic and fearful months after 9/11, and humorously lifts the curtain on what really happens inside the White House. --Publisher.  (Check Catalog)

The long song

 by Andrea Levy / In the inexplicable absence of a definitive and revelatory history of Jamaica's nearly 300 years of slavery, Levy gamely steps into the void with the lively and engaging novel of Miss July, a slave born on the ironically named Amity sugar plantation. The mulatto child of a black slave and her white overseer, July's destiny was that of a canefield laborer until Caroline Mortimer took over the plantation upon the death of her brother. Renamed the more genteel Marguerite, July is promoted to the manor house, which brings her into contact with the new overseer, Robert Goodwin. More liberal than his lusty predecessors, Robert not only fails to abuse July, he also falls in love with her. Yet when the institution of slavery is abolished by royal decree, Goodwin's attempts to gainfully employ his former slaves end tragically for all concerned. Charming, alarming, Levy's vibrant historical novel shimmers with all the artifice and chicanery slave owners felt compelled to exert. --Booklist (Check Catalog)

Get Capone : the secret plot that captured America's most wanted gangster

 by Jonathan Eig / "Not since the hunt for John Wilkes Booth... had so many sources been brought to bear in an attempt to jail one man," writes former Chicago magazine editor Eig (Opening Day). But Al Capone eluded them all-even J. Edgar Hoover. In a page-turning account, Eig details the chase for the elusive Capone, dissecting both the man and his myth. Born in Brooklyn in 1899, Alphonse Capone came to a booming, bustling, corrupt, and very thirsty Chicago in 1920, just as Prohibition began. Rising swiftly through the underworld ranks, Capone soon headed a crime syndicate he dubbed "the outfit," which dealt in bootleg alcohol, racketeering, drugs, and prostitution. Eig traces the largely unsuccessful efforts by various law enforcement agencies to bring him down. He focuses on U.S. Attorney George E.Q. Johnson, who finally saw Capone convicted in 1931 for tax evasion and conspiring to violate Prohibition laws, leading to an 11-year prison sentence. Using previously unreleased IRS files, Johnson's papers, even notes he discovered for a ghostwritten Capone autobiography, Eig presents a multifaceted portrait of a shrewd man who built a criminal empire worth millions. --Publishers Weekly. )Check catalog)

The swimming pool

 by Holly LeCraw. LeCraw's thoughtful debut novel tells of two families whose lives are entwined by tragedy, secrecy, and scandal. Marcella Atkinson's heart was broken the night her affair with Cecil McClatchey ended and his wife was murdered. Never entirely cleared as a suspect in her killing, Cecil himself died soon after. Years later, her own marriage destroyed by the affair, Marcella is again thrown into contact with the McClatchey family when her daughter Toni (ignorant of her mother's adultery) is employed by Cecil's daughter, Callie, who for her own reasons must seek solace with her brother Jed in their family's summer home on Cape Cod. Jed's discovery of Marcella's old swimsuit in a closet leads him to her and to an entirely new relationship. VERDICT This exceptionally complex and accomplished novel does not read like the work of a beginning writer. With a strong underlying theme of longing woven throughout, LeCraw's work skillfully takes these characters through varying emotional journeys. An insightful piece, not just for beach or airplane reading. An author to watch. --Library Journal. (Check Catalog)

Cleopatra : a biography

 by Duane W. Roller / The end of the Roman Republic has inspired a lot of good recent biographies, but did we really need another scholarly life of Cleopatra after Joyce Tyldesley's Cleopatra: Last Queen of Egypt (2008)? Surprisingly, the answer is yes. While Tyldesley probed deeply into Ptolemy family history and iconography, classicist Roller (Greek & Latin, emeritus, Ohio St. Univ.) focuses on Cleopatra (69-30 B.C.E.) as a ruthless and learned queen in a time when female rulers were practically unknown. The first of the Ptolemys to speak Egyptian (the family was Greek in origin), Cleopatra used her many languages to help her achieve her goals of holding on to her throne and restoring to Egypt territory lost by her ancestors. Her shrewd liaisons and childbearing with Julius Caesar and Marcus Antonius supported her on her throne for 20 years as Roman dominance of the Mediterranean world grew. But there were limits to what a proud queen would do to survive. "I will not be led in triumph," she told her conqueror Augustus Caesar. Then she killed herself. VERDICT Cleopatra reclaims her stature as a significant monarch of her era in this unsentimental corrective to the romantic legend. Recommended for all who study her era. --Library Journal. (Check Catalog)

Imperfect birds

 Anne Lamott. Lamott returns to some of her favorite characters in this exploration of raising a teenager in today's difficult world. In Rosie, Rosie was a child dealing with her mother's alcoholism. In Crooked Little Heart, she was a 13-year-old tennis champion beginning to understand boys, self-doubt, and the continued stress with her mother. In this novel, Rosie is now 17, and while she holds it together in school, her hidden life is all about drugs and alcohol. Since Rosie masks it so well, her mother, Elizabeth, now a recovered alcoholic, tries to give her room to experiment. But once the bottom falls out, Elizabeth realizes the consequences of her misplaced trust. Lamott covers faith and its part in life and personal struggles-a topic that's close to her heart and nicely portrayed through Elizabeth's best friend, the spiritual Rae. Verdict This is a deft, moving look at an extremely fragile and codependent mother-daughter relationship and how an out-of-control teenager affects a life, a friendship, and a marriage. Lamott is consistently wonderful with this type of novel, and once again she does not disappoint. --Library Journal. (Check catalog)