Killing Machine: The American Presidency in the Age of Drone Warfare

Lloyd C. Gardner (Get this book)
Straightforward, rigorous account of how President Barack Obama's embrace of high-tech militarism is changing the parameters of the presidency. Gardner presents a deeper narrative than the title implies, essentially utilizing the George W. Bush administration's decision to pursue war in Iraq at the expense of the Afghanistan campaign necessitated by 9/11 as a flash point that altered our ability to respond to terrorist threats. Thus, though the author concurs that Obama the constitutional scholar "fell into the embrace of Reaper and Predator drones by circumstances beyond his control," he still holds responsible the president and his various high-end deputies for blithely advocating their increased use in controversial environments like Pakistan and Yemen. An evenhanded yet grim assessment of the growing consensus regarding "the lethal presidency."--Kirkus

Fever

Mary Beth Keane (Get this book)
A fictional portrait of Typhoid Mary, the Irish immigrant cook who spread disease and death among the cramped, unsanitary streets of turn-of-the-century New York. Opening with the arrest of Mary Mallon in 1907, Keane moves back and forth across several decades to flesh out the famous plague carrier's character against a detailed social panorama. A memorable biofiction that turns a malign figure of legend into a perplexing, compelling survivor--Kirkus

The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon

Brad Stone (Get this book)
Fair-minded, virtually up-to-the-minute history of the retail and technology behemoth and the prodigious brain behind it. In addition to speaking to Bezos several times over the years, including an interview for this book, Stone also spoke with employees across all levels of the company, from C-level officers and software developers to fulfillment center "associates," including many who have moved on. The author's research, which also included access to volumes of emails and other internal documents, revealed an extraordinarily difficult corporate culture for ordinary human beings to work in, one designed to forge (but not necessarily reward) people able to think like Bezos. A must-add to any business bookshelf.--Kirkus

Morning Glory

Sarah Jio (Get this book)
Jio blends romance and mystery in a novel told from the alternating points of view of two women separated by decades but connected by place and circumstances. The author maintains a steady succession of questions, answers and more questions to create suspense. Tragedy and redemption mix in Jio's latest treat for fans--Kirkus

The Gift of Years: Growing Older Gracefully

Joan Chittister (Get this book)
Here are two more self-help books aimed at the generation that refuses to grow old. In "The Gift of Years", Benedictine sister Chittister beautifully downplays regrets and accents the rewards of a mature life. While she acknowledges the pain of old age, she focuses on the new beginnings that life can offer at this stage and discusses the need to stay involved, to put one's affairs in order, and to be open to new relationships. Both books offer excellent information and would make a positive contribution to any public library's collection.--Library Journal

Brown Dog: Novellas

Jim Harrison (Get this book)
This essential collection of six novellas offers an omnibus look at Brown Dog, a pure Harrison creation and a glorious character who will make readers howl with delight. In these stories, he shambles from a day-to-day set of misadventures arising from some illegal salvage diving to a loopy picaresque jaunt through Los Angeles ("I just want my bearskin back, " he says), to something much more profound and redemptive, standing in as a father figure to several vulnerable Indian and partially Indian children, despite the absence of much paternal influence in his own life. Often moving, frequently funny, these 500 pages offer the best way to get acquainted (or reacquainted) with one of literature's great characters--Publisher's Weekly

An American Bride in Kabul: A Memoir

Phyllis Chesler (Get this book)
A renowned psychotherapist's richly compelling memoir about how her experiences as an Afghan man's wife shaped her as both a feminist and human rights activist. At 18, Chesler fell in love with the scion of a wealthy family from Afghanistan. She was Jewish, and her "prince," Abdul-Kareem, was Muslim. Their affair was as unexpected as it was unlikely and led to an even more improbable marriage. Using diaries, letters, interviews, and research and other writings about Afghanistan and the Islamic world, the author offers an illuminating depiction not only of her time as a harem wife, but also of the "gender apartheid" under which Afghan women must live. Intelligent, powerful and timely.--Kirkus

Newtown: An American Tragedy

Matthew Lysiak (Get this book)
Meticulous account of the Newtown massacre and its aftermath. On Dec. 14, 2012, Adam Lanza murdered 20 first graders and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. He had already killed his mother, and he ended by killing himself. New York Daily News journalist Lysiak covered the event, later moving to Newtown to gather more material, particularly about Lanza's troubled life. Lysiak hopes to "inform the debate" generated by the tragedy; it's been a year, and this harrowing book might be a reminder that the debate needs reviving--Kirkus

Storm Front

John Sandford (Get this book)
The seventh Virgil Flowers mystery finds the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension agent handed a curious case. Seems a local college professor stole a valuable artifact from an Israeli archaeological dig, returned home to the States, and then promptly vanished; an Israeli investigator is on her way, determined to track the man down and reclaim the artifact. Kudos to Sandford for taking what could have been an ancient-mystery thriller la Dan Brown and playing it like a cop novel. Fans of the Flowers and Davenport series will thoroughly enjoy this one.--Booklist

Johnny Carson

Henry Bushkin (Get this book)
The King of Late Night's lawyer, confidant, tennis partner and butt of his "Bombastic Bushkin" gags appraises their 18-year relationship. Fresh out of Vanderbilt Law School at 23, Bushkin began working for Carson in 1970 and had, arguably, the closest and sturdiest relationship with Carson of the entertainer's entire life until its acrimonious end in 1988. The secret to his success? At the expense of his own marriage and relationships with his children, Bushkin made it his career to keep Carson happy at all hours of the day and night. This might mean getting him a contract with NBC that made him the highest-paid entertainer in the world. Carson partisans may find this memoir self-serving, but most readers will be captivated by this high-definition, off-camera, extreme close-up view of the enigmatic entertainer.--Kirkus

Innocence

Dean R. Koontz (Get this book)
In this imaginative, mystical thriller from bestseller Koontz, Addison Goodheart, a 26-year-old man so "exceedingly ugly" that his appearance causes "the most terrible rage" in regular people, lives alone in a hidden part of an American metropolis, but views his solitude as a gift that has enabled him to recognize "reality's complex dimensions." An unexpected encounter in a deserted library with Gwyneth, an 18-year-old Goth girl who's the target of the rare-book curator's lust, throws him for a loop. This is the most satisfying Koontz standalone in a while--Publisher's Weekly

From Homeland to New Land: A History of the Mahican Indians, 1600-1830

William A. Starna (Get this book)
Starna has written a meticulous ethnohistory of the Mahicans, from their Hudson Valley roots to their present federally recognized status as the Stockbridge-Munsee Community in Wisconsin. The author is exacting in his use of primary documents and ethnological literature, depicting aboriginal Mahican land tenure and economy, contacts with Natives and Europeans, effects of epidemics, population decline, fur trade, warfare, and adjustments to Dutch and then English hegemony. Summing Up: Highly recommended.--Choice

Me Before You

Jojo Moyes (Get this book)
In Moyes's disarmingly moving love story, Louisa Clark leads a routine existence: at 26, she's dully content with her job at the cafe in her small English town and with Patrick, her boyfriend of six years. But when the cafe closes, a job caring for a recently paralyzed man offers Lou better pay and, despite her lack of experience, she's hired. In the process of planning "adventures" like trips to the horse track some of which illuminate Lou's own minor failings Lou begins to understand the extent of Will's isolation; meanwhile, Will introduces Lou to ideas outside of her small existence. The end result is a lovely novel, both nontraditional and enthralling.--Publisher's Weekly

Grain Brain: The Surprising Truth about Wheat, Carbs, and Sugar--Your Brain's Silent Killers

David Perlmutter, MD (Get this book)
In his latest book, neurologist Perlmutter declares war on a common foodstuff, attributing a bewilderingly wide assortment of maladies to the consumption of gluten, a substance found in bread and other stock foods. Contrasting modern humans against idealized humans of the distant past, Perlmutter concludes that the former, whose average life expectancy at birth is about twice that of their Paleolithic ancestors, have gone off the proper track. Lauded by such nonconsensus pundits as Mehmet Oz and William Davis, Perlmutter offers readers a comfortably simplistic model for thinking about carbs.--Publisher's Weekly

What to Do When You're Having Two: The Twins Survival Guide from Pregnancy Through the First Year

Natalie Diaz (Get this book)
Twiniversity website founder Diaz delivers a comprehensive guide for parents of twins, from prenatal care through the first year of child development. As a mother of fraternal twins, the author provides firsthand experience, and her desire is to ease parents into the oftentimes overwhelming moments of dual parenting. From health concerns during pregnancy, such as insomnia, morning sickness and how to handle bed rest, to an all-inclusive registry list to a debate over cloth diapers versus disposable,  For readers expecting a double pregnancy, Diaz's book should be the first purchase after that all-important moment when the doctor says, "Guess what?!" In-depth, supportive information on navigating the complex road of parenting twins.--Kirkus

Doctor Sleep

Stephen King (Get this book)
As a sequel to 1977's The Shining, Doctor Sleep has unspeakably large shoes to fill, but Stephen King is more than able to follow up on the thought-provoking and deliciously shivery thrills of that novel. Several decades after the events of The Shining, Dan Torrance, haunted by the ghosts of his childhood, is deep in the ugly throes of his father's disease, alcoholism. He lands in the small town of Frazier, N.H., where he finds meaningful work, a few good friends and Alcoholics Anonymous. Finally his life seems to be on track--until a little girl named Abra is born, whose "shine" is astronomically brighter than his ever was. Themes of family and personal struggle persist, but perhaps most enjoyable are the page-turning suspense and terror for which King is so deservedly famous.--Shelf Awareness

Anything That Moves: Renegade Chefs, Fearless Eaters, and the Making of a New American Food Culture

Dana Goodyear (Get this book)
Thanks to a constant barrage of advertising, cable television networks, an ever-evolving food-distribution system, and a vast agriculture industry, today's Americans have an immense range of choices for feeding themselves. Goodyear steers readers to the farthest boundaries of the food universe. Explorers and discoverers on prowl for new foods and taste sensations scavenge offal and insects, even eating live octopus to test their mettle. Others believe in the health benefits of raw, unprocessed foods, reveling in their nearness to nature and risking exposure to pathogens in defiance of government regulation. Seriously devoted foodies will find themselves celebrated here.--Booklist

The Son

Philipp Meyer (Get this book)
The sins of the fathers are always visited upon the sons--and in Meyer's sweeping, absorbing epic, there are plenty of them. As the first child born in the new Republic of Texas, or so it's said, Eli McCullough fills big shoes. Years living in semi-captivity with the Comanches teaches Eli a thing or two about setting goals and sticking to them, as well as a ruthlessness that will come in handy when he begins to build a cattle empire and accrue political power. An expertly written tale of ancient crimes, with every period detail--and every detail, period--just right.--Kirkus

Naked as a jailbird: a raw narrative of life behind bars

Christopher Byrne (Get this book)     
Who doesn't love toys? Byrne, an industry insider known as "the Toy Guy," profiles over 100 toys here, categorized by type, such as dolls, outdoor toys, those traditionally for boys, those needing batteries, and classics. Covering a span of several decades beginning in the 1950s, Byrne gives each toy at least two illustrated pages, explaining "Why We Loved It" (and in some cases also "Why We Hated It") and "Where Is It Now?" His discussion places each toy in the context of its time, showing why it was popular. Guaranteed to bring a smile to most faces, especially baby boomers' and Gen Xers'; for all toy lovers and nostalgia buffs.--Library Journal

Havisham

Ronald Frame (Get this book)
Frame writes the story of Catherine Havisham, recluse of Satis House, in this prelude to Charles Dickens' Great Expectations. Despite her mother's death in childbirth, the Great Expectations of Miss Havisham come naturally. Her father, owner of a prosperous brewery, spoils her beyond measure. Then, as Catherine matures, he dispatches her to Durley Chase, home of Lady Chadwyck and her children Isabella, William, Marianna and cousin Frederick. Young Catherine's character earns little empathy, and any sympathy for the recluse of Satis House certain that "true life is too awesome and terrifying to bear" can only be conjured up as her death looms. An intelligently imagined Dickens prequel.--Kirkus

The Soup & Bread Cookbook: More Than 100 Seasonal Pairings for Simple, Satisfying Meals

Beatrice Ojakangas (Get this book)
The Soup & Bread Cookbook presents more than 100 delicious combinations of these two staples. Organized by season and emphasizing fresh, local ingredients, the soups employ a wide assortment of vegetables, from delicate spring peas and asparagus to hearty winter root veggies and even summer fruits (for sweet chilled soups). The breads likewise range from crunchy breadsticks and flatbreads to pillowy loaves of focaccia, crisp baguettes, crusty Tuscan bread and sweet scones and muffins. Packed with helpful baking tips (and a few key recipes for basic breads, stocks and broths), The Soup & Bread Cookbook lives up to its name: a treasure trove of flavorful recipes for the days when nothing but a steaming, savory bowl of soup and a warm loaf of bread will do.--Shelf Awareness

W Is for Wasted

Sue Grafton (Get this book)
Wasted lives, wasted time, and wasted opportunities are at the heart of this twenty-third entry in the long-running Kinsey Millhone series, which reveals how the deaths of two very different men impact Kinsey's life. The first man, Pete Wolinsky, found murdered in a local park, is a shady PI for whom Kinsey has little respect; the second, R. T. Dace, is an alcoholic vagrant who not only turns out to be Kinsey's relative but also leaves her a half-million bucks. Nearing the conclusion of this celebrated series, Grafton continues to shape Millhone's character, toughened by circumstance but still both understanding and forgiving.--Booklist

The Second-Chance Dog: A Love Story

Jon Katz (Get this book)
Best-selling author Katz brings readers the intimate story of falling in love with a woman and her extremely protective pet dog. "There was me, sixty-one, broke and bewildered," writes Katz, the prolific author of books about pets and, in particular, dogs. "And there was Maria, a sad, brooding fiber artist in her forties...seeking to find her lost creative soul...and finally there was Frieda, aka "the Helldog," a Rottweiler-shepherd mix who had been cruelly abandoned." What starts out as a story of despair--for Katz and Maria, as their respective long-term marriages fell apart, and for Frieda, who was raised as a guard dog and then abandoned only to spend years living in the wild--turns to joy as faith, trust, friendship and love replace fear, extreme panic attacks and an overprotectiveness bordering on dangerous. Bittersweet in its telling, Katz reminds readers of the importance of human and animal connections--Kirkus

The Quest

Nelson DeMille (Get this book)
War-torn Ethiopia remains the backdrop to DeMille's re-imagining of this intense thriller, originally published in 1975 and set during the country's brutal revolution. Two journalists, Frank Purcell and Henry Mercado, and photographer Vivian chase the struggle outside the relative safety of Addis Ababa and share a harrowing night in the jungle where they meet a dying Italian priest. A captive for 40 years, the escapee confirms the existence of the fabled Holy Grail, the vessel used at the Last Supper, and a secret guarded by Coptic monks deep in the bush. DeMille creates excitement and dread through his elaborate descriptions of the jungle.--Publisher's Weekly