Broken

 by Susan Jane Bigleow.  In a future where the United States is a burned-out backwater and a single fascist government rules humanity and its colonies, Broken, a derelict superheroine who has lost the power to fly, and Michael Forward, a clairvoyant teenager, race to save a boy from those who want to turn him into a tyrant. As they flee government thugs, bloodthirsty separatist soldiers, and Broken's former lover, a superhero gone bad, Broken and Michael must come to terms with their painful pasts and with choosing between doing what is easy and pleasant and doing what is right. Bigelow's action-packed, fast-flying debut is buttressed by a believable, detailed world and populated by a cast of unforgettable, deeply realized characters. Her unusual and heartfelt take on superheroes underscores what makes these iconic characters heroic-and what makes them profoundly human. --Publishers Weekly (Check catalog)

Steve Jobs

 by Walter Isaacson. Now we all know how the story ends. But that only adds a certain frisson to this biography of the man who was determined to make a dent in reality. Shaping reality was what Jobs was about, not only in his extraordinary vision of how personal computers could remake the world but also in his personal life, where early forays into Eastern mysticism led to belief in what Star Trek called a reality distortion field Jobs believed reality was malleable and made others believe it, too. The book is filled with examples of projects that seemed impossible to complete but were completed and goals that appeared unachievable but were achieved all because Jobs insisted it could be done. Yet Jobs was no saint. Isaacson (along with many of Jobs' friends) posits that being given up for adoption gave him a brittle, callous edge, which likely led him to abandon a daughter he had out of wedlock. Juxatposed against Jobs' story are contrasting profiles of Apple cofounder Steve Wozniak, the actual engineer, who would benignly have given away the specs for designing personal computers (he did give low-level associates some of his Apple shares before it it went public), and Bill Gates, at different times Jobs' partner and rival. Isaacson, who has previously written about long-gone geniuses Benjamin Franklin and Albert Einstein, benefits this time from contact with his subject. Jobs gave the author 40 interviews for this book and asked his family and associates to cooperate. The result is a wonderfully robust biography that not only tracks Jobs' life but also serves as a history of digital technology. What makes the book come alive, though, is Isaacson's ability to shape the story as a kind of archetypal fantasy: the flawed hero, the noble quest, the holy grail, the death of the king. --Booklist (Check Catalog)

Robert Ludlum's The Ares decision

 by Kyle Mills.   The latest Covert One thriller brings back Colonel Jon Smith and his cohorts in a tight and tense page-turner. A Special Forces team is sent to Uganda to eliminate a terrorist, but instead of taking him out, the entire squad is decimated. When Smith begins to investigate, the one surviving member commits suicide. Video surveillance seems to indicate the use of a parasite for controlling unwilling subjects. Smith recruits an expert in the field of parasitology along with an old friend to solve the bizarre puzzle and stop a madman from utilizing the bug as a weapon. Various subplots abound as well, adding to the complexity of the narrative. Mills is a fine writer of his action-centered thrillers in his own right, and he makes an inspired choice to continue the Ludlum-based series. This eighth Covert One novel is one of the best since Gayle Lynds was at the helm. Fans of the Ludlum style will have nothing but praise for this one. --Booklist (Check Catalog)

Is everyone hanging out without me? (and other concerns)

 by Mindy Kaling.  In the conspiratorial tones of a cool older or younger sister or pal, familiar to her twitter followers, Kaling, best-known as a writer-actress on the American version of The Office, traces her path from sensitive, chubby, Indian girl to woman-about-town in TV's comedy scene. In observant, bracingly hilarious, and surprisingly poignant essays and lists, Kaling gives her opinions on life, love, and the ridiculous amount of time it takes men to put on their shoes without holding back. That's not to say she isn't gracious about her family, friends, and coworkers (except frenemy Rainn Wilson) and ultimately reserves her best ribbing for herself. Also strewn throughout the memoir are some of the most adorable (read embarrassing) photos of herself. The showstopper on the back cover depicts her as a coke-bottle-glasses-wearing, androgynous child holding a puppet. To a year noteworthy for great funny ladies dishing about life in the biz, including the likes of Tina Fey and Jane Lynch, Kaling is an exciting addition. --Booklist (Check Catalog)

11/22/63 : a novel

 by Stephen King.  Like the similarly sprawling Under the Dome (2009), this novel was abandoned by King decades ago before he took another shot, and perhaps that accounts for both novels' intoxicating, early-King bouquet of ambition and swagger. In this distant cousin to The Dead Zone (1979), Jake Epping is living a normal schoolteacher's life when a short-order cook named Al introduces him to a time warp hidden in a diner pantry leading directly to 11:58 a.m., September 9, 1958. Al's dying of cancer, which means he needs a successor to carry out his grand mission: kill Lee Harvey Oswald so that the 1963 JFK assassination never happens. Jake takes the plunge and finds two things he never expected: true love and the fact that the obdurate past doesn't want to change. The roadblocks King throws into Jake's path are fairly ingenious some of them are outright gut-punches while history buffs will dig the upside-down travelogue of Oswald's life. This doesn't loom as large as some King epics; on the other hand, did we appreciate It in 1986 as much as we do now? Leave it at this: fans will love it. High-Demand Backstory: King is his own backstory: demand for anything new will be loud. --Booklist (Check Catalog)

Catherine the Great : portrait of a woman

 by Robert K. Massie. The popularity of Massie's biographies of Russian czars presages a comparable reception for his presentation of Sophia of Anhalt-Zerbst, as Catherine the Great was originally named. She appeals to readers for several reasons. Those interested in the expansion and development of the Russian Empire under her reign (1762-96) can delve into her conduct of war and diplomacy, cultivation of Enlightenment notables, and attempted reforms of law and government. And those fascinated by the intimate intrigues of dynasties will find an extraordinary example in Catherine's ascent from minor German princess to absolute autocrat of Russia. Court life is Massie's strong suit, though, which he develops with a well-referenced thoroughness that begins with Catherine's own account (The Memoirs of Catherine the Great, Mark Cruse, ed., 2005) of surviving palace politics as consort to the eccentric and disliked crown prince, Paul. The memoir, which suspends in 1758, alludes to another aspect of Catherine that tantalizes royalty readers, her liaisons with courtiers, most famously, Grigory Potemkin. Massie's treatment of them proves sympathetically perceptive to Catherine's warmth and her estrangement from them, humanizing the real woman behind the imperial persona. Written dramatically and almost visually, Massie's Catherine may attain the classic status that his Peter the Great (1980) and Nicholas and Alexandra (1967) already have. --Booklist (Check catalog)

The artist of disappearance : three novellas

 by Anita Desai. In three ensnaring novellas of consummate artistry and profoundly disquieting perceptions, master storyteller Desai (The Zigzag Way, 2004) reflects on the transforming power and devastating limitations of art. In The Museum of Final Journeys, an Anglo magistrate in a district deep in the impoverished flatlands of India accepts an elderly caretaker's beseeching invitation to visit the vast estate his employer has abandoned. In the dilapidated mansion, he finds a treasury of exquisite objects collected the world over, now forgotten artifacts in exile, their luster and stories lost. In Translator Translated, a tale of brilliantly refined suspense, Prema, an English teacher dulled by routine and loneliness, seizes the opportunity to translate the work of an author writing in her little-known mother tongue and is soon in way over her head. As Desai charts Prema's cruel exposure, she considers the plight of indigenous languages, the ethics of translation, and the heartbreak of those seeking affirmation in the creations of others. In The Artist of Disappearance, Ravi, the unloved adopted son of frivolous wealthy parents, finally returns to his beloved Himalayan home to live simply and creatively, immersed in the glory of nature, only to witness its destruction. Desai's provocative and mysterious tales of displacement trace the reverberations when the dream of art collides with crushing reality. --Booklist (Check catalog)

MWF seeking BFF : my yearlong search for a new best friend

 by Rachel Bertsche. Moving from New York City to take the long distance out of her relationship, journalist Bertsche found herself in a tough spot two years into her Chicago tenure a young, married professional past her hard-partying days, far from her BFFs (best friends forever), desiring meaningful friendships, and feeling utterly lost as to how to go about it. Challenging herself to 52 friend-dates in a calendar year and reading up on relationship research along the way, what Bertsche learns and relays anecdotally alongside rundowns of each friend-date could be classified as the science of friendship. Some dates are great; some just so-so; some hilariously terrible and readers can really feel that they're along for each one. In another's voice, the material could easily have become trite or annoying, but Bertsche is just so darn, well, friendly that readers might even find themselves questioning or conquering their own occasional antisocial tendencies. Bertsche deserves applause for the profundity of her research, and she exhausts her topic without tiring readers. Useful index of friend-dates and recommended reading included. --Booklist (Check Catalog)

Sniper elite : the world of a top special forces marksman

 by Rob Maylor. Readers of Stephen Hunter's novels about sniper Bob Lee Swagger should be steered to this memoir written by Maylor, an Australian SAS sniper, with the assistance of veteran military writer Macklin. Maylor counts among his earliest and, apparently, fondest memories playing with toy soldiers and watching war movies. He was born to be a soldier, he tells us, and it sure seems that's true. But he became a sniper almost by accident. Looking for an escape from a rocky marriage, he intended to join the British Army's Parachute Regiment but wound up enlisting in the Royal Marines. After several years, he moved to the Australian SAS, seeing action in, among other places, Afghanstan and East Timor. The book is a treat for fans of sniper-related material, being full of information about surveillance techniques, makes and models of weaponry, and other technical matters. On the personal side, Maylor describes his experiences in quite a lot of detail, giving the reader a good sense of what it takes and feels like to be a professional soldier. --Booklist (Check Catalog)