According to the National Endowment for the Arts, reading among Americans ages 18 and up has been declining. The percentage of the U.S. adult population has gone from 56.9 percent or 20 million readers in the last two decades and the percentage of any adult reading any book has gone from 60.8 percent in 1982 is down to 56.6 percent.

None of this bodes well for the book publishing industry and we have an entire generation that is into text messaging, that cannot spell correctly, and is not likely to be doing that much reading as they reach their adult years. American fiction that used to be distinguished by books that addressed the great issues of former times no longer produces books like To Kill a Mockingbird or The Grapes of Wrath. About the only good news to be gleaned are the growing numbers of excellent non-fiction books that address current issues, providing the information the mainstream media fails to do in its endless pursuit of persistently negative news.

I was thinking of this when I received The Intellectual Devotional: American History, compiled by David S. Kidder and Noah D. Oppenheim ($24.00, Modern Times/Rodale Books). The purpose, as the cover says, is to "Revive your mind, complete your education" and, in this case, "converse confidently about our nation’s past." This is a daily reading on some aspect of American history that, in a year’s time, will provide you with a span of knowledge comparable to what used to be called a liberal education, minus the emphasis on being politically correct. This format has a rich history, going back to Poor Richard’s Almanac by Benjamin Franklin. Treat yourself to an easy way to learn or recall all the stuff you should have learned in high school or college. An excellent companion is Michael Dirda’s Classics for Pleasure ($25.00, Harcourt) in which he provides delightful essays on nearly ninety of the world’s literary masterpieces while covering all the major genres. Dirda is first and foremost an enthusiastic reader, rather than some dry scholar, and the result is that his love of reading comes through no matter whether he’s discussing Sherlock Holmes or Icelandic sages. From Petronius to Perelman, this is a great way to introduce yourself to great literature in a completely entertaining fashion.

In a world where the U.S. has troops in a shooting war in Iraq and Afghanistan, and there are constant threats of other conflicts such as the perilous situation facing Israel, the ancient question arises as to whether war is, in fact, the natural condition of man? In The Most Dangerous Animal: Human Nature and the Origins of War David Livingstone Smith takes on that question ($24.95, St. Martin’s Press). Literally millions died in the last century from two horrendous big wars and countless little ones. Most of the casualties were civilians. Smith asks, if war is destructive to millions and requires the most deplorable conduct of men, why does it remain a permanent fixture of human life? A philosopher by profession, Smith draws together a wealth of knowledge from other academic fields to examine how humans employ self deception and disassociation, passed from generation to generation, to turn the "enemy" into someone whose death is desirable and condoned by a state or society. Far-reaching in scope and meticulously crafted, this book sheds light on humankind’s most perplexing and disturbing compulsion. In a comparable fashion, Barbara Oakley writes of Evil Genes: Why Rome Fell, Hitler Rose, Enron Failed, and My Sister Stole My Mother’s Boyfriend ($28.95, Prometheus Books). The next time you ask yourself why someone could be so evil to commit some horror, perhaps you should reach for Oakley’s book that offers a theory that this behavior appears to be genetically programmed, suggesting that some people are literally born to be bad. Science is just beginning to tease out why some men rise to great power only to do great harm and Oakley’s book is on the cutting edge of the discoveries that suggest the answer. Another book on the subject of genes is Abraham’s Children: Race, Identity, and the DNA of the Chosen People by Jon Entine ($32.50, Grand Central Publishing/Hachette Book Group). Surprise, surprise! There really are differences between various ethnic and racial groups. The Human Genome Project that mapped the DNA sequence emphasized how similar humans, no matter who or where they may be, are. However, certain groups do share common attributes, not the least of which are the diseases to which they are prone. In a 400-plus- page book, the author takes the reader on a historic and genetic journey to understand that people who share an ancestry of Jews and Christians really do have specific genetic traits. This is not light reading, but it does confirm what most people have always assumed.

I know it when I see it. Good art, that is. Fred Krakowiak has created and written Africa: An Artist’s Safari ($39.95, Maverick Brush Strokes). It is a tour of Southern Africa in text and art with all your favorite animals depicted along with personal stories of close encounters with some of them and the vicarious excitement of being on safari. Part memoir, part travelogue, this is the kind of book that people who love art and love wildlife will want to make part of their personal library. To learn more, visit www.maverickbrushstrokes.com.

Some books are just intended, with no pretense, to be fun and one of them is How to Live with a Unicorn by Jane Moseley ($12.95, Running Press, softcover) that purports to claim that, while dogs, cats and hamsters are okay, having a pet unicorn, dragon, hippogriff, or chimera will identify you as a person of class and exquisite taste. She proceeds to provide instructions on how to feed and care for a range of mythical creatures in a clever introduction to those who have come down through history to excite our imagination and entertain us in literature and films. For some more fun, a very amusing fellow, Will Ferguson, a Canadian humorist, published Why I Hate Canadians in 1997 and a 10^th anniversary edition has been published by Douglas & McIntyre ($15.95, softcover). When first published, it generated all kinds of debate and it remains a favorite among Canadians. Americans will find it entertaining too. Just as Americans have their foibles and odd politics, so do Canadians.

I would not think to begin a new year without a copy of The World Almanac and Book of Facts: 2008 ($32.99/$12.99, World Almanac Books, hard and softcover editions). This year marks the 140^th Anniversary Edition and, as always, it is an extraordinary and invaluable compendium of information on all manner of useful topics. This year’s edition includes a 2008 election guide, the top ten news topics of 2007, and the world at a glance of statistics and facts. In the Internet age, the Almanac might seem something from a bygone age, but this book is far superior than any Internet search for the kind of information it puts instantly at one’s fingertips. For lovers of facts, there’s Why There’s Antifreeze in Your Toothpaste: The Chemistry of Household Ingredients by Simon Quellen Field ($16.95, Chicago Review Press). A chemist, the author’s curiosity was aroused after noticing there was sodium chloride—salt—in his shampoo. He discovered that salt actually plays a vital role in the composition of shampoo. The result is a book that explains to the layman why there’s methanol in body lotion, synthetic wax in cake mix, and other chemicals in everyday products and foods that, in the end, not only do not pose any threat to one’s health, but also greatly enhances these items, preserving them, and improving their performance. Rather than panic every time some group announces a new "threat", this book will quickly educate you about the role chemicals play in our everyday lives.

Two books need to be read to better understand what is occurring in and to America. Patrick J. Buchanan, the political pundit, has penned Day of Reckoning: How Hubris, Ideology, and Greed Are Tearing America Apart ($25.95, Thomas Dunn Books, a division of St. Martin’s Press). Given his antipathy for the Bush Administration, liberals will enjoy this book, but conservatives, too, will enjoy it for the way he takes fact after fact to make a case for the way political correctness and failed policies regarding trade, immigration, and education, among others, have brought us to the point where every single American is deep in debt along with the nation. Like an Old Testament prophet Buchanan warns against the consequences if we do not reverse bad policies and avoid a loss of national sovereignty to schemes such as the North American Union and our standing in the world due by pursuing preemptive wars. Anyone concerned about the future should read this book. Brian Patrick Burke has taken a look at Globalization: Attack on the American Dream ($18.95, Sterling House Books) and doesn’t like what he sees. In a short, easy to read book, he explains what outsourcing, downsizing, rising debt, and the growing sense economic insecurity, spurred by the bursting of the housing bubble and the devaluation of the U.S. dollar, really means and why it is occurring. Meticulously he provides the statistics one needs to have in order to understand why the loss of America’s manufacturing base and a largely "service" economy spells bad news ahead for our economy. You don’t have to be an economist to grasp the message of this excellent book and it will explain a lot about why increasingly the news about our economy is and will continue to be gloomy unless, as Burke advocates, we replace "free" trade with a new era of "fair" trade.

Two great audio books are worth listening to as we begin the year. Since we are now launched into a new election cycle, by all means listen to Common Ground: How to Stop the Partisan War That Is Destroying America ($39.95, Harper Audio). This audio edition of a book by Cal Thomas and Bob Beckel examines how the pernicious partisan battles in Washington, D.C., harm the national interests as the two parties and ideologists battle for power. Thomas is a famed conservative columnist and Beckel is a well-known Democrat Party strategist with a liberal point of view, but both men are good friends and emphasize the need for elected and appointed officials to work together. Read by Richard Rohan, with selections read by the authors, this is a very lively and entertaining look at the divisive issues that have been roiling legislators for years now. Also from Harper Audio, author and Supreme Court Associate Justice Clarence Thomas reads My Grandfather’s Son: A Memoir ($39.95). It is an inspiring and unflinchingly honest memoir that is, frankly, a testimony to the fundamental value of hard work and personal integrity that Justice Thomas learned from his grandfather. He rose from a life marked by poverty, divorced parents, and racism. It is an astonishing journey and one you will want to take with him when you listen to this wonderful audio book.

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Biographies, Memoirs, and History

Following on the great success of "The Greatest Generation", Tom Brokaw has turned his sights on the one that followed, the one that turned the truths and values of the generation that struggled through the Great Depression and saved the world from the totalitarian ambitions of Hitler and others, to one of peace, love, and lots of drugs. In Boom! Voices of the Sixties: Personal Reflections on the 60s and Today ($28.95, Random House) the book arrives on the 40^th anniversary of 1968, generally regarded as a turning point for America, to provide a portrait of the generation that came of age in that decade and how its turmoil affected their lives and the rest of America in the process. This is a fat book of recollections by those who lived through that period and will probably be most enjoyed by others who so as well.

Two softcover books compliment Brokaw’s. Notes from the Nethers: Growing Up in a Sixties Commune by Sandra Eugster ($18.95, Academy Chicago Publishers) answers the question, "Can an endeavor founded on love and community traumatize a child?" and the answer is yes. This is an honest account of the author’s childhood, spent growing up in a commune in rural Virginia in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The author’s mother as a "liberal, radical, union organizing mother" who separated from the father of her three children and left their middle-class life behind. Given complete freedom, the author, who was then a 9-year-old, experienced it as abandonment. This is an interesting look at yet another failed attempt at utopian living. Another look is a memoir by Susan Sherman, America’s Child: A Woman’s Journey Through the Radical Sixties ($15.00, Curbstone Press). A poet, a lesbian, and a radical, the author lived through a chaotic decade as the child of a first generation of immigrant parents in a working class neighborhood of Philadelphia. In her effort to reconnect with her youth she provides an interesting look at life in the 60s and 70s. No doubt many of her contemporaries will find a bit of themselves in this memoir.

A Boy Named Shel by Lisa Rogak ($24.95, St. Martin’s Press) is a wonderful biography of Shel Silverstein, famed as the creator of modern children’s classics such as The Giving Tree, Where the Sidewalk Ends, and A Light in the Attic. His creativity brought him fame and fortune. He was, for example, the lyricist for hit songs like A Boy Named Sue and The Unicorn. He wrote experimental plays and collaborated with David Mamet. He kept homes on both coasts, charmed everyone who knew him, including many women. He died in 1999 and the author, who has written more than forty books, has caught him in her literary lens so that his many fans can enjoy his life. From that same era comes Five Easy Decades: How Jack Nicholson Became the Biggest Movie Star in Modern Times by Dennis McDougal ($25.95, Wiley). "No one before or since has ever defined the twentieth-century American man’s alienations, disillusion, and triumph on the screen in quite so true and entertaining a fashion as Jack," said the author of the actor who has the most Oscar-nominations and is second only to Katherine Hepburn for wins. For die-hard Nicholson fans, this book is a bonanza of information about his five (maybe more) illegitimate children, his drug use, his mood swings, his art collection, real estate, and business empire that has made him a wealthy man many times over.

Lincoln gets the credit for preserving the Union, but there’s a huge monument in Richmond, Virginia that weights twelve tons and stands almost 62-feet high that honors the man who led the Civil War for the South. Robert E. Lee: Icon for a Nation by Brian Holden Reid ($18.95, Prometheus Books, softcover) provides a serious examination of Lee’s career. Military historians still marvel at the way he waged the Confederacy’s war against a far better equipped Union Army. Anyone who enjoys military history will surely enjoy this one. Going further back in history, there’s Richard and John: Kings at War by Frank McLynn ($30.00, Da Capo Press), an impressive piece of work that looks at the lives of 12^th century brothers, Richard and John Plantagenet. Most people are familiar with them through the works of Sir. Walter Scott. Richard would be remembered as "the Lionheart", while John would become the template for an incompetent tyrant. For an escape back to a fabled and troubled time in history, you will find this book an excellent gateway to that era.

Every so often a quasi-biography comes along that promises to be interesting, only to be harmed by the author’s writing style. This is the case for Rigged: The True Story of an Ivy-League Kid Who Changes the World of Oil, from Wall Street to Dubai ($25.95, William Morrow) by Ben Mezrich. In a time when oil is on the minds of everyone whether they are filling up their gas tank or contemplating what will occur if or when a barrel goes over $100, the author turns the story of John D’Agostino who, in the book is given the pseudonym of David Russo, into am overheated Hollywood B-movie script that could have been written in the 40s. It is to the extent the truth can be known, the story of how Dubai set up its own mercantile exchange in partnership with the New York Mercantile Exchange. D’Agostino had to convince a small group of Italian-American and Jewish NYMX traders to go along with the new exchange and had to do it shortly after 9/11, but money is all that matters to these gamblers. The story is filled with nightclubs, parties, unbelievable wealth, and beautiful women. What light it sheds on the world of oil is peripheral to the over-heated prose and, in fact, exchanges do not materially affect the price of oil. Mezrich has had bestsellers and even a film coming out based on a previous one, but the best thing I can say about the book is that it will likely make a better film.

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Getting Down to Business (Books) in 2008

I have so many business, management, finance, and career-related books that they literally make for a stack at least two feet high.

Leadership in business is a topic to which a constant stream of books is devoted. Here are some of the latest. What Made Jack Welch: How Ordinary People Become Extraordinary Leaders by Stephen H. Baum with Dave Conti ($24.95, Crown Business) uses the career of Jack Welch, the former CEO of General Electric who started from humble beginnings to rise to the top of leadership ranks in the business world. Baum uncovers the business secrets of those like Welsh, but also the inner stories that reveal how they overcame their fears to meet challenges and solve problems. Anyone who wants to follow in their footsteps would do well to read this interesting book. Peak by Chip Conley ($27,95, Jossey-Bass, in imprint of Wiley) essentially addresses the same questions. Having achieved great success, Conley’s business was suddenly facing a crisis during a dramatic economic downturn. He turned to psychologist Abraham Maslow’s concepts as spelled out in his Hierarchy of Needs and his theory of human motivation to help his business flourish again. In "Peak" he explains how he applied the concept and turned around his business practices by creating loyalty with employees, customers, and investors. The Leadership Advantage: How the Best Companies are Developing Their Talent to Pave the Way for Future Success is one of those titles that tells you everything you need to know about the book ($27.95, Amacom). Robert M. Fulmer and Jared L. Bleak have teamed to explore how many executives today are preparing a new generation of leaders who will improve themselves and their organizations in new and creative ways. Their view—widely held—is that any company that wants to remain profitable has to have the right competitive edge and great leaders who deliver great results. The book is filled with coaching strategies for managers who want to personally advance while contributing to the success of their company.

All organizations have to deal with "difficult people" A number of new books address the issues involved. Toxic People: Decontaminate Difficult People at Work Without Using Weapons or Duct Tape by Marsha Petrie Sue ($ 24.95, John Wiley & Sons) examines how everyone from the small business owners to corporate America can deal effectively with people who drain the energy and enthusiasm out of everyone around them. Using a combination of experience, humor, and practical advice, her message may spell relief to anyone faced with this problem. From Difficult to Disturbed: Understanding and Managing Dysfunctional Employees by Laurence Miller, PhD ($22.00, Amacom) is about practical psychology for managers by a psychologist with lots of workplace experience. Grounded in human psychology, the authors says that, "Personalities and psychopathologies may not be easy to change, but they often can be accommodated," noting that "a seemingly obstreperous or hopeless employee may be salvageable if you know how to play to his or her strengths and minimize or overcome his or her interpersonal and job-related weaknesses." For those who need a quick course in these management skills, this book will prove very useful. And then there is The Boss from Outer Space and Other Aliens at Work: A Down-to-Earth Guide for Getting Alone with Just About Anyone ($15.00, Amacom, softcover). Here again the title says it all. Patricia J. Addesso, PhD, has written an easy to read guide filled with realistic strategies that describes a variety of easily recognized types of co-workers and offers practical suggestions on how to deal with them.

There is no end to books about one’s career, management, and sales. Among the latest to arrive are Win Without Competing by Arlene R. Barro, PhD ($17.95, Capital Books, Inc., softcover). Dr. Barro has spent a decade matching people with jobs and she shares her knowledge with new graduates, back-to-work job seekers, and anyone looking to move up the ladder. This is more than just a how-to book, but how the reader can get into the head of human relations types while you learn the skills necessary to determine your own goals. 30 Day Job Promotion ($8.95, Jist Works, softcover) is by Susan Britton Whitcomb, a career coach who says you may be better off finding the appreciation and compensation you deserve without leaving the comforts of their current job and organization. She offers a variety of strategies to make this happen. Companies are more inclined to try to keep a worker than replace them, so the odds are with you. If, on the other hand, you are on the side of the desk that has to evaluate job performance, there’s The First-Time Manager’s Guide to Performance Appraisals by Diane Arthur ($15.00, Amacom, softcover) to get your through it with confidence and skill. It is filled with practical advice on the do’s and don’ts, the words and phrases to use, how to prepare for a face-to-face meeting, and lots of things that will make the process go smoother for everyone involved. SalesBurst by Patrick Evans ($22.95, Wiley) is written by a fellow who launched a company in 1979 from his garage and, in 2000, sold it for $60 million, so it’s fair to say he knows something about sales. He has trained and managed thousands of sales professionals and his book can give your career in sales a boost for sure. This book will give you a real competitive edge. The Sales Manager’s Success Manual by Wayne M. Thomas ($24.95, Amacom) is a step-by-step guide through the key elements of the sales manager’s role. Instead of going to some fancy university, you can learn the fundamentals, the techniques, the tricks of the trade just by reading this book. It’s fairly amazing that one can learn so much for such a small investment in time and money. I was particularly impressed by E-Mail Marketing for Dummies®. John Arnold ($21.95, Wiley) reveals how, done properly, e-mail marketing can be highly effective. Within its pages there’s tons of advice on how to create professional and inviting messages, locate receptive respondents, track the results, and determine whether your program is working. Lastly, for the entrepreneurs out there, Cameron Johnson has written You Call the Shots ($24.00, Free Press) to provide you with the "19 essential secrets of entrepreneurship." That may seem like so much hype, but the author started twelve successful web-based businesses before the age of 21, so he really does know what he’s talking about. If you’re the parent of a young person eager to run their own business, this is the book to give them.

In the global marketplace, you have to know "stuff" about far-away places like Doing Business in India for Dummies® by Ranjini Manian, the founder and CEO of Global Adjustments ($24.99, Wiley, softcover). The title says it all, but this is really a very good book that provides valuable insights to being successful in the Indian culture and society. In a similar fashion Source Code China: The New Global Hub of IT Outsourcing by Cyrill Eltschinger ($45.00, Wiley) explores the new and potentially profitable waters of IT outsourcing in China. It is the first book of its kind to focus on this segment of the China market. If knowledge is power, this is the kind of knowledge you must have to function in this business arena.

Don’t leave without visiting our Featured Books section. Discover some very unique books!

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Children’s and Young Readers Books

Any visitor to Bookviews knows that I am a strong advocate of getting kids hooked on books early in life. It may well be the single most important gift any parent or teacher can give a child, the love of reading and, with it, the love of learning.

One of the most clever innovations in books for the very young that I have seen in a very long time can be found in Gallop by Rufus Butler Seder ($12.95, Workman Publishing), a book that introduces Scanimation®, an animation process by which, juxtaposed with its text, one sees what looks like a video, but without the screen. As each page is turned, the images of a horse galloping, a dog running, an eagle flying, and comparable images can be seen. Parents can accustom a child to the value of books by reading aloud the text that asks simple questions such as "Can you gallop like a horse?" In the process, the very young are introduced to concepts of movement. Ask any parent about a child’s bedtime and they will tell you it can sometimes be an effort to get a child into bed and ready to sleep, but bedtime is also a great time for stories bringing parent and child together. Children’s recording artist, Rory Zuckerman has written a series of books that are perfect for these moments called The Sleepy Sheep ($7.95 each, Little Lion Press, Chevy Chase, MD). Together with wonderful illustrations by Maryn Ross, four books explore colors, shapes, counting, and the alphabet. The sturdy construction of these books, each of which includes a CD filled with stories, allows for the rough handling that children inflict on books. For more information, visit www.thesleepysheep.com.

My grandfather was an artist and I always loved to draw, taking that pleasure into years as an adult when I painted with acrylics, so naturally I understood what A Day With No Crayons was all about. Elizabeth Rusch has teamed with illustrator Chad Cameron ($15.95, Rising Moon/Cooper Square Press) to create a delightful story for those aged 4 to 8 about Liza whose mother takes away her crayons for drawing on the wall. Liza’s world turns gray without her box of many colors, but when she goes outside, she soon discovers that there is a world of color around her and much "found" art to enjoy as well. I’m a bit older than 8, but I loved it. For kids 8 and up, there’s Will It Blow? Become a Volcano Detective at Mount St. Helens, ($13.95, Sasquatch Books, Seattle) also written by Ms. Rusch, but illustrated by K.E. Lewis. This book challenges young readers to solve the mysteries surrounding that volcano’s eruption. Timely, indeed, because Mt. St. Helens has rumbled back to life since 2004, building a lava dome higher than the Empire State Building. It’s more than just geology and science, it’s fun! The prolific Ms. Rusch has also written The Planet Hunter: The Story Behind What Happened to Pluto ($15.95, Rising Moon/Cooper Square Press), also for those 8 and up, that tells the story of astronomer Mike Brown who grew up fascinated by the night sky and determined to find a new planet. Illustrated by Guy Francis, it tells of his search, but it also demonstrates how real science is done by real people. This could inspire a new planet hunter, but in the process it will provide some great reading fun as well.

Tanglewood Press knows what makes great reading reading for adolescents, teens, these days and has published two excellent novels. Two Moon Princess by Carman Ferreiro-Esteban ($15.95) is a coming of age story of a princess in a medieval kingdom who wants to break free from her royal responsibility to become a knight! Naturally her parents oppose this and she must choose between duty and desire. Written for those age ten and up, this story combines traditional elements of the fantasy genre with unique twists and a look at our culture through the eyes of a stranger. A more contemporary story is 68 Knots by Michael Robert Evans ($15.95) for those ages 14 and older tells of what happens when a sailing camp owner commits suicide on board, leaving eight teens from diverse backgrounds to decide what to do next. They give him an impromptu burial at sea and take command of the sailboat! The remaining 68 days of summer are filled with adventure as well as struggles for authority and power, as well as a few new friendships. This is an intriguing story that is sure to please.

For the younger set who can be read to or who are early readers, there’s the story of the home of the famed Alamo in Cha-Cha & Zee™ Explore San Antonio ($16.95, TK Publishing, Austin, TX), part of a series based on two penguins. You can check it out at www.ChaChaZee.com. Combining text and fancifully full color photos with the penguins and other features added, this is a clever way to entertain a child with stories that take them to interesting places. Older readers, age 12 and up, will find history well served by J. Patrick Lewis who has written The Brothers’ War: Civil War Voices in Verse ($17.95, National Geographic) a war in which a significant number of teenagers fought and died. Illustrated by photos from that era, it does not shy away from the horror of a war that preserved the republic and, in doing so, teaches lessons in sacrifice, courage, and the reality of battles that took so many lives.

Though Bookviews tends not to note self-published authors these days, former Merrill Lynch vice president Beverly Slomka’s Teens and The Job Game ($12.95, iUniverse) is a book that offers teenagers interview tips, sample resumes, and cover letters, along with a lot of very good advice on how to prepare for jobs the offer fulfillment and, yes, good money. Thus, tips on appropriate dress, attitude, and people skills are an important part of understanding what is required to truly succeed. On her website, Slomka offers employment and career news for teens at www.teensandthejobgame.com. Give your teen a competitive edge. Give them this book.

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Novels, Novels, Novels!

Some people have to wait to retire before they write their first novel. For David H. Brown, earning a living initially meant being an Ohio newspaper reporter for some fifteen years, followed by being a public information officer serving a number of federal departments and agencies for twenty-four years. He also found time to serve as an infantryman in WWII and in the Army Reserves, rising to the rank of lieutenant colonel. All of which has given Brown a world of knowledge and experience to draw upon. Having previously honed his talent with other novels, it shows in Operation Red Herring ($13.80, Author House), a superbly written suspenseful narrative that creates characters with ancestries that reach back to former generations, weaves them together, and draws them all into an assassination plot tied to the 2007 100^th anniversary of Washington, D.C.’s famed Union Station and the 78^th anniversary of the worst day of the 1929 stock market crash, October 29. Beginning with two murders, involving a secretive tunnel between the Government Printing Office and Union Station, the reader plunges immediately into a web that includes both the Italian and Russian mafias, along with a secret Middle East terrorist organization. This novel is utterly compelling because Brown never makes a false move throughout. It is entirely plausible right through to its thrilling conclusion. What a great move it would make!

For those who love a good mystery, there’s more good news. Kyle Mills, who has a number of bestsellers to his name, has written Darkness Falls ($24.95, Vanguard Press/Perseus Group), a riveting thriller set in the world of big oil and, in particular, Saudi Arabia. An oil company executive visits the protagonist, Erin Neal. Neal is the foremost expert in analyzing and preventing oil field disasters, but he has been leading a secluded life since the death of his girlfriend. He resists taking on the new assignment, but Homeland Security makes it clear he must find out why an unknown bacterium with an appetite for oil and an uncanny ability to destroy drilling equipment is threatening the Saudi oil reserves. Indeed, it threatens the world’s known oil reserves. What he discovers that this is not a natural, but rather a manmade bacterium. With oil in the news virtually every day now, this is a very timely and interesting novel. Also very much in the news is politics and another bestselling novelist, Richard North Patterson, has written The Race ($26.00, Henry Holt), a story that asks, "Can an honest man become President?" As might be expected this is a novel with a political point of view. In this case it is a liberal one that pits Corey Grace, a charismatic Republican senator from Ohio against "a leader of the Christian Right and a favorite of the party establishment" who has "a diabolical campaign manager out to destroy Corey." The result is a rather disappointing, fairly obvious piece of writing that attempts to piggyback the emerging issues of the real campaigns. Take a pass on this it. Do not, however, pass up the chance to read Mike Harrison’s latest "Eddie Dancer" mystery, Ruby Tuesday ($24.95, ECW Press, Toronto). This is the third installment in the series and it poses an intriguing premise. When Paul Miller, an out-of-shape, middle-aged advertising executive sees a muscular young man, Victor Shriver, hit his wife, he steps in to help. He not only lands in the hospital for a week, but faces assault charges and gets sued $50.000. Rather than pay, he challenges Shriver to a boxing match. If he wins, he pays nothing. At that point Miller’s wife hires Dancer, a Calgary private investigator to stop the fight. From then on the novels goes in directions you cannot imagine, but that prove very intriguing. I enjoyed this one and you will too.

I did not like Capote in Kansas: A Ghost Story because it is based on the lives of two writers, Truman Capote and Harper Lee, who worked together on his most famous book, In Cold Blood that put him in the top ranks of American writers. Lee would go on to author To Kill a Mockingbird that did the same for her. Kim Powers, the author of this novel ($25.00, Da Capo Press) conjures up a lot of "what if’s" and asks a lot of questions that cast doubts on both Capote and Lee, the former seeking fame and the latter fleeing from it. She throws in fictional events and, in sum, does ill service to the real story of the friendship of these two who knew each other from childhood and took separate paths. Sometimes, most times, reality should be left alone. I am pretty sure this is true of Options$: The Secret Life of Steve Jobs ($22.95, Da Capo Press) so far as Steve Jobs, the CEO of Apple Computer is concerned. The novel is self-described as "a parody by Fake Steve Jobs" who is, in real life, Daniel Lyons, a senior editor for Forbes. Lyons was outed by no less than The New York Times as the man behind a blog, "The Secret Diary of Steve Jobs." I suppose a lot depends on how finely tuned one’s sense of humor is and, in this case, the real Steve Jobs professed to find the blog "pretty funny." I wish I could say the same of this novel. This is not my favorite genre, but you already have figured that out.

Another genre that appeals to lots of people is religious fantasy, even if its appeal tends to escape my grasp. For them, there’s Wayne Barlowe’s God’s Demon ($24.95, Tor) who was inspired by John Milton’s classic Paradise Lost to explore ideas of morality and punishment, as well as how long one should suffer for one’s sins. As we know, Lucifer waged a war with Heaven and lost, banished along with the angels who supported him, but in this novel there is one Demon Major who has not forgotten his former life and seeks to recover his lost grace. Not everyone’s cup of tea to be sure, but just as surely, a novel of ideas that will appeal to those who enjoy exploring them. For pure fantasy filled with dragons, civilizations in galaxies far, far away, few publishers do it better than Wizards of the Coast of Renton, Washington. They will mark 2008 as the debut of a new imprint, Wizards of the Coast Discoveries™ and this month introduce four new authors of horror, science fiction, techno-thrillers, and magical realism. Go to this publisher’s website at www.wotcdiscoveries.com and check out Firefly Rain by Richard Dansky, a southern gothic ghost story; Last Dragon by J.M. McDermott, an intricate web of stories in a tale of revenge, justice, ambition, and power; The Man on the Ceiling by Melanie Tem and Steve Rascnic Tem, for dark, surreal horror; and Devil’s Cape by Rob Rogers, a gritty crime novel with a dose of the supernatural. These are the kind of stories that can only be read in a room where all the lights are on and the door is locked!

There are many novels available these days in softcover editions that have the special advantage of being less expensive than those in hardcover. It does not reflect on their merit because often an excellent formerhardcover has migrated to this format. Let’s look at a few. The top of my stack has Strike the Dragon by Dr. Charles Dyer and Mark Tobey ($12.00, Moody Publishers). Dyer is provost at the Moody Bible Institute. He’s also taken over 50 trips to the Holy Land—Israel—and still others to other countries in the Middle East. This ideally positioned him to write a terrific novel about international terrorism and a jihadist cell preparing a major attack on the United States and the steps being taken to track the clues that can prevent it. Using fiction, the authors remind us that 9/11 can happen again and abandoning our commitments in the Middle East and the war on terror would only lead to far worse problems. It’s a great read. So too is The Echo Maker by Richard Powers ($15.00, Picador), a National Book Award winner and Pulitzer Prize finalist. This New York Times bestselling novel is now available in softcover as it explores memory, identity, and the boundaries of neuroscience when a near-fatal accident puts Mark Schluter into a hospital. His sister reluctantly returns to their hometown in Nebraska to nurse him back to health from his traumatic head injury, but when he emerges from a coma, he believes she is really an imposter. He is diagnosed with Capgras Syndrome and it threatens to change their lives beyond recognition. This is powerful stuff in the hands of this gifted novelist.

For those who enjoy short stories, they’re in for a treat because two collections have been published. Terminal Vibrato and Other Stories by Stanford Pritchard ($22.00, Beaufort Books, New York) begins with the story of a boxer who, after being knocked out, also breaks his leg on the way to the mat. Laid up in the hospital and bored, he attempts to engage the patient in the next bed who is in worse shape than he. In the course of their conversations, they discover that neither is the person he appears to be. This story will hook you and is followed by others that are equally entertaining. This is an impressive debut. The Gateway is seven stories by T.M. McNally ($22.50, Southern Methodist University Press), a wickedly clever writer who asks, "Why do fools fall in love?" This is his third collection of stories that explore love, gentler times, and the connections between men and women, and their children.

That’s it for January! Come back in February for lots more information about the best in new non-fiction and fiction. And don’t forget to tell your friends about Bookviews.com!

Goodbye to 2007! Hello to 2008. Come back in February to learn about all the new books with which to begin a New Year. In the meantime, visit our Featured Books section for some unique books that would make great gifts. And tell your friends to visit Bookviews so they can get some ideas for book-giving this holiday season. See you in February!

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