The last time I ran into Judge Andrew P. Napolitano, the Fox News Channel’s senior judicial analyst, he literally grabbed me in a bear hug and lifted me off the ground. No small feat. This greeting was occasioned by the fact that I had read and recommended his last book, Constitutional Chaos. The Judge is back with The Constitution in Exile: How the Federal Government has Seized Power by Rewriting the Supreme Law of the Land ($25.99, Nelson Current). This new book is yet another excellent judicial exegesis of the Constitution in which the Judge reveals how reckless Congresses, imperial presidents, and compliant courts have expanded Washington’s power far beyond the constraints and limits established by the Founding Fathers. Is there anyone who does not believe the federal government has grown too large and far too intrusive into our lives? It was never meant to be this way and this book not only explains how we have reached this point, but the frightening fact that there are few of the Constitution’s original limitations on government power at work in the nation today. This is particularly true of the so-called U.S. Patriot Act enacted shortly after 9-11. This is a very important book that anyone of any political persuasion should want to read.

A concern of Americans is the role of the United Nations in a world where, increasingly, if anything is to be done to stop rogue nations, if falls to the United States and coalitions of supporting nations to get the job done. Given the failure of the Security Council to address or stop genocides or dictators seeking weapons of mass destruction, plus the disastrously corrupt U.N. Oil for Food program, the regard in which the U.N. has been held has given way to questions about its effectiveness. Those questions have been answered in Eric Shawn’s new book, The U.N. Exposed: How the United Nations Sabotages America’s Security and Fails the World ($23.95, Sentinel, an imprint of the Penguin Group). A veteran newsman, Shawn is a senior correspondent and anchor for the Fox News Channel. He has written a book that truly does expose the United Nations, detailing the lifestyles of the diplomats who are appointed by their governments to represent the 191 member nations, examining how the inner workings of the organization is designed to achieve a status quo that essentially means doing nothing. The U.N. is seen by its member nations as possibly the last, if not the only way, to thwart U.S. objectives when it comes to ridding the world of its most dangerous troublemakers. Indeed, many of those troublemakers are U.N. members. Brought into being after WWII by the U.S. as a forum to resolve threats to world peace through deliberation, the U.N. has sunk to the worst depths of corruption, hypocrisy, and scandal. Some kind of new international organization, perhaps composed of legitimately democratic nations, is needed to replace it. Like its predecessor, the League of Nations, it needs to be allowed to fade to final end. This is surely one of the most important books to be published this year.

One of the very best books I have read on the topic of drug addiction and how society should deal with it is Romancing Opiates: Pharmacological Lies and the Addiction Bureaucracy by Dr. Theodore Darlympe ($21.95, Encounter Books). This is a book that will appeal to people with an education in English literature, particularly Samuel Taylor Coleridge and Thomas De Quincey, as well as American authors like William Burroughs or any of the so-called "Beat Generation." The author, a nimble mind and word conjurer, delights the readers as he reveals the vacuous excuses heroin addicts offer for their own irresponsible and stupid decisions. After sixteen years working in the British health and penal systems, he has heard it all. He draws the line between the literary poseurs, Coleridge and De Quincy, famed for his Confessions of an Opium-Eater, and the modern authors who conflated addiction with intellectual and spiritual achievements. If you ever wanted to get the inside track and insight as to the drug culture that surrounds us, this is the one book you should read.

Paradigms Lost: The Life and Deaths of the Printed Word by William Sonn ($35.00, Scarecrow Press, a subsidiary of Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, softcover) will please anyone who loves history. We take for granted the vast flow of information available via the printed word, but it was not always so. The author takes us back to a world in which most people were illiterate. It was one in which the ability to read meant spiritual and temporal power. The invention of the printing press was the first step forward in the spread of knowledge and, as the author reveals, four times in Western history—in the 1400s, early 1800s, 1880s, and again in the mid-twentieth century—methods were devised to inexpensively duplicate and disseminate the printed word. I can recall, as a young journalist, taking linotype to create a newspaper page. Today, linotype machines are in museums. Most importantly, of course, with the availability of books, pamphlets, newspapers and other easily printed sources of information, centers of power were challenged. I have always found it worth noting how literate the earliest Americans were. The power of the printed word is the power to influence and that is why freedom of the press and of speech are two of the most precious freedoms we possess.

What every book reviewer searches for is the totally unique book. Since most are published on the basis of some formula, a book that breaks the mold is always especially welcome. That’s the case of Dictator Style: Lifestyles of the World’s Most Colorful Despots by Peter York ($24.95, Chronicle Books, San Francisco). York is a columnist for the Independent on Sunday, a British newspaper, and for GQ. He lives in London and enjoys a reputation as an expert on style. Brits have a talent for producing people with an often odd take on culture, so it is hardly surprising that York became interested in the way some of the world’s greatest, modern dictators lived. The result is a book full of photos of the homes (sometimes palaces) of horrid people like Saddam Hussein, Hitler, Lenin, Stalin, Tito, Mussolini, Idi Amin, Mobutu, as well as Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos. York brings a lot of wit to the project of describing these places that range in taste from opulent to just plain tacky. All of these people seem to follow a basic dictator style that included build it big, make it look like a hotel, fill it with oil paintings, use a lot of marble, and, generally, fill it with pictures and photos of yourself.

Flowers: How They Changed the World by William Burger ($23.00, Prometheus Books) is a botanist’s explanation of why the world is so filled with flowers. One cannot imagine a world without them and people fill their homes and apartments with them or cultivate them to beautify their property. We seem to need flowers around us. Burger provides a fascinating answer to the essential role that flowers play in life’s evolutionary scheme. It is all about sex! Flowers evolved their bright colors and other means to lure insects and animal species to insure their existence. They found ways to protect themselves against disease and unpredictable environments. The author suggests that without the existence of flowering plants, human survival would be in jeopardy. This is a marvelous little book filled with wonderful insights and information. If you live on the East Coast, anywhere from Pennsylvania to Maine, and spring means getting out in the garden, you will want to add The Boston Globe New England Gardening Almanac to your library ($29.95, Triumph Books, Chicago, IL). Carol Stocker, the newspaper’s gardening expert, has written an excellent book filled with the answers regarding all the right choices and steps to take to insure, month to month, you will have a garden that will be the envy of everyone and your own personal joy. It is filled with full color photos and the kind of week-to-week tips and extensive facts about herbs and growing tips on dozens of plants. There are lists of the best sources for products and information, as well as some great professional gardens to visit. If there’s a gardener in your life, this book will prove an ideal gift.

Reflecting the popularity of conservative talk radio and a general trend toward a conservative point of view in the nation, books with conservative themes have been enjoying big sales. A leading publisher of this genre is Regnery Publishing, Inc. and they have two books that will amuse and inform. One is The Official Handbook of the Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy by Mark W. Smith ($14.95, softcover) who rebuts the liberal take on a wide variety of issues with both facts and wit. A trial lawyer by profession, he has a knack for identifying weaknesses in liberal positions on such things as the war on terror, the United Nations, gun control and much more. The Politically Incorrect Guide to Women, Sex, and Feminism by Carrie L. Lucus ($19.95, softcover) examines the various issues affecting women today in light of the goals of feminists as opposed to the power of traditional roles and preferences. The author is the vice president for policy and economics at the Independent Women’s Forum and a senior fellow at the Goldwater Institute. For women of all ages, but perhaps most importantly for younger women, this book uses facts to help make appropriate and important choices.

Of course, women will continue to be a mystery to men, but some men make a serious effort to figure out why. Joe Quirk has done that in Sperm are from Men, Eggs are from Women ($19.95, Running Press) which concludes that, yes, men and women are different! Along the way, however, he collected a wonderful variety of facts that explain the differences, why the two genders approach sex from different points of view, and in general why men behave differently from women, always have, and always will. It has a lot to do with biology. Written with considerable wit, this book will provide lots of answers. A book about relationships written from both the male and female point of view is Why You’re Still Single by Evan Marc Katz and Linda Holmes ($13.00, Plume, softcover.) Designed to help women understand what they are doing wrong and why they are either dumping good men, create roadblocks to good relationships, and turning off those men who do show interest, it is written in a he-said, she-said format and is a mercifully slim volume of remarkably good, sensible advice.

When you’ve been a reviewer as long as I have, you have seen every diet book ever written. Or maybe it just seems that way? So, when a book comes along that says you can lose weight and prevent disease without dieting, you bet it is going to get my attention. Eat Right for Your Metabolism by Felicia Drury Kliment ($16.96, McGraw-Hill, softcover) addresses the fact that each of us has a different rate of digestive metabolism. This is why some people can eat as much as they want and never gain weight and others can just nibble and still put it on. This book will help you determine what kind of metabolism you have and how to deal with a wide range of weight and health problems. The author is a noted nutritional consultant and the book addresses the real causes and solutions to shedding unwanted weight and protecting yourself against various diseases. To learn more, visit www.eatrightforyourmetabolism.com.

Being New Jersey born and bred, I would be amiss were I not to recommend O’ New Jersey by Robert Heide and John Gilman ($16.95, St. Martin’s Press, softcover). The butt of many jokes, New Jersey has much to offer in the way of history, places to shop, eat, and just have a good time. This new third edition takes note of where I live and it does a dandy job of pointing the day-tripper to dozens of places that make New Jersey unique among the other 49 States. Though I personally deplore dishonesty, I must confess I found The Sick Day Handbook by Ellie Bishop ($9.95, Conari Press, softcover) very entertaining. Not officially due out until August, she says, "This is about lying" and offers a DDD, "Doctor of Downright Devious", when it comes to providing a credible excuse for just not showing up for work. These are techniques that even an amateur who never played hooky can apply.

I love listening to audiobooks when I am on the road. Random House Audio has two terrific ones in the form of Joe Klein’s Politics Lost: How American Democracy was Trivialized by People Who Think You’re Stupid ($27.95) and A Writer’s Life by Gay Talese ($29.95). Being someone who follows public affairs and politics fairly closely, Klein’s book, read by the author, tells how the pollsters and consultants have taken over politics to the extent that there is very little trust for anyone in politics these days and probably with good reason. He provides a lot of information about the last twenty years of elections and the personalities involved. It makes for great listening. Gay Talese is, at this point, a legendary journalist and author, famed for his books on the Mafia, the sex industry, and the American immigrant experience. He wrote for The New York Times and, wanting to expand on his power to investigate the sinews of our society, moved onto magazine writing, ultimately turning to the book form. Anyone who has read his books or is just interested in what drives a gifted writer will enjoy this listening experience as read by the author.

A longtime friend of mine is Arnold Rabin, a playwright and a professor of English. The Sexual Guide to Written Intercourse, Fulfilling Grammar, and Seductive Usage ($19.99, Consortium Publishing, 640 Weaver Hill Rd., West Greenwich, RI 02817) has nothing to do with sex and everything to do with how to become a better writer. The title is Rabin’s way of getting you to look at his book, but the contents are a treasure trove of advice and insight that will help any aspiring writer avoid the many pitfalls that await as they traverse the literary landscape.

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Being A Mom or Dad

Time was when the role of a mother or father was well known and established. Then came feminism and the roles and rules got changed. Need it be said that this has occasioned a mountain of books on the subject, along with books that address specific parenting issues and problems. Here’s a look at some of the latest.

For the men, there’s Pop Culture: The Sane Man’s Guide to the Insane World of New Fatherhood by Christopher Healy ($14.00, Penguin Books softcover). In an entirely entertaining way, the author guides the father-to-be through his wife’s pregnancy, the first days of the new baby, dealing with grandparents, family gatherings, and a whole range of questions in a warm and friendly way that suggests that surviving a new, first child is entirely possible. A Father Gives a Son…Wisdom to Grow on by Charles J. Acquisto ($14.95, Running Press) began when the author, a month after his son’s birth, began writing letters during his lunch hours at work to people who had achieved success in the world. He wanted to collect their responses and put them together in a scrapbook for his son. He told no one and, to his astonishment, he began to hear back from ex-presidents, George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton, TV stars like Dick Clark, and sports stars like Cal Ripken Jr. Dozens of people whose names you will instantly recognize have contributed to this book. The result is a delightful collection of their thoughts that make a great gift from any father to any son.

We now have new definitions of what is a family, including the single parent family, if there ever could be such a thing because families, by definition, involve a mother and a father, and extend to include parents, brothers and sisters, et cetera. Still there are single parents, sometimes widowed early or by dint of divorce. The Single Mom’s Guide to Finding Joy in the Chaos by Elsa Kok Colopy ($12.99, Revell, softcover) addresses twenty crucial parenting issues, drawing on her own history and the experiences of others. In short, easy-to-read chapters that include expert resource recommends, one can find advice on building a child’s self-esteem and sense of belonging, budgeting and paying down debts, dealing with sibling rivalries, how to deal with your re-entry into a dating relationship, providing firm discipline, and many other of the challenges faced by single moms. Beth Brykman addresses The Wall Between Women: The Conflict Between Stay-at-Home and Employed Mothers ($18.00, Prometheus Books, softcover). I, for one, hate the term "stay-at-home" mother because I believe that homemaking and motherhood are two of the highest callings a woman can achieve. I don’t think a woman must have a career unless she wants one and I speak as the son of a woman who was always at home and yet became an internationally famed expert on haute cuisine, writing several books, and teaching thousands over a thirty-year period. Based on more than a hundred interviews, the author explores the lives and attitudes of today’s mothers and how different women found what worked for them in their marriages, dealt with "the emotional baggage of success and guilt", and overcame various challenges.

A common problem for parents is the child that will not or cannot sleep well through the night. On the 20^th anniversary of its first publication in paperback, Solve Your Child’s Sleep Problems is out in a new, revised edition ($15.95, Fireside Books, an imprint of Simon and Schuster). Written by Dr. Richard Ferber, M.D., the Director of the Center for Pediatric Sleep Disorders of the Children’s Hospital in Boston, this is perhaps the most comprehensive book on the topic. The author favors compassionate techniques tailored to the causes of specific problems, and to the individual needs of children and their families. The one-size-fits-all approach, such as the "cry-it-out" method often proves inappropriate and hard on both parents and children. This book teaches parents about the nature of sleep to help explain why problems develop and what the various options are for treating them. No book gets to stay around this long without having proven its worth and the new edition has been undated to include issues such as sleep problems of twins and multiples, and whether television sets and computers in children’s rooms are a good idea.

A much-needed aid for the six million parents with a son or a daughter about to become first-time drivers every year, Crashproof Your Kids: Make Your Teen a Safer, Smarter Driver ($14.00, Fireside Books, a division of Simon and Schuster, softcover) points out that, while American lament the loss of more than 2,500 lives in combat since the Iraq invasion began, fatalities here in America due to teenage drivers amounted to 30,917 over the past ten years! It’s a body count about two-thirds as high as the entire number of U.S. casualties during the entire Vietnam War. Timothy C. Smith has written an excellent guide, a specific plan, by which parents can insure that teens learn effective defensive driving tactics, how to drive and brake in all kinds of weather, getting a basic sense of how vehicles work in the event of emergencies, and much, much more. If there’s a future driver in your family, this is must reading! Elizabeth Hartley-Brewer has written two books offering 100 Tips for Parents and Teachers: Praising Girls Well and one for Praising Boys Well ($13.95, Da Capo Books, softcover). I confess I am not sure why a parent needs a book on this subject, but the author insists that "Praising well is a subtle art" and one she can teach you. She has made a kind of industry out of such books, having previously published books on Raising Confident Boys and one for the girls as well. Most people may find her advice self-evident, but if you know a parent who hasn’t quite figured out how to do this, either of these books will prove helpful.

Sometimes parents are faced with real challenges and, in particular, the autistic child. Two books will prove very helpful. Engaging Autism: Using the Floortime Approach to Help Children Relate, Communicate, and Think ($26.95, Da Capo Press) is by Dr. Stanley I. Greenspan, M.D. and Serena Wieder, Ph.D. Dr. Greenspan has pioneered a method called the "Floortime" approach that has rescued many children from the grip of autism and related disorders such as Asperger’s Syndrome. Applied early on, it can actually prevent a child from becoming fully autistic. Thus, many of the problems associated with autism, avoidant behavior, meltdowns, and regressions, can be addressed. Parenting Your Complex Child by Peggy Lou Morgan ($16.95, Amacom softcover) addresses the needs of parents whose children have special needs as they fight for their sons and daughters, negotiating mazes of red tape, trying to get the attention of doctors, teachers, and other professionals. These children may be autistic, have Down syndrome, suffer bipolar syndromes, and have other special needs. This book offers a practical system for marshalling information and observations about a child into a cohesive plan for his or her daily life, and communicating the child’s individual needs in a way that guarantees attention and action.

The fact that divorce is so much a part of life in America should raise all kinds of warning signs for those contemplating marriage. That’s why I think My 101 Favorite Marriage Myths by Pat MacDonald Boone, D.Min. ($15.95, 5082 List Drive, Colorado Springs, CO 80919, softcover) should be mandatory reading for teenage discussion groups, premarital counseling, women’s singles and couples retreats, and divorce recovery groups. As Dr. Boone notes, "Primarily, people grow up with movies, television, books and personal experiences that give them ideas of what marriage should be like. In reality, most of these beliefs are completely unrealistic…" This book is an excellent guide for singles, a roadmap for newlyweds, and a refresher course for those who are married. Happily, it is written in a lighthearted, yet serious, and informative way. The impact of divorce on children is well documented. The Collaborative Way to Divorce by Stuart G. Webb, the founder of the concept, and Ronald D. Ousky, puts forth what it calls "the revolutionary method that results in less stress, lower cost, and happier kids—without going to court" ($23.95, Hudson Street Press, New York, a member of the Penguin Group.) Couples who want to divorce, but who also want to avoid litigation will find a strategic solution in the process described in this book. It allows couples to dissolve their marriage, divide their assets, and look toward their post-divorce relationship, particularly when they share custody of their children.

Finally, I Am My Mother’s Daughter: Making Peace with Mom Before It’s Too Late. Its author, Iris Krasnow, ($25.00, Basic Books, a division of Perseus Books) addresses the mother-daughter bond and why it is important to bridge the gap that often arises between the two. Failing to mend the fences, says the author, until it is too late, comes with a price for both. With women living far longer these days, there is more time to achieve this and the author offers fresh prescriptions for overcoming the anger and resentment that can accumulate over the years. This should prove quite useful to any daughter faced with this situation. Nobody’s perfect, but your mother is your mother.

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Kid Stuff: Books for Young and Teen Readers

Summer is a great time to turn youngsters onto reading for pleasure. This is particularly true if one begins to hear the familiar "I’m bored!" lament. If there’s a library near you, bring them to it and turn them loose!

A truly delightful picture book for pre-schoolers and those just learning to read is It’s Springtime in my Backyard by Kathy Mazur. Combining photos and text by the author, it is the real story of two mallard ducks, Moe and Molly, that take up residence in the backyard and the lessons that the author’s daughter, Lauren, age seven, derives from the experience. The book even comes with a CD of Lauren reading it aloud. This one is a winner on all counts. To learn more, visit www.springducks.com.

Waiting for Gregory treats a familiar theme in many children’s books, the anticipated arrival of a new baby. Written by Kimberly Willis Holt and brilliantly illustrated with paintings by Gabi Swaitkowska ($16.95, Henry Holt & Company), this book will please little girls aged 4 to 8. It tells of young Iris who learns that her Aunt Athena is expecting a baby, but when she tries to find out when it will arrive, she gets all the usual stories adults tell—the stork delivers it, it comes from a cabbage patch, even from the clouds. Slowly the truth comes out and the baby arrives, but Iris is going to have to wait before she can teach him all the things she wants to share.

This Little Piggy: Lap Songs, Finger Plays, Clapping Games, and Pantomime Rhymes ($19.99, Candlewick Press, Cambridge, MA) is a collection edited by Jane Yolen, the author of more than 250 books for children, and Will Hillenbrand, an award-winning illustrator, along with Adam Stemple, a musician and author who has published more than a dozen music books. This timeless collection of songs and rhymes comes with a bonus 15-minute CD. If there’s a piano and/or guitar in your home, there are 14 musical arrangements to go with the text of favorites such as "Goosey, Goosey, Gander" and "I’m a Little Teapot" to name just a few of the 60 items collected here.

Occasionally a children’s book is written to aid a cause and, in the case of Clara’s Gift from the Heart, the cause is Locks of Love, a group that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children under 18 who have experienced long-term hair loss due to medical reasons. Written by Mary-Kyle Douglas and illustrated by Lisa Victoria ($17.95, Blue Marlin Publications) this story is an amusing tale of a young girl with long, beautiful hair who decides she doesn’t want to put up with having it brushed every night. The result is that all manner of things get stuck in it and even her friends begin to make fun of her. After learning about Locks of Love, she decides to get her hair cleaned and cut short so she can donate it. A portion of the sale of the book goes to the group. You can find out more about it at www.locksoflove.org. You can check out other books from this publisher at www.bluemarlinpubs.com.

National Geographic, a longtime favorite of mine, has two books out in their series "Voices from Colonial America", Pennsylvania 1643-1776 by Lisa Trumbauer with Karin Wulf, and Louisiana 1682-1803 by Richard Worth with Kevin D. Roberts ($21.95 each). The lives of ordinary people are the focus of these books, rich with the history of their times. One learns, for example, that Pennsylvania was given to William Penn to offset a debt owed to his father by the King of England or that Baton Rouge, the capitol of Louisiana, got its name from a red stick that divided the lands of two Indian tribes. All or part of 15 States were carved out of the original Louisiana territory, a bold purchase by the President Thomas Jefferson.

My friend, Susanna Reich, has written Penelope Bailey Takes the Stage ($16.95, Marshall Cavendish Corp., Tarrytown, NY), ideal for readers aged 9-14. Set in San Francisco in 1889, Penelope’s prim aunt will do everything she can to thwart Penelope’s ambition to become an actress. In those days, being an actress was not considered a good choice for a young girl or any woman as the profession was generally held in low repute. When Penelope is befriended by Isabelle Grey, a character based on the famed dancer, Isadora Duncan, the would-be actress has to decide just how far she is willing to go to make her dream come true. This struggle makes for a good story. Susanna previously wrote a terrific biography of the dancer, Jose Limon, and has limned the lives of the piano virtuoso, Clara Schuman, gaining a few awards along the way. This novel is aimed at readers who are coming into their own with a sense of themselves and is more fully developed than her earlier books. If you are the parent of an aspiring actress or know one, they will surely enjoy this book. Another author, Nicole Rocheleau has concluded that kids are not being allowed to just be kids anymore and often strive to be adults too early, missing out on the joys of youth. I agree. Too many books for this age group are preachy and about various problems. So she has written a delightful book for those 9 to 12 in age, "Ollie Ollie in Come Free", ($13.45, PublishAmerica) starring Emmy Bolan, a typical 12-year-old girl whose insecure, funny, always trying to fit in, and has a flare for the adventurous. Emmy just wants to have fun and so will the reader. This is a debut for this author and a very good one indeed.

Middle school readers, generally age 8 to 12, form a huge fan club for the writings of Avi, a Newberry Medical award-winning author. The good news for them is that he is back with a collection of short stories, Strange Happenings: Five Tales of Transformation ($15.00, Harcourt Children’s Books). Among these stories, children become cats, a once-invisible young woman pieces herself back together, and the identity of a mysterious baseball mascot is uncovered. He is truly a very gifted storyteller and this new book is a wonderful reading experience.

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Novels, Novels, Novels!

Summer is the traditional time to grab a book and head to the beach or just the backyard to soak up some sun and entertain yourself with a good story. There is no lack of those as novels pour forth from large publishing houses and small, as well as from the vast legion of people who are self-publishing themselves these days.

London is the Best City in America marks the debut of Laura Dave ($25.95, Viking) and it is impressive just in terms of the famed publishing house that recognized the talent of the author whose work previously has appeared in leading magazines while she managed to live in seven different cities, including of course, London. The novel is a witty, romantic story of a 20-something brother and sister pair who find themselves in remarkably similar situations one summer, but unable to make the decisions necessary to respond. Emmy is living in a secluded fishing village in Rhode Island not doing much to move her life forward. Her brother Josh is getting married, but he reveals to her that there is yet another women in his life other than his bride-to-be. Okay, this is chick-lit and maybe that’s why Reese Witherspoon has optioned the film rights to the novel. Be the first on your beach to read it.

Two other novels from Viking include A Student of Living Things ($24.95) by Susan Richards Shreve. This story begins with the theme of revenge, but evolves into a meditation on love, fear, and forgiveness. Set in Washington, D.C., the main character, Claire, is looking into her book bag for an umbrella when her brother Steven is shot to death next to her on the library steps. The murder hits her family like a hurricane. A stranger who claims to know Steven’s killer enters her life. This is part thriller and part love story that takes on some big moral, political and philosophical questions. The author has twelve novels to her credit, along with a slew of other publishing credits. She knows what’s she doing and you will benefit from her talent and skills. Jane Harris debuts as a Viking author of The Observations ($24.95) and she hits the ground running with a novel set in Scotland in 1863. An Irish girl, Bessy Buckley, in need of work far from home treks to a manor on the outskirts of Edinburgh and finagles a position as maid to Arabella Reid, the lady of the house. Oddly, Arabella asks her to keep a journal of her most mundane chores and intimate thoughts, as well as to perform some increasingly peculiar tasks. The two, despite their very different backgrounds develop an affinity for one another, but Bessy’s curiousity leads to the discovery of a secret about Arabella and those who have preceded her. Bessy is in the tradition of Moll Flanders and Becky Sharp, and this is an impressive first novel that is sure to create a legend of fans who will want more.

Murder Unleashed by Elaine Viets ($19.95, New American Library) is a hardcover debut for the author and the latest installment in her heralded "Dead-End Job Mystery" series that featured part-time sleuth and full-time wage earner, Helen Hawthorne. The author has actually worked the jobs that form the setting for her novels, including the Bone Appetit Dog Boutique and Posh Paws Grooming Salon in Fort Lauderdale. In the novel Helen has a new job at an upscale boutique specializing in fake furs, jewelry, designer clothes, and cakes—all for dogs! When she delivers a freshly groomed Yorkie to its owner, she finds her body with a pair of grooming scissors plunged into her chest. Who did it? Read the book!

John Weir established his reputation with his 1989 novel, The Irreversible Decline of Eddie Socket, one of the first novels to address the AIDS epidemic. His long-awaited second novel, What I Did Wrong ($23.95, Viking) takes up the theme of loss a decade later, now that AIDS has come under control, gay culture has become mainstream, and gay men are grappling to come to terms with their new role in society. The novel follows the life of a 40-ish professor at Queens College who has lost to many friends to the epidemic. Admittedly, this novel is more likely to appeal to gay men, but that does not take away the fact that it is well written and provides a look at their lives today. Fans of short stories will enjoy George Saunders’ In Persuasion Nation ($23.95, Riverhead Books, an imprint of Penguin Books). This is his first adult hardcover publication in six years. Saunders has been hailed as a bold successor to Thomas Pynchon and this new collection of penetrating, often wacky, surrealist stories will make for some entertaining reading as he focuses his wit on the nation’s breezy morality and obsession with fame and celebrity. Other stories range in emotion from compassion to the fantastical. A great book for the beach or anywhere else you want to sit back and just enjoy a different take on the world.

Former New York cops are a rich source of literary talent. Take the husband and wife team that goes under the pseudonym of F.P. Lione who have two novels to their credit and a new, third one in Skells ($12.99, Revell, softcover) just out this month. This is their Midtown Blues series and it reflects the nitty-gritty reality of being a cop working the streets. The nightly run-ins with criminals are taking their toll on Officer Tony Cavalucci. He wants to see the "skells" as people needing compassion but it’s not easy. He’s fortunate to find support from his partner and his fiancée, but will a dark family secret change his perspective? You will have to read this fast-paced, interesting novel to find out.

In a frightening and timely novel, Greg M. Sarwa has issued a warning against an ever-intrusive Big Government that wants to control every aspect of our lives in The Cattle ($14.95, Ambol Publishing, Inc., Bourbonnais, IL, softcover). This book is in the tradition of George Orwell’s 1984 and reflects the real life effort of the government to impose high tech national ID cards on every American. The result of this effort would make it impossible to open a bank account, get on an airplane, apply for a job, or any other freedom we take for granted in the event the government decides that an individual is questionable in some fashion or if the information on a person is inaccurate. This novel is as scary as any thriller you will read and has already won Amazon.com’s political fiction sweepstakes when it soared to first place in this category. Written prior to the passage of House of Representative Bill, HR418, (the real ID Act of 2005) it is a warning of its potential consequences. Imagine now, if every American was required to have a Radio Frequency Identification microchip implanted to verify identity and safeguard personal information? I guarantee that you will not be able to put down this novel once you begin to read it.

That’s it for June! Come back in July and don’t forget to tell your friends about the one book review site that is highly selective and highly eclectic in its effort to bring to your attention the best in new fiction and non-fiction. And don’t forget to visit our Featured Books section for some of the most unique, new books available.

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