The July/August Book Sense 76 Preview

1. THE CLEARING: A Novel, by Tim Gautreaux (Knopf, $23, 0375414746) "The Clearing is the story of Randolph and Byron, two brothers separated for years, both geographically and emotionally, who are brought together again in a remote cypress logging camp in the Louisiana swamps. Gautreaux's evocative descriptions and outstanding storytelling should not only bring him critical acclaim, but also the broad-based readership his writing deserves." -- Stephen Grutzmacher, Passtimes Books, Sister Bay, WI

2. EASTER ISLAND, by Jennifer Vanderbes (Dial, $22.95, 038533673X) "In this extraordinary fiction debut, rich with love and betrayal, history and intellectual passion, two narratives converge on Easter Island. In 1913, Elsa Pendleton leaves England with her anthropologist husband to study the maoi statues on Easter Island. Sixty years later, an American botanist travels to Easter Island to research the island’s ancient pollen, but also to recover emotionally from the death of her husband. A series of brilliant revelations brings to life the parallel quests of these two intrepid women as they delve into the centuries-old mysteries of Easter Island." -- Margaret Gwerder, Bookshelf At Hooligan Rocks, Truckee, CA

3. FLUKE: Or, I Know Why the Winged Whale Sings, by Christopher Moore (Morrow, $23.95, 0380978415) "Moore concocts a bizarre mix of characters, including a crazed woman, a Rastafarian, whales, research scientists, and primordial soup. A laugh-out-loud novel with a serious message." -- Dan Bogart, Bear River Books, Evanston, WY

4. MAISIE DOBBS: A Novel, by Jacqueline Winspear (Soho, $25, 1569473307) "Maisie Dobbs is the perfect heroine for this atmospheric mystery -- smart and self-reliant, but also vulnerable, haunted by her experiences as a nurse in France during WW I. In this wonderful debut, we care deeply about her, as her very first case as a private investigator brings her face-to-face with the demons in her own past. I hope Maisie is around for a long, long time." -- Kristine Kaufman, The Snow Goose Bookstore, Stanwood, WA

5. CONFEDERACY OF SILENCE: A True Tale of the New Old South, by Richard Rubin (Pocket, $14, 067103667X) " Rubin's Confederacy of Silence is a deeply moving story about the Mississippi Delta that shows the tenacity of poverty and prejudice even today -- and of the impact of these forces on one special football player and the gifted writer who became his friend." -- Mary Price Dunbar, Beaucoup Books, New Orleans, LA

6. THE DOGS OF BABEL: A Novel, by Carolyn Parkhurst (Little, Brown, $21.95, 0316168688) "This is a beautifully written account of love, loss, and memory. In an attempt to piece together the events leading up to his wife's death, Paul Iverson begins to teach his dog -- the only witness to the death -- to communicate. During the course of his research, Paul's memories of his wife reveal the forces at work, in their relationship, and in a troubled heart that led to her final act." -- Sandy Johnson, The Galaxy Bookshop, Hardwick, VT

7. HELL AT THE BREECH : A Novel, by Tom Franklin (Morrow, $23.95, 0688167411) "This is one of the most powerful, astonishing, and deeply absorbing books I have ever read. Beginning with a small, horrific bit of Alabama history that most folks will never have heard of, Franklin has built a story and a world that you will never forget. Write this down somewhere, Tom Franklin is going to win a lot of awards for this one." -- Cheryl Upchurch, Capitol Book & News Company, Montgomery, AL

8. THE PHOTOGRAPH: A Novel, by Penelope Lively (Viking, $24.95, 0670032050) "Kicked off by the discovery of an incriminating photograph, the characters in this book find a missing woman, and themselves, in a journey I won't soon forget. This intricate story reads like silk sliding across your hands." -- Marian Fleischman, Sedalia Book & Toy, Sedalia, MO

9. DUE PREPARATIONS FOR THE PLAGUE: A Novel, by Janette Turner Hospital (Norton, $24.95, 039305764X) "When a writer of this caliber takes on the subjects of espionage, terrorism, and political intrigue, the result is a book that kept me engrossed for hours on end. Hospital writes with heartfelt compassion for those who survived and who now believe intrigues of those who played a part in the terror. And one is left with the question, again, of how much do we really know about events that happen in this world?" -- Susan Wasson, Bookworks, Albuquerque, NM

10. THE CENTER OF EVERYTHING: A Novel, by Laura Moriarty (Hyperion, $22.95, 1401300316) "Evelyn Bucknow is the heroine of this exquisitely written coming-of-age story. Growing up in a small Midwestern town with a single mother and autistic brother, Evelyn manages to survive adolescence with her dignity intact. Funny, touching, and never predictable, this book perfectly captures what it feels like to learn lessons the hard way." -- Alana Willhite, Colby College Bookstore, Waterville, ME

Outstanding New Fiction in Hardcover

BANGKOK 8, by John Burdett (Knopf, $24, 1400040442)

BLESSED ARE THE CHEESEMAKERS, by Sara-Kate Lynch (Warner, $22.95, 0446531286)

THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME, by Mark Haddon (Doubleday, $22.95, 0385509456)

DISTANT MUSIC, by Lee Langley (Milkweed, $22, 1571310401)

EVIDENCE OF THINGS UNSEEN, by Marianne Wiggins (Simon & Schuster, $25, 0684869691)

FLEUR DE LEIGH IN EXILE, by Diane Leslie (Simon & Schuster, $23, 0743226089)

FOR MATRIMONIAL PURPOSES, by Kavita Daswani (Putnam, $24.95, 0399150706)

HEY NOSTRADAMUS!, by Douglas Coupland (Bloomsbury USA, $21.95, 1582343586)

I LOVE YOU LIKE A TOMATO, by Marie Giordano (Forge, $24.95, 0765306689)

I, LUCIFER: Finally, the Other Side of the Story, by Glen Duncan (Grove, $13, 0802140149)

THE LAWS OF EVENING, by Mary Yukari Waters (Scribner, $21, 0743243323)

THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT, by Daniel Stolar (Picador, $23, 0312304099)

A MOUTHFUL OF AIR, by Amy Koppelman (MacAdam/Cage, $23, 1931561303)

MY FATHER HAD A DAUGHTER: Judith Shakespeare's Tale, by Grace Tiffany (Berkley, $21.95, 042519003X)

NATURE LESSONS, by Lynette Brasfield (St. Martin's, $23.95, 031231034X)

1929: A Novel of the Jazz Age, by Frederick Turner (Counterpoint, $25, 1582432651)

THE ONLY GOOD THING ANYONE HAS EVER DONE, by Sandra Newman (HarperCollins, $24.95, 0060514981)

ORYX AND CRAKE, by Margaret Atwood (Doubleday/Nan A. Talese, $26, 0385503857)

PERSONALITY, by Andrew O'Hagan (Harcourt, $25, 0151010005)

THE PURSUIT OF ALICE THRIFT, by Elinor Lipman (Random House, $23.95, 0679463135)

THE QUALITY OF LIFE REPORT, by Meghan Daum (Viking, $24.95, 0670032131)

REUNION, by Alan Lightman (Pantheon, $22, 037542167X)

THE RICE MOTHER, by Rani Manicka (Viking, $24.95, 0670031925)

SOMEPLACE LIKE THIS, by Renee Ashley (Permanent Press, $26, 1579620906)

SUSHI FOR BEGINNERS, by Marian Keyes (Morrow, $24.95, 0060520507)

WAR AGAINST THE ANIMALS, by Paul Russell (St. Martin's, $24.95, 0312209355)

THE WATER DANCERS, by Terry Gamble (Morrow, $24.95, 0060542667)

New Nonfiction in Hardcover

AMBULANCE GIRL: How I Saved Myself by Becoming an EMT, by Jane Stern (Crown, $23, 140004832X)

APPETITES: Why Women Want, by Caroline Knapp (Counterpoint, $24, 1582432252)

DRY: A Memoir, by Augusten Burroughs (St. Martin's, $24.95, 0312272057)

FIRE AND ASHES: On the Front Lines of American Wildfire, by John N. Maclean (Holt, $25, 0805072128)

GETTYSBURG: You Are There, by Robert Clasby (Burford Books, $24.95, 1580801110)

THE GIRL FROM THE FICTION DEPARTMENT: A Portrait of Sonia Orwell, by Hilary Spurling (Counterpoint, $24, 1582432430)

IN BUDDHA'S KITCHEN: Cooking, Being Cooked, and Other Adventures in a Meditation Center , by Kimberley Snow (Shambhala, $18.95, 1590300475)

THE INTERIOR CASTLE, by St. Teresa of Avila; Mirabai Starr (Trans.) (Riverhead, $23.95, 1573222488)

LESSONS FOR DYLAN: From Father to Son, by Joel Siegel (PublicAffairs, $24.95, 1586481274)

LIFE AL DENTE : Laughter and Love in an Italian-American Family, by Gina Cascone (Atria, $22, 074345328X)

MY FATHER'S FOOTPRINTS: A Memoir, by Colin McEnroe (Warner, $23.95, 0446529338)

MY INVENTED COUNTRY: A Nostalgic Journey Through Chile, by Isabel Allende (HarperCollins, $23.95, 006054564X)

AN OBSESSION WITH BUTTERFLIES: Our Long Love Affair With a Singular Insect, by Sharman Apt Russell (Perseus, $24, 0738206997)

SCOUT'S HONOR: A Father's Unlikely Foray into the Woods, by Peter Applebome (Harcourt, $24, 0151005923)

SHE'S NOT THERE: A Life in Two Genders, by Jennifer Finney Boylan (Broadway, $24.95, 076791404X)

SHIP ABLAZE: The Tragedy of the Steamboat General Slocum, by Edward T. O'Donnell (Broadway, $24.95, 0767909054)

TANTRIKA: Traveling the Road of Divine Love, by Asra Nomani (HarperSanFrancisco, $24.95, 0062517139)

THE UNCONQUERABLE WORLD: Power, Nonviolence, and the Will of the People, by Jonathan Schell (Metropolitan Books, $27.50, 0805044566)

WIGFIELD: The Can-Do Town That Just May Not, by Amy Sedaris, Paul Dinello, and Stephen Colbert (Hyperion, $22.95, 0786868120)

Seventh Inning Stretch!

GAME TIME: A Baseball Companion, by Roger Angell (Harcourt, $25, 0151008248)

MONEYBALL: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game, by Michael Lewis (Norton, $24.95, 0393057658)

Mystery and Suspense for Gripping Summer Reading

THE ANGEL OF MONTAGUE STREET, by Norman Green (HarperCollins, $24.95, 0060188197)

ASHES, by Kenzo Kitakata; Emi Shimokawa (Trans.) (Vertical, $23.95, 1932234020)

DANGEROUS UNDERTAKING, by Mark de Castrique (Poisoned Pen Press, $24.95, 1590580559)

A FISTFUL OF RAIN, by Greg Rucka (Bantam, $23.95, 055380135X)

FOX EVIL, by Minette Walters (Putnam, $24.95, 0399150544)

HAUNTED GROUND, by Erin Hart (Scribner, $24, 0743235053)

THE HIT, by Jere Hoar (Context, $24.95, 1893956342)

INSTRUMENTS OF DARKNESS, by Robert Wilson (Harvest Books, $14, 0156011131, Paperback)

New Fiction in Paperback

HENRY'S LIST OF WRONGS, by John Scott Shepherd (Pocket, $13, 074346625X)

THE SONG READER, by Lisa Tucker (Downtown Press, $12, 0743464451)

THE VIRGIN BLUE, by Tracy Chevalier (Plume, $14, 0452284449)

THE WHORE'S CHILD: And Other Stories, by Richard Russo (Vintage, $12.95, 0375726012)

YOU SHALL KNOW OUR VELOCITY, by Dave Eggers (Vintage, $14, 1400033543)

For more great summer fiction titles in paperback, see the Summer Paperback Book Sense 76 list.

New Nonfiction in Paperback

CLEANSING THE DOORS OF PERCEPTION: The Religious Significance of Entheogenic Plants and Chemicals, by Huston Smith (Sentient Publications, $14.95, 1591810086)

JAMES DEAN DIED HERE: The Locations of America's Pop Culture Landmarks, by Chris Epting (Santa Monica Press, $16.95, 1891661310)

NOT BY ACCIDENT: Reconstructing a Careless Life, by Samantha Dunn (Owl, $13, 0805065865)

WAR IS A FORCE THAT GIVES US MEANING, by Chris Hedges (Anchor, $12.95, 1400034639)

THE WAR OF ART: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles, by Steven Pressfield (Warner, $12, 0446691437)