LITTLE ROCK — Fiction
1. NOTORIOUS NINETEEN,
by Janet Evanovich. New Jersey bounty hunter Stephanie Plum joins with Joe Morelli to track down a con man who disappeared from a hospital; meanwhile, she takes a second job guarding Ranger.
2. THE FORGOTTEN,
by David Baldacci. Military investigator John Puller, the protagonist of Zero Day, probes his aunt’s mysterious death in Florida.
3. AGENDA 21,
by Glenn Beck with Harriet Parke. A girl begins to question the authorities who run the Republic, the totalitarian successor to the United States created by the UN.
4. THE LAST MAN,
by Vince Flynn. Counterterrorism operative Mitch Rapp searches for a missing CIA asset amid treachery in Afghanistan.
5. THE RACKETEER,
by John Grisham. An imprisoned ex-lawyer schemes to exchange information about a murdered federal judge for his freedom.
6. MERRY CHRISTMAS, ALEX CROSS,
by James Patterson. Detective Alex Cross confronts both a hostage situation and a terrorist act at Christmas.
7. THE CASUAL VACANCY,
by J.K. Rowling. The sudden death of a parish councilman reveals bitter social divisions in an idyllic English town.
8. GONE GIRL,
by Gillian Flynn. A woman disappears on her fifth anniversary; is her husband a killer?
9. FLIGHT BEHAVIOR,
by Barbara Kingsolver. An unnatural congregation of butterflies brings disaster and awakening to a young farm wife in Appalachia.
10. CROSS ROADS,
by Wm. Paul Young. A comatose businessman encounters Jesus, the Holy Spirit and God and learns to see through the eyes of others; from the author of The Shack.
Nonfiction
1. THOMAS JEFFERSON,
by Jon Meacham. The Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist celebrates Jefferson’s skills as a practical politician.
2. KILLING KENNEDY,
by Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard. The host of “The O’Reilly Factor” recounts the events surrounding the assassination of John F. Kennedy.
3. KILLING LINCOLN,
by Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard. The host of “The O’Reilly Factor” recounts the events surrounding the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.
4. NO EASY DAY,
by Mark Owen with Kevin Maurer. An account by a former member of the Navy SEALs, written pseudonymously, of the mission that killed bin Laden.
5. THE SIGNAL AND THE NOISE,
by Nate Silver. An examination of predictions, the ones that come true and the ones that don’t.
6. ROLL ME UP AND SMOKE ME WHEN I DIE,
by Willie Nelson. The musician muses on family, friends, Texas and life on the road.
7. BRUCE,
by Peter Ames Carlin. A biography of Bruce Springsteen traces his climb from a working-class childhood to success and fame.
8. AMERICA AGAIN,
by Stephen Colbert, Richard Dahm, Paul Dinello, Barry Julien, Tom Purcell et al. The mock pundit of Comedy Central’s “Colbert Report” tells how to bring America back from the brink.
9. THE LAST LION,
by William Manchester and Paul Reid. This biography of Winston Churchill covers the period from World War II until his death in 1965.
10. THE PATRIARCH,
by David Nasaw. The life and times of Joseph P. Kennedy.
Paperback fiction
1. FIFTY SHADES OF GREY,
by E.L. James. An inexperienced college student falls in love with a tortured man who has particular sexual tastes; the first book in an erotic trilogy.
2. LIFE OF PI,
by Yann Martel. An allegory on the high seas, in which a teenage boy and a 450-pound tiger are thrown together in a lifeboat after a shipwreck.
3. THE PERFECT HOPE,
by Nora Roberts. Sparks fly after a New Year’s Eve kiss between the tough-as-nails Ryder Montgomery and Hope Beaumont, the innkeeper of his own bed-and-breakfast; the final volume of the Inn BoonsBoro trilogy.
4. FIFTY SHADES DARKER,
by E.L. James. Daunted by Christian’s dark secrets, Anastasia ends their relationship-but desire still dominates her every thought; the second book in an erotic trilogy.
5. FIFTY SHADES FREED,
by E L. James. Reunited, Anastasia and Christian face a world of possibilities, and unexpected challenges; the final volume in an erotic trilogy.
Paperback nonfiction
1. PROOF OF HEAVEN,
by Eben Alexander. A neurosurgeon recounts his near-death experience during a coma from bacterial meningitis.
2. TEAM OF RIVALS,
by Doris Kearns Goodwin. The political genius of Abraham Lincoln.
3. HEAVEN IS FOR REAL,
by Todd Burpo with Lynn Vincent. A father recounts his 3-year-old son’s encounter with Jesus and the angels during an emergency appendectomy.
4. IN THE GARDEN OF BEASTS,
by Erik Larson. This portrait of Berlin during the rise of the Nazis centers on the experiences of William E. Dodd, who became the U.S. ambassador to Germany in 1933, and his daughter, Martha.
5. IS EVERYONE HANGING OUT WITHOUT ME?,
by Mindy Kaling. The comedian and actress offers essays about her life.
Perspective, Pages 75 on 12/09/2012