From the moment he first appeared in “Devil in a Blue Dress” in 1990, Easy Rawlins, was an instant favorite of discerning readers and literary critics alike. So the disappointment was palpable when the black private detective, drunk and in despair over a lost love, deliberately drove his car off a California cliff at the conclusion of “Blonde Faith,” the eleventh novel in the series.
“The Famous and the Dead” (Dutton), by T. Jefferson Parker “The Famous and the Dead” is billed as the final installment in T. Jefferson Parker’s six-volume saga about Charlie Hood, an earnest young Los Angeles lawman hellbent on reducing the illegal trade in firearms along the California-Mexico border.
David Levithan may write fiction for young adults, but his work beguiles readers of all sorts. You just have to be hopelessly romantic and optimistic. It’s his ability to render real life as both stunningly concrete and yet endlessly poetic that wins them over. Ironically, he may be best known for two captivating collaborations, 2006’s “Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist” with Rachel Cohn and 2010’s “Will Grayson, Will Grayson” with John Greene.
Despite his seemingly boundless intelligence and streak for mischief, Artemis Fowl has never been able to figure out how to get the love he deserved outside of his readers.
For more than 10 years, all she had known was magic. Since 1997, J.K. Rowling has made money appear out of thin air—making herself wealthier than the Queen of England at one point—and famous worldwide by conjuring from her “riddikulus” imagination the boy wizard Harry Potter through seven books that also turned young-adult fiction into a publishing creature of mythical stature.
As we mark the 40th anniversary of the declaration of martial law, it seems we have put that ignominious era behind us. And why not? We yearn to return to normalcy: rebels must simmer down and make a living, children must be allowed to enjoy the benefits of a global economy, and grandchildren must be brought into the world to give us a chance at joy.
Reminded of that old saying about judging a book by its cover, one can also say that a book should never be evaluated simply because of its length, especially when the said book runs less than 200 pages. But for British author Julian Barnes, his shortest book also happens to be his most accomplished as “The Sense of an Ending: A Novel” (Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 2011, 163 pages) received the 2011 Man Booker Prize.
“The Neruda Case” (Riverhead Books), by Roberto Ampuero. The great Chilean poet Pablo Neruda wrote about Latin American history and landscapes, the simple beauty and depth of ordinary objects, but perhaps most memorably, about love.
Rob Reid, founder of the company that created the digital music service Rhapsody, has created a hilarious story that spans the universe and the popular culture of Earth’s citizens in “Year Zero.”
“It’s the Middle Class, Stupid!” (Blue Rider Press/Penguin Group), by James Carville and Stan Greenberg Longtime Democratic political consultant James Carville and strategist Stan Greenberg have written a recipe for President Barack Obama’s re-election in their book, “It’s the Middle Class, Stupid!”
As president of ABC News from 1997 through 2010, David Westin guided the network through an impressive list of history-making stories: the impeachment of President Bill Clinton, the 2000 election, 9/11, and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
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