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The latest batch of releases from publishers includes an unusually strong lineup of nonfiction books, but with a couple of good novels, too. The books are recommended by Karen Pennington, book buyer at Kepler's Books in Menlo Park, and Gerry Masteller, book buyer at Printers Inc. in Palo Alto.
"Atticus" by Ron Hansen is the latest novel from the author of "Mariette in Ecstasy." This time, Hanson, a former Stegner fellow at Stanford, writes of a man who travels to Mexico to recover the body of his son and gets involved in a murder mystery.
"Audrey Hepburn's Neck" by Alan Brown is a novel that is getting rave reviews. It is the story of a young man in Japan with American friends who tries to unravel the American cultural influence on his life.
"Lost Prince: The Unsolved Mystery of Kaspar Hauser" by Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson is an examination of a historical mystery. In 1828, a 16-year-old boy wandered out of the woods into German civilization, literally a "wild child." He was murdered in 1833. Berkeley writer Masson examines the case, helped by a newly found historical document.
"The Earth Dwellers: Adventures in the Land of Ants" by Erich Hoyt is a fascinating look at ants and what they do. Hoyt traveled to Costa Rica in 1987 with noted scientists Edward O. Wilson and Williams L. Brown, Jr., and the book grew out of that trip.
"Love Thy Neighbor: A Story of War" by Peter Maass is a look at the Bosnian conflict through the lives of people affected by it. Maass is a Washington Post reporter.
"The Ends of the Earth: A Journey at the Dawn of the 21st Century" by Robert Kaplan is a sobering look at some of the most ecologically ravaged areas of the world. The author traveled to West Africa, Central Asia, India and Pakistan, among other places, and writes about how that damage can be repaired and what it will take.
"They Only Look Dead: Why Progressives will Dominate the Next Political Era" by E.J. Dionne Jr. is an argument for why the far right has peaked and will now ebb.
"Life on Screen: Identity in the Age of the Internet" by Sherry Turkle is an examination of how cyberlife is changing how people identify themselves. The book is also written from a strong women's point of view and recounts how some women are challenging more traditional views of how they are perceived.
"Dark Nature: A Natural History of Evil" by Lyall Watson is a look at something we take for granted. The author is a biologist and naturalist.
"Inventing Wonderland" by Jackie Wullschlager is a close look at the lives of the most famous Victorian children's authors--Carroll, Lear, Barrie, Grahame and Milne--and their influences. "Alice in Wonderland," "Peter Pan," and "The Wind in the Willows" are three of the books written by those authors.
"Reasonable Doubts" by Alan M. Dershowitz is a book many people have been waiting for. The author, a noted attorney, reexamines the O.J. Simpson case and takes a hard look at our criminal justice system.
"The Mexican Shock: Its Meaning for the U.S." by Jorge G. Castaneda is an examination of the Mexican crisis, with particular attention paid to how the United States and Mexico are more entwined with each other than ever.
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