USA TODAY International Edition
New and noteworthy
USA TODAY’s Jocelyn McClurg scopes out the hottest books on sale each week.
1 Rising Star: The Making of Barack Obama by David J. Garrow ( William Morrow, non- fiction, on sale Tuesday) WHAT IT’S ABOUT: Pulitzer Prizewinning historian Garrow interviewed more than 1,000 people for this portrait of Obama before he became president.
THE BUZZ: “Epic. … Political history buffs will be fascinated,” Publishers Weekly says in a starred review.
2 Since We Fell by Dennis Lehane ( Ecco, fiction, on sale Tuesday) WHAT IT’S ABOUT: A former TV reporter who has an on- air breakdown covering the Haiti earthquake marries a man who is not who he seems to be.
THE BUZZ: “A crafty, ingenious tale of murder and deception,” says Kirkus Reviews.
3 A Dog’s Way Home by W. Bruce Cameron ( Forge, fiction, on sale Tuesday) WHAT IT’S ABOUT: After a young man and his pit bull mix are separated by rules banning the breed, Bella tries to make her way home.
THE BUZZ: Cameron’s A Dog’s Purpose climbed to the top of USA TODAY’s Best- Selling Books list in January, propelled by the movie adaptation.
4 Jackie’s Girl: My Life With the Kennedy Family by Kathy McKeon ( Gallery Books, non- fiction, on sale Tuesday) WHAT IT’S ABOUT: McKeon recounts the 13 years, beginning in 1964, when she was Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis’ personal assistant and sometime nanny to Caroline and John Jr.
THE BUZZ: Our fascination with Jackie shows no signs of waning ( see Jackie starring Natalie Portman; The Kennedys: After Camelot with Katie Holmes).
5 Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman ( Pamela Dorman Books/ Viking, fiction, on sale Tuesday) WHAT IT’S ABOUT: Debut novel about the offbeat, offputting title character, who finds a friend in the nerdy IT guy in her office. THE BUZZ: It’s an Indie Next pick of independent booksellers and a Library Reads choice of librarians. “A compulsively readable, heartwarming story,” says Kaitlin Smith of Copperfield’s Books in Sebastopol, Calif.