NONFICTION
Earning the Rockies: How Geography Shapes America’s
Place in the World by Robert D. Kaplan ( Random House, 224 pp; $ 36) – Jan. 24
From the author of Balkan Ghosts and The Revenge of Geography comes a new take on American Exceptionalism through the gifts of its landscape. It’s a book that should be of interest to Canadian readers as well, not only as keen observers of the United States, but because the Rockies don’t stop at the border. “Earning” the Rockies was something Kaplan’s truckdriving father said in reference to driving cross- country – the only way to properly see it.
Grace Notes: My Recollections by Katey Sagal ( Gallery, 256 pp; $ 35) – Mar. 21
It’s hard to imagine a television role more difficult to escape than Married… with Children’s Peg Bundy, but Katey Sagal turned an obvious typecast (and a giant bouffant hairdo) into star turns and memorable supporting roles in Sons of Anarchy, Futurama, Lost, Glee and many other shows. Grace Notes is the memoir of a remarkable Hollywood career that’s far from over.
Rock Solid: My Life in Baseball’s Fast Lane by Tim Raines with Alan Maimon ( HarperCollins, 288 pp; $ 32.99) – Apr. 4
The Montreal Expos’ Tim Raines is in his final year of Hall of Fame eligibility, so what better time than the bottom of the 9th to reflect on one of the most underrated careers in baseball. Raines belongs in the hall alongside former Expos Gary Carter, Andre Dawson, Pedro Martinez and someday, Vladimir Guerrero. Rock Solid is another testament to the good things that happened on the diamond in Montreal.
Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann ( Doubleday, 352 pp; $ 38.95) – Apr. 18
From the bestselling author of The Lost City of Z (itself adapted into an upcoming film starring Charlie Hunnam, Robert Pattinson and Sienna Miller) comes not only the early history of the FBI, but the investigation of a grisly series of murders that exposed the darkness behind the oil industry and relations with Native Americans in the early 20th century. Grann, a staff writer at the New Yorker, is widely regarded as one of the best narrative nonfiction writers at work today.
The Weekend Effect: The LifeChanging Benefits of Taking Time Off and Challenging the Cult of Overwork by Katrina Onstad ( HarperCollins, 224 pp; $ 32.99) – Apr. 18
Remember the weekend? If you’re reading this in print, hopefully you’re having one. There’s no shortage of books about the dangers of overwork or the benefits of downtime, but Onstad’s book zeroes in on those 48 hours once portioned for recharging. Mixing memoir with social- science, The Weekend Effect attempts to rescue the necessary end of the work week that leads to the beginning of another good one.