WINTER BOOKS PREVIEW
Mysteries, thrillers, family dramas and true stories — including a biography of Wallis Simpson, the woman who enticed a king to give up his throne — are among the new season’s most anticipated books. USA TODAY’S Carol Memmott offers 10 that shouldn’t be m
1 Agent 6 By Grand Tom Central, Rob Smith $25.99, fiction What it’s about: Former KGB agent Leo Demidov’s heartfelt search for his wife’s killer plays out in the U.S.S.R., Afghanistan and the U.S.; final book in a trilogy. The buzz: Smith roared onto the literary landscape with 2008’s award-winning Child 44, followed by the just-as-riveting Secret Speech in 2009. Fans have been drooling for the finale.
On sale: In stores
2
Fear Index By Robert Harris Knopf, $25.95, fiction What it’s about: Someone’s out to destroy a hedge-fund manager who has developed an artificial intelligence that predicts movements in the financial markets. The buzz: His politically charged and highly topical 2007 novel The Ghost, about a controversial prime minister’s memoir, also was a hit movie (retitled The Ghost Writer). Can you get any more timely than a novel about the volatile world of high finance?
On sale: Jan. 31
3 Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity By Katherine Boo Random House, $27, non-fiction What it’s about: The author’s meticulous research takes us deep into the lives of the petty thieves, garbage pickers and families striving to do better in a slum that sits in the shadows of Mumbai’s luxury hotels. The buzz: We fell in love with India through Bollywood films and the stark hardships portrayed in Slumdog Millionaire. Boo takes us deeper into the lives of Mumbai’s impoverished populations.
On sale: Feb. 7
4
Lone Wolf By Jodi Picoult Atria/emily Bestler Books, $28 What it’s about: Siblings disagree over whether to terminate life support for their comatose father. The buzz: It’s Jodi, for Pete’s sake. Need we say more about the author whose hot-button novels are perennial USA TODAY best sellers?
On sale: Feb. 28
5
Monday Mornings By Sanjay Gupta Grand Central, $24.99, fiction What it’s about: Five surgeons at fictional Chelsea General push the limits of their talents as they fight to save their gravely ill patients. The buzz: It’s the first novel for the charismatic neurosurgeon, CNN’S chief medical correspondent, who has already made best-seller lists with the non-fiction titles Chasing Life and Cheating Death.
On sale: March 6
6
The Beginner’s Goodbye By Anne Tyler Knopf, $24.95, fiction What it’s about: A disabled man begins to find peace after his wife’s tragic death when she returns to him as a ghostly apparition. The buzz: It’s always a publishing event when this Pulitzer-winning novelist, who brought us Breathing Lessons and The Accidental Tourist, writes a new book. It’s no different for this, her 19th novel.
On sale: April 3 8 That Woman: The Life of Wallis Simpson, Duchess of Windsor By Anne Sebba St. Martin’s, $27.99, non-fiction What it’s about: This biography explores the mind of one of the most vilified women of the 20th century for whom King Edward VIII so willingly gave up his throne. The buzz: Anglophiles can add this story about a conniving divorcée and throne-wrecker to their list of obsessions including Kate Middleton, Queen Elizabeth’s 60th Diamond Jubilee, Downton Abbey and the Madonna-directed film about Simpson, W.E.
On sale: Feb. 14
9 Imagine: How Creativity Works By Jonah Lehrer Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $26, non-fiction What it’s about: The bestselling author of How We Decide argues that creativity is not the province of a lucky few, but a series of distinct thought processes we can all learn to use. The buzz: Who wouldn’t love a book that validates what cubicle workers already know: Brainstorming meetings are a waste of time.
On sale: March 13
10 Da Vinci's Ghost: Genius, Obsession, and How Leonardo Created the World in His Own Image By Toby Lester Free Press, $26.99, non-fiction What it’s about: The history of Leonardo da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man: the drawing of a man in a circle and a square. The buzz: Here’s the story behind the iconic 15thcentury image that graces everything from mugs to T-shirts.
On sale: Feb. 7