Hachette's New Books

John Stewart wants to do for the Earth what he has already done for America.

Conquer it.

New from Hachette is EARTH (The book). Subtitled "A visitor's guide to the Human Race," this book is sure to delight Stewart's millions of fans throughout the, uh, planet.

From the publisher website:

The eagerly awaited new book from the Emmy-winning, Oscar-hosting, Daily Show-anchoring Jon Stewart--the man behind the megaseller America (The Book). Where do we come from? Who created us? Why are we here? These questions have puzzled us since the dawn of time, but when it became apparent to Jon Stewart and the writers of The Daily Show that the world was about to end, they embarked on a massive mission to write a book that summed up the human race: What we looked like; what we accomplished; our achievements in society, government, religion, science and culture -- all in a tome of approximately 256 pages with lots of color photos, graphs and charts.

After two weeks of hard work, they had their book. EARTH (The Book) is the definitive guide to our species. With their trademark wit, irreverence, and intelligence, Stewart and his team will posthumously answer all of life's most hard-hitting questions, completely unburdened by objectivity, journalistic integrity, or even accuracy.

Also new from Hachette:

TATTOOS & TEQUILA by Vince Neil: To Hell and Back With One of Rock's Most Notorious Frontmen -- Take your craziest sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll fantasy, multiply it by a thousand, and you still won't be anywhere near the realm of Vince Neil—the legendary hell-raiser and the lead singer of Motley Crue, the world's most notorious rock band.

C STEET: The Fundamentalist Threat to American Democracy by Jeff Sharlet -- The author of the New York Times bestseller The Family returns with a blistering investigation of the true influence of fundamentalism in American politics.

WITHOUT A WORD: How a Boy's Unspoken Love Changed Everything by Jill Kelly (Foreward by Tim McGraw and Faith Hill) -- Hunter Kelly, son of Jill and football great Jim Kelly, changed their lives and the lives of countless others in his short, silent but powerful life.

Also:

GOD & DOG by Wendy Francisco

FIND A WAY by Merril Hoge

KATIE UP & DOWN THE HALL by Glenn Plaskin

RAISING THE DEAD by Chauncey W. Crandall IV, M.D.

AH-CHOO by Jennifer Ackerman

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http://www.hachettebookgroup.com

http://earththewebsite.com

http://www.vinceneil.net

http://www.jeffsharlet.com

http://www.jillk.org

http://www.godanddog.org

http://www.merrilhoge.com

http://katiebook.com

http://chaunceycrandall.com

http://raisingthedeadbook.com

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An Art Like No Other

I just finished Robert K. Wittman's PRICELESS: How I Went Undercover to Rescue the World's Stolen Treasures, and it was a very fun and interesting read.

I had previewed the book back on June 2nd of this year and finally grabbed a copy from a local used bookstore. Wittman, an FBI agent, found a niche within the agency which allowed him entry into the dangerous and often-ignored world of art theft. He took art history lessons and self-trained himself to support his facade as a buyer for wealthy patrons.

While not a book that will keep you on the edge of your seat, it will keep your interest with its tales of underworld maneuverings and how our stolen masterpieces change hands, no receipt needed.

There's a lot of discussion on twitter today about the gender gap in reading; that men just don't read. If you're looking for a book for the man in your life, perhaps this one would work.

Related links:

http://www.robertwittmaninc.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_King_Wittman

http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl/9780307461476.html

http://www.priceless-book.com/about-the-book.php

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Still Spinning

Wow, I have actually been out of the book retail game for a year now. And, I have been out of the book blogging game for a few months, since the death of my beloved cat Elizabeth.

I have been thinking for a while now about how to re-launch and I've come up with a plan, Stan.

Of course, non-fiction is still the name of the game here at BS...uh, BookSpin. But further, I will still be doing book reviews and previews here, but I will also be inviting guest bloggers (authors and other reviewers), hosting book giveaways and otherwise upsetting the fiction apple cart that rules the book world. I have nothing against fiction, I even sometizzzzzzzz........oh, sorry, I must have dozed off there.

So, please tell all your friends and bookmark my little digital playground so you can enable my silly obsession with my non-fiction habit.

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Turn Left at the Trojan Horse

Award-winning author Brad Herzog has an interesting book out this week, TURN LEFT AT THE TROJAN HORSE: A Would-Be Hero's American Odyssey.

From the publisher website:

“Go away. Figure it out,” she was saying. “Don’t come back until you do.” She looked at the calendar. “You have thirty-one days.”

With these words, like Helen of Troy launching a thousand ships across the Aegean, Brad Herzog’s wife launched a Winnebago Aspect onto the open road.

A modern-day Odysseus in Kerouac clothing, Brad Herzog plunges into a solo cross-country search for insight. With middle age bearing down on him, he takes stock: How has he measured up to his own youthful aspirations? In contemporary America, what is a life well lived? What is a heroic life?

From the foothills of Washington’s Mount Olympus, through the forgotten corners of America, and finally to his college reunion in Ithaca, New York, Brad shares his personal odyssey. Stopping in classically named towns, he meets everyday heroes, including a teacher in a one-room schoolhouse in Troy, Oregon; a modern-day hobo in Iliad, Montana; and a bomb-squad soldier in Sparta, Wisconsin. These encounters and Brad’s effortlessly infused musings make for an exciting, one-of-a-kind ride.

Sounds like a good read to me....



Author Website

Publisher Website

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Random House This Week

I admit it. I used to have a crush on Belinda Carlisle. But then what man from my generation didn't? She was the lead singer of the Go Go's, an all-girl eighties band that, from all reports, partied as hard as any all-male band could.
This week Belinda Carlisle delivers LIPS UNSEALED. While chock full of rock and roll debauchery stories, LIPS is not all fun and games. Carlisle comes clean about her struggles with self-esteem, weight and abusive relationships as well as a 30-year battle with alcohol and drug addiction.
I look forward to reading her story.

Publisher Website

Author Website

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Also this week comes PRICELESS: How I Went Undercover to Rescue the World's Stolen Treasures by Robert K. Wittman. Wittman, the founder of the FBI's Art Crime Team, delivers an action-packed account of his world-wide exploits rescuing priceless historical artifacts from evildoers. Often undercover, Wittman saved hundreds of millions of dollars worth of art and antiquities.

Author Website

Publisher Website

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And finally, yet another book about a New York Yankee that I want to read. Out in paperback this week is MUNSON: The Life and Death of a Yankee Captain by former Yankee public relations director Marty Appel.
I remember being in shock when I found out about Munson's death. It was the first time an athlete in his prime had died that I was aware of. I remember being shocked that he had been the pilot of the plane in which he perished. I just hadn't considered that a baseball player could have such an interest outside the lines.
Of course I had seen Munson play on tv. Despite being a lifetime Yankee hater, I did have a grudging respect for the grumpy catcher that captained their squad.
For a Yankee hater, I sure like to read about them....

Publisher Website

Author Website



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Christopher Hitchens and God (Not in the same book)

There are people we love to hate and there are people we hate to love. (For the latter, Jay Mohr comes to mind for me.) Christopher Hitchens elicits strong opinions on both sides, with not a lot of room left in the middle. We seem to either love him or revile him.

Despite myself, I like him. Even though he is bull-headed, smug, and has a strange obsession with hating Bill Clinton, I do like Christopher Hitchens. He has a new memoir coming out this week and I would love to read it.



Book website

The Hitchens Web

Christopher Hitchens Online Directory

The Hitchens Zone

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Also out this week is a book I missed in hardcover, but is still on my "gotta read" list. Kevin Roose delivers UNLIKELY DISCIPLE: A Sinner's Semester at America's Holiest University. When he was a Brown University sophomore, Roose transferred to Jerry Falwell's Liberty University, to explore the true nature of America's culture war.

Described as "timely, hilarious and thought-provoking," this book deserves to be on the reading table of anyone who likes religious discourse or personal memoir.

Maybe this one will be on the beach reading list (come on, July!)

author website



Hachette

Twelve

Grand Central

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Nothing Amateurish Here

I am really, really late to this party, but....wow. Just. Wow.

Michael Chabon is quite a writer. I just finished MANHOOD FOR AMATEURS: The Pleasures and Regrets of a Husband, Father, and Son, and.....wow.

I highly recommend this book to every husband, father or son. With warmth, candor and insight, Chabon delivers a manifesto of what it should be like to be a man. I admire the relationship he seems to have with his children, his wife, the the world in general. Clearly, he doesn't just live life and he doesn't just love life. But he apparently lives a life closely examined.

If Michael Chabon's fiction is anywhere close to as well-written and engaging as "Manhood," sign me up.

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Author website

Publisher website

The Truth About the Lies

Even though I realize the damage to the economy and unemployment when companies fail, I cannot deny that I love seeing corporate bigwigs get what's coming to them when they manipulate and back stab their way to "success".

Several years ago I read Tom Perkins' self-serving book about the spying scandal at Hewlett-Packard. I felt dirty and not too sympathetic to Perkins and his explanation of what happened. Something about me isn't very willing to give rich businessmen the benefit of the doubt.

Now, along comes THE BIG LIE: Spying, Scandal, and Ethical Collapse at Hewlett-Packard by Anthony Bianco. According to the author's website what happened at HP was "a corporate version of Watergate: a bone-headed covert conspiracy followed by an audacious cover-up."

Maybe it's time for me to get the awful distaste out of my mouth and get the real story.

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Author website

Publisher website

Tears of a Clown

Do you ever feel there's just a whole world out there you're not part of? That's exactly how I feel when I see people reading any book "written" by Glenn Beck. Certainly people who watch his television show can see through his schtick right? Well, apparently not.

But for the rest of us comes COMMON NONSENSE: Glenn Beck and the Triumph of Ignorance by Alexander Zaitchik. Obviously, Alex won't be on Beck's Christmas list; after one of Zaitchik's investigative articles for Salon last year, Beck took to the airwaves to cry about what he called "despicable, yellow journalism." Like Beck would recognize journalism if it bit him in his weepy little crybaby ass.

I'm not sure I can or will read this book. On one hand, I want to arm myself with specific examples of hideous ignorance to throw back in the angry, screaming faces of tea partiers, but, on the other hand, I am leery of the damage to my soul by focusing so much attention to such a tick in the crotch of humankind.

I don't expect this book to change any minds. The people who read it will probably be the people who already agree with its premise. The people who really need to read this book are simply those who never would.

But I might.

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Publisher website

Author website

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It must be true that books about baseball sell better than any other sport's books. Even though the NFL is worlds ahead in spectators and fanaticism (ask me how I know), baseball still rules the roost in bookstores.

New this week from Macmillan (St. Martins/Thomas Dunne) is BIG HAIR AND PLASTIC GRASS: A Funky Ride Through Baseball and America in the Swingin' 70's by Dan Epstein.

While I didn't do any swingin' in the 70's (unless you count baseball bats and tennis racquets), i was a big baseball fan. And, come to think of it, there were a few years in which I had big hair too. The 70's were when love for baseball was born and raised, so this book appeals to me immediately.

I want to read this book.

I mean, c'mon, look at the cover....

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Author website here

Publisher website here

My Hero, The Captain

While most of my male 5th grade classmates wanted to be race car drivers or baseball players, I wanted to be an oceanographer. I didn't fully understood what that would have meant, but I knew it would mean I would be like Jacques Cousteau -- my hero when I was 10. His specials were on tv fairly often in those years and I seemingly watched all of them. Cousteau made the sea and his work seem fun and interesting.

This week, Random House (National Geographic) delivers MY FATHER, THE CAPTAIN: My Life with Jacques Cousteau by Jean-Michel Cousteau and New York Times bestselling author Daniel Paisner.

I look forward to learning more about a childhood hero.

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Jean-Michel's website:

Random House

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Sting and the Police

Today's featured book is THE KING OF STING: The Amazing True Story of a Modern American Outlaw by Craig Glazer and Sal Manna.

If you are a serious non-fiction fan, as I am, you probably cannot read the following book description without that knowing flinch of "damn, another book I wanna read," skittering through your brain:

No one could have predicted that a petty crime against Craig Glazer would be the catalyst for a life on the edge. But then again, nothing about Craig Glazer was predictable. A skinny Jewish kid from Kansas City, Glazer was attending Arizona State University when he was robbed while buying marijuana for his fraternity brothers. His head filled with lessons in crime and criminals learned from the movies, Craig decided to get even with the dealers who robbed him. He set up his first fake "sting," pretending to be law enforcement. Unbelievably, his plan worked, and it set him on a path that was as unlikely as it was dangerous. He masterminded a two-year spree of stings that stretched from Boston, Chicago, and Cleveland to Las Vegas, Phoenix, and Los Angeles. Posing as everything from local police to IRS agents to hotel managers, he and his crew set up cons and raked in a fortune. Craig and partner Donald Woodbeck had such success that the Attorney General's office asked them for help ferreting out some of the most sought-after drug lords in the country. It was a dangerous double life. Like many other rags to riches stories, Craig's does not lead to a Hollywood happy ending. There was payback. Woodbeck was murdered and Craig landed in prison. The King of Sting is a story of wanting to be famous, even if it meant becoming infamous.

I know I have been using a lot of copy-and-paste descriptions lately but give me a break...these are previews.

Apparently, the book has been optioned by Hollywood, so read the book before it is "enhanced" by screenwriters.

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Publisher's website here:


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An Interesting Book of Theoretical Genius

Out this week from Scribner , a division of Simon & Schuster, is THE ADVANCED GENIUS THEORY: Are They Out of Their Minds or Ahead of Their Time? by Jason Hartley.

From the back of the book:

Let the debate begin...

The Advanced Genius Theory, hatched by Jason Hartley and Britt Bergman over pizza, began as a means to explain why icons such as Lou Reed, David Bowie, and Sting seem to go from artistic brilliance in their early careers to "losing it" as they grow older. The Theory proposes that they don’t actually lose it, but rather, their work simply advances beyond our comprehension. The ramifications and departures of this argument are limitless, and so are the examples worth considering, such as George Lucas’s Jar Jar Binks, Stanley Kubrick’s fascination with coffee commercials, and the last few decades of Paul McCartney’s career. With equal doses of humor and philosophy, theorist Jason Hartley examines music, literature, sports, politics, and the very meaning of taste, presenting an entirely new way to appreciate the pop culture we love . . . and sometimes think we hate. The Advanced Genius Theory is a manifesto that takes on the least understood work by the most celebrated figures of our time.

I will be reviewing this book soon.

Any book with Brant Rumble's and/or Chuck Klosterman's involvement is a book worth examining.

Follow Jason Hartley on twitter: advancedgenius
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http://advancedtheory.blogspot.com/

Book website here:

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