Maw Books

Maw Books – book reviews, book recommendations, book lists, author interviews and more!

Sorry for not featuring this list for the past couple of months.  I think I got a bit burned out with it.  But I have heard from many of you that you appreciate this posting each week.  So it’s back!

The New York Times Bestseller List
October 11, 2009

Hardcover Fiction

1. THE LOST SYMBOL, by Dan Brown. Robert Langdon among the Masons.
2. AN ECHO IN THE BONE, by Diana Gabaldon. The descendants of Jamie Fraser and his wife, Claire, search for clues about their flight from North Carolina during the Revolution; the seventh Outlander novel.
3. ROUGH COUNTRY, by John Sandford.  Virgil Flowers investigates a string of murders at a Minnesota resort for women.
4. THE LAST SONG, by Nicholas Sparks.  A 17-year-old girl spends the summer with her divorced father in North Carolina and finds many kinds of love.
5. THE HELP, by Kathryn Stockett.  A young white woman and two black maids in 1960s ­Mississippi.

Hardcover Nonfiction

1. HAVE A LITTLE FAITH, by Mitch Albom.  A suburban rabbi and a Detroit pastor teach lessons about the comfort of belief.
2. ARGUING WITH IDIOTS, written and edited by Glenn Beck, Kevin Balfe and others.  The case against big government.
3. TRUE COMPASS, by Edward M. Kennedy.  The late senator’s autobiography.
4. THE TIME OF MY LIFE, by Patrick Swayze and Lisa Niemi.  A memoir by the actor, who died in September, and his wife.
5. THE MURDER OF KING TUT, by James Patterson and Martin Dugard. Investigating the Boy King’s sudden death

Paperback Trade Fiction

1. SAY YOU’RE ONE OF THEM, by Uwem Akpan.  Stories set in Africa, told from the point of view of wise and resilient children.
2. THE SHACK, by William P. Young.  A man whose daughter was abducted is invited to an isolated shack, apparently by God.
3. THE TIME TRAVELER’S WIFE, by Audrey Niffenegger. Life with a dashing librarian who travels back and forth through time.
4. THE GUERNSEY LITERARY AND POTATO PEEL PIE SOCIETY, by Mary Ann Shaffer.  A journalist meets the island’s old Nazi resisters.
5. PUSH, by Sapphire. (Vintage, $12.95.) An abused, illiterate 16-year-old girl living in Harlem meets a teacher who helps change her life.

Paperback Mass-Market Fiction

1. THE ASSOCIATE, by John Grisham. An idealistic law-school graduate is forced to take a job at a large, brutalizing law firm.
2. COVET, by J. R. Ward.  A man becomes a fallen angel and is charged with saving the souls of seven people from the seven deadly sins.
3. CROSS COUNTRY, by James Patterson.  Alex Cross chases the leader of a teenage gang.
4. BORN OF NIGHT, by Sherrilyn Kenyon. A woman must entrust her life to a deadly assassin once affiliated with the League.
5. THE RENEGADE HUNTER, by Lynsay Sands.  A vampire hunter turned rogue is locked up after saving a damsel in distress; a Rogue Hunter novel.

Paperback Non-Fiction

1. GLENN BECK’S ‘COMMON SENSE’, by Glenn Beck. Thomas Paine-inspired thoughts on government.
2. I HOPE THEY SERVE BEER IN HELL, by Tucker Max.  Life as a self-absorbed, drunken womanizer.
3. THREE CUPS OF TEA, by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin. A former climber builds schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
4. MY LIFE IN FRANCE, by Julia Child with Alex Prud’homme. How Julia Child mastered the art of French cooking: a memoir.
5. THE GLASS CASTLE, by Jeannette Walls. The author recalls a bizarre childhood during which she and her siblings moved constantly.

Hardcover Advice

1. GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS 2010, edited by Craig Glenday.  Tallest, fastest, youngest, most.
2. MASTERING THE ART OF FRENCH COOKING, VOL. 1, by Julia Child, Simone Beck and Louisette Bertholle.  A reissue of the book that started Julia Child’s career
3. ACT LIKE A LADY, THINK LIKE A MAN, by Steve Harvey.  Relationship tips from the comedian and host of “The Steve Harvey Morning Show.”
4. MASTER YOUR METABOLISM, by Jillian Michaels with Mariska van Aalst.  A plan for removing toxins and rebalancing hormones to lose weight, by a trainer and coach from “The Biggest Loser” on NBC.
5. THE LAST LECTURE, by Randy Pausch with Jeffrey Zaslow. After learning he has terminal cancer, a Carnegie Mellon professor shares his thoughts on the importance of “seizing every moment.”

Paperback Advice

1. WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU’RE EXPECTING, by Heidi Murkoff and Sharon Mazel.  Advice for parents-to-be.
2. THE FIVE LOVE LANGUAGES, by Gary Chapman.  How to communicate love in a way a spouse will understand.
3. THE LOVE DARE, by Stephen and Alex Kendrick with Lawrence Kimbrough.  A 40-day challenge for spouses to practice unconditional love.
4. HUNGRY GIRL 200 UNDER 200, by Lisa Lillien.  Two hundred recipes with fewer than 200 calories, for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack time.
5. HOW TO TAKE OVER TEH WURLD, by Professor Happycat and icanhascheezburger.com.  Funny pictures of cats with funny

Children’s Picture Books

1. WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE, by Barb Bersche and Michelle Quint.  A movie tie-in adapted from the screenplay based on the children’s classic. (Ages 9 to 12)
2. SKIPPYJON JONES, LOST IN SPICE, by Judy Schachner. The peppery red planet captures a cat’s fancy. (Ages 4 to
3. LISTEN TO THE WIND: THE STORY OF DR. GREG AND “THREE CUPS OF TEA”, by Greg Mortenson and Susan L. Roth.  A school grows in Pakistan. (Ages 4 to
4. WADDLE!, written and illustrated by Rufus Butler Seder. Animals in motion, with color. (Ages 4 to
5. DEWEY (THERE’S A CAT IN THE LIBRARY!), by Vicki Myron and Bret Witter. Illustrated by Steve James.  The tale of a book-drop mascot. (Ages 4 to

Children’s Chapter Books

1. CATCHING FIRE, by Suzanne Collins.The protagonist of “The Hunger Games” returns. (Ages 12 and up)
2. THE HUNGER GAMES, by Suzanne Collins. In a dystopian future, a girl fights for survival on live TV. (Ages 12 and up).
3. THE MAGICIAN’S ELEPHANT, by Kate DiCamillo and Yoko Tanaka. An orphan in search of his sister follows a fortuneteller’s mysterious instructions. (Ages 7 and up)
4. TRICKS, by Ellen Hopkins. A novel in verse about five teenagers who become prostitutes. (Ages 14 and up)
5. L.A. CANDY, by Lauren Conrad. Excitement in TV land by someone who has been there.

Children’s Paperback Books

1. CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS: JUNIOR NOVELIZATION, by Stacia Deutsch and Rhody Cohon.  A movie tie-in to the meteorological smorgasbord. (Ages 9 to 12)
2. DARK VISIONS, by L. J. Smith. A school for psychic teens. (Ages 14 and up)BLUE MOON, by Alyson Noël.  An immortal girl. (Ages 12 and up)
3. THE BOOK THIEF, by Markus Zusak. A girl saves books from Nazi burning and shares them with a Jewish man in hiding. (Ages 14 and up)
4. THE MYSTERIOUS BENEDICT SOCIETY, by Trenton Lee Stewart. Illustrated by Carson Ellis.  Gifted kids undertake a mission. (Ages 9 to 12)
5. THREE CUPS OF TEA: YOUNG READERS EDITION, by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin. A former climber builds schools in Pakistani and Afghan villages. (Ages 9 to 12)

Children’s Series Books

1. THE TWILIGHT SERIES, by Stephenie Meyer. Vampires and werewolves in high school. (Ages 12 and up)
2. DIARY OF A WIMPY KID, written and illustrated by Jeff Kinney.  A boy records the hazards of adolescent life. (Ages 9 to 12)
3. PERCY JACKSON & THE OLYMPIANS, by Rick Riordan.  Battling mythological monsters. (Ages 9 to 12)
4. VAMPIRE DIARIES, by L. J. Smith.  Vampires in school, with a love triangle. (Ages 12 and up)
5. SEPTIMUS HEAP, by Angie Sage. A boy fulfills his destiny as a wizard. (Ages 9 and up)

Hardcover Graphic Books

1. BATMAN: CACOPHONY, by Kevin Smith and Walter Flanagan.  The Dark Knight squares off against Onomatopoeia, who murders superheroes for sport, and the Joker is caught in the middle.
2. THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ, by Eric Shanower and Skottie Young. (Marvel Entertainment, $29.99.) Dorothy travels to the land of OZ, graphic novel style.
3. BATMAN: THE KILLING JOKE, by Alan Moore and Brian Bolland. This critically acclaimed story from 1988 offers a possible origin for the Joker.
4. MERCY THOMPSON: HOMECOMING, by Patricia Briggs and David Lawrence.  Mercy Thompson, the protagonist of Brigg’s prose novels, comes to comics with an original adventure. She has to survive a gang war between rival packs of werewolves, and her mother.
5. BATMAN: WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE CAPED CRUSADER?, by Neil Gaiman and others.  This collection chronicles the last days of Batman, the secret origin of the villainous Poison Ivy and a tale which depicts the Dark Knight and the Joker as actors in a television show.

Paperback Graphic Books

1. LOGICOMIX – AN EPIC SEARCH FOR TRUTH, by Apostolos Doxiadis, Christos H. Papadimitriou, Alecos Papadatos and Annie Di Donna. The life of the philosopher and logician Bertrand Russell, and his passion for mathematics, is recounted in this graphic novel.
2. WATCHMEN, by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons. This epic tale from 1986 signaled a new maturity in comic books.
3. THE WALKING DEAD, VOL. 10, by Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard. Rick and his, and a new band of refugees, make their way to Washington, D.C. Will they survive? And if they do, will the new location be any better for them?
4. BATMAN: THE LONG HALLOWEEN, by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale. This compelling mystery, set early in the Caped Crusader’s career, has mobsters, the sad downfall of Harvey Dent (Two Face) and a new foe: Holiday.
5. BATMAN: ARKHAM ASYLUM, by Grant Morrison and Dave McKean. In this critically-acclaimed paint graphic novel, Batman finds himself facing off against his major villains at a home for criminally insane.

Manga

1. CHIBI VAMPIRE, VOL. 14, by Yuna Kagesaki.  Karin, a vampire who every month bleeds profusely from her nose, is kidnapped by a gang of vampires who want to use her blood for their own survival.
2. VAMPIRE KISSES VOL. 3, BLOOD RELATIVES, by Ellen Schreiber, Elisa Kwon and Rem.  The romance between Raven, a goth girl, and Alexander, a vampire, continues to be plagued by Alexander’s cousin, Claude, who is half-human and half-vampire.
3. NARUTO 46, by Masashi Kishimoto.  Naruto’s friends are threatened, the mysteries of Pain deepen and Naruto must fight to protect his village.
4. FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST, VOL. 20, by Hiromu Arakawa.  Two brothers harmed in a ritual that was half magic/half science seek the legendary Philosopher’s Stone to make things right. But others seek the weapon of alchemy for their own nefarious means.
5. NARUTO, VOL. 45, by Masashi Kishimoto.  Jiraiya, ninja and mentor to Naruto, put everything he learned about the Akatsuki organization in code. Can Naruto decipher it in time?

Source: The New York Times Best Seller List

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