Publishers Weekly articles from November 2006

Publishers Weekly archives from November 2006

Bookstores remain top destination for readers: survey finds 68% of book buyers shop in bookstores.(Foreword)(Spier New York survey)
November 6, 2006... Although books are now sold through more channels than ever before, a new survey found that the vast majority of American adults still shop for books at bookstores. The survey, sponsored by the ad firm Spier New York, showed that 68% of book...

Donnelley buying Banta.(R.R. Donnelley in $1.3-billion deal)(Brief article)
November 6, 2006... R.R. Donnelley has reached an agreement to buy Banta Corp. in a $1.3-billion deal. The acquisition, which is expected to close early next year, will create the country's largest book printer. In addition to book manufacturing, both companies...

Sales up, earnings down at S&S.(Simon & Schuster )(Financial report)(Brief article)
November 6, 2006... Earnings fell 10% in Simon & Schuster's third quarter, to $22.7 million, despite a 2% revenue gain, to $197.4 million. The decline was due to a $6-million one-time charge to cover doubtful accounts. S&S's publishing divisions all posted slight...

Even the sky's not the limit.(Foreword)(publishers are spending more and more on books)(Column)
November 6, 2006... One of my favorite observations about publishing is that, often, while people are complaining that business is quiet or dead or that they haven't read anything interesting in a long time, these same people are quietly bidding on and buying...

Penguin, Pearson Ed up.(2006 sales)(Financial report)(Brief article)
November 6, 2006... Through the first nine months of 2006, sales at Penguin were up 2%, and revenue in the educational segment was ahead 6%, Pearson reported. The company expects Penguin to finish the year with a sales gain of about 2%. Revenue at Pearson...

Harlequin results fall.(Financial report)(Brief article)
November 6, 2006... Harlequin's results continued to be hurt by the strength of the Canadian dollar. Revenue in the third quarter fell 13%, to C$118.8 million ($104 million), and operating profit tumbled 42%, to C$14.4 million. Excluding currency fluctuations,...

New Diamond Kids unit.(Diamond Kids Group)(Brief article)
November 6, 2006... Diamond Book Distributors, the book trade affiliate of Diamond Comics Distributors, is launching Diamond Kids Group, a children's comics and books division, and has hired Scholastic editor-at-large Janna Morishima to direct the unit. Morishima,...

Genesis publisher sues writers for millions.(Part 2)(Wilbur Colom charges Kayla Perrin and Miriam Pace in lawsuits)
November 6, 2006... The publisher of Genesis Press, a small Mississippi house specializing in African-American romance titles, has filed lawsuits against at least two former Genesis Press authors calling for $6 million in damages and punitive awards. In the suits,...

Spanning the industry.(Bookspan's fall bash)(Brief article)
November 6, 2006... Bookspan held its annual fall bash last Wednesday at the Pierre Hotel in New York City. At left, CEO Markus Wilhelm has a hug for author Carol Higgins Clark, while author Robin Cook, scout Maria Campbell and Knopf chief Sonny Mehta enjoy a...

Gayle Shanks, changing hands bookstore, Tempe, Ariz.(Galley Talk)(Linda Olsson's debut novel, "Astrid and Veronika")(Brief article)(Book review)
November 6, 2006... My office was filled with ARCs but there was something about the cover and the title that intrigued me to take home Linda Olsson's debut novel, Astrid & Veronika (Penguin, Mar.). I had just finished and loved Lee Smith's On Agate Hill and...

More Big Read awards.(National Endowment for the Arts grants)(Brief article)
November 6, 2006... The National Endowment for the Arts is awarding funds to 72 organizations across the country to support Big Read programs in their communities. Through the initiative, grants totaling nearly $1.2 million will be offered to support monthlong...

Industry stocks: October performances.(Market Watch)(Table)(Brief article)
November 6, 2006... With winners outnumbering losers 16 to five, the Publishers Weekly Stock Index rose 4.6% in October following a 3.2% gain in September. Retailers and e-tailers once again had a good month, led by Amazon, whose stock price rose 18.6% as the...

The end of Oyl.(Deals)(Putnam will publish Peter Nichols' new book, "Oyl and Ice: A Whaling Fleet, an Arctic Storm, and the World's First Oil Crisis")(Brief article)
November 6, 2006... Putnam's Dan Conaway has preempted a new book by Peter Nichols, tentatively called Oyl and Ice: A Whaling Fleet, an Arctic" Storm, and the World's First Oil Crisis, from Sloan Harris at ICM. The narrative covers a span of a few weeks in 1871,...

Iraq redux.(Deals)(Richard Haass's book, "War of Necessity. War of Choice" sold to Simon and Schuster)(Brief article)
November 6, 2006... Esther Newberg at ICM just sold a new book by Richard Haass to Alice Mayhew at S&S, the working title of which is War of Necessity. War of Choice. Haass, who held high-level positions in both Bush administrations, will provide an insider look...

Art of acquisition.(Deals)(Times Books acquires Sharon Waxman's new book, "Stealing from the Pharaohs")(Brief article)
November 6, 2006... Paul Golob at Times Books has preempted a new book by the New York Times's Sharon Waxman, tentatively titled Stealing from the Pharaohs; agent Andrew Blauner sold world rights. The book will take readers inside the burgeoning conflict over who...

LB takes two.(Deals)(Stephenie Meyer has signed with Little, Brown for two new novels )(Brief article)
November 6, 2006... Bestselling YA author Stephenie Meyer has signed with Little, Brown for two new novels in separate world rights deals, both negotiated by Jodi Reamer at Writers House. The first, acquired by Megan Tingley, is the fourth installment in Meyer's...

Hot debut.(Deals)(Free Press acquires Solon Timothy Woodward's novel, "Cadillac Orpheus")(Brief article)
November 6, 2006... Amber Qureshi at the Free Press has preempted a first novel by Solon Timothy Woodward titled Cadillac Orpheus; Trident's Alex Glass sold world rights. This contemporary saga of three bickering generations of a family in a black community on the...

Boomer style.(Deals)(Springboard buys new novel by Charla Krupp)
November 6, 2006... Springboard's Karen Murgolo has preempted world rights to a new book by To@ Show style expert Charla Krupp in a mid-six-figure deal with Judy Linden at packager Stonesong Press, which will design and produce the book with Springboard. The book...

Calendar Nov. 12-18.(Calendar)
November 6, 2006... 11/12 Fans of the Boss will love Robert Santelli's Greetings from E Street." The Story of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band (Chronicle), with 30 removable facsimiles of memorabilia. 11/13 Little, Brown is printing 1.5...

New steps for Running Press.(New Approaches)(upgrading marketing efforts)
November 6, 2006... With its plot device that involves interactive elements (not to mention some product placements), Cathy's Book by Scan Stewart and Jordan Weisman has garnered lots of media attention for Perseus Book Group's Running Press division. But Cathy's...

Loeber on his own.(People)(Justin Loeber launches Mouth Public Relations)(Brief article)
November 6, 2006... Justin Loeber, former head of publicity at Regan Books, (his last title there was senior v-p, executive marketing and publicity director), has launched his own boutique firm. Mouth Public Relations will specialize in consumer, celebrity,...

Clarkson Potter hires.(People)(Erin Slonaker )(Kate Tyler )(Brief article)
November 6, 2006... Erin Slonaker has joined the Potter Craft division of Clarkson Potter as senior development editor. Slonaker arrives from Quirk Books, where she was managing editor. Kate Tyler has been named publicity director at CP; she's worked at a number...

Williams to Shreve PR.(People)(Suzanne Williams new partner in Shreve & Williams Public Relations)(Brief article)
November 6, 2006... Suzanne Williams has joined Elizabeth Shreve--who launched her own publicity firm in February--to form Shreve & Williams Public Relations. Williams, who arrives from Pantheon Books, where she was publicity director, will be a partner in the...

The monkey chronicles.(Hollywood Reader)(Spiegel & Grau pays $5.2 million for book by Sara Gruen)(Brief article)
November 6, 2006... Publishers don't throw Hollywood-size money around very often, so when word blew west that the Doubleday imprint Spiegel & Grau had plunked down a stunning reported $5.2 million for Sara (summer 2008) plus another book based on a mere 12 pages,...

Foer on Einstein.(Hollywood Reader)(Penguin Press buys Joshua Foer's book, "Moonwalking with Einstein: A Journey into Memory and the Mind")(Brief article)
November 6, 2006... Proving that there's room for more than one prodigy in the family, 25-year-old freelance journalist Joshua Foer (kid brother of you-know-who) landed his first book deal last week with his proposal for Moonwalking with Einstein: A Journey into...

Anastas to Perseus.(People)(Greg Anastas appointed vice-president of sales at Perseus Books)(Brief article)
November 6, 2006... Greg Anastas has been named v-p of sales operations at Perseus Books Group. Anastas was most recently director of customer operations at Simon & Schuster.

Levithan up at Scholastic.(People)(David Levithan promoted to editorial director )(Brief article)
November 6, 2006... David Levithan has been promoted to editorial director of Scholastic Press. Levithan, who's been on the editorial staff at Scholastic for 12 years, founded the racy teen lit imprint PUSH.

Hardcover bestsellers/fiction.
November 6, 2006... King is doing a five-city tour for his new bestseller, Liseys Stor), because he loves this book and really wants to support it, according to Scribner. He has been reading to sold-out crowds and been greeted with rapturous applause and standing...

Hardcover bestsellers/nonfiction.
November 6, 2006... PW's starred review said Larson "remains a master of the Pact-filled vignette and humorous aside that propel the story forward." The story of Guglielmo Marconi's invention of wireless communication alternating with a transatlantic chase for a...

Paperback bestsellers/mass market.
November 6, 2006... Cornwell may be a former crime solver, but she hates to think that her books could actually contribute to crime. On her Web site, she says she has received "thank you" notes from prisoners who claim they've gleaned information from her books...

Paperback bestsellers/trade.
November 6, 2006... "Some of Picoult's best story-telling distinguishes her twisting, metaphor-rich 13th novel about parental vigilance gone haywire, inner demons and the emotional risks of relationships.... [T]his story of a flawed family on the brink of...

Comics bestsellers.
November 6, 2006... This is the story of the romantic (and humorous) complications that ensue when a young amateur manga artist attends a anime/manga convention with her boorish boyfriend, only to fall for a mysterious and handsome cosplayer--a fan who loves to...

Audio bestsellers/fiction.
November 6, 2006... LAPD detective Harry Bosch speaks-to his creator, Connelly--in an entertaining audio interview from an episode of the Hachette Audio podcast (www.hachettebookgroupusa.com/audiobooks). Among other things, listeners learn more about the Echo Park...

Audio bestsellers/nonfiction.
November 6, 2006... Anytime Woodward talks politics-and especially with midterm elections looming-media outlets listen. A flurry of attention surrounding the author's latest release has obviously resulted in solid sales. Ken Oxenreider, Simon & Schuster...

Above the Treeline becoming firmly rooted: inventory management system adds retailers, publishers.(Retailing)
November 6, 2006... What a difference a year makes. Since partnering with the ABA in January, John Rubin has criss-crossed the country to demonstrate Above the Treeline, the Web-based inventory management tool that he designed specifically for stores like the Book...

Grisham holds strong.(CHAIN WATCH)(John Grisham's book, "The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town" in number 1 spot )(Brief article)
November 6, 2006... John Grisham continues his reign at the top of the chain charts this week, clinging to the #1 spots at both Walmart.com and Target with his nonfiction title, The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town. At Target, Grisham bested...

An above-average bookstore opens.(WHAT'S NEW)(Common Good Books, Garrison Keillor's new venture)(Brief article)
November 6, 2006... Common Good Books, Garrison Keillor's new business venture, opened to great fanfare the day after Halloween--only two months after the radio personality and author announced his plans to open a bookstore. Keillor had planned to call the store...

University Book Store.(DISPLAY OF THE WEEK)("Staff Favorites" section )(Brief article)
November 6, 2006... Location: Mill Creek, Wash. The "Staff Favorites" section at University Book Store's Mill Creek store is consistently the most popular and actively shopped area of the shop. The display focuses on literary works from both little-known and...

Back to the future for Barefoot Books.(Children's Book)(diversifies sales channels)
November 6, 2006... Barefoot Books is fighting a softening picture book market, high returns in the U.S. and an ailing book business on the other side of the pond by pulling its books from the chains and diversifying its sales channels, including getting back to...

Moyer Bell: 22 years a-growing.(Independent Publishing)
November 6, 2006... You have no idea!" That's all Roger Straus could mutter to Britt Bell when he told Straus of his plans to open his own publishing house. After five years at Farrar, Straus & Giroux, Bell, with his wife, Jennifer Moyer, decided to make the jump....

PW's best books of the year.(Cover story)
November 6, 2006... "Outside of a dog," Groucho Marx famously said, "a book is man's best friend." So consider this our take on the best of the best friends. PW's 100 Best Books of the Year are presented here, divided by review category and listed alphabetically....

A legend, in the fall: Jim Harrison is a pretty average-size guy, and yet you need to spend only a few hours in his presence to realize just how gargantuan he really is.(Author Profile)(Biography)
November 6, 2006... First, of course, there are the 25-plus novels, collections of stories, poems and essays he has written during his 40-odd-year career. Then there's the legend of appetites: the drinking, the smoking, the eating, the carousing for which he and...

Mr. Thundermug.(Brief article)(Book review)
November 6, 2006... Mr. Thundermug CORNELIUS MEDVEI. HarperCollins, $14.95 (112p) ISBN 978-0-06-114612-1 This curious, slender debut--a "case history" complete with photographs--documents the appearance in a London-like city of Mr. Thundermug, a baboon who...

The Back Nine.(Brief article)(Book review)
November 6, 2006... The Back Nine BILLY MOTT. Knopf, $24 (256p) ISBN 978-0-307-26536-4 Mott, an actor who moonlights as a golf caddy, sinks a literary hole-in-one with this beautifully crafted debut. A former golf prodigy, Charlie MacLeod hasn't played since...

The Communist's Daughter.(Brief article)(Book review)
November 6, 2006... The Communist's Daughter DENNIS BOCK. Knopf, $24 (304p) ISBN 978-1-4000-4462-7 In this artful blend of fact and fiction, Bock (The Ash Garden) spins a stirring what-if story from the legendary--in Canada and China, at least--life of...

All That Matters.(Brief article)(Book review)
November 6, 2006... All That Matters WAYSON CHOY. Other Press, $16.95 paper (454p) ISBN 978-1-59051-215-9 In Choy's lovingly detailed novel (following The Jade Peony and the memoir Paper Shadows), three-year-old Kiam-Kim Chen journeys from China to Vancouver...

By the Time You Read This.(Brief article)(Book review)
November 6, 2006... By the Time You Read This GILES BLUNT. Holt, $19.95 (352p) ISBN 978-0-8050-8061-2 Set in remote Algonquin Bay, Ontario, Blunt's compelling fourth crime novel to feature John Cardinal (after Blackfly Season) finds the police detective...

Red Cat.(book)(Brief article)(Book review)
November 6, 2006... Red Cat PETER SPIEGELMAN. Knopf, $22.95 (304p) ISBN 978-0-307-26316-2 At the start of Spiegelman's fine third crime novel to feature New York City PI John March (after Black Maps and Death's Little Helpers), March's Wall Street executive...

Love, Ava.(book)(Brief article)(Book review)
November 6, 2006... Love, Ava ALTON RIVERS. St. Martin's, $23.95 (256p) ISBN 978-0-312-36279-9 Vietnam veteran Rivers turns out an entertaining, if predictable, debut novel that mixes affairs of state with those of the heart. Air Force Maj. Russell Jefferson...

Still Life with Husband.(book)(Brief article)(Book review)
November 6, 2006... Still Life with Husband LAUREN FOX. Knopf, $22.95 (272p) ISBN 978-0-307-26491-6 Yes, it's an affair novel, but file this adroit but placid debut under chick lit for early marrieds--the ones who are not sure they want to be on the...

Natural Born Charmer.(book)(Brief article)(Book review)
November 6, 2006... Natural Born Charmer SUSAN ELIZABETH PHILLIPS. Morrow, $24.95 (421p) ISBN 978-0-06-073457-2 In this latest installment in Phillips's romance series starring the Chicago Stars football players (This Heart of Mine; Nobody's Baby but Mine),...

The Taste of Innocence.(book)(Brief article)(Book review)
November 6, 2006... The Taste of Innocence STEPHANIE LAURENS. HarperCollins, $24.95 (352p) ISBN 978-0-06-084086-0 The 14th novel in Laurens's bestselling Cynster series, set amid the glittering ton of early 19th-century England, does little more than preserve...

PW talks with Marcus Sakey: a sharp debut: set in Chicago, Sakey's wonderful first novel, The Blade Itself (Reviews, Oct. 2), examines the conflict between two childhood friends Danny and Evan, who become partners in crime.(Q&A)(Interview)
November 6, 2006... If readers are looking for good guy vs. bad guy in your novel, Danny would have to be the good guy, but he's certainly no saint, is he? I wanted to create two characters in a rivalry that played them off each other realistically....

The Castle in the Forest.(book)(Brief article)(Book review)
November 6, 2006... * The Castle in the Forest NORMAN MAILER. Random, $26.95 (496p) ISBN 978-0-394-53649-1 Mailer did Jesus in The Gospel According to the Son; now he plumbs the psyche of history's most demonic figure in this chilling fictional chronicle of...

House of Meetings.(book)(Brief article)(Book review)
November 6, 2006... House of Meetings MARTIN AMIS. Knopf, $23 (240p) ISBN 978-1-4000-4455-9 A unnamed former gulag inmate in Amis's disappointing latest is now a rich, 84-year-old expatriate Russian taking a tour of the former gulags in 2004. The narrator...

You Suck: A Love Story.(book)(Brief article)(Book review)
November 6, 2006... * You Suck: A Love Story CHRISTOPHER MOORE. Morrow, $21.95 (336p) ISBN 978-0-0605-9029-1 Moore's latest (after 2006's A Dirty Job) is a cheerfully perverse, gut-busting tale of young vampires in love. Nineteen-year-old Tommy is a...

Voices from the Street.(book)(Brief article)(Book review)
November 6, 2006... Voices from the Street PHILIP K. DICK. Tot, $24.95 (304p) ISBN 978-0-765-31692-9 This previously unpublished novel is remarkable for a number of reasons, probably the least of which is novelistic merit. Stuart Hadley is a young man born to...

Skylight Confessions.(book)(Brief article)(Book review)
November 6, 2006... Skylight Confessions ALICE HOFFMAN. Little, Brown, $24.99 (256p) ISBN 978-0-316-05878-0 In Hoffman's 19th novel, a young woman becomes the victim of the destiny she's created, leaving behind a splintered family. On the day of her father's...

The Virgin of Flames.(book)(Brief article)(Book review)
November 6, 2006... The Virgin of Flames CHRIS ABANI. Penguin, $14 paper (288p) ISBN 978-0-14-303877-1 An L.A. artist's search for identity forms the core of the diffuse but haunting new novel by Nigerian-born poet and Graceland novelist Abani. Black is a...

Fangland.(book)(Brief article)(Book review)
November 6, 2006... * Fangland JOHN MARKS. Penguin Press, $25.95 (385p) ISBN 978-1-59420-117-2 Former 60 Minutes producer Marks (The Wall) puts his experience on the legendary TV news magazine to good use in this highly inventive reimagining of Bram Stoker's...

The Killing Moon.(book)(Brief article)(Book review)
November 6, 2006... The Killing Moon CHUCK HOGAN. Scribner, $25 (368p) ISBN 978-0-7432-8964-1 Hogan's fourth novel (after the Hammett Award-winning Prince of Thieves) convincingly and movingly brings alive the dying Massachusetts community of Black Falls,...

Big City, Bad Blood.(book)(Brief article)(Book review)
November 6, 2006... Big City, Bad Blood SEAN CHERCOVER. Morrow, $23.95 (288p) ISBN 978-0-06-112867-7 Real-life Chicago PI Chercover, in his impressive hard-boiled debut introduces Ray Dudgeon, a former Chicago reporter disillusioned with the newspaper...

The Terror.(book)(Brief article)(Book review)
November 6, 2006... * The Terror DAN SIMMONS. Little, Brown, $25.99 (784p) ISBN 978-0-316-01744-2 Hugo-winner Simmons (Olympos) brings the horrific trials and tribulations of arctic exploration vividly to life in this beautifully written historical, which...

On Tall Pine Lake.(book)(Brief article)(Book review)
November 6, 2006... On Tall Pine Lake DOROTHY GARLOCK. Warner, $22.99 (384p) ISBN 978-0-446-57791-5; $12.99 paper ISBN 978-0-446-69532-9 Garlock's 50th novel is a delightful treasure set in seemingly tranquil Home, Ark., in 1980. Nona Conrad has moved her...

Man in the Middle.(Brief article)(Book review)
November 6, 2006... Man in the Middle BRIAN HAIG. Warner, $25.99 (545p) ISBN 978-0-446-53056-9 Despite the intention declared in an author's note to broaden Americans' understanding of the current war in Iraq, bestseller Haig (Private Sector) delivers a...

Dahlia's Gone.(book)(Brief article)(Book review)
November 6, 2006... Dahlia's Gone KATIE ESTILL. St. Martin's, $23.95 (256p) ISBN 978-0-312-35835-8 The murder of a teenage girl, Dahlia Everston, profoundly affects three middle-aged women in Estill's poignant second novel (after Evening Would Find Me) set in...

The Grave Tattoo.(book)(Brief article)(Book review)
November 6, 2006... The Grave Tattoo VAL MCDERMID. St. Martin's Minotaur, $24.95 (400p) ISBN 978-0-312-33921-0 An intriguing, 200-year-old mystery propels this multilayered stand-alone from British author McDermid set in England's Lake District. Scholar Jane...

A False Mirror: An Inspector Ian Rutledge Mystery.(book)(Brief article)(Book review)
November 6, 2006... * A False Mirror: An Inspector Ian Rutledge Mystery CHARLES TODD. Morrow, $23.95 (384p) ISBN 978-0-06-078673-1 The complex, evocative ninth installment in Todd's series set in post-WWI England (after 2006's Long Shadow) showcases the...

Pressed to Kill: A Mandy Dyer Mystery.(book)(Brief article)(Book review)
November 6, 2006... Pressed to Kill: A Mandy Dyer Mystery DOLORES JOHNSON. St. Martin's Minotaur/Dunne, $23.95 (256p) ISBN 978-0-312-34785-7 In Johnson's sparkling eighth cozy (after 2004's Taking the Wrap) starring Mandy Dwyer, the Denver dry cleaner and...

Triple Cross.(book)(Brief article)(Book review)
November 6, 2006... Triple Cross KIT EHRMAN. Poisoned Pen, $24.95 (336p) ISBN 978-1-59058-302-9 At the start of Ehrman's engaging fourth outing for barn manager Steve Cline (after 2005's Cold Burn), Steve visits Louisville for the Kentucky Derby, courtesy of...

Head Games.(book)(Brief article)(Book review)
November 6, 2006... Head Games THOMAS B. CAVANAGH. St. Martin's Minotaur/Dunne, $24.95 (304p) ISBN 978-0-312-36132-7 In Cavanagh's entertaining second mystery (after 2005's Murderland), retired Florida cop Mike Garrity signs on to find boy-band teen...

The Elysium Commission.(book)(Brief article)(Book review)
November 6, 2006... The Elysium Commission L.E. MODESITT JR. Tor, $24.95 (336p) ISBN 978-0-765-31720-9 Modesitt's action-packed space opera-cum-hard-boiled detective story (after 2006's Soarer's Choice) stars Blaine Donne, retired special operative who solves...

Scar Night.(book)(Brief article)(Book review)
November 6, 2006... * Scar Night ALAN CAMPBELL. Bantam Spectra, $22 (432p) ISBN 978-0-553-38416-1 Campbell sets his stunning debut fantasy in Deepgate, a town wreathed in chains that keep it hanging suspended over a bottomless abyss, peopled by worshippers of...

Starship: Pirate.(book)(Brief article)(Book review)
November 6, 2006... Starship: Pirate MIKE RESNICK. Pyr, $25 (250p) ISBN 978-1-59102-490-3 One of the characters in this sequel to Starship: Mutiny (2005) asks, "Whatever happened to heroes who didn't think everything through, but just walked in with weapons...

Pictures from an Expedition.(book)(Brief article)(Book review)
November 6, 2006... Pictures from an Expedition ALEXANDER C. IRVINE. Night Shade (www.nightshadebooks.com), $14.95 paper (225p) ISBN 978-1-59780-049-5 Irvine does a good job of describing intricate, odd settings, but he's less adept at actual storytelling, as...

The Last Unicorn: Lost Version.(book)(Brief article)(Book review)
November 6, 2006... The Last Unicorn: Lost Version PETER S. BEAGLE. Subterranean (www.subterraneanpress.com), $35 (92p) ISBN 978-1-59606-083-8 This fragment is Beagle's first, unsuccessful attempt at writing what became his classic fantasy, The Last Unicorn...

The Jennifer Morgue.(book)(Brief article)(Book review)
November 6, 2006... The Jennifer Morgue CHARLES STROSS. Golden Gryphon, $35.95 (313p) ISBN 978-1-930846-45-6 In this alternately chilling and hilarious sequel to The Atrocity Archives (2004) from Hugo-winner Stross, Bob Howard is a computer ubergeek employed...

Secrets and Lies.(book)(Brief article)(Book review)
November 6, 2006... Secrets and Lies SELENA MONTGOMERY. Avon, $6.99 (384p) ISBN 978-0-06-079851-2 Montgomery readers will be pleased to find shadowy supporting character Sebastian Caine, last seen in Hidden Sins, starring in her latest sexy thriller. A...

The School for Heiresses.(book)(Brief article)(Book review)
November 6, 2006... The School for Heiresses SABRINA JEFFRIES, LIZ CARLYLE, JULIA LONDON AND RENEE BERNARD. Pocket Star, $6.99 (384p) ISBN 978-1-4165-1611-8 In four new crowd-pleasing Regency novellas, students from Mrs. Harris's School for Young Ladies...

A Lady at Last.(book)(Brief article)(Book review)
November 6, 2006... A Lady at Last BRENDA JOYCE. HQN, $6.99 (384p) ISBN 978-0-373-77137-0 The latest from Joyce offers readers a passionate, swashbuckling voyage in her newest addition to the De Warenne dynasty series. This installment showcases Cliff De...

The Salon.(book)(Brief article)(Book review)
November 6, 2006... The Salon NICK BERTOZZI. St. Martin's Griffin, $19.95 (180p) ISBN 978-0-312-35485-1 Bertozzi's long-awaited graphic novel has a brilliant, daily premise executed with wit and flair. In the Paris of 1907, a salon of later famous...

Unholy Kinship.(book)(Brief article)(Book review)
November 6, 2006... Unholy Kinship NAOMI NOWAK. NBM Comics Lit (www.nbmpublishing.com), $9.95 paper (114p) ISBN 978-1-56163-482-8 Art history student Luca has an overly dramatic--yet somehow hollow--life. Her parents--prominent psychologists who did research...

Hero Heel.(book)(Brief article)(Book review)
November 6, 2006... Hero Heel MAKOTO TATENO. DMP (www.dmpbooks.com), $12.95 paper (208p)ISBN 1-56970-870-3 Minami is an inexperienced young actor naive about both his craft and the mysteries of love. After landing the lead role in a children's sentai (team...

Bosnian Flat Dog.(book)(Brief article)(Book review)
November 6, 2006... Bosnian Flat Dog MAX ANDERSON AND LARS SJUNNESSON. Fantagraphics, $13.95 paper (112p) ISBN 978-1-56097-740-7 Swedish cartoonists Anderson and Sjunnesson straddle the line between reality and surreality with this tale of their trip to an...