Shelf Life

Paperback Parade
The Gate House by Nelson DeMille (Grand Central Publishing, $14.99)
Set against the backdrop of old money, the gated estates of Long Island, and exclusive clubs, John Sutter meets and marries Susan Stanhope, a high maintenance aristocratic woman. When she shoots and kills her love, a mafia don and next-door neighbor, Sutter realizes it is time to leave American and take an around the world trip. This fast-paced thriller is as action packed as a Superman comic and twice as fun. Pick up this book and discover why DeMille has become one of our most intriguing writers.

Decoding The Lost Symbol by Simon Cox (Touchstone, $14.99)
Simon Cox, the founding editor in chief of the successful newsstand magazine Phenomena and a bestselling author who divides his time between Britain and the United States, serves up an A-to-Z guide listing the real people, organizations, and themes featured in Dan Brown’s blockbuster novel, The Lost Symbol. Based on extensive research, Cox knows where the facts are hidden about the Freemasons, the Rosicrucians, the Founding Fathers and more. His new book is accessible and features illustrations and color photos of the settings and artifacts referenced in The Lost Symbol. From the Washington Monument to the Smithsonian, this is the only resource you’ll need to understand and enjoy the complex new world of Brown’s fascinating new book.

The English American by Alison Larkin (Simon & Schuster, $15)
Twenty-eight-year-old Pippa Dunn loves her adoptive English parents and sister, Charlotte, but never-the-less is curious about her actual brith parents. When she discovers that her mother is a free-spirited redhead living in Georgia and her dad a politically inclined businessman in Washington, D.C., it only whets her appetite to learn more. This high entertaining novel is witty and insightful, insightful in no small part to the fact that the author is herself, and adopted child.
Firsts: Origins of Everyday Things that Changed the World by Wilson Casey (Alpha, $12.95)
Ever wonder who opened the first drive-thru restaurant, received the first Social Security check, or opened the first coffee bar? The answers to dozens of such questions are contained in this nifty book by Wilson Casey, a.k.a. The Trivia Guy. Since 2000, Wilson has written a daily trivia column which is syndicated by King Features. He has gather “firsts” that are milestones of history. Surprising, informative and highly entertaining, this collection features more than 500 firsts covering almost every topic imaginable, from Adhesive tape to zippers and almost everything in between.

Don’t Sleep, There Are Snakes: Life and Language in the Amazonian Jungle by Daniel L. Everett (Vintage, $16)
Daniel Everett arrived in the Amazonian jungle with his wife and three young children, eager to convert the small tribe of the Piraha to Christianity. He quickly discovered that the tribe had no counting system, no fixed terms for color, no concept of war, and no personal property. The more he studied these people, the more absorbed he became. Everett’s life changing story is a passionate memoir but it is much more than just that. It is a riveting rarely seen look into the nature of language, thought, and life itself. This is an almost perfect book that is guaranteed to stick to the reader’s ribs for weeks after completing it.

Danger’s Hour: The Story of the USS Bunker Hill and the Kamikaze Pilot Who Crippled Her by Maxwell Taylor Kennedy (Simon & Schuster, $16)
Doris Kearns Goodwin called this book a triumph and added that it was “an original conception, a dramatic narrative superbly told, with lyrical portraits of brave men on opposite sides of a titanic struggle and impeccable research masterfully tendered.” First published in 2008 and being issued in paperback for the first time, this is the story of a young Japanese flier who crashed his plane into the deck of an American aircraft carrier on May 11, 1945. What gives this book its legs is that the story is told not from an American perspective but from a Japanese one as well. Crisply written, meticulously researched, and breathtaking in score, this is one of the best war books ever written.

Grace After Midnight: a Memoir by Felicia “Snoop” Pearson and David Ritz (Grand Central Publishing, $13.99)
Felicia “Snoop” Pearson was born a three-pound, cross-eyed crack baby in East Baltimore. Growing up in one of the meanest ghettos in the country, she turned to drug dealing and learning how to defend herself. During a particularly brutal fight, Pearson was charged with murder and landed in Jessup State penitentiary. How she eventually redeemed herself and became a cast member of the highly acclaimed TV series, The Wire, is raw, in-your-face, and surprisingly inspirational.

Lord of the Far Island by Victoria Holt (St. Martin’s Press, $13.99)
In this delightful mix of suspense, terror, and romance set against the dramatic sea idles of Cornwall, England, Ellen Kellaway has struggled most of her life. Orphaned when she was five, reared by an unsympathetic cousin, and constantly reminded that she must depend on the charity of others, she meets the son of a powerful London family. When he asked to marry her, she believes her luck as changed— but has it?

Deadlock by Iris Johansen (St. Martin’s Press, $7.99)
Emily Hudson and her partner, Joel Levy, are archeologists who brave war-torn countries and hot spots in search of important discoveries. When her entire crew is massacred and she and Joel are taken captive, they fight to survive against terrifying odds. Enter John Garrett, who has worked for the CIA and British Intelligence. When a Washington operative asks him to track down and save the couple, he thinks it is a routine assignment. He couldn’t have been more wrong. Plot twists, a crisply written narrative and intriguing characters make this an outstanding novel that is so exciting the words seem to crackle.

The Daily Coyote: A Story of Love, Survival, and Trust in the Wilds of Wyoming by Shreve Stockton (Simon & Schuster, $16)
This is the story of Shreve Stockton, a city-girl-turned-Wyoming-denizen, and her experiences raising Charlie, an orphaned coyote pup. Illustrated in full-color and completely captivating, how Shreve saved Charlie’s life and how he changed hers is an absolute delight.