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Le Colonial by Kien Nguyen
In 1773, three men board a ship bound for Annam - the exotic land in South China that is now known as Vietnam.
Led by a charismatic prelate, they embark on a mission to convert the land's primative heathens to Christianity.
But what they discover in Annam is not just the peasants and rice paddies they expected, but a culture more sophisticated more violently unstable then they imagined.
Their dreams of colonial glory disintegrate quickly as the men are embroiled in civil war and overwhelmed by floods, famine, and other catastrophes.
The Preservationist by David Maine (St. Martin's Press)
When 600-year-old Noe receives a vision from God telling him to prepare for the end of the world, he is
propelled into action by the certainty that he alone has been singled out to perform the Lord's work. Is
he senile? Misguided? Deranged? No matter: his family is left with little choice but to let Noe's conviction
push them along relentlessly, like flotsam before a flood tide.
Narrated in sparse, taut prose and incorporating a variety of characters' viewpoints, this startling novel
focuses not only on Noe's mission and the ensuing flood, but also the effect these events have on the
lives of the people around him. While his sons labor to construct the ship and his daughters journey
to gather the animals, their distinct voices speak to us of their own doubts, worries, preoccupations
and pain. The result is a narrative of extraordinary depth and almost hallucinatory power about the end of life on earth.
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1906 by James Dalessandro (Chronicle Books)
Every disaster has a story, but none more thrilling than this one. Set during the great San Francisco earthquake and fire,
this tale of political corruption, fierry vendettas, romance, and murder is based on recently uncovered facts that
will forever change our understanding of what happened that hellish April morning. Told by a fiesty young reporter, Annaliss Passarelli,
the novel paints a vivid picture of the Victorian-era city, from the gilded ballrooms of Nob Hill to the seedy bars
of the barbary coast, and from the slave ships in the bay to the front-row seats of Enrico Caruso's sold out performance.
At its center is an ongoing battle - fought even as the city burns - that pits incompetent and unscrupulous politicians against
a coalition of honest police officers, newspaper editors, citizens, and a lone federal prosecutor. James Dalessandro weaves
unforgettable characters and actuall events into an epic story of wrong-doing, heroism, and hope.
"Strong, noteworthy characters...James Dalessandro's super earthquake novel 1906 proves...he is a historian and writer capable of reaching and expanding the spirit of San Francisco."
--Gladys Hansen, Archivist, City of San Francisco and author of Denial of Disaster.
"James Dalessandro has brought us a fantastic project which we're proud to have in active development at Warner Brothers. We think "1906" will be an epic film."
--Len Amato, President, Spring Creek Productions
"1906 is an incredible journey into the heart of the most colorful city in the American West: shanghaiers, slave traders, famous opera singers, crusading cops, runaway farm girls and enough murder and suspense to make you squirm. James Dalessandro's 1906 may well have ended the endless search for the greatest story never told."
--Jay Bonansinga, Novelist, Screenwriter
Review from the Marin Indepentent Journal
Wild Woman's Weekend by Lynne Kaufman (Trade Paperback, Mira-Harlequin)
Ann, Maria, Sabrina and Deb gather at a remote cabin on Californiaâs north coast
to embark on a sacred rite of sisterhood-their annual weekend devoted to girl
talk and gossip, kicked up with a soupcom of naughtiness on the side. But no
more than twenty-four hours into the weekend, the best friends are suddenly
partners in crime.
Nursing world-class hangovers, they wake up to find Hughie-the sexy drifter they
met in the local cowboy bar and their impromptu houseguest-in the hot tub,
floating facedown and most definitely dead. Hastily they decide to bury the
corpse and resolve to never again speak of the gruesome event. But the
impossible leads to the unthinkable when a road crew digs up the hapless Hughie
a month later, still shrouded in Annâs expensive pink Porthault blanket. Of all
the absurdities life dishes out, why does it have to be a cleaning tag that does
them in?
As the women frantically plot their alibis, they become instant fodder for a
media feeding frenzt. In the midst of the trauma, the bonds of marriage and
family, as well as their lifelong friendships, are starting to fray. One wild
weekend has changed their lives forever, but the question remains-which one of
them will pay?
Floating: A Novel by Nicole Bailey Williams (Harlem Moon / Random House)
Shana Washington is the product of two very different worlds. Her white mother is a socialite with an Ivy
League education; Shanaâs black father has a weakness for whiskey and canât stay faithful to any woman. But when his daughter is in peril, he always finds a way to rescue her. Hauntingly evoking the worlds represented by these three characters, Floating follows the life of Shana as she seeks acceptanceöand wholenessöfrom white and black communities that only turn her away. When she begins a college romance with Lionel, a handsome track star with bronze-colored skin, her dreams of finding a soul mate seem tantalizingly close to coming true. Yet Lionelâs childhood demons are even more vicious than Shanaâs, threatening the fragile love they canât admit to needing.
Tracing the themes of identity, healing, and self-acceptance that won such acclaim for her debut novel, Nicole Bailey Williams now shares a provocative new storyline for anyone who has faith in the power of self-discovery.
Miss Julia Hits the Road by Ann B. Ross (Viking)
Miss Julia-that proper lady of a certain age with a backbone of iron and perfect steel magnolia poise, not to mention the sharpest tongue south of the Mason-Dixon Line-always likes to nip any little problems in the bud. Not this time. Miss Julia is increasingly concerned about her gentleman friend, Sam, who has suddenly started wearing cowboy boots, sending flowers, and writing bad poetry. When he shows up on a Harley-Davidson one day, she's convinced that he's lost his mind-or is at the very least wrestling with a particularly intense midlife crisis.
Meanwhile, Miss Julia's invaluable housekeeper, Lillian, and all her neighbors have been evicted from their homes by their greedy landlord, who has bigger plans for the property. So off Miss Julia rides (in the sidecar, naturally)-wearing a Leslie Fay shirtwaist and a black-visored helmet-risking life and limb on a poker run, a motorcycle fund-raiser to save Lillian and her friends' home. Hitting a few bumps on the way, Miss Julia still manages to maintain the impeccable manners and irresistible charm that keep her readers coming back again and again.
Miss Julia Meets Her Match by Ann B. Ross (Viking)
Sharp as a tack and proper as afternoon tea, Miss Julia has won a devoted and ever-growing legion of fans. But are Miss Juliaâs single days numbered? In Miss Julia Meets Her Match, her longtime beau, Sam Murdoch, wants to tie the knot. But Miss Julia isnât about to give up her independence so easily. At the moment there are many other matters that require her attention, such as Dwayne Dooleyâs plans to build the Walk Where Jesus Walked Christian theme park÷a re-creation of the Holy Land complete with actors, sound effects, and trailer hookups.
Meanwhile, the whole town is buzzing with rumors. The preacherâs secretary was spotted leaving a sleazy motel with the mayorâs car parked nearby. The preacherâs wife, always sternly opposed to any "artificial adornment," is suddenly sporting a complete cosmetic and fashion makeover. Even Miss Juliaâs own home is not immune to shock waves÷the arrival of Latisha, housekeeper Lillianâs five-year-old pistol of a great-granddaughter, shakes up Miss Juliaâs household like a bunch of Fourth of July firecrackers. But can Miss Juliaâs cool-as-a-cucumber head help her heart make the decision of a lifetime?
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The Secret Universe of Names by Roy Feinson (Overlook Press)
Feinson's book is grounded in an entirely new school of thought. His theory is that the sounds
that make up an individual's name are grounded in a biological response to emotions.
Correlating the results of census data with the success rates of thousands of individuals, he
demonstrates how our names have a significant impact on our personalities. What's so brilliant
about this book is that he managed to find a way for individuals to look up their own names.
Using this formula, he will be able to define the personality characteristics of 95% of English-speaking America, based on their names alone.
Coldplay: Look at the Stars by Gary Spivack (MTV Books)
The Grammy Award winning band is red-hot right now and only getting hotter. Their Madison Square Garden show sold-out in 36 minutes and sales of their latest album "A Rush Of The Blood To The Head" is now certified double-platinum with no sings of slowing down.
Going Corporate by Jared Shapiro and Brad Embree (St. Martin's Press)
A comprehensive survival manual for those just starting their first corporate jobs, GOING CORPORATE by Jared Shapiro and Brad Embree is the kind of book that every 21-year old kid needs. It's irreverent enough to inspire a cult following, but practical enough that bosses all over America will utter a silent "Amen" each time they don't have to tell their new assistants what to wear on casual Friday.
Covering topics from email etiquette to corporate dress codes to office dating, GOING CORPORATE provides an inside look on how to navigate the corporate world from two experts. Co-author Jared Shapiro currently serves as Bonnie Fuller's executive assistant at American Media Inc./Star Magazine, while co-author Brad Embree is a veteran of the LA corporate world, having worked at a variety of entertainment and communications companies.
The Transparent Leader by Herbert M. Baum, President, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of the Dial Corporation, and Tammy Kling, author of Exit Row (Source Books).
In The Transparent Leader, Baum illustrates how he has produced consistently positive returns for shareholders by managing with integrity and transparency. Baum has implemented a unique corporate code of ethics at every company he has led, a practice that many CEOâs are just beginning to adopt as a result of the recent corporate scandals and CEO indictments.
How to Live With an Idiot by Dr. John Hoover (Career Press)
How to Live With an Idiot is a humorous guide to surviving male/female, same-sex, and cross-species relationships with minimal anguish and bodily injury.
Hyping Hope By Steve Salerno (Crown Forum)
Hyping Hope: How the Self-Help Movement Made America Helpless is a no-holds-barred
look at a phenomenon thatâs at the center of the devolution of todayâs American
attitudes and values. In this important work, Author Steve Salerno will show how,
far from just having an impact on individual disciples, the self-help movementâs
unproven rhetoric has found its way into all contemporary institutions, including
politics, academics, health care, corporate life, and even sports.
Many of these so-called philosophies (collectively the ãSelf-Help and Actualization
Movement, or SHAM) have been embraced into the social mainstream. The book
exposes how SHAM has created its own class of perpetual victims: people for
whom self-help is as addicting, and as much of a detour on the road to a productive
life, as alcoholism, chronic infidelity, compulsiveness, ãcodependency,ä or the
other hang-ups that typically drive one to seek SHAM enlightenment in the first place.
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Into the Kill Zone by Dave Klinger (Jossey-Bass)
What is it like to be shot? Stabbed? Watch fellow cops bleed to death at your feet?
Kill someone before they can add you to the long list of dead police officers?
And live with the knowledge that you have taken a life? In his provocative new
book, Voices From the Kill Zone, Professor David Klinger answers all these questions,
and tells us much, much, more about what itâs like to inhabit the violent world of policing.
Professor Klinger, a former cop who killed a violent criminal when he worked the
mean streets of Los Angeles in the 1980s, uses first person accounts he collected
from other officers who have shot people in the line of duty to provide a
penetrating look at the role that extreme violence plays in police work.
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Deadly American Beauty by John Glatt (St. Martin's Press)
Greg DeVillers was a top biotech executive, and Kristen Rossum was embarking on a career in
toxicology at the San Diego Medical Examiner's office. They seemed to be happily married,
living the American dream. But only months shy of their second anniversary, Kristen found
her handsome husband dead from a drug overdose-his corpse sprinkled with rose petals.
By his side was their wedding photo. The scene was reminiscent of American Beauty, one
of Kristen's favorite movies. Authorities deemed it a suicide.
Until they discovered that the rare poison found in Greg's body was the same poison missing
from Kristen's office. Until they discovered the truth about Kristen's lurid affair, about
her own long-time drug addiction, and about the personal and professional secrets she would
kill to keep hidden-secrets that would ultimately expose the beautiful blonde as the deadly
beauty she really was...a Deadly American Beauty.
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