Book Worm: November 11, 2008

FICTION

FACES OF FEAR by John Saul: Fifteen-year-old Alison Shaw reluctantly agrees to let her new stepfather perform plastic surgery to make her more beautiful, but when Alison discovers a photo of his first wife and realizes he is turning her into the dead woman's image, Alison is frightened and sets out to uncover his true motives.

RULES OF DECEPTION by Christopher Reich: Doctors Without Borders surgeon and mountaineer Jonathan Ransom, arriving at a Swiss train station to claim two bags belonging to his recently deceased wife, finds himself becoming the target of law enforcement personnel and holding the key to a deadly conspiracy which he races to uncover.

THE LOST ART OF KEEPING SECRETS by Eva Rice: Eighteen-year-old Penelope Wallace's uneventful life with her brother and widowed mother becomes much livelier when she meets Charlotte Ferris and is initiated into the exciting social scene of post-World War II London.

REMEMBER ME by Sophie Kinsella: Lexi Smart wakes up after a car accident with no memory of the past three years, unaware of how she managed to land a gorgeous husband, the perfect job, and a fabulous house, and as she struggles to adjust to her unfamiliar life, she begins to wonder if she was ever really happy.

YOU HAD ME AT GOOD-BYE by Tracey Bateman: Aspiring editor Dancy Ames must redefine her life when she's fired by her publisher, and as she tries to decide what direction she wants her new life to take, she realizes she has the chance to create her own fairy tale ending with the job and the man of her dreams.

TIME IS A RIVER by Mary Alice Monroe: Mia Landan, recovering from cancer and the shock of discovering her husband's infidelity, leaves her home and takes refuge in a fishing cabin, recently inherited by her fishing instructor Belle Carson, and becomes caught up in trying to learn the truth about Belle's grandmother.

OH DANNY BOY by Rhys Bowen: Molly Murphy, an immigrant at the turn-of-the-century, is contemplating giving up her work as a private investigator, but she agrees help when Captain Daniel Sullivan begs for her help in clearing his name.


NONFICTION

HOT, FLAT, AND CROWDED by Thomas L. Friedman: Argues that the United States needs to adopt an environmentally friendly national strategy to be healthier, wealthier, and more secure, innovative, and productive.

THE LAST LECTURE by Randy Pausch: Computer science professor Randy Pausch, who has been diagnosed with terminal cancer, discusses how to overcome obstacles in one's life and achieve one's dreams.

THE WAR WITHIN by Bob Woodward: Presents an in-depth look into the secret debates, tension, and distrust within the White House, the Pentagon, and State Department from mid-2006 to mid-2008 over the way the war in Iraq has been handled.

SEE NO EVIL by Robert Baer: CIA field officer Robert Baer recounts the experiences he had while fighting terrorism in the back alleys of the Middle East and shares what he has learned about how terrorism works and how the CIA's work has been sabotaged by Washington politics.

THREE LITTLE WORDS by Ashley Rhodes-Courter: Ashley Rhodes-Courter provides an account of her life; focusing on the nine years she spent in Florida's foster care system after being removed from her mother at the age of three, and explaining how her life changed after she was adopted.

BIPOLAR DISORDER DEMYSTIFIED by Lana R. Castle: Lana Castle describes her personal experiences living with bipolar disorder, discusses the difficulties in diagnosing the illness, and offers suggestions on how to cope with manic depression and other mood disorders.

THE DEVIL YOU KNOW by Robert Baer: Former CIA operative Baer challenges the conventional wisdom regarding Iran in this timely and provocative analysis, arguing that Iran has already half-won its undeclared 30-year war with the United States and is rapidly becoming a superpower.