Gerard Donovan has drawn comparisons to writers ranging from Kafka and Remarque to Jim Thompson and Stephen King. After over ten years in New York, his writing has come to define our culture as only a truly embedded outsider could do it. Now, in Young Irelanders, a stunning and elegiac collection of interrelated stories, Donovan returns to his home country of Ireland with a passion.

The stories in Young Irelanders shine a fresh light on the New Ireland and how the Irish are coping with its rewards and pressures: immigration, mid-life crisis, adultery and divorce, a lost sense of place and history, and of course, what to do with all that prosperity.

This is an important new chapter in the career of a top-flight literary writer. Two stories from this collection have already been accepted for publication in Granta and great acclaim is sure to follow.

HERE ARE THE OPENING LINES OF JAMES LEE BURKE'S NEW DAVE ROBICHEAUX NOVEL, THE 17TH IN THE SERIES, "SWAN PEAK".

THERE'S NOBODY ELSE THIS GOOD. ORDER IT NOW. AVAILABLE JULY 8TH.

Clete Purcel had heard of people who sleep without dreaming, but either because of the era and neighborhood in which he had grown up, or the later experiences that had come to define his life, he could not think of sleep as anything other than an uncontrolled descent into a basement where the gargoyles turned somersaults like circus midgets.

Sometimes he dreamed of his father, the milkman who rose at three-fifteen a.m. and rumbled off to work in a truck that clinked with bottles and trailed a line of melting ice out the back doors. When his father reentered the house off magazine at midday, he occasionally carried a sack of Popsicles for clete and his two sisters. on other days, his face was already oily and distorted with early-morning booze, his victimhood and childlike cruelty searching for release on the most vulnerable members of his home.

Sometimes in his dreams clete saw a straw hooch with a mamasan in the doorway suddenly engulfed in an arc of liquid flame sprayed from a Zippo-track. He saw a seventeen-year-old door gunner go apeshit on a wedding party in a free-fire zone, the brass cartridges jacking from an m60 suspended from a bungee cord. He saw a navy corpsman with rubber spiders on his steel pot try to stuff the entrails of a marine back inside his abdomen with his bare hand. He saw himself inside a battalion aid station, his neck beaded with dirt rings, his body dehydrated from blood expander, his flak jacket glued to the wound in his chest.

He saw the city of New Orleans sink beneath the waves, just as Atlantis had. Except in the dream, New Orleans and the China Sea and perhaps a place in the Mideast, where he had never been, melded together and created images that were nonsensical. Blood washed backward off a sandy cusp of beach into a turquoise ocean. Soldiers who looked like people Clete had once known struggled silently uphill into machine guns that made no sound.

ONE OF THE BEST ON-GOING SERIES OUT THERE....ELVIS COLE AND HIS PAL, JOE PIKE. AVAILABLE NEXT WEEK...

Starred Review. This impressive, entertaining chronicle of Willie Nelson's life is replete with exactly what you'd expect-honky-tonk, long nights on the open road, whiskey, womanizing and weed-but Texas writer Patoski (Stevie Ray Vaughan: Caught in the Crossfire, Texas Mountains) looks beyond country music trappings to find the funny, talented, determined man who became an unlikely icon. Raised in Abbott, Texas, by impoverished grandparents, Nelson was writing songs about "love, betrayal and cheating" by the age of seven, but was told throughout his life that he couldn't sing, play or keep a beat. As an adult, Nelson worked odd jobs-encyclopedia salesman among them-while selling songs in Nashville; he had an early hit in 1961 with Patsy Cline's "Crazy," and soon began recording for RCA. Fourteen albums later, "with not much to show," Nelson fled to Austin, Texas, a move many viewed as career suicide; instead, it was a launching pad to stardom, propelled by the up-and-coming hippie movement and the strength of his groundbreaking album Red Headed Stranger. Patoski conducted over a hundred interviews for this thorough, well-noted "epic," peopling it with "pickers, gypsies, pirates, vagabonds, wanderers and carneys," including fellow performers like Kris Kristofferson, Kinky Friedman and Leona Williams. Writing with an affectionate country twang, Patoski gives his subject the consideration he deserves in a fine, fluid piece of storytelling that any Nelson fan will appreciate. 8 pages b&w photos.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

When Chelsea Handler needs to get a few things off her chest, she appeals to a higher power -- vodka. You would too if you found out that your boyfriend was having an affair with a Peekapoo or if you had to pretend to be honeymooning with your father in order to upgrade to first class. Welcome to Chelsea's world -- a place where absurdity reigns supreme and a quick wit is the best line of defense.

In this hilarious, deliciously skewed collection, Chelsea mines her past for stories about her family, relationships, and career that are at once singular and ridiculous. Whether she's convincing her third-grade class that she has been tapped to play Goldie Hawn's daughter in the sequel to Private Benjamin, deciding to be more egalitarian by dating a redhead, or looking out for a foulmouthed, rum-swilling little person who looks just like her...only smaller, Chelsea has a knack for getting herself into the most outrageous situations. Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea showcases the candor and irresistible turns of phrase that have made her one of the freshest voices in comedy today.

The New York Times–bestselling author’s richly imagined work of historical fiction: a powerful tale of the Old West from the acknowledged master of crime fiction.

I had an eight-gauge shotgun that I’d taken with me when I left Wells Fargo. It didn’t take too long for things to develop. I sat in the tall lookout chair in the back of the saloon with the shotgun in my lap for two peaceful nights. On my third night it was different. I could almost smell trouble beginning to cook . . . .”

After the bloody confrontation in Appaloosa, Everett Hitch heads into the afternoon sun and ends up in Resolution, an Old West town so new the dust has yet to settle. It’s the kind of town that doesn’t have much in the way of commerce, except for a handful of saloons and some houses of ill repute. Hitch takes a job as lookout at Amos Wolfson’s Blackfoot Saloon and quickly establishes his position as protector of the ladies who work the backrooms—as well as a man unafraid to stand up to the enforcer sent down from the O’Malley copper mine.

Though Hitch makes short work of hired gun Koy Wickman, tensions continue to mount, so that even the self-assured Hitch is relieved by the arrival in town of his friend Virgil Cole. When greedy mine owner Eamon O’Malley threatens the loose coalition of local ranchers and starts buying up Resolution’s few businesses, Hitch and Cole find themselves in the middle of a makeshift war between O’Malley’s men and the ranchers. In a place where law and order don’t exist, Hitch and Cole must make their own, guided by their sense of duty, honor, and friendship.

By David Benioff

As wise and funny as it is thrilling and original—the story of two young men on an impossible adventure

A writer visits his retired grandparents in Florida to document their experience during the infamous siege of Leningrad. His grandmother won’t talk about it, but his grandfather reluctantly consents. The result is the captivating odyssey of two young men trying to survive against desperate odds.

Lev Beniov considers himself “built for deprivation.” He’s small, smart, and insecure, a Jewish virgin too young for the army, who spends his nights working as a volunteer firefighter with friends from his building. When a dead German paratrooper lands in his street, Lev is caught looting the body and dragged to jail, fearing for his life. He shares his cell with the charismatic and grandiose Kolya, a handsome young soldier arrested on desertion charges. Instead of the standard bullet in the back of the head, Lev and Kolya are given a shot at saving their own lives by complying with an outrageous directive: secure a dozen eggs for a powerful colonel to use in his daughter’s wedding cake. In a city cut off from all supplies and suffering unbelievable deprivation, Lev and Kolya embark on a hunt to find the impossible. A search that takes them through the dire lawlessness of Leningrad and the devastated surrounding countryside creates an unlikely bond between this earnest, lust-filled teenager and an endearing lothario with the gifts of a conman. Set within the monumental events of history, City of Thieves is an intimate coming-of-age tale with an utterly contemporary feel for how boys become men.

THIS IS ENGER'S FIRST WORK SINCE HIS DEBUT, "PEACE LIKE A RIVER" IN 2001. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED....SEE THE REVIEW BELOW.

From Publishers Weekly
An inviting voice guides readers through this expansive saga of redemption in the early 20th-century West and gives a teeming vitality to a period often represented with stock phrases and stock characters. Novelist Monte Becket isn't a terribly distinguished figure; his first and only published work hit five years before the story's start and he is about to reclaim his job at a smalltown Minnesota post office when he meets Glendon Hale, a former outlaw who is traveling to Mexico to find his estranged wife. He persuades Becket to join him, and the two set off on a long journey peopled with sharply carved characters (among them a Pinkerton thug tracking down Glendon) and splendid surprises. As Monte's narration continues, the tale veers away from Monte's artistic struggle and becomes an adventure story. The progress has its listless moments, but Enger crafts scenes so rich you can smell the spilled whiskey and feel the grit. (May)

..AND ROLLING STONE MAGAZINE'S CHIEF WRITER ON POLITICS AND RELATED INSANITY, MATT TAIBBI'S NEW BOOK, "THE GREAT DERANGEMENT" IS OUT THIS WEEK.

IF YOU'VE HAD ENOUGH OF BIASED, MAINSTREAM MEDIA BULLSHIT, YOU'LL LOVE TAIBBI'S HONEST, HYSTERICAL LOOK AT THE AMERICAN POLITICAL LANDSCAPE. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

DAVID BALDACCI'S NEW THRILLER, "THE WHOLE TRUTH" IS AN EYE OPENING LOOK AT PERCEPTION MANAGEMENT......HOW INTERNATIONAL MILITARY AND POLITICAL LEADERS CREATE WAR...

WILL WORLD WAR III BE STARTED THROUGH THE WORKINGS OF THE INTERNET AND PUBLIC MANIPULATION? GREAT READ.

MR. BALDACCI AND HIS WIFE HAVE CREATED THE WISH YOU WELL FOUNDATION, WWW.WISHYOUWELL.ORG,  SUPPORTING LITERACY EFFORTS ACROSS AMERICA.

PHYSICIAN, LIFE-COACH, WHATEVER YOU WANT TO CALL HIM, DR. ASA IS AN INSPIRATION TO ANYONE CONCERNED ABOUT THEIR HEALTH. SKIP ALL THE OTHER 'HEALING' BOOKS AND GET THIS ONE.....SMART, EASY TO READ WITH TONS OF GREAT INFORMATION.

THE AUTHOR JOINS US FRIDAY.....IN THE MEANTIME,  SEND US YOUR SIX-WORD MEMOIR. WE'LL GIVE AWAY FREE COPIES TO THE BEST ONES.

Can you describe your life in six words? That's what the editors of storytelling magazine SMITH asked readers in 2006; the results, though decidedly uneven, make for compulsive reading and prove arguably as insightful as any 300+ page biography. Taken as a whole, this cascade of quotes from contributors famous and unknown creates a dizzying snowball effect of perspectives and feelings. Highlights from professional writers and artists include journalist Chuck Klosterman wondering, "Nobody cared, then they did. Why?"; pop singer-songwriter Adam Schlesinger lamenting, "We still don't hear a single"; and comic strip artist Keith Knight illustrating "I was a Michael Jackson impersonator." At their best, these nano-memoirs evoke the same kind of rich emotional responses as a good story: 9 year old Hannah Davies considers herself "Cursed with cancer. Blessed by friends"; Zak Nelson says "I still make coffee for two"; Scott Birch claims "Most successful accomplishments based on spite." Some entries read like bumper stickers (Rip Riley: "No wife. No kids. No problems"), and others are just plain weird (Amy Sedaris: "Mushrooms. Clowns. Wands. Five. Wig. Thatched"), but this compelling little book will have readers and their friends hunting for favorites and inventing six-word self-definitions of their own. This review in six words? Read. Enjoy. Pass it on. Repeat.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

I BOUGHT THIS BOOK BECAUSE OF THE TITLE....A SOMNAMBULIST IS A SLEEP-WALKER....BUT IT HAS LITTLE TO DO WITH THAT......GREAT READ BUT HARD TO DESCRIBE. THE PUBLISHERS WEEKLY REVIEW BELOW HELPS.

From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. Set in Victorian London, this superb debut from British author Barnes raises the bar for historical thrillers, starting with its curious opening line: Be warned. This book has no literary merit whatsoever. A page-turner, it's full of peculiar characters, notably Edward Moon, a highly unorthodox detective, and Moon's bizarre sidekick, known only as the Somnambulist. Moon, a conjuror by profession whose act has fallen on hard times, has cracked some of the city's most notorious murders. Now, he's leading the investigation into a shadowy religious group aiming to overtake London and do away with its oppressive, bourgeois tendencies. Moon is a remarkable invention, a master of logic and harborer of all sorts of unnatural habits and mannerisms. The Somnambulist—a giant, milk-swigging mute—doesn't appear to be human at all, yet serves as Moon's moral as well as intellectual compass. Together, they wend their way through a London rich in period detail. Barnes saves his best surprise for the story's homestretch, when he reveals the identity of his narrator, who's been cleverly pulling strings since the opening. (Feb.)

IT'S PRONOUNCED WINE-ER SO CUT IT OUT.

SELF DESCRIBED CURMUDGEON AND NPR CORRESPONDENT ERIC WEINER, GOES IN SEARCH OF HAPPY PLACES. SWITZERLAND, MOLDOVIA, QATAR AND MORE. THIS IS A GREAT READ....FUNNY, SMART AND AN IN-DEPTH LOOK AT WHAT MAKES PEOPLE HAPPY. OR NOT.

..AND THE SEARCH FOR THE AMERICAN DREAM.

THE STORY OF ADAM SHEPHERD WHO DECIDED TO FIND OUT IF HE COULD CREATE A LIFE OUT OF NOTHING MORE THAN THE CLOTHES ON HIS BACK, A TARP, A SLEEPING BAG AND 25 BUCKS.

COMPELLING STORY....YOU WANT YOUR KIDS TO READ IT AND YOU WANT TO GIVE IT TO A FEW HOMELESS GUYS ON BEALE STREET.