Books: New and Noteworthy
- The Boss gets the bio treatment
- Best-selling author of 'Room' returns with story collection
- Richard Paul Evans celebrating Christmas, again.
We scope out the hottest books on sale the week of Oct. 28.
1. Bruce by Peter Ames Carlin (Touchstone, non-fiction, on sale Oct. 30)
What it's about: That's Bruce, as in Springsteen. A biography by the author of books about Paul McCartney and Brian Wilson, written with the cooperation of The Boss.
The buzz: In a fall crammed with rock memoirs, here's a rock bio with early acclaim. Says Publishers Weekly: "By far the best of the many books about the rock and roller."
2. Astray by Emma Donoghue (Little, Brown, fiction, on sale Oct. 30)
What it's about: A short story collection by the author of Room.
The buzz:Room, a novel about a mother and her son held captive in one room, was a popular best seller. Astray is an Indie Next Pick for November of independent booksellers.
3. A Winter Dream by Richard Paul Evans (Simon & Schuster, fiction, on sale Oct. 30)
What it's about: The troubled life of one Joseph Jacobson; a modern retelling of the Old Testament story of Joseph and his coat of many colors.
The buzz: Evans has delivered a number of holiday-related novels since he hit No. 1 in 1995 on USA TODAY's Best-Selling Books list with The Christmas Box.
4. Full of Heart: My Story of Survival, Strength and Spirit by J.R. Martinez (Hyperion, non-fiction, on sale Oct. 30)
What it's about: Inspirational memoir by Martinez, who was severely burned as a 19-year-old private in Iraq when his Humvee hit a mine.
The buzz: America has embraced the personable Martinez as an actor on All My Children and the Season 13 champion of Dancing With the Stars.
5. The Lands of Fire and Ice by George R.R. Martin, illustrated by Jonathan Roberts (Bantam, fiction, on sale Oct. 30)
What it's about: A set of maps that imagines Martin's beloved fantasy world from his best-selling Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones) series, with original artwork by illustrator and cartographer Jonathan Roberts.
The buzz: Sounds like a Christmas giftbook fantasy come true for the Martin devotee.