Books: New and Noteworthy
- 'The Holy or the Broken' shines a light on 'Hallelujah'
- 'Child's Child' upsets a happy home; '30 Nooses' revisits Lincoln
- Subterfuge in 'Valley of Knowing,' temptation in 'Me and the Devil'
We scope out the hottest books on sale the week of Dec. 2.
1.The Holy or the Broken: Leonard Cohen, Jeff Buckley and the Unlikely Ascent of Hallelujah by Alan Light (Atria, non-fiction, on sale Dec. 4)
What it's about: Veteran music writer Light traces the surprising arc of the song Hallelujah, from Cohen's composition, to Buckley's storied recording, to the countless famous artists who have covered it.
The buzz: "Brilliantly revelatory," raves Kirkus Reviews, "a masterful work of critical journalism."
2. The Child's Child by Ruth Rendell writing as Barbara Vine (Scribner, fiction, on sale Dec. 4)
What it's about: In this dark tale, the happy home life of a grown brother and sister who live together is violently disrupted when the brother gets a mercurial new boyfriend. Meanwhile, their lives are echoed by an old novel the sister is reading called The Child's Child.
The buzz: Rendell is having a busy 2012: Her The St. Zita Society (written as Rendell) was published a few months ago. Seven of her books (in both names) have made USA TODAY's Best-Selling Books list.
3.38 Nooses: Lincoln, Little Crow, and the Beginning of the Frontier's End by Scott W. Berg (Pantheon, non-fiction, on sale Dec. 4)
What it's about: Tells the story of an 1862 battle between Dakota warriors and settlers and federal troops, and President Lincoln's intervention to spare the lives of 265 Indians found guilty of murder, while 38 others were hanged.
The buzz: Lincoln is hot these days, thanks to Steven Spielberg and Daniel Day-Lewis. Publishers Weekly calls Berg's account "a gripping narrative of (a) little-known conflict."
4. The Valley of Unknowing by Philip Sington (W.W. Norton, fiction, on sale Dec. 3)
What it's about: In a novel whose plot has earned comparisons to the Oscar-winning German film The Lives of Others, an older writer in Communist East Germany falls for a music student, who has also caught the eye of a cocky young scriptwriter.
The buzz: It's an Indie Next pick recommended by independent booksellers. "This well-crafted novel … is an intricate story of subterfuge and betrayal that shares many features of the best thrillers," says Garry Jarman of Island Books, Etc. in Mercer Island, Wash.
5. Me and the Devilby Nick Tosches (Little, Brown, fiction, on sale Dec. 4)
What it's about: A sort of literary, erotic vampire tale as a writer named Nick succumbs to many dark temptations.
The buzz: Nick has some pretty cool friends. Johnny Depp provides an unprintable blurb on the back of the book, and Keith Richards offers this intriguing endorsement on the front jacket: "This is the best, from one of the best writers around. Nick Tosches knows the devil as well as any man has."