From Genius to Sen Harry Reid...good books!

From Publishers Lunch Weekly:

FICTION/DEBUT:

Ron Leshem's BEAUFORT, written as the diary of Erez Liberti, the head of a commando team stationed at Beaufort during the last winter of Israeli occupation, a look at the triviality of war and death, and the courage it takes to put an end to it, to Philip Rappaport at Bantam Dell, at auction, by Rebecca Friedman at Sterling Lord Literistic, on behalf of Deborah Harris at the Deborah Harris Agency.Foreign rights to Harvill Secker in the UK, in a pre-empt, by Caspian Denis at Abner Stein; to Rowohlt in Germany, by Liepman Agency; to Editions du Seuil in France, by La Nouvelle Agence.Foreign: Deborah Harris

Twenty-seven-year old Ross Raisin's debut OUT BACKWARD, told in the voice the 18-year-old son of a Yorkshire farmer, to Harper, in a pre-empt, and to Mary Mount at Viking UK, for publication in spring 2008, by Peter Straus at Rogers, Coleridge & White.

MYSTERY/CRIME:

Sarah Graves writing as Mary Squibb's HOME REPAIR IS HOMICIDE mystery series titles 11 and 12, to Kate Miciak at Bantam Dell, by Al Zuckerman at Writers House (NA).

THRILLER:

Assistant District Attorney and then chief of Boston's gang unit Raffi Yessayan's EIGHT IN THE BOX, featuring a well-drawn ensemble cast of prosecutors and cops working to bring to justice a killer with a gruesome MO, to Mark Tavani at Ballantine, in a pre-empt, in a two-book deal, by Simon Green of POM (world).Rights: ctisne@randomhouse.com.

GENERAL/OTHER:

Author of May 2007 Booksense pick THE MOTEL LIFE and frontman for Richmond Fontaine, Willy Vlautin's NORTHLINE and a second novel, again to Jennifer Pooley at Harper Perennial, for publication as a trade paperback originals, by Jason Cooper at Faber and Faber (US).JasonC@faber.co.ukjennifer.pooley@harpercollins.com

Senate majority leader Harry Reid's book intertwining his own story, including his early life of abject poverty in Searchlight, Nevada, with a cautionary tale of contemporary Washington, D.C. ("If I can no nothing greater in this book than explain those two places to each other, then I will have done something important"), written with Esquire executive editor Mark Warren, to Neil Nyren at Putnam, at auction, for publication in spring 2008, by Heather Schroder at ICM.

NON-FICTION/HISTORY/POLITICS/CURRENT AFFAIRS:

George Stephanopoulos and Todd Brewster's THE PERFECT PRESIDENT, examining the often surprising characteristics that have contributed to presidential greatness over the course of American history, to Bob Miller at Hyperion, with Gretchen Young editing, for publication in spring 2008, by Esther Newberg at ICM.

Clash of the Fundamentalisms author Tariq Ali's THE DUEL: PAKISTAN IN THE FLIGHTPATH OF AMERICAN POWER, taking stock of America's alignment with the precariously balanced military government on the frontline of the war against terror, to Colin Robinson at Scribner, by Andrew Nurnberg at Andrew Nurnberg Associates.

MEMOIR:

Winner of the 2005 Governor-General's Award for fiction David Gilmour's THE FILM CLUB, about his decision to let his 15-year-old son drop out of high school if the boy agrees to watch three films a week with him, and how the film club changed their lives, too, Jonathan Karp at Twelve, by Sam Hiyate at The Rights Factory.UK/Commonwealth rights to Ebury and Canadian rights to Thomas Allen & Sons. Foreign submissions are underway now.sam@therightsfactory.comForeign: rights@imriedervis.com

SCIENCE:

The Forgetting and The Immortal Game author and geniusblog.davidshenk.com blogger David Shenk's THE GENIUS IN ALL OF US, showing how cutting edge cognitive science is unveiling a new understanding of talent, "giftedness," and brilliance -- and its practical applications to our own lives, to Bill Thomas at Doubleday, by Sloan Harris at ICM (world).

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