Wednesday, October 08, 2008

Selection of Very Cool Books....

From Publishers Lunch Weekly:

FICTION/DEBUT:

Chinese-American Jean Kwok's GODDESS OF INFINITE FACES, an inspiring immigrant coming-of-age story about a girl who emigrates to Brooklyn from Hong Kong when she is 11 along with her mother, only to live in squalor and work in a sweatshop -- but she fights for dignity, acceptance, and survival until her natural smarts and talent for school finally allow both mother and daughter to overcome the odds and achieve their version of the American dream, to Sarah McGrath at Riverhead, in a pre-empt, for publication in 2010, by Suzanne Gluck at the William Morris Agency (world English).Rights have been sold to Arena in Holland, and Piemme in Italy, in pre-empts.

Oxford University Press editor Matt Gallaway's THE METROPOLIS CASE, the sweeping tale of unlikely quartet, bound together by the strange, spectacular history of Richard Wagner's masterpiece opera, Tristan and Isolde, to Suzanne O'Neill at Crown, by Bill Clegg at William Morris Agency (NA).

Janet Skeslien Charles's MOONLIGHT IN ODESSA, in which a resourceful Ukrainian struggles to make ends meet and find love until she's hired as an interpreter for American men looking for wives; she thinks her problems are solved when she becomes engaged and moves to the States, but that is when the real struggle begins, to Helen Garnons-Williams at Bloomsbury UK, and Kathy Belden at Bloomsbury in the US, in a pre-empt, by Laura Longrigg at MBA (world English).

GENERAL/OTHER:

Bestselling author of Whistling in the Dark and Land of a Hundred Wonders Leslie Kagen's TOMORROW RIVER, set in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley, a moving story of twin girls as they search for the truth behind their mother's sudden and mysterious disappearance, moving to hardcover, to Ellen Edwards for Dutton/NAL, for two books, for publication in Spring 2010, by Kim Witherspoon at Inkwell Management (NA).

Author of The Secret History and The Little Friend Donna Tartt's new novel, a story of loss and obsession about a young man, guilt-stricken and damaged after the death of his mother, and the growing power that a stolen piece of art exercises over him, drawing him into an underworld of theft and corruption where nothing is as it seems, to Michael Pietsch at Little, Brown, for publication in 2012, by Amanda Urban at ICM (NA).

"The Penguin Lady" Dyan deNapoli's THE GREAT PENGUIN RESCUE: The Inspiring Story of the World's Largest Animal Rescue chronicling the rescue of 40,000 penguins by thousands of volunteers from around the world, to Wylie O'Sullivan at Free Press, for publication in time for Christmas 2010, by Julie Barer at Barer Literary.

UK:

Screenwriter David Young's LOCKDOWN, in which the hero uncovers a terrifying conspiracy to test deadly diseases and their vaccines on American political prisoners, at auction, to Selina Walker at Transworld, by Luigi Bonomi at Luigi Bonomi Associates.Dutch rights previously sold to Rienk Tychon at Dutch Media.

NON-FICTION...
BUSINESS/INVESTING/FINANCE:

Former Wall Street Journal reporter Mike Hudson's narrative expose of the rise and fall of the subprime mortgage industry, from the "boiler room" lenders of Orange County to the investment bankers who played a shell game with the risky debt, to Robin Dennis at Times Books, by Sam Stoloff at the Frances Goldin Literary Agency (world).

HISTORY/POLITICS/CURRENT AFFAIRS:

Former NPR commentator Snigdha Prakash's ALL THE JUSTICE MONEY CAN BUY, a Civil Action-type investigative examination of the drama of the Vioxx pharmaceutical trials, from inside the courtroom, to Don Fehr at Kaplan, for publication in 2010, by Gail Ross.

MEMOIR:

Police drummer Stewart Copeland's DINNER TALES, going backstage on a life fully lived, a memoir-in-stories-that-could-be-told-over-a-meal -- covering the band's rise to success, recent reunion tour, and Sting, but also ranging across from childhood in the Middle East as the son of a CIA agent to his film-making adventures with the Pygmies in the Congo and his passion for polo, to Bob Miller at Harper Studio, for publication in fall 2009, by Ed Victor at Ed Victor Ltd..

Host of Dancing with the Stars and America's Funniest Homevideos Tom Bergeron's I'M HOSTING AS FAST AS I CAN! Zen and the Art of Staying Sane in Hollywood, a memoir filled with humorous anecdotes and personal stories of how he handles the very public highs and lows of life in Hollywood, to Lisa Sharkey and Adam Korn for Harper One, with Korn editing, for publication in April 2009, by Babette Perry at IMG.

Ian Graham's UNBILLABLE HOURS, a young lawyer's memoir of the corruption of Big Law today -- a modern day ONE-L about the harsh life of an associate at a premier corporate law firm (Latham & Watkins), to Don Fehr at Kaplan, for publication in 2010, by Rafe Sagalyn at The Sagalyn Agency.

NARRATIVE:

Paul Alexander's GOOD NIGHT, DOROTHY KILGALLEN, about the New York society journalist's quest to unmask JFK's real killer, a quest that ended with her own mysterious death, to Michael Flamini at St. Martin's, by Lisa Bankoff at ICM (NA).Film rights optioned to Fox-based John Davis at Davis Entertainment.

PARENTING:

Project Runway alum Laura Bennett's debut DIDN'T I FEED YOU YESTERDAY?, a biting and humorous, anti-helicopter-mom approach to raising her six kids and surviving motherhood in style, to Susan Mercandetti for Ballantine, by Stephanie Cabot and Sarah Burnes at The Gernert Company.

REFERENCE:

Stephanie Pierson and Barbara Harrison's WHAT TO DO WHEN NO ONE HAS A CLUE, a clever and humorous guide to navigating the rapidly changing waters of modern relationships, social customs, technology-induced challenges, office dilemmas and situations so unprecedented you simply can't imagine where to turn for answers, to Doris Cooper at Clarkson Potter, by Matthew Elblonk at The Creative Culture (NA).

Wrap...

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