It’s a New Year and that means new starts and new perspectives. “An Object of Beauty,” “The Last Time I Saw You” and “Inspirations” are on our fiction list this month.
“Inspirations” is Paulo Coelho’s selection of inspired and inspiring classic writings arranged by element: earth, air, fire and water. In nonfiction, two different strains are evident: spirituality and famous biographies. Perhaps we are turning to them for resources on how to live our lives in these ever changing times. “Thich Nhat Hanh” and Pema Chodron have popped onto the list with their wise words, in paperback.
Also omnipresent on this month’s list are biographies and memoirs: Cleopatra, Jay-Z, Keith Richards, Harry Hamlin, Patti Smith, Mark Twain, local James Bailey and, for humor’s sake, a collection by Judd Apatow.
The children’s list has three Cornelia Funke titles, thanks to her visit to Point Dume Marine Science Elementary School. The first two of Suzanne Collins’ “The Hunger Games” trilogy made the list, too-everyone is reading them, young and old. Classics from Mercer Mayer, Walter Dean Myers and Ben Franklin are on the list as well.
Fiction
1. “An Object of Beauty,” by Steve Martin, hardcover, Grand Central, $26.99
2. “Tinkers,” by Paul Harding, paperback, Bellevue Literary Press, $14.95
3. “Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk: A Modest Bestiary,” by David Sedaris, hardcover, Little Brown, $21.99
4. “Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand,” by Helen Simonson, paperback, Random House, $15
5. “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo,” by Stieg Larsson, paperback, Vintage, $14.95
6. “The Last Time I Saw You,” by Elizabeth Berg, paperback, Ballantine Books, $15
7. “Parrot and Olivier in America,” by Peter Carey, paperback, Vintage, $15.95
8. “The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest,” by Stieg Larsson, hardcover, Knopf, $27.95
9. “Inspirations: Selections from Classic Literature,” edited by Paul Coelho, paperback, Penguin, $16
10. “Tinkers,” by Paul Harding, paperback, Bellevue Literary Press, $14.95
Nonfiction
1. “Man, Interrupted: Welcome to the Bizarre World of OCD, Where Once More is Never Enough,” by James Bailey, Mainstream Publishing, $14.95
2. “Cleopatra: A Life,” by Stacy Schiff, hardcover, Little Brown, $29.99
3. “Autobiography of Mark Twain,” by Mark Twain, hardcover, University of California Press, $34.95
4. “Just Kids,” by Patti Smith, paperback, Ecco, $16
5. “Taking the Leap,” by Pema Chodron, paperback, Shambhala, $14
6. “Life,” by Keith Richards, hardcover, Little Brown, $29.99
7. “You Are Here: Discovering the Magic of the Present Moment,” by Thich Nhat Hanh, paperback, $14
8. “I Found This Funny: My Favorite Pieces of Humor and Some That May Not Be Funny at All,” by Judd Apatow, hardcover, McSweeney’s, $25
9. “Full Frontal Nudity: The Making of an Accidental Actor,” by Harry Hamlin, hardcover, Scribner, $24
10. “Decoded,” by Jay-Z, hardcover, Spiegel & Grau, hardcover, $35
Children
1. “Reckless,” by Cornelia Funke, hardcover, Little Brown, $19.99
2. “Catching Fire,” by Suzanne Collins, hardcover, Scholastic, $17.99
3. “The Hunger Games,” by Suzanne Collins, paperback, Scholastic, $8.99
4. “Ben and Me: An Astonishing Life of Benjamin Franklin by his Good Mouse Amos,” by Robert Lawson, paperback, Little Brown, $6.99
5. “Inkheart,” by Cornelia Funke, paperback, Scholastic, $10.99
6. “Autobiography of My Dead Brother,” by Walter Dean Myers, paperback, Amistad, $8.99
7. “Daughters,” by Joanna Philbin, paperback, Poppy, $8.99
8. “Thief Lord,” by Cornelia Funke, paperback, Scholastic, $7.99
9. “I was So Mad,” by Mercer Mayer, paperback, Random House, $3.99
10. “Day of Tears,” by Julius Lester, paperback, Jump At The Sun, $7.99
Book list provided by Diesel, A Bookstore