Get under the covers ... with a good book

McClatchy Newspapers (MCT) - If the summer reading season lacked focus, the fall season is about to bring a landslide of much-anticipated books by A-list authors.

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No surprise there. In the $23 billion book industry, fall is when the publishing houses release titles written by their most prestigious names. It's also when half the year's book sales take place. Which makes sense, since fall is the walk-up to the holiday gift-giving season.

Let's take a minute for some context. What kind of fall season can readers expect? Where is it trending?

Kathryn Popoff, vice president of merchandising-adult trade for Borders Books, acknowledges the dominance of top authors, along with a long list of biographies and autobiographies. She notes, though, that "a trend that began this summer and will continue into the fall is consumers' acceptance of new voices."

"(In fiction) think of the success of 'The Shack' by William Young and certainly 'The Story of Edgar Sawtelle' by David Wroblewski, prior to its selection to Oprah's Book Club," Popoff said.

In nonfiction, one trend is beauty books, she said. "People want to live, look and feel their best, and publishing has responded. Certainly, 'You: Being Beautiful' by Michael F. Roizen and Mehmet C. Oz, and 'The One Hundred: A Guide to the Pieces Every Stylish Woman Must Own' by Nina Garcia."

David Callanan, site merchandiser for the Amazon.com Online Bookstore, pointed to "the autobiographies and financial advice from billionaires Warren Buffett ('The Snowball'), Richard Branson ('Business Stripped Bare') and T. Boone Pickens ('The First Billion Is the Hardest')."

Many of the season's nonfiction titles will be politically oriented, Callanan added, by authors including Bob Woodward ("The War Within"), Barton Gellman ("Angler," the Dick Cheney biography), Michael Moore ("Mike's Election Guide 2008"), Ted Nugent ("Ted, White and Blue") and H.W. Brands ("Traitor to His Class," the life and presidency of FDR).

In fiction, "the big names prevail," he said. " 'The Given Day' by Dennis Lahane is his departure from crime thrillers to historical fiction. Stephen King has a short-story collection ('Just After Sunset'), and there's James Patterson ('The Sixth Target'), Toni Morrison ('A Mercy') and John Updike ('The Widows of Eastwick')."

From the offices of Publishers Weekly magazine, the 136-year-old bible of the publishing industry, editor-in-chief Sara Nelson expects plenty of books about the war in the Middle East.

"One (exceptionally good read) in particular _ which is on bookshelves now _ is 'The Forever War' (by New York Times war correspondent Dexter Filkins).

"In fiction, Dennis Lahane's 'The Given Day' will be very big hit with (history buffs) and baseball fans."

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FICTION

_"Once Were Cops" by Ken Bruen (St. Martin's, $22.95, 304 pages; Oct. 28): The Shamus Award- winning Irish novelist brings his unique brand of plot and mayhem to this story of two New York police officers about to go over the edge.

_ "A Most Wanted Man" by John le Carre (Scribner, $28, 336 pages; Oct. 7): Intelligence agencies from three countries converge to muddle a morass of secrets and intrigue when a terrorist masquerading as a student arrives in Germany.

_"Scarpetta" by Patricia Cornwell (Putnam, $27.95, 512 pages; Dec. 2): Forensic psychologist Kay Scarpetta is asked by the New York Police Department to consult on a case involving a prisoner whose paranoia turns out not to be an illusion at all.

_"The Little Book" by Selden Edwards (Dutton, $25.95, 416 pages): Writing and getting this remarkable novel published was a 30-year labor of love for the author. The time-traveling protagonist suddenly finds himself in Vienna, Austria, in 1897. How he deals with this "dislocation in time" and what he discovers about his "impact on the course of human history" are the heart of this remarkable tale.

_"I See You Everywhere" by Julia Glass (Pantheon, $24.95, 304 pages; Oct. 14): The National Book Award winner ("Three Junes") tells her story in vignettes from over the decades. Two sisters with more differences than similarities get through their lives as friendly rivals.

_"Just After Sunset" by Stephen King (Scribner, $28, 384 pages; Nov. 11): The 13 stories in this collection were first published in a number of national magazines. Still, keep the lights on bright.

_"A Mercy" by Toni Morrison (Knopf, $23.95, 176 pages; Nov. 11): The Nobel laureate returns to the subject of slavery, this time in 1680s Maryland. A slave gives her daughter to a sympathetic trader in payment of a debt and as a way of trying to better her daughter's life. The consequences are monumental.

_"Show No Fear" by Perri O'Shaughnessy (Pocket, $25, 368 pages; Dec. 16): Pamela and Mary O'Shaughnessy - the sisters who are partners in the pseudonym - present a prequel to the adventures of their South Lake Tahoe P.I., Nina Reilly.

_"Rough Weather" by Robert B. Parker (Putnam, $26.95, 304 pages; Oct. 21): Boston P.I. Spenser and his deadly partner Hawk are at it again, fending off bad guys and getting to the heart of their latest case _ one of murder and kidnap.

_"The Other Side of Silence" by Bill Pronzini (Walker, $24, 224 pages): Security officer Rick Fallon is camped in the desert when he saves a woman from suicide, then takes her on as a client. Mystery Writers of America grand master Pronzini is best known for his "Nameless Detective" series.

_"Indignation" by Philip Roth (Houghton Mifflin, $26, 256 pages): The master storyteller presents a Cold War-era story of a college student living in an uptight America and the travails that initiate him into manhood.

_"The Comforts of a Muddy Saturday" by Alexander McCall Smith (Pantheon, $23.95, 256 pages): In this fifth of the Isabel Dalhousie mysteries, the sleuth works to clear the name of a doctor who may have been framed for malpractice. Smith is best-known for his "No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency" franchise. Look for him to appear for The Bee Book Club on April 25.

_"The Lucky One" by Nicholas Sparks (Grand Central, $24.99, 336 pages): Sparks tells a sentimental story about a man consumed with finding the love of his life _ a woman in a photograph he finds on an Iraqi battlefield.

_"Anathem" by Neal Stephenson (William Morrow, $29.95, 960 pages): The author of the much-praised "Cryptonomicon" imagines a futuristic planet where monklike scientists live behind walls and horde knowledge from the outside world.

_"The Night Stalker" by James Swain (Ballantine, $25, 348 pages): Swain follows "Midnight Rambler" with this thriller about a Miami cop puzzling over the question: Which of these suspects is the serial killer?

_"The Widows of Eastwick" by John Updike (Knopf, $24.95, 320 pages; Oct. 21): In his 1984 book "The Witches of Eastwick," Updike introduced readers to a trio of captivating women brought together by witchcraft. Years later, they reunite to make more magic, but with unsatisfying results.

_"Terminal" by Andrew Vachss (Pantheon, $24.95, 288 pages; Dec. 30): Vachss' underground hero, Burke, is blackmailed into recovering the kidnapped son of a Saudi prince.

NONFICTION

_"The Legs Are the Last to Go" by Diahann Carroll (Amistad, $24.95, 288 pages): Singer-actress Carroll, now 73, was a pioneer in breaking through racial barriers in Hollywood. Among other issues, she recalls her four marriages, racial issues in Hollywood and on Broadway, and her battle with breast cancer.

_"Factory Girls" by Leslie T. Chang (Spiegel, $26, 432 pages): The former Wall Street Journal correspondent in Beijing examines a Chinese phenomenon: the flood of young women who moved from villages to cities to take jobs in the factories that manufacture the cheap goods other countries import. This is an insightful slice of sociology that goes inside the overpopulated "factory cities" where the workers live.

_"Emily Post" by Laura Claridge (Random House, $30, 544 pages; Oct. 14): Long before there was a "Miss Manners" syndicated newspaper column on contemporary etiquette, there was Emily Post, the "mistress of American manners." This biography answers the question: Just who was this woman who influenced the behavior of a nation?

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_"Don't Mind If I Do" by George Hamilton (Touchstone, $26, 320 pages; Oct. 14): The well-tanned actor isn't all smile and charm. He's spent 50 years in the Hollywood funhouse and has great tales to tell. Like that time with Brigitte Bardot ...

_"Roads to Quoz: An American Mosey" by William Least Heat-Moon (Little, Brown, $27.99, 592 pages; Oct. 29): The author hit the scene big-time in 1982 with "Blue Highways," his account of a soul- searching 13,000-mile road trip, exploring the backroads of America. This time out, he and his wife, Q, do much the same.

_"Annie Leibovitz at Work" by Annie Leibovitz (Random House, $40, 240 pages with 90 photographs; Nov. 18): In her 30-year career, the photographer segued from specializing in shots of rock 'n' roll legends to doing more formal portraits of other celebrities. Here, she discusses her craft and specific iconic photos.

_"American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House" by Jon Meacham (Random House, $30, 512 pages; Nov. 11): Veteran biographer Meacham pulls off the gloves for his fascinating account of the rough-and-tumble founder of the Democratic Party.

_"A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity" by Bill O'Reilly (Broadway, $26, 272 pages): Viewers either love or hate the multi-Emmy Award-winning host of Fox News' "The O'Reilly Factor." His autobiography explores - in his words _ "the good, the bad and the inexplicable" parts of his life.

_"Zen and Now" by Mark Richardson (Knopf, $25, 288 pages): Forty years ago, Robert Pirsig's philosophical mediation on his cross-country motorcycle trip, "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance," reached cult status. Avid fan Richardson retraces Pirsig's route to find some answers to Big Questions of his own.

_"Bob Schieffer's America" by Bob Schieffer (Putnam, $24.95, 304 pages): "The CBS Evening News'" premier correspondent has assembled 168 of his essays on topics ranging from politics to the dramas behind the biggest stories of his career.

_"A Fortunate Life" by Robert Vaughn (Thomas Dunne, $25.95, 336 pages; Oct. 14): The actor is frank and funny in his memoir, which delves into his liaisons and friendships in the golden days of Hollywood.

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