Judi Smith, assistant to Dave Barry and Leonard Pitts Jr. at The Miami Herald, asked this of Meg Cabot whose books this year are ``Allie Finkle's Rules for Girls: Stage Fright'' ($15.99, Scholastic Press) and ``Being Nikki: An Airhead Novel'' ($16.99, Point).
Kathleen McGrory is an education reporter for The Miami Herald. She asked this of Sen. Bob Graham, who has written ``America, The Owner's Manual: Making Government Work for You'' (CQ Press, $16.95).
Augusten Burroughs doesn't hate Christmas. But he thinks he may be a magnet for holiday calamity. ''It's this odd thing,'' says the author of the bestselling memoirs Running With Scissors, Dry and A Wolf at the Table. ''I love Christmas, but each one is horrible.''
This fictional memoir pays tribute to Lily Casey, a spunky woman born in 1901.
This debut novel compares Colombian culture and lifestyles to the fantasy land of Hollywood.
The author's portrait of a confused teen is riveting.
No Impact Man: The Adventures of a Guilty Liberal Who Attempts to Save the Planet, and the Discoveries He Makes About Himself and Our Way of Life in the Process. Colin Beavan. Farrar Straus Giroux. 274 pages. $25.
``I just read The House on Fortune Street by Margot Livesey. She dealt with a lot of the same things that I did when I was writing The Lacuna: You don't know the whole story, even with an intimate, with your family members and best friends. I loved the way she constructed the novel. She just kept moving the floor under your feet. You'd think one thing, then you heard another version of the story, and everything shifts.''
TUESDAY Richelle Mead and ''Vampire Academy 4: Blood Promise.'' 6 p.m. Books & Books, 265 Aragon Ave., Coral Gables.
For more than four decades, Ofelia Fox and Rosa Sanchez always shared a car. They could easily have afforded two cars, but driving places separately would have robbed them of time together.
The latest book by Pulitzer Prize-winning Herald columnistLeonard Pittsis his first novel. `Before I Forget' is a tale of a past-his-prime soul singer who learns he has early-onset Alzheimer's -- and what he does next. Here's an abridged excerpt.
The Miami Book Fair International will be held Nov. 8-15, 2009. Among the noted authors who have already confirmed are Margaret Atwood, Al Gore, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, and Barbara Kingsolver. The Miami Herald will profile these and other speakers throughout the week.
John Irving's portrait of a fugitive father and son reveals clues about his creative process
Jay Ducassi is the Metro editor of The Miami Herald. He posed this question to Dennis Lehane, the bestselling author of "Mystic River'' and other novels, who has edited a collection of stories -- to which he contributed one of his own -- titled "Boston Noir'' (Akashic Books, $15.95 paperback).
The protagonist's seething wit keeps us from hating him.
These essays show exceptional talent and originality.
Peter Yarrow's latest book was about to debut at No. 1 on the Publishers Weekly bestseller list, but his thoughts were on the past. Mary Travers, his partner in the 1960s folk-singing trio Peter, Paul and Mary, had just died.
David Sax knew the Rascal House was dying. ''The pastrami was cut the wrong way and it was cold,'' he said. ''The matzo ball soup was flavorless.''
Pilot Chesley ''Sully'' Sullenberger's recounting of disaster stories drive his narrative.
Max Brooks' silly and self-important ''historical'' zombie vignettes serve as illustrated back-stories to his popular series of expository zombie prose novels. It's a decent enough gimmick, and this graphic treatment might be entertaining and important to acolytes and fans of his other undead work. But the only redeeming feature for the unconvinced is the lithe and imaginative illustrations and vivid storytelling of Ibraim Roberson, whose craft and skill far outclasses Brooks' moribund material.
Ever since Michael Connelly first sent his LAPD detective Harry Bosch down the tunnels in Black Echo, the author has made sure his character has been in constant flux. The Harry at the beginning of Connelly's 1990 Edgar-winning debut was not the same Harry at the end. And it has been that way throughout Connelly's series. The only constant has been that Harry has not had to worry how his actions, his mission of seeking justice and his insular personality would affect anyone else. Until now.
''I've been rereading Briarpatch by Ross Thomas, a too-little-known thriller writer. The book was published 25 years ago, and the world events are a little dated, but Thomas knows just when to be funny, just how to build suspense and just what he needs to do to surprise us. Briarpatch starts with a car bomb explosion and ends with . . . well, that's the great fun of it. Thomas is a master.''
TUESDAY Chris Bohjalian and ''Skeletons at the Feast.'' 7:30 p.m. Bet Breira Samu-El Or Olom, 9400 SW 87th Ave., Miami. $7.
Thomas Cromwell and his pals come to life in this richly textured historical novel.
A poet returns to her Mennonite family after a series of hardships.
A naturalist describes the waking world with passion and awe.
As a lifestyles columnist for The Wall Street Journal, Jeffrey Zaslow chronicles the business of living itself in ''Moving On,'' a column about transitions.
Manhood today is much like Eastern Europe after the fall of communism.
Comedic novel offers sharp insight into current events -- and bad poetry.
If you like mixing a bit of the creepy with a dash of sinister and spine-chilling reading with your romance, be sure to read Heather Graham's latest paranormal novel. The romance is a bit tepid, with the focus on the suspense portion of the story. But Graham does insert enough passion and love to satisfy most romance readers, especially at Halloween.
Every fantasy geek's dream is to turn the corner and step into Middle-earth or Narnia or Earthsea (or some other geeky childhood obsession). For most of us, the faint hope of that happening fades with adulthood. But what if, at the last possible moment, just as cynicism started to take hold, you turned the corner, and there was that magical realm?
''I just came across a nonfiction book he published in 1983 called Lost in the Cosmos: The Last Self-Help Book. I don't hear many people talk about reading Walker Percy these days, which I think is a pity.
TUESDAY Maggie Anton and ''Rashi's Daughters: Rachel.'' 7:30 p.m. Books & Books, 9700 Collins Ave., Bal Harbour Shops.
Novelist explores the rift between Turkey's Islamic roots and Western influences.
Historical intrigues drive this entertaining novel.
'Nickel and Dimed' author reveals the dark side of being too upbeat.
Anita Shreve's latest book, set in Kenya, includes wild animals, dangerous jealousies and suffering natives.
James Swain's series about private investigator Jack Carpenter are modern-day horror tales about personal safety and predators that don't just lurk around the corner, they live there.
Battered Gen. John Bell Hood settles in New Orleans, fathers 11 children and learns from the errors of his ways.
''Although my first love is fiction, I've fallen in love with Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers, a book that analyzes the reasons behind success. I've been fascinated by the provocative notion that often those who excel are not simply the hardest workers or the best and brightest, but those who, by sheer chance, had access to the right circumstances. . . . It's an endlessly thought-provoking read and one whose startling array of examples can connect with people from all walks of life.''
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