A continuing series that highlights books recently acquired by publishing houses for future release. Each post features a book we’re looking forward to, and a book we’re . . . not.

The Cherry:

Robert Weintraub’s Top of the First, the story of 1946, when 500 WWII veterans came back to the Major Leagues (some after playing a little-known “World Series” in liberated France and occupied Germany) and ignited the modern age of baseball.

The Pit:

Jim Kraus’ The Dog Who Talked With God, in which a quirky old woman acquires a new dog as a pet, starts talking to it, and can’t help but notice when it talks back to her . . . and then the dog explains he occasionally has conversations with The Almighty.