Monday, January 25th, 2010
The Cherry & the Pit (The Blog)
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:
Joe Jackson’s Atlantic Fever: Lindbergh, His Competitors, and Five Deadly Weeks in the Race to Conquer the Atlantic, set during five incredibly tense weeks in the Spring of 1927, one of those magical time windows in history opened in which daredevils on both sides of the Atlantic were all on the cusp of being the first to cross the ocean in solo flight - a time fraught with danger, death, innovation, larger than life personalities, and a little-known pilot who would beat them all to change history.
The Pit: (continues)
Monday, December 14th, 2009
The Cherry & the Pit (The Blog)
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:
Cynthia Ozick’s Foreign Bodies, set in postwar New York, Paris, and California, the story of a divorced schoolteacher who tries to resolve her brother’s family dramas, leading to extraordinary and wholly unanticipated results.
The Pit:
Smashing Pumpkins front man Billy Corgan’s untitled spiritual memoir.
Monday, November 23rd, 2009
A Bowl of Cherries (The Blog)
Given that it’s Thanksgiving week, I thought I would accentuate the positive in this edition of the Cherry & the Pit. So, no pits. Just a handful of cherries — books recently acquired for future publication that sound worth waiting for:
Editor of the New York Review Books Classics series Edwin Frank’s Stranger Than Fiction: The Life of the Twentieth Century Novel, a provocative cultural history, international in scope, of the development of the twentieth-century novel that is also a novel history of the twentieth century, looking at how the novel confronted war, atrocity, economic depression, and other political and cultural upheavals.
Craig Robinson’s Flip Flop Flyball, based on the web site, a guide to the history and culture of baseball as told through infographics and illustrations. (continues)
Monday, November 2nd, 2009
The Cherry & the Pit (The Blog)
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:
Marilynne Robinson’s collection of essays, Absence of Mind: The Dispelling of Inwardness from the Modern Myth of the Self.
The Pit:
Dr. Ted Roberts and Diane Roberts’ Sexy Christians, a guide for couples to understand and embrace the hope, healing and healthy sexuality God intended for their marriages.
Monday, October 26th, 2009
The Cherry & the Pit (The Blog)
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:
Jon Kukla’s The First American, a revisionist history of the American Revolution recovering its “missing southern half” in the life and legacy of Patrick Henry, based on extensive new research.
The Pit:
Anna J. Evans’s Dead on the Delta, the first in a series set in post-apocalyptic Louisiana which is overrun by poisonous, insect-like fairies with a taste for human flesh and blood, and the field agent who is immune to their venom.
Tuesday, October 20th, 2009
The Cherry & the Pit (The Blog)
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:
Peter Kramer’s [untitled] wide-ranging and provocative take on the history, meaning, and future of psychiatric diagnosis as embodied by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, tied to the release of the fifth edition.
The Pit:(continues)
Tuesday, October 6th, 2009
The Cherry & the Pit (The Blog)
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:
J. North Conway’s The Third Degree: Thomas Byrnes and the Birth of the Modern American Detective, a story of murder, mayhem, and intrigue — the celebrated career of a 19th century New York detective who tackled the city’s most notorious murders and robberies and perfected and popularized “the third degree.”
The Pit:(continues)
Monday, August 31st, 2009
The Cherry & the Pit (The Blog)
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:
Matthew Sharpe’s You Were Wrong, a humorous story of petty crimes, love, and people not being able to read other people’s intentions well.
(Sharpe’s Jamestown
The Pit:
Monday, August 17th, 2009
The Cherry & the Pit (The Blog)
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:
Kevin Birmingham’s The Most Dangerous Masterpiece, an account of the writing of James Joyce’s Ulysses and the subsequent fight over its publication, with appearances by Ernest Hemingway, Sylvia Beach, Nora Barnacle, the obsessed censor Anthony Comstock, and the devilishly crafty Bennett Cerf.
The Pit:
Monday, August 10th, 2009
The Cherry & the Pit (The Blog)
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:
Boxing journalists George Kimball and John Schulian’s The American Boxing Anthology, featuring the best American writing on the sweet science, from London and Lardner to Liebling and Lupica.
The Pit:
Steve Seabury’s Mosh Potatoes: Recipes, Anecdotes, and Mayhem From the Heavyweights of Heavy Metal, featuring more than 75 recipes from Motorhead, Iron Maiden, Megadeth, and others.
Monday, August 3rd, 2009
The Cherry & the Pit (The Blog)
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:
Daniel Mendelsohn’s Odysseys, a literal and figurative voyage in search of the meanings of the greatest of the Classics, from Homer to Aristophanes and beyond.
The Pit:
Monday, July 27th, 2009
The Cherry & the Pit (The Blog)
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:
Craig Childs’ Field Guide to the End of the World, a narrative exploration of the pivotal forces that comprise the “end of the world,” not as a singular end point but as a cyclical process that is happening right now, which can be seen in fossils, geologic layers, deep ice cores, sea floor sediments, the ruins of human endeavors, and even the barren surface of Mars.
The Pit:
Sandra Bricker’s Always the Baker, Never the Bride, in which a diabetic baker who can’t have her cake and eat it too joins forces with an escapee from Corporate America living someone else’s dream by developing a wedding destination hotel.
(On another acquisition note, Philip Hoare’s Leviathan, or the Whale, which I recently wrote about here, has been slated for U.S. publication early next year.)
Monday, July 13th, 2009
The Cherry & the Pit (The Blog)
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:
William Holstein’s Sustainable Wealth: Recreating the American Dream, an argument in favor of rejuvenating America’s innovation and manufacturing capabilities to cope with the structural crisis facing the U.S. economy, supported by practical, on-the-ground examinations of how some Americans are getting it right.
The Pit:
Mira Grant’s Feed, the first in a trilogy of science fiction thrillers about zombies, politics, and blogging.
Monday, July 6th, 2009
The Cherry & the Pit (The Blog)
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:
Mark Binelli’s The Last Days of Detroit, a journalistic, historic, personal and colorful account of the once great city’s colossal collapse and what it says about our priorities, and perhaps our cities’ future.
The Pit:
Lessons from Stanley the Cat, a quirky, illustrated guide to life filled with wise and witty observations from Stanley, a remarkably astute cat, translated by his doting psychotherapist (human) parent, Jennifer Freed.
Thursday, June 25th, 2009
The Cherry & the Pit (The Blog)
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:
Steve Wick’s Eyewitness to the Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, the story of legendary American journalist William L. Shirer, who witnessed firsthand and reported on the rise of Hitler and the Nazis in Europe and their ultimate demise.
The Pit:
Actress Jennifer Love Hewitt’s The Day I Shot Cupid, exploring the new landscape of modern dating and offering a wide range of practical tips, from text-flirting and IM-ing to what men and women really want, and how to start over after a breakup.
Wednesday, June 17th, 2009
The Cherry & the Pit (The Blog)
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:
Jill Lepore’s Backstories, excavating the forgotten history of contemporary problems and explaining the contested origins of American democracy, the chronic volatility of the economy, the wrenching separation of home and work, the antecedents of the war on terror, the checkered history of the idea of progress, and the centuries-long debate about the relationship between the past and the present.
The Pit:
Josie Brown’s The DILF, in which a stay-at-home mom befriends a former Master of the Universe turned stay-at-home dad, until the neighborhood’s mean mommies vying to make him the next notch on their bedposts turn on her.
Thursday, June 4th, 2009
The Cherry & the Pit (The Blog)
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:
Nigel Jones’ Tower: An Epic History of the Tower of London, Castle, Royal palace, prison, torture chamber and place of execution — no building has been more intimately involved in Britain’s story than this mighty, brooding stronghold in the very heart of London, a place which has stood at the epicentre of dramatic, bloody and frequently cruel events for almost a thousand years.
The Pit:
Sue Ownes Wright’s Sirius About Murder, in which a wealthy and powerful patron for Alpine Paws Park is found strangled with a dog groomer’s leash near a pet psychic booth at a Howloween benefit for Tahoe’s tailwaggers, and a woman and her dog find themselves dewlap deep in a murder investigation.
Wednesday, May 27th, 2009
The Pit & . . . the Pit (The Blog)
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.
No easily identifiable cherries this week, so we’ll focus on two pits instead. Just the bio of the first one’s author gave me a headache:
Founding member of Twitter, founder of iPhoneDevCamp and DollarApp, and developer of the official Obama ‘08 campaign iPhone app, Dominic Sagolla’s 140 Characters: Style Guide for the Short Form, an Elements of Style for the digital age, with a foreword by Twitter Chairman and Co-Founder, Jack Dorsey.
And:
Shannen Doherty’s Bad Ass, sharing the author’s very personal journey from bad girl to a bad ass, with topics ranging from decorating and entertaining to charm and dating.
Monday, May 18th, 2009
The Cherry & the Pit (The Blog)
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:
Jason Fagone’s The Dream Shot, a narrative account of maverick scientist Stephen Hoffman’s crusade to eradicate malaria, offering an intimate look at the grim effects of the disease, the process of scientific invention, the unseen rituals of billion-dollar philanthropy, and the David vs. Goliath battle between a small startup and Big Pharma to come up with a vaccine that will save a million lives each year.
The Pit:
Kim Marcille’s The Science of Making Things Happen, showing how the principles of quantum physics can be used to consciously manipulate the flow of energy, shift matter, and alter our circumstances to create the life of our dreams.
Monday, May 11th, 2009
The Cherry & the Pit (The Blog)
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. (This week’s Pit is almost too horrifying to read in one sitting. Its bold italics are mine.)
The Cherry:
David Thomson’s Let There Be Light: Filming the Twentieth Century, the story of the past hundred years through the movies and how motion pictures and their makers were shaped by the era’s cultural, political, and aesthetic movements, and how movies both reflected and influenced the very century that saw the birth of its defining — and most popular — art form.
The Pit:
Glenn Beck’s multi-title co-publishing deal, covering an unlimited number of titles over an undisclosed term, beginning with Arguing with Idiots, from Threshold Editions in September 2009, America’s March to Socialism, an audio original for publication in May 2009, and Glenn Beck’s Common Sense, “channeling the spirit of Thomas Paine,” for publication as an eBook original and then a trade paperback original, in June 2009, also to include picture books and fiction for children and YA books.
What, no Thai cookbook? No Spanish translation of The Lord of the Rings? One hopes that Glenn will helpfully explain in one of these tomes how any socialist system could include such a grossly padded book deal.
Monday, May 4th, 2009
The Cherry & the Pit (The Blog)
A continuing series that highlights books recently acquired for future publication. Each post features a book we’re looking forward to, and a book we’re . . . not.
The Cherry:
Jeffrey Meyers’ JOHN HUSTON, a biography of the acclaimed and charismatic director of The Maltese Falcon, The Treasure of Sierra Madre, and The Misfits among others, detailing his colorful, Hemingway-esque life.
The Pit:
Daryn Kagan’s TRIPOD, the true story of a wise 3-legged cat named Tripod and his life lessons.
Wednesday, April 22nd, 2009
The Cherry & the Pit (The Blog)
A continuing series that highlights books recently acquired for future publication. Each post features a book we’re looking forward to, and a book we’re . . . not.
The Cherry:
Peter Heather’s Empire and Barbarians: Migration, Development, and the Birth of Europe, a narrative of the first millennium AD that tells the story of the joining of Southern and Western Europe.
The Pit:
Gabi Steven’s The Time of Transition, in which the safeguards between the magical and human worlds weaken while new guardians are put in place; a magical bent on revenge plans to use the newest fairy godmother, a “Rare One,” possessor of mighty magic born of two humans, who does not yet know how to use her power, as his means of ruling both worlds.
Monday, April 13th, 2009
The Cherry & the Pit (The Blog)
A continuing series that highlights books recently acquired for future publication. Each post features a book we’re looking forward to, and a book we’re . . . not.
The Cherry:
Christine Sismondo’s America Walks Into a Bar, a biography of America’s drinking establishments and how they influenced the country’s history, from the tavern in the Salem Witch Trials to speakeasies during Prohibition and beyond.
The Pit:
Hugo and Nebula award-winning author Greg Bear’s Halo trilogy, set in the time of the Forerunners, the creators and builders of the Halos, based on the hit video games.
Tuesday, April 7th, 2009
The Cherry & the Pit (The Blog)
A continuing series that highlights books recently acquired for future publication. Each post features a book we’re looking forward to, and a book we’re . . . not.
The Cherry:
Brett Martin’s Difficult Men, a look at the rise of cable television dramas since the late 1990’s, examining the cultural, technological and artistic forces that turned the 13-episode format into the ideal vehicle to tell the 21st Century American story, with The Sopranos‘ David Chase, The Wire’s David Simon, and Mad Men’s Matthew Weiner, among others, as main characters.
The Pit:
Relationship expert and CEO of seminar company PAX Programs Alison Armstrong’s Transforming a Frog Farmer, an engaging guide for women written in the style of fable that explores how understanding men’s inherent motivations and language is the secret to enchanting relationships.
Monday, March 30th, 2009
The Cherry & the Pit (The Blog)
This is the first in a regular series that will highlight books recently acquired for future publication. Each post will feature a book we’re looking forward to, and a book we’re . . . not.
The Cherry:
The final volume in historian Rick Perlstein’s “Backlash” trilogy, covering the 1970s and the rise of Ronald Reagan (following Nixonland: The Rise of a President and the Fracturing of America
, and Before the Storm: Barry Goldwater and the Unmaking of the American Consensus
).
The Pit:
Tim LaHaye and Craig Parshall’s Endgame, in which the use of a sophisticated military defense technology capable of returning nuclear missiles to their place of origin causes a series of events to unfold which eventually leads to the prophesied Rapture of the Church and the Last Days of mankind.
