2006 has been a year of scandals for the publishing industry. In January, James Frey’s bestselling memoir A Million Little Pieces was exposed as fiction by The Smoking Gun, to the utter embarrassment of one of the author’s biggest fans, Oprah Winfrey.

Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh, authors of The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail, took Random House and Dan Brown, author of The Da Vinci Code, to court for breach of copyright. Baigent and Leigh claim that Brown “stole the whole “architecture” of their non-fiction work.”

A few months later Kaavya Viswanathan was exposed as a plagiarist. The Harvard student, whose heavily promoted novel How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life has since been recalled by Little, Brown & Co., was accused of flagrantly copying the works of authors Megan F. McCafferty, Salman Rushdie, and Sophie Kinsella, with over 40 specific instances now cited.

So after all this excitement, what should readers expect in the remaining months of 2006? The fall is generally when most publishers release their “big guns,” the titles they expect to lead sales in the lucrative Christmas sales rush. With so many new releases on the horizon, how does a reader determine what to read?

If you survey the litblogs, most seem to be eagerly waiting for St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves by Karen Russell, a collection of short stories (Knopf, September) and The 9/11 Report: A Graphic Adaptation by Sid Jacobson and Ernie Colón (Hill and Wang, September). If you go by the trade publications, the focus seems to be on the lead nonfiction titles, such as Breach of Faith: Hurricane Katrina and the Near Death of a Great American City by Jed Horne (Random House, July) or Palestine: Peace not Apartheid by Jimmy Carter (Simon & Schuster, October).

2006 may not see a blockbuster title release on the magnitude of a Harry Potter or The Da Vinci Code; however, a wide range of great and exciting titles continue to be published each month. Interesting experimental and “literary” fiction continues to be offered, often from smaller publishers. With the rise in litblogs and the ease of online book purchases, readers have access to a much broader range of titles than ever before.

After attending BookExpo Canada (the annual book publishing trade show) earlier this year, I believe that reports of books being “doomed” are grossly exaggerated. Publishing may change but readers will always want books. With that in mind, here are some of the titles I believe will catch some “buzz” in the coming months.

Fiction
Giraffe by J.M. Ledgard (Penguin Books, August). J.M. Ledgard is a foreign correspondent for the Economist. Giraffe, a debut novel, is based on the true story of the massacre of the largest herd of giraffes ever in captivity.

The Emperor’s Children by Claire Messud (Knopf, August). A comedy of manners in a post-September 11th New York City, from a masterful observer of human nature.

Only Revolutions: A Novel by Mark Z. Danielewski (Pantheon, September). Danielewski, author of the cult hit, experimental horror novel House of Leaves, has taken his experiments in literature in this story about teenage lovers. Printed on two sides, readers hear the story from Hailey’s point of view, flip it over and get Sam’s.

St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves by Karen Russell (Knopf, September). A debut collection of ten short stories on the perils and pains of growing up in a dysfunctional home, from an author many are heralding as the next great voice of American literature.

The Interpretation of Murder: A Novel by Jed Rubenfeld (Henry Holt, September). A historical thriller featuring Sigmund Freud inspired by his one visit to New York City in 1909. Freud is drawn into the mind of a sadistic killer who is savagely attacking Manhattan’s wealthiest heiresses.

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield (Atria, September). In this tribute to gothic novels, Margaret Lea, a London bookseller’s daughter, is invited by author Vida Winter to her estate in Yorkshire. Having finally decided to share the secrets which made up her tragic past, she has selected Margaret to be the author of her biography and repository of her ghosts.

World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks (Crown Books, September). Chronicling the apocalyptic years through the testimony of survivors, Brooks creates a chilling account of the Zombie War which came unthinkably close to eradicating humanity.

Lisey’s Story by Stephen King (Scribner, October). In the two years since author Scott Landon died, professors and collectors have tried to get their hands on his unpublished manuscripts and letters. After receiving threats, Lisey decides to prepare her husband’s papers for donation to an appropriate archive. From there, the story heads off into typical Stephen King territory.

One Good Turn by Kate Atkinson (Little Brown, October). After retiring a millionaire at the end of Case Histories, former detective Jackson Brodie once again finds himself in the midst of several mysteries which intersect in one giant and sinister scheme.

Restless by William Boyd (October). Restless is the story of Eva Delectorskaya, recruited in 1939 in Paris and trained as a spy. Fast-forward 30 years and Eva is living a quiet life in the Cotswolds as Sally Gilmartin, when suddenly she must confront the demons of her past.

The Lay of the Land by Richard Ford (Knopf, October). Resuming in the fall of 2000 where Frank Bascombe’s story left off (Independence Day), Richard Ford’s long awaited sequel may be his finest work yet. Its release is sure to be one of the main literary events of the fall.

The Uses of Enchantment by Heidi Julavits (Doubleday, October). In late afternoon on November 7, 1985, sixteen-year-old Mary Veal was abducted after field hockey practice at her all-girls, New England prep school. Or was she? A novel of many layers and twists.

Thirteen Moons by Charles Frazier (Random House, October). After his stunning success with his debut novel Cold Mountain, Frazier made his fans wait for almost ten years for Thirteen Moons. A novel of one man’s passion for a woman and how her loss, and love, can shape a man’s destiny.

Sacred Games by Vikram Chandra (HarperCollins, January 2007). Weighing in at 912 pages, Sacred Games is the epic saga of a notorious Hindu gangster and a police inspector whose lives unfold and eventually intersect with cataclysmic consequences.

Non-Fiction
Breach of Faith: Hurricane Katrina and the Near Death of a Great American City by Jed Horne (Knopf, August). A Times-Picayune metro editor vividly depicts the storm and its horrific aftermath, through the stories of the men and women who experienced it.

The Trouble with Physics: The Rise of String Theory, the Fall of a Science and What Comes Next by Lee Smolin (Houghton Mifflin, September). With clarity, passion, and authority, Smolin, one of the founders of Canada’s Perimeter Institute of Theoretical Physics, charts the rise and fall of string theory and takes a fascinating look at what will replace it.

The 9/11 Report: A Graphic Adaptation by Sid Jacobson and Ernie Colón (Hill and Wang, September). The 9/11 Commission report and final report card in graphic format from two giants of the comic industry – the 9/11 Report for every American.

The War of the World: Twentieth Century Conflict and the Descent of the West by Niall Ferguson. A consideration of why unprecedented progress has coincided with unprecedented violence and why the “seeming triumph of the West bore the seeds of its undoing.” A big book from an influential historian. (September 2006)

50+: Igniting a Revolution to Reinvent America by William Novelli (St. Martin’s Press, October). Novelli, the CEO of AARP challenges boomers on their role in America.

Palestine: Peace not Apartheid by Jimmy Carter (Simon & Schuster, October). Former US President Jimmy Carter’s assessment of what must be done to bring permanent peace to the Holy Land.

The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town by John Grisham (Doubleday, October). Grisham’s first nonfiction title is sure to be a big hit. Ronald Keith Williamson, a second-round draft pick of the Oakland Athletics in 1971, was convicted in the late 1980s of raping and killing a waitress in Oklahoma. Williamson was five days away from execution in 1999 when he was exonerated by DNA evidence.

Thunderstruck by Erik Larson (Crown Books, October). Larson, author of The Devil in the White City (2003), pairs the story of Hawley Harvey Crippen’s unhappy marriage (leading to a love affair with young Ethel Le Neve and the murder of his wife) with Guglielmo Marconi’s struggles to develop and perfect wireless technology in the face of adverse weather, envious fellow scientists, and everything in between. Marconi’s technology is eventually used to apprehend Crippen.

Exile on Main Street: A Season in Hell with the Rolling Stones by Robert Greenfield (Da Capo Press, November). The shocking, decadent, true story behind the making of the Rolling Stones’ beloved double album Exile on Main Street.

tags: books Fall 2006 book recommendations

Sterling Publishing
* Andean Folk Knits: Great Designs from Peru, Chile, Argentina, Ecuador & Bolivia by Marcia Lewandowski (Paperback, September 2006)
* Knitting Beyond the Edge: Cuffs and Collars, Necklines, Hems, Closures by Nicky Epstein (October 2006)
* Knitting Color: Design Inspiration from Around the World by Brandon Mably (October 2006)
* Museum of the Missing: a history of art theft by Simon Houpt (October 2006)
* Vogue Knitting Stitchionary 3: Color Knitting by the Editors of Vogue Knitting Magazine (October 2006)
* Knits from a Painter’s Palette: Modular Masterpieces in Handpainted Yarns by Maie Landra of Koigu Wool Designs (November 2006)
* Knit.101: the indispensible self-help guide to knitting and crocheting by the Editors of Knit.1 Magazine (November 2006)
* Origin of Everyday Things (November 2006)
* The Curry Companion (November 2006)

Merrell
* Missing Masterpieces: Lost Works of Art 1450 – 1900 by Gert-Rudolf Flick (already available)
* Reading Women by Stefan Bollmann(already available)
* In Praise of the Needlewoman: Embroiderers, Knitters and Weavers in Art by Gail Carolyn Sirna (September 2006)

Stewart, Tabori & Chang
* Secrets of Slow Cooking: Creating Extraordinary Food with your Slow Cooker by Liana Krissoff (September 2006)
* Knit 2 Together: Patterns & Stories for Serious Knitting Fun by Tracey Ullman & Mel Clark (October 2006)
* Knitting for Peace: Making the World a Better Place One Stitch at a Time by Betty Christiansen (October 2006)
* Eating Cuban: 120 Authentic Recipes from the Streets of Havana to American Shores by Beverly Cox and Martin Jacobs (November 2006)

Andrews McMeel Publishing
* The World at Worship: a Celebration by Connie Sullivan (September 2006)

Independent Publishers Group
* Andean Inspired Knits: Designs in Luxurious Alpaca by Helen Hamann (Interweave Press, September 2006)
* Cluny: In Search of God’s Lost Empire by Edwin Mullins (Bluebridge, September 2006)
* Lady of Mercy by Michelle Sagara West (Benbella Books, September 2006)
* Natural Knits for Babies and Moms: Beautiful Designs Using Organic Yarns by Louisa Harding (Interweave Press, September 2006)
* Neal Cassady: the Fast Life of a Beat Hero by David Sandison and Graham Vickers (Chicago Review Press, September 2006)
* The Broken Book by Susan Johnson (Allen & Unwin, September 2006)
* Year’s Best Fantasy 6 edited by David G. Hartwell & Kathryn Cramer (Tachyon Publications, September 2006)
* Spin to Knit: the Knitter’s Guide to Making Yarn by Shannon Okey (Interweave Press, October 2006)
* Stagestruck Vampires and Other Phantasms by Suzy McKee Charnas (Tachyon Publications, October 2006)
* The Cat’s Pajamas and Other Stories by James Morrow (Tachyon Publications, Paperback, October 2006)
* The Messiah: the Little Known Story of Handel’s Beloved Oratorio by Tim Slover (Silverleaf Press, October 2006)
* Talking to God: Portrait of a World at Prayer edited by John Gattuso (Stone Creek Publications, October 2006)
* A Journey into Ireland’s Literary Revival by R. Todd Felton (Roaring Forties Press, November 2006)
* The Grit Vegetarian Cookbook: World-Wise, Down-Home Recipes, revised and expanded by Jessica Greene and Ted Hafer (Chicago Review Press, November 2006)
* Victorian Lace Today by Jane Sowerby (XRX Books, November 2006)
* A Journey into Flaubert’s Normandy by Susannah Patton (Roaring Forties Press, February 2007)
* The Horse in the Attic by Barbara Frackowiak (Burman Books, Inc., February 2007)
* Sacred Places Europe: 108 Destinations by Brad Olsen (CCC Publishing, March 2007)
* The Erotic Agony: Bolivar’s Love and Death by Victor Paz Otero (Vellegas Editores, March 2007)

Abrams
* The Adventuress by Audrey Niffenegger (September 2006)
* The Gothic Reader: a Critical Anthology edited by Martin Myrone (September 2006)
* The New English: a History of the New English Art Club by Kenneth McConkey (November 2006)
* How to Read a Modern Painting: Lessons from the Modern Masters (December 2006)
* Worldchanging: a User’s Guide for the 21st Century edited by Alex Steffen (January 2007)

ECW

Sourcebooks

tags: books reading fall books 2006 publishing Canadian Manda Group Sterling Merrell Stewart, Tabori & Chang Andrews McMeel Publishing Independent Publishers Group Abrams ECW Sourcebooks

My disclaimer: These are the books which I personally am looking forward to hearing more about and perhaps reading. This is in no way a reflection on what I think is going to be a big hit this fall nor am I suggesting that any author is publishing a “bad” book by not listing it here. At the time the lists were created, I had not read the books (except for a few instances and then a link to my review is posted).

List of Publishers
Abrams
Andrews McMeel Publishing
Ballantine/Del Rey
Berkley Publishing Group
Broadway Books
Bulfinch Press
Canadian Manda Group
Coach House Books
Conundrum Press
Cormorant Books
Douglas & McIntyre
The Dundurn Group
ECW Press
Farrar, Strauss and Giroux
Fitzhenry & Whiteside
Goose Lane Editions
Greystone Books
Griffin
H.B. Fenn
Henry Holt and Company
Independent Publishers Group
Key Porter Books
Knopf Books
Little, Brown and Company
Llewellyn/Midnight Ink
MBI Publishing Company
McGill-Queen’s
Medallion Press
Merrell
Miramax Books
Oxford University Press
Penguin Group
Perseus Books Group
Picador
Putnam
Raincoast Books
Random House
Rendezvous Press
Simon & Schuster Canada
St. Martin’s Minotaur
St. Martin’s Press
Sourcebooks
Sterling
Stewart, Tabori & Chang
Tor
University of Toronto Press
Vehicule Press
Verso
Warner Books
Wilfrid Laurier Press

Initial Picks: BookExpo Canada picks for summer reading

tags: books Book Expo Canada reading fall books 2006 publishing Raincoast Books Farrar, Strauss and Giroux Coach House Books Dundurn Group Vehicule Press Fitzhenry & Whiteside Simon & Schuster Key Porter Books Picador St. Martin’s Minotaur Miramax Books Henry Holt and Company Medallion Press Bulfinch Press Tor St. Martin’s Press Little, Brown and Company Warner Books MBI Publishing Company Griffin H.B. Fenn Conundrum Press Llewellyn Midnight Ink Berkley Publishing Group Putnam Penguin Group Rendezvous Press Cormorant Books Douglas & McIntyre University of Toronto Press Greystone Books Wilfrid Laurier Press ECW Press Sourcebooks Goose Lane Editions Del Rey Verso McGill-Queen’s Broadway Books Knopf Books Random House Perseus Books Group Oxford University Press Canadian Manda Group Sterling Merrell Stewart, Tabori & Chang Andrews McMeel Publishing Independent Publishers Group Abrams

Now, of course, I have to figure out how to fit all this reading into my schedule!

University of Toronto Press
* Writing to Delight: Italian Short Stories by Nineteenth-Century Women Writers edited by Antonia Arslan & Gabriella Romani (August 2006)

Greystone Books
* A Mermaid’s Tale: a personal search for love and lore by Amanda Adams (September 2006)

Wilfrid Laurier Press
* Love and War in London: a Woman’s diary 1939 – 1942 by Olivia Cockett (already in print)
* Haiti: Hope for a Fragile State edited by Yasmine Shamsie & Andrew S. Thompson (already in print)

ECW Press
* Joyland by Emily Schultz (already in print)
* Murder’s Out of Tune: an Amicus Curiae mystery by Jeffry Miller (already in print)
* Sign of the Cross: a Mystery by Anne Emery (already in print)
* The Haunted Hillbilly by Derek McCormack (already in print)
* The Molly Fire: a Memoir by Michael Mitchell (already in print)
* Where She Was Standing by Maggie Helwig (already in print)
* Rootbound by Grant Buday (September 2006)

Sourcebooks
* The Jane Austen Miscellany by Lesley Bolton (already in print)
* Through a Glass Darkly by Karleen Koen (already in print)
* The God Part of the Brain: a Scientific Interpretation of Human Spirituality and God by Matthew Alper (August 2006)
* Dissent in America: the Voices that Shaped a Nation by Ralph F. Young (October 2006)

Goose Lane Editions
* La Sagouine by Antoine Maillet (September 2006)
* The Elephant Talks to God by Dale Estey (September 2006)
* The Famished Lover by Alan Cumyn (September 2006)
* Wild Apples by Wayne Curtis (October 2006)

Ballantine/Del Rey
* Benighted by Kit Whitfield (August 8, 2006)
* Misspent Youth by Peter F. Hamilton (August 29, 2006)
* Mistral’s Kiss: a Novel by Laurell K. Hamilton (December 12, 2006)

Verso
* Not One More Death: Pinter, le Carre, Eno and others demand an end to war (September 2006)
* What Happened Here: Bush Chronicles by Eliot Weinberger (September 2006)
* Auschwitz Report by Primo Levi (October 2006)
* Pirates of the Carribbean: Axis of Hope by Tariq Ali (November 2006)

McGill-Queen’s
* Satanic Purses: Money, Myth, and Misinformation in the War on Terror by R.T. Naylor (September 2006)

Broadway Books
* Swimming Upstream, Slowly: a Novel by Melissa Clark (September 12, 2006)
* Kabbalah: a Love Story by Rabbi Lawrence Kushner (October 10, 2006)

Knopf Books
* Grayson by Lynne Cox (August 2006)
* The Emperor’s Children: a Novel by Claire Messud (August 2006)
* St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves Karen Russell (September 2006)
* Decca: the Letters of Jessica Mitford edited by Peter Y. Sussman (October 2006)
* On Truth by Harry G. Frankfurt (November 2006)

Random House
* Summer Crossing: a Novel by Truman Capote (already in print)
* Human Traces: a Novel by Sebastian Faulks (September 12, 2006)
* The Shakespeare Wars: Clashing Scholars, Public Fiascos, and Palace Coups by Ron Rosenbaum (September 19, 2006)
* The Handmaid and the Carpenter: a Novel by Elizabeth Berg (November 7, 2006)

Perseus Books Group
* The Sound of No Hands Clapping: A Memoir by Toby Young (already in print)
* The Foundation: Inside the Hidden World of America’s Non-profit Giants by Joel Fleishman (September 2006)
* Tulia: Race, Cocaine, and Corruption in a Small Texas Town by Nate Blakeslee (September 2006)
* Famous Writers School: a Novel by Steven Carter (October 2006)
* Jesus Land: a Memoir by Julia Scheeres (Paperback, October 2006)
* Oasis: a Novel by Laureen Vonnegut (October 2006)
* The Case for Goliath: How America acts as the World’s Government in the 21st Century by Michael Mandelbaum (Paperback, January 2007)
* The Truth About Lou: a Novel by Angela von der Lippe (January 2007)

Oxford University Press
* Shopping for Bombs: Nuclear Proliferation, Global Insecurity, and the Rise and Fall of the AQ Khan Network by Gordon Corera (September 2006)
* The Information-Literate Historian: a Guide to Research for History Students by Jenny L. Pressness (September 2006)
* The Lost Gospel of Judas Iscariot: a new look at betrayer and betrayed by Bart D. Ehrman (October 2006)
* The Nature of Narrative: Fortieth Anniversary Edition by Robert Scholes, Robert Kellogg, and James Phelan (October 2006)
* Phantasmagoria: Spirit Visions, Metaphors, and Media by Marina Warner (November 2006)
* The English Reader: What every literate person needs to know by Diane Ravitch & Michael Ravitch (December 2006)

tags: books Book Expo Canada reading fall books 2006 publishing University of Toronto Press Greystone Books Wilfrid Laurier Press ECW Press Sourcebooks Goose Lane Editions Del Rey Verso McGill-Queen’s Broadway Books Knopf Books Random House Perseus Books Group Oxford University Press

Conundrum Press
* Something to Pet the Cat About by Elisabeth Belliveau (November 2005)
* Beauty is a Liar by Valerie Joy Kalynchuk (May 2006)
* My Own Devices: Airport Version by Corey Frost (October 2006)

Llewellyn/Midnight Ink
* The Last Secret: a Cotten Stone Mystery by Lynn Sholes & Joe Moore (September 2006)

Berkley Publishing Group
* Goodbye Lemon by Adam Davies (August 1, 2006)
* A Walk on the Nightside by Simon R. Green (September 5, 2006)
* Charmed & Dangerous by Candace Havens (September 5, 2006)
* Mona Lisa Awakening by Sunny (September 5, 2006)
* The Vampire Files, Volume 2 by P.N. Elrod (September 5, 2006)
* Washington Story by Adam Langer (September 5, 2006)
* The Saint of Lost Things by Christopher Castellani (October 2, 2006)
* Bond of Blood by Diane Whiteside (October 3, 2006)
* Grave Surprise by Charlaine Harris (November 7, 2006)
* Harrowing the Dragon by Patricia A. McKillip (November 7, 2006)
* The American Plague: the Untold Story of Yellow Fever, the Epidemice that Shaped our History by Molly Caldwell Crosby (November 7, 2006)
* The Story of Chicago May by Nuala O’Faolain (November 7, 2006)
* Bit the Jackpot by Erin McCarthy (December 5, 2006)

Putnam
* Waltzing at the Piggly Wiggly by Robert Dalby (August 2006)
* Persian Girls: a Memoir by Nahid Rachlin (October 2006)
* The Sun Over Breda by Arturo Perez-Reverte (December 2006)
* Find Me by Carol O’Connell (January 2007)

Penguin Group
* Giraffe: a Novel by J.M. Ledgard (August 17, 2006)
* Governor of the Northern Province by Randy Boyagoda (September 2006)
* The Saffron Kitchen by Yasmin Crowther (September 2006)
* Witches in the Kitchen by Blair Drawson (September 2006)
* The Ghost Map: the story of London’s deadliest epidemic – and how it changed the way we think about disease, cities, science and the modern world by Steven Johnson (October 2006)
* Extraordinary Evil: a Brief History of Genocide by Barbara Coloroso (December 2006)
* The Testament of Gideon Mack by James Robertson (December 2006)
* Ysabel by Guy Gavriel Kay (December 2006)
* The Teahouse Fire: a Novel by Ellis Avery (January 2007)

Rendezvous Press
* When Hell Freezes Over by Rick Blechta (Fall 2006)
* Dead in the Water: an Anthology of Canadian Mystery Fiction edited by Violette Malan and Therese Greenwood (Fall 2006)

Cormorant Books
* Coureurs de Bois: a Novel by Bruce MacDonald (September 2006)
* Gently Down the Stream by Ray Robertson (Paperback, September 2006)
* Terracide by Hubert Reeves (October 2006)

Douglas & McIntyre
* A Good Death by Gil Courtemanche (September 2006)
* The Earth’s Blanket: traditional teachings for sustainable living by Nancy J. Turner (Paperback, February 2007)

tags: books Book Expo Canada reading fall books 2006 publishing Conundrum Press Llewellyn Midnight Ink Berkley Publishing Group Putnam Penguin Group Rendezvous Press Cormorant Books Douglas & McIntyre

Of course, I had to dig right into the catalogues and so, before moving on to the rest of the catalogues picked up at Book Expo Canada, I’m going to report on the Fall releases from Fenn.

Key Porter Books
* The Last Generation: How Nature will take Her Revenge for Climate Change by Fred Pearce (September 2006)
* Homeland: a Novel by Paul William Roberts (October 2006)
* Orphan Love: a Novel by Nadia Bozak (February 2007)

Picador
* The Town That Forgot How to Breathe: a Novel by Kenneth J. Harvey (September 2006)
* After the Victorians: the Decline of Britain in the World by A.N. Wilson (Paperback, October 2006)
* Jar City: a Reykjavik Thriller by Arnaldur Indridason (Paperback, October 2006)
* Time was Soft There: a Paris Sojourn at Shakespeare & Co. by Jeremy Mercer (Paperback, October 2006 – see my review)
* The Brooklyn Follies: a Novel by Paul Auster (Paperback, November 2006 – see my review)
* Deep Water: the Epic Struggle over Dams, Displaced People, and the Environment by Jacques Leslie (December 2006)

St. Martin’s Minotaur
* Unseen: a Mystery by Mari Jungstedt (September 2006)
* Still as Death: a Sweeney St. George Mystery by Sarah Stewart Taylor (September 2006)
* Silence of the Grave: a Thriller by Arnaldur Indridason (October 2006)
* Murder 101: a Mystery by Maggie Barbieri (November 2006)
* Village Affairs: a Mystery by Cassandra Chan (November 2006)
* Night Falls on Damascus: a Novel by Frederick Highland (December 2006)

Miramax Books
* Night Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko (July 2006)
* The Last Siege: a Novel by Jonathan Stroud (Paperback, October 2006)
* Day Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko (January 2007)
* Letters of a Portuguese Nun: Uncovering the Mystery Behind a 17th Century Forbidden Love by Myriam Cyr (Paperback, February 2007)

Henry Holt and Company
* One Country: a Bold Proposal to End the Israeli-Palestinian Impasse by Ali Abunimah (September 2006)
* The Interpretation of Murder: a Novel by Jed Rubenfeld (September 2006)
* Kate: The Woman who was Hepburn by William J. Mann (November 2006)

Medallion Press
* Shinigami by Django Wexler (October 2006)
* The Gold Covenant by Roberta Clark (March 2007)

Bulfinch Press
* A Book of Books by Abelardo Morell (Reissue, November 2006)

Tor
* Spellbinder: a Love Story with Magical Interruptions by Melanie Rawn
(October 2006)
* The Ice Dragon by George R.R. Martin (October 2006)
* A Taste of Magic by Andre Norton and Jean Rabe (November 2006)
* The Android’s Dream by John Scalzi (November 2006)
* The Prestige by Christopher Priest (Paperback, November 2006)
* Glass Soup by Jonathan Carroll (Paperback, December 2006)

St. Martin’s Press
* How to Read a Novel: a User’s Guide by John Sutherland (October 2006)
* Pompeii: the Living City by Alex Butterworth and Ray Laurence (October 2006)
* Indiscretion: a Novel by Jude Morgan (December 2006)
* The Sidewalk Artist: a Novel by Gina Buonaguro and Janice Kirk (December 2006)

Little, Brown and Company
* Breadfruit: a Novel by Celestine Vaite (September 2006)
* The Adventure of English: the Biography of a Language by Melvyn Bragg (Paperback, September 200)
* One Good Turn by Kate Atkinson (October 2006)
* The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova (Paperback, October 2006)
* A Day of Small Beginnings: a Novel by Lisa Pearl Rosenbaum (November 2006)
* Consolation: a Novel by Michael Redhill (January 2007)
* The Thin Place by Kathryn Davis (Paperback, February 2007)
* Then We Came to the End: a Novel by Joshua Ferris (March 2007)

Warner Books
* Knitting Under the Influence by Clare Lazebnik (September 2006)
* Spring and Fall by Nicholas Delbanco (October 2006)
* Fledgling by Octavia E. Butler (January 2007)
* How to Marry a Ghost by Hope McIntyre (January 2007)
* Because She Can by Bridie Clark (February 2007)
* The Sisters Mortland by Sally Beauman (Paperback, February 2007)
* Some Like It Haute by Julie K.L. Dam (Paperback, February 2007 – see my review)

MBI Publishing Company
* Knitting Memories: Reflections on the Knitter’s Life edited by Lela Nargi (September 2006)

Griffin
* Love and Ghost Letters: a Novel by Chantel Acevedo (September 2006)
* My Big Fat Supernatural Wedding: a Collection of Stories edited by P.N. Elrod (October 2006)
* The Inheritance: a Novel by Annabel Dilke (Paperback, October 2006)

H.B. Fenn
* This Body by Tessa McWatt (September 2006)
* Liar’s Landscape: Collected Writing from a Storyteller’s Life by Malcolm Bradbury (February 2007)
* The Hourglass by Julie Parsons (February 2007)

tags: books Book Expo Canada reading fall books 2006 publishing Key Porter Books Picador St. Martin’s Minotaur Miramax Books Henry Holt and Company Medallion Press Bulfinch Press Tor St. Martin’s Press Little, Brown and Company Warner Books MBI Publishing Company Griffin H.B. Fenn

This is all in preface to this disclaimer: These are the books which I personally am looking forward to hearing more about and perhaps reading. This is in no way a reflection on what I think is going to be a big hit this fall nor am I suggesting that any author is publishing a “bad” book by not listing it here.

Okay, with all that stuff out of the way, here is the beginning of my list. I’ll probably post this over several days because there are a lot of books (more than I could possibly read between now and the end of the year to be honest).

Raincoast Books
* Atomic Sushi by Simon May (August 2006)
* Terry Jones’ Barbarians by Terry Jones & Alan Ereira (August 2006)
* Windflower: a Novel by Nick Bantock & Edoardo Ponti (August 2006)
* The Museum of Lost Wonder: a Graphic Guide to Reawakening the Human Imagination by Jeff Hoke (September 2006)
* Reading, Writing, and Leaving Home: Life on the Page by Lynn Freed (September 2006)
* Remainder by Tom McCarthy (September 2006)
* So Many Ways to Begin by Jon McGregor (September 2006)
* Empress of Asia: a Novel by Adam Lewis Schroeder (October 2006)
* The Joke’s Over: Bruised Memories of Gonzo: Hunter S. Thompson and Me by Ralph Steadman (October 2006)
* The People of Paper by Salvador Plascencia (October 2006)
* Zugzwang: a Novel by Ronan Bennett (January 2007)

Farrar, Strauss and Giroux
* Was She Pretty? by Leanne Shapton (November 2006)

Coach House Books
* Miss Lamp: a Novel by Chris Ewart (already in print)
* King by Tanya Chapman (October 2006)
* The River of Dead Trees: a Novel by Andree A. Michaud; Translated by Nathalie Stephens (October 2006)

The Dundurn Group
* The Restoration of Emily: a Novel by Kim Moritsugu (already in print)
* Does Your Mother Know by Maureen Jennings (September 6, 2006)
* Deadly Sin: a Chief Inspector Bliss Mystery by James Hawkins (January 2007)
* A Sharp Intake of Breath by John Miller (January 6, 2007)

Vehicule Press
* Dead Man’s Float by Nicholas Maes (August 2006)
* Optique: Stories by Clayton Bailey (September 2006)

Fitzhenry & Whiteside
* Keturah & Lord Death by Martine Leavitt (August 2006)

Simon & Schuster Canada
* Palestine: Peace or Apartheid? by Jimmy Carter (October 2006)
* The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly (November 2006)
* American Bloomsbury: Louise May Alcott, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Margaret Fuller, Nathaniel Hawthorne and Henry David Thoreau: Their Lives, Their Loves, Their Work by Susan Cheever (December 2006)
* Gideon the Cutpurse: Being the First Part of the Gideon Trilogy by Linda Buckley-Archer (already in print)

tags: books Book Expo Canada reading fall books 2006 publishing Raincoast Books Farrar, Strauss and Giroux Coach House Books Dundurn Group Vehicule Press Fitzhenry & Whiteside Simon & Schuster

First off, even though Monday was supposedly “slow”, compared to Sunday, at Book Expo Canada (BEC) I was amazed at how many people were around. The place was hopping and there were many well-known authors available for for signings – Guy Gavriel Kay, Brad Meltzer, Tommy Chong.

I have to admit that standing in the long lines for autographs did not appeal, so I focused on visiting the smaller presses for author signings and took the opportunity of the “quieter” day to visit with a few of the publicists and get a handle on some of the exciting offerings for summer and fall.

Here’s what I’m going to be reading for review over the next few months (reviews to come later) in anticipation of summer and early fall releases:
1. Conduct in Question by Mary E. Martin (in print, sequel to be released shortly)
2. The Abode of Love: Growing Up in a Messianic Cult by Kate Barlow (September 8, 2006 from Goose Lane Editions)
3. Wintersmith by Terry Pratchett (October 2006 from Harper Collins)
4. The Uncrowned Queen by Posie Graeme-Evans (June 6, 2006 from Atria)
5. The Garneau Block by Todd Babiak (August 15, 2006 from McClelland & Stewart)
6. Drina Bridge by Jim Bartley (July 11, 2006 from Raincoast Books)
7. The 25 Pains of Kennedy Baines by Dede Crane (August 10, 2006 from Raincoast Books)
8. Before I Wake by Robert J. Wiersema (August 8, 2006 from Random House)
9. The Book of Fathers by Miklos Vamos (July 25, 2006 from Abacus)
10. The Testament Of Gideon Mack by James Robertson (September 5, 2006 from Penguin)

I’ll be posting further updates with information on other Summer and Fall releases once I get a chance to peruse all the publisher’s catalogues.

My overall impression? There are many really exciting books being released from small and large publishers alike. It’s a great time to be a reader!