SAVVY, FUNNY look at the history and spirit of the Guinness Book of Records, and the author’s own two world records. B PLUS

GETTING INTO GUINNESS: ONE MAN’S LONGEST, FASTEST, HIGHEST JOURNEY INSIDE THE WORLD’S MOST FAMOUS RECORD BOOK
Harper
2008

FAST-PACED, FUNNY, FACT-FILLED look at the history of TV infomercials. Lots of detail, interviews, witty writing. B PLUS

BUT WAIT … THERE’S MORE!: TIGHTEN YOUR ABS, MAKE MILLIONS, AND LEARN HOW THE $100 BILLION INFOMERCIAL INDUSTRY SOLD US EVERYTHING BUT THE KITCHEN SINK
HarperBusiness
2009

POLICE PROCEDURAL MEETS COZY MYSTERY with a touch of the X-Files in this latest tale of the Peculiar Crimes Unit. B PLUS

THE VICTORIA VANISHES: A PECULIAR CRIMES UNIT MYSTERY
Bantam
2008

COMING OF AGE STORY set in then-remote Xinjiang Province during Mao’s Cultural Revolution is terrifying, touching. B PLUS

ENGLISH: A NOVEL
Viking Adult
2009

WELL-RESEARCHED, no-nonsense bio of the unsinkable, scrappy woman who cofounded Mattel, invented the Barbie doll. B PLUS

BARBIE AND RUTH: THE STORY OF THE WORLD’S MOST FAMOUS DOLL AND THE WOMAN WHO CREATED HER
HarperBusiness
2009

SASSY SAN FRANCISCO SLEUTH Sophie Katz is back in another book, a juicy tale involving ghosts and family secrets. B PLUS

LUST, LOATHING AND A LITTLE LIP GLOSS
Mira
2009

THE FANTASY, SCIENCE, and legend of jetpacks, rocketpacks, and flying cars, told in charming gonzo-journalist style. B PLUS

JETPACK DREAMS: ONE MAN’S UP AND DOWN (BUT MOSTLY DOWN) SEARCH FOR THE GREATEST INVENTION THAT NEVER WAS
Da Capo Press
2008

RIDICULOUS, YET POIGNANT story of a 1970s US family’s hapless move to Portugal in pursuit of their Catholic dream. B PLUS

WAITING FOR THE APOCALYPSE: A MEMOIR OF FAITH AND FAMILY
W. W. Norton & Company
2009

SARDONIC, RAUNCHY first novel follows a Hollywood techie’s mid-life crisis, professional and personal travails. B PLUS

BASED ON THE MOVIE: A NOVEL
Atria
2008

WITTY, WELL-RESEARCHED take on self-acceptance and body image from “fat-o-sphere” bloggers offers fresh perspective. B PLUS

LESSONS FROM THE FAT-O-SPHERE: QUIT DIETING AND DECLARE A TRUCE WITH YOUR BODY
Perigee Books
2009