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EUROPE CENTRAL by William T. Vollmann '81 (Viking). In this complex work, Vollmann presents a series of intertwined stories that reveal the moral decisions made by various Germans and Russians--some famous, some infamous, some unknown--during World War II. He delves into the composer Dmitri Shostakovich's slippery relationship with the Stalinist state and explores the fates of such artists and writers as Käthe Kollwitz, Anna Akhmatova, and the documentary filmmaker Roman Karmen.

Readers have had a hard time keeping up with the prolific Vollman. Earlier this year, Thunder's Mouth Press brought out Expelled From Eden, a Vollmann reader edited by Larry McCaffery and Michael Hemmingson. Before that, there was Rising Up and Rising Down (McSweeney's Books), a harrowing and encyclopedic meditation on violence made all the more remarkable by Vollmann's first-hand experience in war zones and killing fields. It was a finalist for the 2003 National Book Circle Critics Award.

OGDEN NASH by Douglas M. Parker '56, LLB '58 (Ivan R. Dee). A sympathetic account of the popular humorist poet who wrote as facilely for the New Yorker as for Hollywood, Broadway, and Hallmark Cards. Parker, a retired lawyer writing with the Nash family's cooperation, provides numerous examples of Nash's distinctive poetry, whose wit was underscored by gentle social commentary, antic wordplay, and rhyme and meter that seemed random but were meticulously composed.

SEE ISABELLE RUN by Elizabeth Bloom (Warner Books / Mysterious Press). In her sixth mystery (the first published under her married name), Cornell Alumni Magazine contributing editor Beth Saulnier follows the escapades of a small-town girl who moves to New York City to get married, only to find herself jilted at the altar--and targeted by a killer who is offing her fellow employees at a Martha-meets-Oprah media conglomerate.
THE GOOD WIFE by Stewart O'Nan, MFA '92 (Farrar, Straus & Giroux). Patty Dickerson, the eponymous good wife of O'Nan's ninth novel, is twentyseven and pregnant when she learns that her husband and his friend have committed a string of burglaries and are being charged with murder after a woman dies during their latest breakin. O'Nan uses careful observation and quiet lyricism to build a portrait of Patty's commitment to her marriage as she waits twenty-eight years for her husband to get out of jail.
SEIZE THE TRIDENT by Douglas R. Burgess Jr., JD '02 (International Marine). In 1889, the Kaiser declared that he would “seize the trident” from English shipping firms and build the biggest, fastest, most luxurious passenger ships in the world, thereby sparking a friendly rivalry that became a clash of fierce national pride, personal ego, and global ambitions. Burgess, a specialist in modern high-seas piracy, re-creates the story of the personalities and forces behind the building of the Titanic, Lusitania, Deutschland, Kaiser Wilhelm II, and other superliners.

Recently Published | Fiction

GREEN STREAK by Daniel J. Hale, MBA '91, and Matthew LaBrot (Top Publications). The uncle-nephew writing team follow up their Agatha Award-winning novel, Red Card, with a sequel that has been nominated for an Agatha Award for Best Young Adult Novel.

MURDER IN ALPHABET CITY by Lee Harris [Syrell Rogovin Leahy '56] (Fawcett). Newly promoted NYPD detective Jane Bauer reopens a cold case that was ruled a suicide.Her investigation uncovers another grisly suicide, and she realizes that the two may very well be connected.

Recently Published | Non-fiction

A MAN'S GAME by John Dudley '87 (University of Alabama Press). An assistant professor of English at the University of South Dakota explores the development of American literary naturalism as it relates to definitions of manhood in the works of such writers as Stephen Crane, Jack London, Frank Norris, Edith Wharton, Charles Chestnutt, and James Weldon Johnson.

VOCES HISPANAS SIGLO XXI by Elvira Sanchez- Blake, MPS '89, PhD '98, and Maria Nowakowska Stycos, PhD '77 (Yale University Press). Two senior lecturers in Spanish literature at Cornell present texts by thirteen Hispanic writers and interviews with the writers on DVD.

THE LAST EPIC NAVAL BATTLE by David Sears, MILR '86 (Praeger Publishers). Often overshadowed by such battles as Midway or Guadalcanal, the Battle of Leyte Gulf in October 1944 was the biggest naval battle in history. It involved 200,000 men and more ships than the Battle of Jutland in World War I, and was the last time that capital ships fought within sight and sound of each other.

DIGGING: THE WORKERS OF BOSTON'S BIG DIG by Michael Hintlian, MBA '81 (Commonwealth Editions). Hintlian, a documentary photographer, spent seven years photographing the 5,000 men and women who have toiled on the largest urban public works project in U.S. history.

THE HOUSE YOU BUILD by Duo Dickinson '77, BArch '78 (The Taunton Press). An awardwinning architect demonstrates that a custombuilt house doesn't have to come with a skyhigh price tag.

ALLIES OR ADVERSARIES by Craig E. Holm '76, MBA '78 (Health Administration Press). A health-care management consultant lays out strategies for developing effective working relationships within medical organizations.

MENTAL DISORDERS, MEDICATIONS, AND CLINICAL SOCIAL WORK by Sonia G. Austrian (Columbia University Press). An associate professor of public health and psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical College discusses the etiology, epidemiology, assessment, and intervention planning for common mental disorders.

TOTAL REJUVENATION by Barry J. Cohen '83 (MDPress). A comprehensive guide to invasive cosmetic techniques and non-invasive alternative treatments in advanced skin care and body contouring.

EAT WELL THE YOCHEE WAY by Nikki Schulman Goldbeck '68 and David Goldbeck (Ceres Press). A cookbook that offers 275 recipes demonstrating the health benefits and versatility of yogurt cheese.

MASTERS OF SUCCESS by Ivan R.Misner and Don Morgan (Entrepreneur Press). Ed Craine '73, MBA '75, contributed a chapter to this Wall Street Journal bestseller about methods for attaining success.

GUIDE TO THE DISSECTION OF THE DOG, 6th edition by Howard E. Evans '44, PhD '50, and Alexander deLahunta, DVM '58, PhD '63 (Elsevier). A practical guide that teaches basic mammalian structure and specific canine features.

MARCHING TO COLLEGE by Sean-Michael Green, JD '03, with Lauren Newman (The Princeton Review). A military education consultant explains how to use the G.I. Bill and other resources to get into, pay for, and succeed in college.

BIG MOOSE LAKE IN THE ADIRONDACKS edited by Jane A. Barlow, PhD '81, and Mark Barlow, EdD '62 (Syracuse University Press). A collection of antique postcards, memoirs, photographs, oral histories, diary entries, and personal correspondence that brings to life the people who settled Big Moose Lake.

COURAGEOUS HEALING by Fred Craver '63 (Riko Books). Drawing lessons from his own life, a physicist reveals healing techniques to help people recover from traumatic experiences or feelings of anger and resentment.

OPTIMIZE YOUR LIFE by Bernhoff A. Dahl, MD '64 (Wind-Breaker Press).How to put your life in order, with lessons on setting and attaining goals.

THE HR ANSWER BOOK by Shawn Smith and Rebecca Mazin '79 (AMACOM Books). A road map for navigating the everyday questions, obstacles, and unexpected twists of managing employees.

LIVING WITH CHRONIC PAIN by Jennifer Schneider '63 (Hatherleigh Press). Expert advice on treatments for chronic pain, from a member of the American Academy of Pain Management.

CURRENT ISSUES IN CONVENTION AND EXHIBITION FACILITY DEVELOPMENT by Robert R. Nelson '83 (Haworth Hospitality Press). An anthology of research into the realities of the inter-city competition for meetings and the community planning that must precede any decision to invest in a convention center.

Recently Published | Children's

THE SUGAR CHILD by Monique de Varennes '69, illustrated by Leonid Gore (Atheneum). A young girl formed from marzipan by a childless baker magically comes to life.

PILGRIM CAT by Carol Antoinette Peacock '70, illustrated by Doris Ettlinger (Albert Whitman & Co.). A picture book that gives a young girl's perspective on the first Thanksgiving.

A YEAR OF JEWISH STORIES by Grace Maisel and Samantha Shubert '87 (UAHC Press). Drawing on Jewish tradition and enlivened by a modern sensibility, this collection of new and classic tales helps families explore Jewish values through storytelling.

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