October/ Novem ber 2 008 Sons & Fathers Should he flunk out or be OCTAVIA e Given Day With its themes of expelled for any reason, 513 Octavia Street social turmoil, political he’ll be drafted for the war. New Orleans, LA 70115 shenanigans and racial Provocative, humorous, and 504-899-READ (7323) prejudice, you might think compassionate, Indignation octaviabooks.com that Dennis Lehane’s – like Roth’s best-selling Plot @octaviabooks.com latest thriller, The Given against America – explores Day ($27.95, Wm. Morrow, American history’s impact STORE HOURS 978-0-688-16318-1) is a on the lives of vulnerable Open 10 am - 6 pm contemporary story. Instead, individuals. Monday - Saturday the setting is Boston, during and after WWI, where Icarus at the Edge of Time Sunday 12 Noon - 5 pm the Spanish flu, a police strike, and anti-union violence Brian Greene, one of America’s leading physicists, re- have all taken their toll. Danny Coughlin is a young beat imagines the Greek myth of Icarus in this futuristic tale

Mag cop struggling to prove himself worthy to his father, a azine set on board the starship Proxima. Icarus was born on the S t. legendary police captain. He agrees to go undercover to ship as was his father and his father’s father, but there will Const ance S infiltrate the Bolsheviks and anarchists who are recruiting t. be two more generations before the Proxima reaches its the city’s poverty-stricken immigrants, but is sympathetic t. ve. destination. As the tale begins, the Proxima is making an S

t.

n A ia to those living in similar conditions to his fellow

h S so emergency diversion to avoid a black hole. Icarus wants

av sep policemen. He further rebels by falling in love with the ct Jo to get a closer look. Although his father explains that

O Jeffer family’s Irish immigrant maid, and befriending a fugitive when something goes into a black hole it never comes out, Laurel St. black man wanted for killing a man in Tulsa. Lehane’s Icarus is confident that he can journey to the black hole’s masterful exploration of love and betrayal, idealism and edge and still make it back, but returns to find his world Annunciation St. injustice, and the essence of human nature take center profoundly and forever transformed. Icarus at the Edge stage in this epic tale. of Time ($19.95, Knopf, 978-0-307-26888-4), designed Tchoupitoulas S t. by Chip Kidd – with full-color images from the Hubble Indignation Space Telescope – is a classic exploration of the father-son Father-son relations are also at the heart of Phillip Roth’s relationship and the complexity of the universe. Located in uptown New Orleans 29th , Indignation ($26, Houghton at the corner of Octavia Mifflin, 978-0-547-05484-1). Set against and Laurel Streets between the backdrop of the Korean War, Marcus Messner is walking a tightrope Magazine and Tchoupitoulas. by transferring from a local New Jersey college to another in the conservative Midwest. He’s only there because his father, a kosher butcher, has gone mad Celebrating the with fear and apprehension for the safety spirit of inde- and well-being of his beloved son – and

pendents and

513 Octavia Street, New Orleans, Louisiana 70115 Louisiana Orleans, New Street, Octavia 513 PERMIT NO. 357 NO. PERMIT

Marcus can no longer tolerate living with 357 NO. PERMIT FRANKLIN, TN FRANKLIN,

the vitality of his parents. Now he must find his way TN FRANKLIN, PAID PAID

U.S. POSTAGE U.S.

our community. amid the customs and constraints of an POSTAGE U.S. PRSRT STD PRSRT

unfamiliar landscape, not because he’s STD PRSRT Jewish, but because he’s a free thinker. DOING OUR PART TO KEEP Local Flavors AMERICA INTERESTING Jealous Witness (with audio CD) by Andrei Codrescu Share your inspiration at indiebound.org with the New Orleans Klezmer AllStars ($19.95, Coffee House Press, 978-1-5668-9217-9) Born in Romania, Andrei Codrescu understands the spirit of his adopted New Orleans, a city that steadfastly “refuses to conform to anything that is known about it.” When It’s been a very eventful Hurricane Katrina blew through, the New Orleans landscape year. From the uneasy stock changed yet again and Codrescu, like his hero, “Tolstoy exhausted having just written Russia,” recorded it all. market to soaring gas prices, His “Maelstrom: Songs of Storm and Exile,” performed by the New Orleans the presidential election to the Klezmer AllStars on the accompanying CD, form the heart of this extreme weather, each day the honoring the dispossessed and the artists, lovers, and cultural icons who have news is fi lled with stories that infl uenced his life. Formed in 1991, the New Orleans Klezmer AllStars have fi red touch us all. In so many ways, the up people of all ages with their funky, raucous interpretation of traditional Eastern world has grown smaller. European Jewish folk music. Browse through this issue of The Octavian and you’ll discover Louisiana Governors: Rulers, Rascals, and Reformers works of non-fi ction as well as fi ction that take us to other places in by Walter Greaves Cowan and Jack B. McGuire Walter Greaves Cowan and Jack B. McGuire, veteran authorities on the the world — and help us see that our humanity is what connects us all. Louisiana political scene, trace the history of the state’s leaders from the French While we look within ourselves and our families to heal the past and and Spanish colonial eras to the present day. Using a variety of sources, including create a better future, we also look within our communities and our personal interviews with the recent governors, they describe unforgettable world with hope for the same. personalities in Louisiana Governors: Rulers, Rascals, and Reformers ($45, Univ. At Octavia Books, we look at the books that grace our shelves and all Press of Mississippi, 978-1-9341-1090-4). of the new books that are arriving daily and are amazed at the creative talent that help us learn, wonder, decide, and grow. The gift of You Are Where You Eat: Stories and Recipes is the best gift we can give the children in our lives. Time to read is one from the Neighborhoods of New Orleans of the best gifts we can give ourselves. by Elsa Hahne Eating and cooking well are not just industries So what will you read next? Whether you want to cuddle up and but ways of life for all New Orleans. Writer and read with a little one, better understand the issues of the day or simply photographer Elsa Hahne has visited the kitchens get caught up in the pages of a good story, we’ve got some wonderful of thirty-three of New Orleans’s home cooks and choices. From a beautiful new picture book by Jan Brett (Gingerbread raconteurs and has served up an expansive smorgasbord Friends) to Thomas Friedman’s latest thoughts on world issues (Hot, inspired by this vibrant city’s love affair with food in You Flat & Crowded), from Kathleen Norris’s latest refl ections on faith Are Where You Eat ($35, Univ. Press of Mississippi, 978-1-5780-6941-5). (Acedia & Me) to Philip Roth’s most recent literary masterpiece (Indignation), there’s so much that is worthy of our time. Dream Homes: What’s great about reading is that we can tune into our curiosities From Cairo to Katrina, an Exile’s Journey and give in to our cravings—better our brains should expand than our by Joyce Zonana waistlines! Instead of getting fed by 24-hour news shows, we can choose Written by Zonana, who served as head of Women’s what’s worthy of our time and attention when we sit down with a book. Studies at University of New Orleans for 15 years, Dream Homes ($15.95, Feminist Press, 978-1-5586-1573-1) begins So step away from your computer, turn off the radio and television — just after the Arab-Israeli war of 1948, when newlyweds Felix and cell phone too — and escape to the bookstore. At Octavia Books, and Nellie Zonana fl ee Cairo with their infant daughter we promise you a world of choices and much to discover. Enjoy autumn! Joyce, ending up in Brooklyn. Growing up, Joyce swiftly We look forward to seeing you soon. realizes that her Jewish family and their Egyptian culture are neither typically American nor typically American-Jewish; they eat kobeba instead of kugel and speak French instead of Yiddish. Struggling with her feelings of isolation from other Americans and frustrated by never getting full access to Egyptian-Jewish culture, Zonana sets out on a life-long journey to fi nd her place in the world. She meets her extended family living in Colombia and Brazil and travels to Cairo to get a glimpse of her parents’ past. After she and her mother survive the devastation of Katrina, Zonana comes to see that “home” is not a location, but a spiritual state of mind. Her heritage and quest are also evoked in numerous photos and family recipes. Fabulous Fiction Page 3

American Wife I See You Everywhere Alice Blackwell is thrust into a position she did not The bond between two sisters is at the heart seek. As her husband’s controversial second term in of I See You Everywhere ($24, Pantheon, the White House wears on, First Lady Alice must 978-0-375-42275-1), by Julia Glass. Louisa, older face contradictions years in the making: How can of the two, characterizes urban chic, while Clem is she both love and fundamentally disagree with her adventurous and restless, with quite a track record husband? What should she do when her private for going through boyfriends. The relationship beliefs run against her public persona? You can’t between the two is affectionate, though at help but think of Laura Bush in Curtis Sittenfeld’s times wary, competitive and antagonistic; they new novel, American Wife ($26, Random House, occasionally steal each other’s men, but are there 978-1-400-064075-5). for each other in times of need.

Supreme Courtship One Fi h Avenue The president of the United States, ticked off at the Candace Bushnell, of Sex and the City fame, Senate for rejecting his nominees, decides to get brings us One Fifth Avenue ($24.95, Hyperion, even by nominating America’s most popular TV 978-1-401-30161-3), a tale of fi ve women judge, Pepper Cartwright, to the Supreme Court. all living in the same swanky downtown Will Pepper, a straight-talking Texan, survive a apartment building. They thirst for power, for confi rmation battle in the Senate? Will becoming social prominence, and for marriages that are one of the most powerful women in the world ruin successful – at least to the public eye. When a her love life? Supreme Courtship ($24.99, Twelve, high-society matron dies, there’s a mad scramble 978-0-446-57982-7) is another classic Christopher for her penthouse apartment. There’s no better Buckley comedy about the Washington institutions commentary on the tough and tender women of most deserving of ridicule. New York City.

Liberty  e Heretic’s Daughter The latest story from Garrison Keillor fi nds Kathleen Kent is a tenth generation the denizens of Lake Wobegon lamenting Clint descendent of Martha Carrier, one of the fi rst Bunsen’s ambitions to run for Congress. They know women to be accused, tried and hanged as a witch him all too well: his unfortunate episodes involving in Salem, Massachusetts. The Heretic’s Daughter vodka sours, his rocky marriage, and his friendship ($24.99, Little, Brown, 978-0-316-02448-8) is – or whatever it is – with the 24-year-old who the story of Martha’s courageous defi ance and dresses up as the Statue of Liberty for the Fourth ultimate death, as told by her daughter, Sarah, of July parade. It’s rumored that underneath who survived. Kent paints a haunting portrait of those robes she is buck naked, and that her torch one family’s deep and abiding love in the face of contains a quart of booze. Liberty ($25.95, Viking, fear and persecution. 978-0-670-01991-5) is vintage Keillor and pure fun.

Goldengrove A Wild Ride through the Night Thirteen-year-old Nico faces the consequences In a world between legend and dream, in a time of sudden loss after the death of her sister. between childhood and adulthood, Walter Moers As her parents drift toward their own risky describes the exhilarating and comic adventures consolations, she is left alone to make sense of Gustave, a boy who aspires one day to be a of what happened, and falls into a seductive, great artist. A Wild Ride through the Night ($22.95, dangerous relationship with her sister’s enigmatic Overlook Press, 978-1-585-67873-0) is a surreal boyfriend. In Goldengrove ($24.95, Harper, adventure story infused with humor and life 978-0-06-621411-5), Francine Prose speaks to lessons, inspired by 21 woodcuts by 19th-century that life-changing moment when children realize French illustrator Gustave Doré, which are their parents can no longer help them. interspersed throughout the novel. Page 4 Noteworthy Novels

e Whiskey Rebels In the years after the American Revolution, desperate schemers vie for wealth, power, and a chance to shape a country’s destiny. Follow the adventures of Ethan Saunders, who has fallen on hard times – suspected of treason and losing the love of his life. And meet the Maycotts, successful whiskey-makers on an isolated frontier, where whiskey is currency and power. Author David Liss is well-known for his historical thrillers, and The Whiskey Rebels ($26, Random House, 978-1-400-06420-5) is his best yet. Sea of Poppies A ship and its crew face a tumultuous voyage across the Indian Ocean, to fi ght China’s vicious 19th-century Opium Wars. Over time, the crew, a e Fire motley collection of sailors and stowaways, coolies and convicts, fi nds their Long before The DaVinci Code, Katherine Neville old family ties washed away, as they come to view themselves as “jahaj- brought us The Eight, with its historical setting, bhais,” or ship-brothers. Sea of Poppies ($26, FSG, 978-0-374-17422-4), by complex puzzles, conspiracies, and a hunt for an acclaimed novelist Amitav Ghosh, captures colonial history of the Far East, object that could change the course of the world. spanning the lush poppy fi elds of the Ganges, the rolling high seas, and the At last we have the highly anticipated sequel, exotic backstreets of Canton. The Fire ($26, Ballantine, 978-0-345-50067-0), in which an electrifying global adventure continues. With exquisite prose, meticulously researched When Will ere Be Good News? history, and nonstop suspense, Neville again Three lives come together in unexpected and deeply thrilling ways in When weaves an unforgettable story of peril, action, and Will There Be Good News? ($24.99, Little, Brown, 978-0-316-15485-7), the intrigue. latest novel by Kate Atkinson to feature ex-detective Jackson Brodie. With multiple story lines that connect the characters in unanticipated ways, Atkinson is not only able to tie up some loose ends from Brodie’s last caper Devil’s Brood in One Good Turn, but leaves the door open for further misadventures. Devil’s Brood ($27.95, Putnam, 978-0-399-15526-0) is the long-awaited fi nal in Sharon Kay Penman’s trilogy about Henry II and Eleanor A Partisan’s Daughter of Aquitaine. We learn what happens when two Louis de Bernieres, acclaimed author of Corelli’s Mandolin, returns with A strong-willed, passionate people clash, a family Partisan’s Daughter ($21, Knopf, 978-0-307-26887-7), at once a love story divides, and a marriage ends in all but name. and subtle commentary on the power of storytelling. Chris, in his forties, is How could it happen that two people whose love bored, lonely, trapped in a loveless, sexless marriage. When he meets Roza, for each other was all-consuming end up as bitter a Yugoslavian émigré in her 20s whose father was one of Tito’s partisans, adversaries? Love, power, ambition, betrayal – he takes in the tales of her past as if they were oxygen in an otherwise you’ll fi nd it all in this timeless tale. airless world. You’ll fi nd the story sweetly funny and heartbreakingly sad. Guernica In 1935, Miguel Navarro makes a new start in Guernica, the center of Basque culture and tradition. He fi nds more than a new life when he meets Miren, a charismatic and graceful dancer “However little television you watch, – he fi nds someone to live for. When Guernica is devastated by German Luftwaffe, we see the watch less. Read. Read for pleasure. resilience of family, love, and tradition in the Read for happiness.” face of hardship. Guernica ($26, Bloomsbury, 978-1-596-91563-3), by Dave Boling, introduces – David McCullough, Author & Historian us to a people so strong and proud, they are willing to do whatever it takes to protect their values, their country, and their loved ones. Enriching Our Lives Page 5

Acedia & Me e Shiniest Jewel Like Kathleen Norris’s bestselling The Cloister At 49, cartoonist Marian Henley realizes that Walk, Acedia & Me ($25.95, Riverhead, time is marching on and it’s time to grow up 978-1-594-48996-9) is part memoir and part – maybe even marry the man she has been meditation. Norris demystifi es the spiritual dating for seven years – and reaffi rm the value concept of acedia (a deep weariness of the soul) of family. A moving, heartbreaking and funny through the geography of her life as a writer; her “coming-of-middle-age” graphic memoir, The marriage and the challenges of commitment in Shiniest Jewel: A Family Love Story ($21.99, the midst of grave illness; and her keen interest Springboard, 978-0-446-19931-5) is a wonderful in the monastic tradition. The insights she offers gift and keepsake. can serve us well as we attempt to manage our busy lives. Halloween Halloween is a fun holiday for grown-ups as well Measure of the Heart as kids! From tasty treats to clever crafts, spooky Through her own story and through interviews decorations to entertaining ideas, Matthew with doctors and other women who’ve followed Mead has a gift for transforming ready-made, the “Daughter Track” – leaving a job to care readily-available foods and household items for an aging parent – Mary Ellen Geist offers into creative touches for your celebration. You’ll emotional insight into one of the most diffi cult fi nd Mead’s unique, whimsical sense of style situations grown children may face during and humor in hundreds of spook-tacular ideas their lives in Measure of the Heart: A Father’s in Halloween: Tricks and Treats ($19.95, Time, Alzheimer’s, a Daughter’s Return ($23.99, Grand 978-1-603-20052-3). Happy Halloween! Central, 978-0-446-58092-2). A thoughtful and loving gift for anyone dealing with this challenge. Kni ed Cri ers Jean Adel shares patterns for the cute creatures Epilogue that have made her JEANADEL line at Anyone who has lost a loved one and faced Barney’s department store a huge hit season the uncertainty that follows should read Anne after season. The hats, mittens, and scarves can Roiphe’s beautiful memoir about marriage, be made in three sizes (for children ages 3 to 7) life, death and widowhood. In Epilogue ($24.95, and require basic knitting skills that Jean guides Harper, 978-0-061-25462-8), Roiphe moves you through in Knitted Critters ($19.95, Potter, between heartbreaking memories of her marriage 978-0-307-39466-8). Create your own adorable and the pressing needs of her daily routine as she gifts for the holidays! explores the unknown world of life after love. Eloquent and astute, Epilogue is a beacon of help and hope that we heartily recommend. Dewey Vicki Myron was a single mother who survived the loss of her family farm and an alcoholic Saying Goodbye husband. But her biggest challenge as the to Your Angel Animals new head librarian was to raise the spirits of Pets hold a special place in our lives; when we a small, out-of-the-way town in Iowa. On the lose them, our grief is real and powerful. In this coldest morning of the year, Vicki found a tiny, thoughtful book, Allen and Linda Anderson bedraggled kitten almost frozen to death in the offer solace through the various stages of grief night drop box, and her life – and the town – was and offer practical advice on helping children never the same. Dewey ($19.99, Grand Central, understand their loss, coping with runaway 978-0-446-40741-0) is a charming and moving pets, saying the right things to someone who story about life, death, small town values – and has experienced the loss of a pet and more. most of all, love. Saying Goodbye to Your Angel Animals ($13.95, New World , 978-1-577-31626-8) offers comfort and a sense of peace. Where Is Home, Little Pip? Little Pip has been warned not to wander far from home. However, a glittery black feather leads her on a chase and Pip is soon lost and all alone. How Swords will she fi nd her way back home? Come fi nd out Be smitten by the sword! Brave men and women in Where Is Home, Little Pip? ($16.99, Margaret K. have taken up the sword since ages of old, and McElderry, 978-0-689-85983-0) by Karma Wilson a fascination with this formidable weapon grips and illustrated by Jane Chapman, creators of the dedicated followers to this day. Swords ($24.99, beloved Bear books. Ages 3-7 Candlewick, 978-0-763-63148-2) by Ben Boos Gingerbread Friends is a celebration of swords and swordsmen that spans time and place – from ancient warriors such Jan Brett, one of our very favorites, returns as Beowulf to medieval knights; from stealthy with another story of the confi dent and cocky ninja and samurai to legendary maidens of war. gingerbread baby who is back looking for friends, in Illustrated with breathtaking intricacy, Swords an adventure he’ll never forget. Brett’s irresistible offers exquisite spreads showcasing specimens in images are based on the tiny village bakeries and all their shining glory. Ages 8+ snowy countryside of Switzerland in Gingerbread Baby and this sequel, Gingerbread Friends ($17.99, Putnam, 978-0-399-25161-0). Ages 4-6 Old Bear Kevin Henkes, Caldecott Medal-winning creator of Kitten’s First Full Moon, returns with beautiful paintings infused with the color of the seasons and a charismatic and huggable old bear Scrambled States of America remembering the cub he once was in an adorable Talent Show new picture book, Old Bear ($17.99, Greenwillow, The wacky scrambled states are back! This time 978-0-061-55205-2). Ages 4-7 and the rest of us too! they’ve come together for a spectacular show featuring their many goofball talents. But just when Indiana (the director) is about to call Big Words for Little People “SHOWTIME!,” Georgia gets a bad case of The bestselling team of Jamie Lee Curtis and stage fright and can’t perform in her juggling Laura Cornell re-unites to help little people act. Will the show go on, or will it be curtains? communicate in a big person’s world in Big Come see the performance in Scrambled States Words for Little People ($16.99, HarperCollins, of America Talent Show ($16.95, Henry Holt, 978-0-061-12759-5). With grown-up words 978-0-805-07997-5) by Laurie Keller. Ages 4-8 like cooperate, respect, and considerate, a big, boisterous and zany family celebrates the power of language and discovers that words are the bridge that connects us all. Ages 4-8 Our White House Conceived and co-created by the National Children’s Book and Literary Alliance, Louise, The Adventures Our White House: Looking In, Looking Out of a Chicken ($29.99, Candlewick, 978-0-763-62067-7) is an As Louise ventures out into the incomparable collection of essays, personal great wide world, she’s a not-so- accounts, historical fi ction, and poetry by more chicken chicken who isn’t afraid than 100 leading and illustrators – all to take fl ight. Newbery Medalist of which melds with an equally stunning array Kate DiCamillo’s intrepid, of original art to offer a multifaceted look at spirited, and hope-fi lled heroine America’s history through the prism of the White is brought hilariously to life with lush illustrations by acclaimed illustrator House. May we suggest buying an extra copy to Harry Bliss in Louise, The Adventures of a Chicken ($17.99, Joanna Cotler, donate to a local school? This is a vital resource for family sharing and 978-0-060-75554-6). Ages 4-8 classroom use – and a stirring reminder that the story of the White House is the story of every American. Ages 10+   Go Graphic! The Hunger Games Rapunzel’s Revenge Can you imagine a future when the United States In this swashbuckling and hilarious twist on the is no longer united, and the theme of a reality classic fairy tale, Rapunzel uses her amazing television show is “kill or be killed?” Suzanne Collins hair as a lasso and teams up with a mysterious can, in The Hunger Games ($17.99, Scholastic, outlaw to gallop around the Wild West, battling 978-0-439-02348-1). When 16-year-old Kat’s sister is villains and righting wrongs, changing lives chosen by lottery to appear in the annual televised and bringing joy to every soul she encounters. event, Kat steps up to go in her place. Equal parts Newbery Honor-winning author Shannon Hale suspense and philosophy, adventure and romance, teams up with husband Dean Hale and brilliant this futuristic novel eerily resembles the present. artist Nathan Hale in Rapunzel’s Revenge Ages 12+ ($14.99, Walker & Co., 978-1-599-90288-3). The Graveyard Book Knucklehead This chilling tale is Neil Gaiman’s fi rst full-length How did Jon Scieszka get so funny, anyway? novel for young adult readers since the bestselling Growing up as one of six brothers was a good Coraline. In The Graveyard Book ($17.99, start. Then mix in Catholic school, lots of comic HarperCollins, 978-0-060-53092-1), he tells the books, lazy summers at the lake with time to story of Bod, an unusual boy who is the only kill, babysitting misadventures, TV shows, and living resident of a graveyard, raised from infancy jokes told at family dinner. What you get as a by ghosts and werewolves. Can a boy raised by result is Knucklehead (Oct. 2, $12.99, Viking, ghosts face the wonders and terrors of the worlds 978-0-670-01138-4). Part memoir, part scrapbook, of both the living and the dead? Ages 10+ this hilarious trip down memory lane provides a glimpse into the formation of a creative mind and Ghostgirl a free spirit. Charlotte Usher feels practically invisible at school, and then one day she really is. Even worse…she’s New York, New York! dead, having choked on a gummy bear. But that doesn’t stop Charlotte from wanting to be popular – Masterpiece it just makes her more creative about achieving her The lives of James, an eleven-year-old goal. If you thought high school was a matter of life who lives in New York City, and Marvin, or death, you’ll see just how true that is after reading a beetle who lives under James’s kitchen Tonya Hurley’s new book, Ghostgirl ($17.99, Little sink, become intertwined in Elise Broach’s Brown, 978-0-316-11357-1). Ages 12+ latest book, Masterpiece ($16.95, Henry Holt, 978-0-805-08270-8). These unlikely friends get caught up in a staged art heist that could help recover a famous painting. This fast-paced mystery will have young readers on the edge of their seats as they root for boy and beetle. Brooklyn Bridge PeaceJam It’s the summer of 1903 in Brooklyn and all Adults seem to have made such a fourteen-year-old Joseph wants is to experience mess of this world, it’s no wonder that young people today the thrill, the grandeur, and the electricity of the are interested in what they can do to make the world new amusement park at Coney Island. But ever a better place. PeaceJam: A Billion Simple Acts of Peace since his parents invented the stuffed Teddy Bear, ($16.99, Penguin, 9780142412343), by Ivan Suvanjieff all Joseph does is work. And complain. And fall and Dawn Engle, profi les the Dalai Lama, Archbishop in love. And argue with his parents. He hopes Desmond Tutu, and other Nobel Peace Laureates who that everything will turn right-side up again, have worked with teens around the world as they combine but you never know. In her fi rst book in more forces to help stop the spread of disease, promote than fi ve years, Brooklyn Bridge ($17.95, Feiwel, women’s rights, provide equitable access to food and water, and more. 978-0-312-37886-8), award-winning author Karen Hesse reminds us that Now’s the time to get involved! our lives are fragile, precious, and connected. Page 8 Mindful About Money

e Snowball Although the media track him constantly, Warren Buffett himself has never told his full life story. Alice Schroeder reveals the most fascinating American success story of our time in The Snowball: Warren Buffet and the Business of Life ($35, Bantam, 978-0-553-80509-3). Being human, his own life has been a mix of strengths and frailties. Buffett’s legacy will not necessarily be his ranking on the scorecard of wealth, but his e First Billion Is the Hardest principles and ideas that have enriched people’s Now eighty years old, T. Boone Pickens built Mesa Petroleum, one of the lives. largest independent oil companies in the US. Today, Pickens is making some of the world’s most colossal energy bets on natural gas and wind. The e New Elite First Billion Is the Hardest: Refl ections on a Life of Comebacks and America’s We hear about the newly rich, people with more Energy Future ($26.95, Crown, 978-0-307-39577-1) is an autobiographical than $5 million in assets – but how did they get look into his career of improbable triumphs and at energy possibilities for there? Authors Jim Taylor and Doug Harrison America’s future. reveal that the people who drive our economy e Clean Tech Revolution are not the Ivy league-educated. They include In The Clean Tech Revolution ($15.95, Collins, 978-0-060-89624-9), authors the Donald Trumps as well as the small business Ron Pernick and Clint Wilder identify the major forces that have pushed The New Elite: Inside the owner next door. clean tech from a back-to-the-earth utopian dream to its current revolution. Minds of the Truly Wealthy ($24.95, AMACOM, By highlighting eight major clean-tech sectors – solar energy, wind power, 978-0-8144-0048-7) uncovers the fi ve classes biofuels and biomaterials, green buildings, personal transportation, the of America’s wealthiest people and shares how smart grid, mobile applications, and water fi ltration – they uncover how each is changing our culture and economy in this investors, entrepreneurs, and individuals can profi t from this next wave of entertaining and enlightening new book. technological innovation. Compelling Returns Investing in Renewable Energy Socially responsible investing (SRI) is no longer In the next 10 to 15 years, the price of renewable energy will fall a special interest, as it is now getting widespread dramatically, according to Jeff Siegel, Managing Editor at Green Chip attention from investors – for good reason. Stocks, an investment advisory service that focuses on stocks in the Scott J. Budde explains three basic strategies renewable energy market. In Investing in Renewable Energy ($27.95, Wiley, of SRI in Compelling Returns ($29.95, Wiley, 978-0-470-15268-3), Siegel and co-author Chris Nelder show how to tap 978-0-470-24058-8) to show how you can align into this market early, and logically, in order to capture healthy profi ts in st your values with your investments. A practical what they claim will be the fi rst real, social-impacting profi t trend of the 21 and valuable guide for all who want to do well by century. supporting the greater good.

Dough “Boone’s analysis of Mort Zachter’s childhood revolved around a America’s energy situation is small bread shop run by his immigrant family. 100% on the money. In easy His was a classic story of a hard-working and colorful language he family struggling to make it in America. Only tells us where we are going they were rich. While battling to work his way through night school, Zachter discovered that wrong and what we must do his bachelor uncles who ran the shop had earned about it. The country should millions of dollars in stocks and bonds. Dough listen to him – now!” ($13.95, Collins, 978-0-061-66341-3) is a true story that raises the questions about how we - Warren Buffett, Chairman & CEO think about wealth and what we learned from Berkshire Hathaway our family. Understanding Our World Page 9

Tell Me How is Ends Hot, Flat & Crowded Spending weeks with key US and Iraqi divisions – Thomas L. Friedman’s phenomenal extensively interviewing General David Petraeus The World Is Flat helped millions of readers and his subordinate commanders – Linda to see the world in a new way. In Hot, Flat & Robinson hoped to uncover the real strategies Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution – that would help end the War in Iraq. Tell Me How And How It Can Renew America ($27.95, FSG, This Ends: General David Petraeus and the Search 978-0-374-16685-4) Friedman explains how global for a Way Out of Iraq ($27.95, PublicAffairs, warming, rapidly growing populations, and the 978-1-586-48528-3) reveals behind-closed-doors astonishing expansion of the world’s middle class confrontations and astute analysis to spell out the through globalization have produced a planet that options our next president will face. is dangerously unstable. Not only is American leadership the key to the healing of the earth, it is e Closing of the American Border also our best hope for the renewal of America. Edward Alden presents a provocative, behind- the-scenes investigation into the consequences of A Declaration of Energy Independence America’s effort to secure its borders since 9/11 Jay Hakes, former head of the Energy Information and demonstrates how more stringent security Administration at the U.S. Department of can damage the US economy by discouraging Energy, takes a nonpartisan, honest approach to trade, tourism and the infl ux of diligent workers identifying workable solutions to critical issues in The Closing of the American Border: Terrorism, the US faces today in A Declaration of Energy Immigration, and Security Since 9/11 ($27.95, Independence: How Freedom from Foreign Oil Can Harper, 978-0-061-55839-9). The result is a Improve National Security, Our Economy, and the striking and persuasive assessment of the dangers Environment ($27.95, Wiley, 978-0-470-26763-9). faced by a nation that cuts itself off from the rest Hakes outlines seven economically and politically of the world. viable paths to energy independence – and also answers a question many Americans have been American Farmer asking: How can we break the links between oil When photographer Paul Mobley set out consumption, terrorism, and the war in Iraq? to capture the soul of America’s farming communities, he discovered a culture defi ned by Zoom tradition, integrity, and hard work, comprised Now available in , Zoom: The Global of the most authentic and generous individuals Race to Fuel the Car of the Future ($14.95, Twelve, he’d ever encountered. American Farmer: The 978-0-446-69866-5), by Vijay Vaitheeswaran and Heart of Our Country ($50, Welcome Books, Iain Carson, takes readers inside the global race 978-1-599-62047-3) is a stunning series of portraits to build the car of the future, as pioneers in Japan, that offer an unvarnished and intimate look inside India, China, and the USA tackle the challenge the hardships and joys of a quickly disappearing of creating automobiles that will run on cleaner lifestyle that once defi ned our national identity energy sources. and now struggles just to keep a foothold. Mad About Politics Obscene in the Extreme Mad About Politics: An Outrageous Pop-Up While the Nazis were burning books throughout Political Parody ($34.95, Welcome Books, Germany in 1939, the people of Bakersfi eld, 978-1-9337-8465-6) spares no expense when it California were doing the same thing with John comes to our elected offi cials, highlighting the Steinbeck’s new book, The Grapes of Wrath. One unbearable truth about who’s in charge. With lone librarian led the charge against the would-be precise pop-up ingenuity, the “usual gang of censors. In Obscene in the Extreme: The Burning idiots” at MAD Magazine has American power and Banning of John Steinbeck’s the Grapes of players looking enjoyably foolish. If you’re Wrath ($26.95, PublicAffairs, 978-1-586-48331-9), wondering who to vote for on Election Day, let Rick Wartzman affords us a glimpse at an Mad About Politics give you some pointers. A fun extraordinary time of upheaval in America – and diversion as the end of the presidential campaign allows us to think more critically about censorship draws near. and its consequences. Page 10 Comforts of Home

Wine Country Cooking Autumn Gatherings If sitting down to a casual, yet gracious meal When the leaves start to fall and the with a glass of wine is your idea of the best way temperature begins to drop, it’s time to to end a day, you’ll love acclaimed chef Joanne cozy up with comfort food that takes full Weir’s Wine Country Cooking ($22.50, Ten advantage of the season’s fl avors. From Speed, 978-1-580-08938-8). She captures the squash and root vegetables to cranberries fresh fl avors of Napa and Sonoma in this lushly and quince – with some hearty, savory dishes photographed cookbook that spotlights 150 – Autumn Gatherings ($19.95, Wm. Morrow, recipes for Mediterranean-inspired bites and 978-0-061-43884-4), by award-winning cooking meals plus world-class wine pairings. Cheers! instructor (and Thanksgiving expert) Rick Rogers, will help you celebrate the treasures of the fall harvest. For cooking tips, visit Rick 1001 Wines You Must Taste online at www.RickRogers.com. Before You Die Whether you’re curious about trying new wines Pillsbury Pizza Night or a seasoned connoisseur, you’ll fi nd 1001 Everybody loves the taste of home-made pizza Wines You Must Taste Before You Die ($36.95, hot out of the oven. Not only can you choose high Universe, 978-0-789-31683-7) an addictively quality, fresh ingredients for your pizza when you easy-to-browse guide to vintages, blends, wine make it at home, using refrigerated dough allows regions, and winemakers throughout the world. you to have your meal ready in a fl ash. From From classic wine regions to those that are just traditional favorites to contemporary variations, emerging, you’ll discover wines at a variety of calzones, appetizers and kid-pleasing desserts, prices in this authoritative and engaging guide. you’ll fi nd 96 super-easy recipes in Pillsbury Pizza Night: Top It, Stuff It, Twist It ($14.95, Wiley, 978-0-470-23022-0). Co ee Drinks Whether you’re attracted by the aroma, ritual, Market-Fresh Mixology caffeine, or all of the above, you’ll fi nd a full Elevate your bartending skills by using what’s range of custom-crafted possibilities in Coffee fresh from the farmer’s market, garden, or pantry Drinks ($14.95, Ten Speed, 978-1-580-08926-5) and take classic cocktails to the next level with from veteran restaurateur Michael Turback. If Market-Fresh Mixology: Cocktails for Every Season you’re in the mood for something piping hot, icy ($17.95, Surrey, 978-1-572-84095-9) by Bridget cold, milky, foaming, sweet, or spiked, Turback’s Albert. With its gorgeous full color-photos, you’ll recipes will satisfy your senses. With the prices see a presentation of each cocktail, and learn some chains now charge, a little DIY will go a tips on cocktail mixing techniques, garnishes, long way. It’s a great gift, too! enhancements, glassware, and bar tools, as well as amusing lore surrounding classic cocktails. The holidays are just around the corner – prepare Panini to dazzle your guests! Melted fontina cheese, tasty pancetta, crispy ciabatta bread – European sensibility meets comfort food in the buttered and grilled sandwich singularly known as a panino. Look to Carlo Middione’s Panini ($14.95, Ten Speed, 978-1-580-08895-4) for panini that use a variety of cheeses, meats, poultry, seafood, vegetables and condiments and are grilled, plain or open- “Autumn is faced. Savor the original Italian sandwich for lunch or dinner. a second spring when every leaf is a flower.” – Albert Camus continued from page 12 For our tasting, the chef is preparing Red State Chili and Blue State Chili. Be prepared to vote for your favorite! Page 11 Joe Simmer’s All-American Slow Cookin’ ($15.95, 2 Martini Press, 978-0-9787-8232-0) is a “Sea to Shining Sea” romp across America’s culinary and cultural landscape. Let Joe take you from the beans of Boston to the fi sh stews of San Francisco, from the stews of the heartland to the soups of the low country, from the chilies of Texas to the Creole delicacies of Louisiana - with lots of unexpected detours. Richard Campanella Presentation & Book Signing Book Clubs Bienville’s Dilemma: A Historical Geography of New Orleans Saturday, November 8 at 6 pm Starting in 1699, a teenaged French Canadian named Jean Baptiste Le Moyne, sieur de Science-Fiction Book Club Bienville grappled with a high-stakes dilemma: where should the primary city for the new Saturday, October 11 at 10:30 am French colony of Louisiana be located? Bienville eventually selected, in 1718, a swampy Babylon Babies by Maurice G. Dantec crescent of alluvium nestled between a fl ood-prone river and a storm-prone tidal lagoon. Over the next three centuries, that city, New Orleans, would struggle through countless Saturday, November 8 at 10:30 am challenges to become the largest city in the South and among the most important in the nation. It remains e Yiddish Policemen’s Union today a beacon of urban and cultural distinction, and a prophetic city for a troubled world to watch. All New by Michael Chabon Orleans’ glories, tragedies, contributions, and complexities can be traced back to the geographical dilemma Bienville confronted in 1718. Octavia Books Book Club Bienville’s Dilemma ($25, Center for Louisiana Studies, 978-1-8873-6685-4) presents sixty-eight articles on Saturday, October 18 at 10:30 am the historical geography of New Orleans, covering the formation and foundation of the city, its urbanization e Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao and population, its “humanization” into a place of distinction, the manipulation of its environment, its by Junot Diaz devastation by Hurricane Katrina, and its ongoing recovery. The most talked about – and praised – fi rst novel Laurie Halse Anderson of 2007, and winner of the Pulitzer Prize. Reading & Book Signing Saturday, November 15 at 10:30 am Chains (Ages 10+) Gods in Alabama by Joshilyn Jackson Friday, November 14 at 4:30 pm In this stunning and award-winning debut novel, Freedom. In 1776 New England, that word is on everyone’s lips. But for 13 year old Jackson tells the story of a young woman whose Isabel the word holds a different meaning, especially after the only mistress she has ever future is threatened by a crime from her youth. known dies and instead of receiving the freedom promised, she and her younger sister, What are we reading? Ruth, are sold to the Locktons, a wealthy New York family. For updates on monthly book club Equal parts political thriller and coming of age story, Chains ($16.99, Simon & Schuster, 978-1-4169-0585-1) by Laurie Halse Anderson is an impeccably researched yet completely selections, visit us online at accessible story of a young woman’s quest for freedom that brings the American Revolution to life in all its www.OctaviaBooks.com. grand and confl icted glory. MAY WE RECOMMEND… At Octavia Books we love talking about great books with customers. Here are a few recent staff favorites:

JAMES WILSON RECOMMENDS … MELANIE BRI RECOMMENDS … Buying In: e Secret Dialogue Between Impossible What We Buy and Who We Are by Nancy Werlin by Rob Walker Based on an older version of the ballad Scarborough Reminiscent of Malcolm Gladwell’s The Tipping Fair, made famous by Simon & Garfunkle, a girl is forced Point, this is a fascinating look at why we buy the to complete seemingly impossible tasks before a certain things we do. Rob helps us understand what he calls deadline. Should she fail, she will lose her sanity, her the “Desire Code” – the competing elements of family, and the boy she loves. buying something to feel unique, and at the same time An intriguing premise for a story, to take a folk buying something to be identifi ed as part of a group. song and make it a curse, or a clue to it, captured my In Buying In ($25, Random House, 978-1-4000-6391-8), Rob explains interest right away. It’s impossible to put Impossible ($17.99, Dial, 978-0- how consumers are much more savvy in the 21st century, and how and 8037-3002-1) down. Although it was written for the young adult market, it why certain products become so popular, not based so much on effective touches on some pretty heavy material, but it resolves so that I would gladly marketing, but through a different paradigm. Buying In is part cultural let anyone from around age 13 and up enjoy it with free reign and a box of tissues. anthropology, part marketing book, and wholly entertaining. Rheta Gimsley Johnson Brian Yaeger Reading & Book Signing Book Signing & Beer Tasting Poor Man’s Provence: Red, White, & Brew: An American Beer Odyssey Finding Myself in Cajun Louisiana Saturday, October 25 at 12 Noon ursday, October 2 at 6 pm Red, White, and Brew ($14.95, St. Martin’s Griffi n, 978-0- The revival of French Louisiana’s traditional music and 312-38314-5) is the ultimate beer run across the United States, cuisine often has been cheapened by counterfeits. Confused during which Brian Yaeger visits fourteen breweries of various pilgrims sometimes look to New Orleans for a sampler sizes and talks to founders, owners, brewmasters, consumers, platter of all things Cajun. Close, but no cigar. Poor Man’s and anyone else he meets on his odyssey who enjoys the Provence ($23.95, New South Books, 978-1-5883-8218-4) helps defi ne what’s what making, tasting, and appreciating of brews. through lively characters and stories. The book is both personal odyssey and You’ll learn all about the roots of brewers who brought their craft with them good reporting, travelogue and memoir, funny and frank. This beguiling place is from their homeland, how the tradition is faring today and where it may head in the as exotic as it gets without a passport. The author shares what keeps her coming future. Covering everything from fi fth-generation family-run brewing companies to home to French Louisiana. fi rst-wave microbreweries, this book is a travelogue, guide, and genealogical study And as NPR commentator Bailey White observes in her foreword, “Both of beer families and homebrewers from Portland, Maine, to Portland, Oregon. It is Rheta’s readers and the people she writes about will be comfortable, well fed, fi lled with eclectic characters and shrewd businesspeople who populate an industry highly entertained, and happy they came to Poor Man’s Provence.” as old as the New World, and who produce liquid philanthropy, one keg at a time. William Conescu Darren Shan Reading & Book Signing Reading & Book Signing Being Wri en Cirque Du Freak Series, Young Adult Vampire Novels Monday, October 6 at 6 pm Monday, October 27 at 6 pm Daniel Fischer has a secret. He knows he’s a character in Get a jump start on Halloween celebrations with Octavia a book that’s being written. He’s the only one who knows, Books as we welcome Darren Shan, author of the Cirque De the only one who’s aware of the author’s presence – but what Freak series of young adult vampire novels (movie recently good does it do Daniel? He’s just a minor character. The fi lmed in New Orleans). Costumes aren’t required, but they are author seems much more interested in other people’s lives. encouraged! Now Daniel is determined to win a bigger part, and he’ll do One Book / One New Orleans whatever it takes to get the author’s attention and make this story his own. Suspenseful, subversive, and hilarious, Being Written ($13.95, HarperPerennial, Discussion at Octavia Books 978-0-0614-5134-8) is an audaciously inventive literary turn that gleefully calls City of Refuge by Tom Piazza into question who we trust, what we believe, and how the stories of our lives are Tuesday, October 28 at 6 pm created. Join with other people all across the city as the group One Book/One New Orleans discusses their selection for 2008. Lesley Blume, Young Adult Novelist There will be a limit of 15 people that can join the discussion Reading & Book Signing group. Please call in advance to reserve a space. It is fi rst Tennyson come, fi rst served. Tuesday, October 7 at 4:30 pm In November 2005, Octavia Books hosted the event that It’s 1932, the Depression. Things are evening out among launched Tom Piazza’s Why New Orleans Matters, the book that people everywhere. Tennyson Fontaine and her sister Hattie defi ned New Orleanians’ response to Hurricane Katrina and live in a rickety shack of a house with their mother and father the impact on our people and culture. Now, in City of Refuge and their wild dog, Jos. There is no school, only a rope swing ($24.95, HarperCollins, 978-0-0612-3861-1), this brilliantly in the living room and endless games of hide-and-seek in the talented, award-winning writer reaches deeper and wider to offer a shattering, woods on the banks of the Mississippi. But when their mother disappears and their panoramic novel that traces the stories of two families – one white and one black father sets off to fi nd her, the girls fi nd themselves whisked away to Aigredoux, – as lives are torn apart by the storm and then slowly stitched back together in its once one of the grandest houses in Louisiana, and now a vine-covered ruin. Under aftermath. the care of their austere Aunt Henrietta, who is convinced the girls will save the Joe Simmer family’s failing fortunes, Tennyson discovers the truth about Aigredoux, the secrets Book Signing & Tasting that have remained locked deep within its decaying walls. Caught in a strange web of time and history, Tennyson comes up with a plan to bring Aigredoux’s past to Joe Simmer’s All-American Slow Cookin’ light. But will it bring her mother home? Please join us to meet Leslie Blum and Saturday, November 1 at 6 pm learn more about her marvelous depression era novel, Tennyson ($15.95, Knopf, Join us in gearing up for the election with Joe Simmer! The 978-0-375-84703-5). author of two previous slow cooking cookbooks, Joe Simmer’s Creole Slow Cooking and Joe Simmer’s Healthy Slow Cooking, this time Joe conquers traditionally American fare, such as chili and apple pie. continued on page 11