Freakonomics
by Steven D. Levitt

The Historian
by Elizabeth Kostova

From cheating and crime to sports and child-rearing, a rogue economist and his co-writer offer a view of how the world really works. Winner of the American Economic Association's 2003 John Bates Clark Medal.

In this riveting debut novel, a young girl discovers her father's darkest secret and embarks on a harrowing journey across Europe to complete the quest he never could--the quest to find history's most legendary fiend: Dracula.

Kidd's debut, "The Secret Life of Bees," spent 77 weeks on "The New York Times" bestseller list. Now, in her much-anticipated new novel, Kidd has woven an engrossing tale of relationships and life in South Carolina.

Crusaders Cross
by James Lee Burke

The World is Flat
by Thomas L. Friedman

Marvel 1602
by Neil Gaiman

On a visit to a dying cop whom he once hated, former New Orleans police officer Dave Robicheaux is led towards the solution of the disappearance of a young woman he and his brother once knew--and family secrets he must confront and resolve.

Friedman explains how the flattening of the world happened at the dawn of the twenty-first century; what it means to countries, companies, communities, and individuals; and how governments and societies can, and must, adapt. The World Is Flat is the timely and essential update on globalization.

All's not well in the Marvel Universe in the year 1602 as strange storms are brewing and strange new powers are emerging. As the world begins to enter a new age, Gaiman weaves a thrilling mystery about how Marvel stars begin appearing nearly 400 years before they're supposed to.
[graphic novel]

The Year of Pleasures
by Elizabeth Berg

Lincoln Lawyer
by Michael Connelly

Bad Baby
by Ross MacDonald

When Betta Nolan's husband dies, she honors a promise she made to him to move to a small town and start a new life. Without minimizing her great sorrow, she nonetheless attempts to find pleasure on a daily basis. Betta's journey from grief to joy is an inspiring reminder that life is ready to give bountifully to those who will receive.

Connelly, author of the best-selling Harry Bosch police procedurals such as "The Closers" proves he can handle even the legal thriller genre with this intricate and cynical look into the criminal justice system.  Mickey Haller defends low-life criminals who seem to offend habitually. With no actual office in which to hang his law degree, he works out of the backseat of his Lincoln Town Car.

Jack, the handsomely rugged superhero of MacDonald's "Another Perfect Day", is back to grapple with his next big challenge - a new baby sister. Jack's baby sister keeps growing until she's about ten stories tall, wreaking havoc with every step - and, of course, Jack gets all the blame in this charming picture book that deals with sibling rivalry.
 [children's picture book]

LAPD detective Harry Bosch is back on the force after a two-year retirement. Assigned to the Open Unsolved (cold cases) unit and teamed with former partner Kiz Rider, Harry's first case involves the killing of a high school girl 17 years before, reopened because of a DNA match to blood found on the murder gun.

In four distinct and riveting first-person voices, British Author Hornby tells a story of four individuals confronting the limits of choice, circumstance, and their own morality. This is a tale of connections made and missed, punishing regrets, and the grace of second chances.

With vivid, unforgettable characters, dreamy Lowcountry settings, and the authentically brazen, compulsively readable Southern voice that have made her one of today's greatest storytellers, Dorothea Benton Frank delivers her most extraordinary novel yet.
 

Oskar Schell is an inventor, Francophile, tambourine player, Shakespearean actor, jeweler, and pacifist. He is also nine years old. And he is on an urgent, secret search through the five boroughs of New York to find the lock that fits a mysterious key belonging to his father, who died in the attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11.

With the Harry Potter Express chugging closer to its final destination, the sixth book in the series gets down to business. Opening just a few weeks after the previous book left off, the penultimate entry in the series is, as the author foretold, the darkest and most unsettling yet. Harry is almost 17 now, and this is a book for older readers, who will best understand the moral implications of his choices.

New Jersey bounty hunter Stephanie Plum has decided to quit her job. She wants something safe. She wants something normal. She's tired of creeps, weirdos, and stalkers. Then just when she thinks she's out, they pull her back in.

Set in the 1950s and '60s, Kadohata's moving first novel is narrated by a first-generation Japanese-American girl who moves with her family from Iowa to Georgia when their Oriental foods grocery store goes out of business. There, Katie and her family face hardships, including discrimination and the harsh conditions at the poultry plant where her mother works. 
[2005 winner of the Newbery]

When Mary Boleyn comes to court as an innocent girl of fourteen, she catches the eye of Henry VIII. Dazzled by the king, Mary falls in love with both her golden prince and her growing role as unofficial queen. However, she soon realizes just how much she is a pawn in her family's ambitious plots as the king's interest begins to wane and she is forced to step aside for her best friend and rival: her sister, Anne. Then Mary knows that she must defy her family and her king, and take her fate into her own hands.
[available in large print in 2005]

A meticulous, fascinating look at the life of the legendary "Bear" Bryant (1913 -1983), longtime head football coach of the University of Alabama's fearsome "Crimson Tide".  Paul Bryant was a man of contradictions, which makes it easy to focus on the extremes of his personality. Sports journalist Barra, however, provides a balance between the college football legend's flaws and strengths in this satisfying account of the real man.