GREEDY BASTARDS: How We Can Stop Corporate Communists, Banksters, and Other Vampires from Sucking America Dry (Simon & Schuster). MSNBC host Dylan Ratigan offers a post-partisan manifesto on education, healthcare, China, and foreign oil. Greedy Bastards is a call to action and a muscular defense of a fading American dream.

In A UNIVERSE FROM NOTHING: Why There Is Something Rather Than Nothing (Free Press) physicist, public intellectual, and bestselling author Lawrence M. Krauss gives provocative new answers to the most basic philosophical questions—Where did the universe come from? How is it going to end? Why are we here?—ultimately showing that science is the new ethics.

New York Times “ideas and trends” reporter Patricia Cohen offers a fascinating, revelatory, timely book about middle age—IN OUR PRIME: The Invention of Middle Age (Scribner). Here’s a link to her recentNYT story, “Get a Midlife.”

In MUCH ADO ABOUT LOVING: What Our Favorite Novels Can Teach You About Date Expectations, Not So-Great Gatsbys, and Love in the Time of Internet Personals (Free Press), Jack Murnighan and Maura Kelly give funny, honest relationship advice based on literature’s most famous (and infamous) couples. This HuffPo Story and slideshow, “Sex Advice from Literary Women: 10 Steamy Secrets from Classic Novels” says it all.

POWER CONCEDES NOTHING: One Woman’s Quest for Social Justice in America, from the Courtroom to the Kill Zones (Scribner) is the inspiring, hard-hitting memoir of the life and vocation of Connie Rice, one of the nation’s most influential civil rights attorneys.

CRAZY ENOUGH: A Memoir (Free Press). Singer and performer Storm Large grew up watching her mother suffer from mental illness. Fearing that she would end up the same way, Storm opted for a self-destructive path of drugs and promiscuity—until her passion for singing helped her overcome her demons.

EMOTIONAL EQUATIONS: Simple Truths for Creating Happiness + Success

Martha Beck, bestselling author of Finding Your Own North Star, shows how to heal yourself and others in FINDING YOUR WAY IN A WILD NEW WORLD: Reclaim Your True Nature to Create the Life You Want (Free Press). She provides four transformative steps for personal rejuvenation.

In ONE PERFECT WORD: One Word Can Make All the Difference (Howard) bestselling novelist Debbie Macomber turns her attention to true stories that show how focusing for one year on a single word—such as “balance” or “believe”—had a lasting, life-changing impact on her and those around her.

Fans of Philippa Gregory and Anne Easter Smith take note: THE CROWN by Nancy Bilyeau (Touchstone) brings the English Reformation to life through the adventures of an aristocratic young novice who must find a legendary crown in order to save her father’s life and preserve the way of life she loves from Oliver Cromwell’s ruthless terror. This debut has already garnered great critical acclaim.

Matt Bondurant, author of The Wettest County in the World, returns with THE NIGHT SWIMMER (Scribner), a suspenseful novel about a young American couple who win a pub on the southern-most tip of Ireland and become embroiled in the local violence and intrigue.

THE KINGS OF COLORADO

THE LADY MATADOR’S HOTEL by National Book Award finalist Cristina García(Scribner) is a dazzling novel about the intertwining lives of the denizens of a hotel in an unnamed Latin American country. The NYTBR says, “The novel has the energy of an obsessive tango. Or, indeed, a bullfight.”

Colm Toíbín’s latest collection, THE EMPTY FAMILY: Stories (Scribner), is now in paperback.

THE JOURNAL OF BEST PRACTICES: A Memoir of Marriage, Asperger Syndrome, and One Man’s Quest to Be a Better Husband

A CHARITABLE BODY: A Novel of Suspense by Robert Barnard (Scribner). “Inspector Charlie Peace, Barnard’s Yorkshire detective, plays a part in this mystery, but it is his wife, Felicity, who takes center stage…Barnard’s mysteries reflect England’s golden age of Agatha Christie whodunits, but his characters are modern, well-rounded, and sympathetic. A wonderful read.”—Wendy Foster Leigh, The King’s English, Salt Lake City, Utah

Stef Penney’s new novel, The Invisible Ones, is just out from Putnam and getting high praise. We have her Costa Prize-winning first novel, THE TENDERNESS OF WOLVES(Simon & Schuster), a suspenseful tale set in Canada’s frozen Northern Territory in 1867 in which a woman discovers a murder, only to learn that her fugitive son is the prime suspect. Perfect reading for long winter nights.

Have you seen the new NBC Wednesday-night sitcom, “Are You There, Chelsea?” starring Laura Prepon as Chelsea Handler and Chelsea Handler as her older sister? Click here for a preview. Don’t forget that it’s based on Chelsea Handler’s #1 NYT bestseller,ARE YOU THERE, VODKA? IT’S ME, CHELSEA (Gallery).

I’ve been a fan of Tamar Adler’s AN EVERLASTING MEAL: Cooking with Economy and Grace (Scribner) since I read the manuscript. This one is for fans of M.F.K. Fisher, Michael Pollan, and Alice Waters. Tara Parker-Pope’s recent NYT story, “A Recipe for Simplifying Life: Ditch All the Recipes” explains why it’s a must-have for people who like to cook.

We have just published Jaycee Dugard’s NYT bestseller memoir, A STOLEN LIFE(Simon & Schuster), in Spanish. Our International Sales Coordinator Edison Garcíaoffers this review of UNA VIDA ROBADA: “Dugard no sólo se limita a contar estos horrorosos hechos, sino que también nos aconseja y enseña a valorar todo lo bueno y maravilloso que la vida nos ofrece.”

“Dugard opens up her soul not only to share with us her life, but also to teach us that we can appreciate all the good and wonderful moments that life has to offer.”

Lisa Lutz was recently in the Simon & Schuster offices talking to a group of librarians about the fifth installment in her beloved Spellman series, TRAIL OF THE SPELLMANS:Document #5 (Simon & Schuster, February 2012). To put it simply, she brought the house down and had the librarians rolling in the aisles. I am new to the Spellmans—a chaotic family of private investigators who have major trust, privacy, relationship, substance abuse, and general behavioral issues—but immediately got what the hype was about after finishing the first novel, THE SPELLMAN FILES: Document #1 (Simon & Schuster). The bottom-line is that these characters are unique, the narrative is instantly engaging, and the family dynamics provide immediate fodder for any book club discussion. That’s why we selected The Spellman Files as our January Book-of-the-Month pick on Something to Read About: The S&S Book Club. Stop by to read an excerpt, download the reading group guide and cast of characters, and let us know which Spellman you’d want to trail…

Great things are happening for Carry the One (March 2012), the story of three siblings whose lives are changed forever in the wake of a tragic accident. More about that in the March newsletter.

GOLD (July 2012) has pretty much everyone talking about it. Chris Cleave’s remarkable follow up to Little Bee is the story of two world-class cyclists—friends and rivals—competing for a single slot on the British Olympic team. It’s a story of love and friendship, marriage and parenthood, tragedy and redemption, mortality and forgiveness. Chris Cleave writes with compassion and grace. His characters are complicated and flawed, human and heroic. You’ll turn each page to find out what happens, and re-read sentences to savor his language and insights. And you’ll never think of Star Wars the same way again. Here’s avideo of Chris explaining why he wrote Gold.

SimonNovels.com also spotlights John Irving’s masterful new novel about secrets, desire, and identity,IN ONE PERSON (May 2012) along with three other knockout debut novels:

		THE GREEN SHORE by Natalie Bakopoulos (June 2012)—one family’s heartbreaking story of love and resistance during the Greek military junta of 1967.
		IN THE SHADOW OF THE BANYAN by Vaddey Ratner (July 2012), the story of a young girl coming-of-age amid the Cambodian killing fields.
		and THE TWELVE ROOMS OF THE NILE by Enid Shomer (August 2012), which imagines that Florence Nightingale and Gustave Flaubert, both travelling in Egypt in 1849, forge a deep bond that alters their destinies.

I’ve read them all. Each one is better than the next. These are beautifully written, moving, provocative novels that will keep you thinking about them long after you’ve read their final pages. You can download eGalleys from the website or email me directly for an ARC. And, please send me a note telling me how you like them!

Scribner

THE CREATIVITY CURE: A Do-It-Yourself Prescription for Happiness (May 2012). Carrie Barron, M.D., an accomplished psychiatrist, and Alton Barron, M.D., a premier hand surgeon, offer a self-help guide to fulfillment and happiness that takes creative expression as the key to overcoming anxiety and depression.

In Harriet Lane’s debut novel, ALYS, ALWAYS (June 2012) a young woman is suddenly thrust into the glamorous, fascinating life of literary high society.

Have you read Anne Holt’s 1222? BLIND GODDESS (June 2012) is the first of the Norwegian author’s thrillers to start beloved heroine Hanne Wilhelmsen, who investigates a murder case that reveals massive governmental corruption. We’re publishing this as a trade paper original.

Humorist Dan Zevin takes a backwards look at acclimating to adulthood, one gray hair at a time, in his memoir, DAN GETS A MINIVAN: Life at the Intersection of Dude and Dad (May 2012). How great is that subtitle?

Elegantly weaving together history and nature writing, environmental lawyer Eric Rutkow’s non-fiction debut AMERICAN CANOPY: Trees, Forests, and the Making of a Nation (April 2012) recounts the 400-year history of the trees and forests of the United States.

The final, unfinished memoir by award-winning novelist, poet, and essayist Reynolds Price, MIDSTREAM: An Unfinished Memoir (May 2012) picks up his story in 1958, at the threshold of adulthood, when he began his freshman year at Duke University.

Simon & Schuster

In DROP DEAD HEALTHY: One Man’s Humble Quest for Bodily Perfection (April 2012),A.J. Jacobs attempts another ambitious experiment: to become the healthiest man in the world. This one will have you taking the stairs!

In an attempt to revitalize his mechanical, shut off routine, physics professor Francis Slakey vowed to climb the highest mountain on each continent and surf every ocean, beginning a journey that nearly killed him—but instead opened him up to the possibilities of life in TO THE LAST BREATH: A Story of Going to Extremes (May 2012).

Daniel Smith’s new memoir is by turns hilarious, harrowing, and inspiring. MONKEY MIND: A Memoir of Anxiety (July 2012) graciously explores the life of one of the 40 million Americans who suffer from chronic anxiety. Great opening line, right?: “The story of my anxiety begins with two women, naked, in a living room in upstate New York.”

Gallery

In YOU’RE NOT DOING IT RIGHT: Tales of Marriage, Sex, Death, and Other Humiliations (February 2012) the actor, comedian, NYT bestselling author, and professional neurotic Michael Ian Black offers an honest and surprisingly touching look at his own life, filtered through his darkly cynical sense of humor.

Free Press

WE HEARD THE HEAVENS THEN: A Memoir of Iran (April 2012) by Aria Minu-Sepehr is the story of a privileged general’s son who is forced to grow up quickly when his life is turned upside down by the 1979 Iranian revolution.

In SEASON OF THE WITCH: Enchantment, Terror and Deliverance in the City of Love(May 2012) David Talbot tells the story of San Francisco’s most tumultuous period, from 1967-1982, which produced today’s liberal, open and tolerant City by the Bay—and gave birth to a set of social values that has shaped the nation, and the national debate, in the decades since.

Trade paper original: In Katie Kitamura’s new novel GONE TO THE FOREST (August 2012), a volcanic eruption in an unnamed colonial country ignites a revolution and throws a family into turmoil.

Atria/Emily Bestler Books/Washington Square Press

Sarah Pekkanen’s new trade paper original, THESE GIRLS (April 2012), follows three young women living in New York City as they navigate their complex, rich, and sustaining friendship.

Billy Elliot meets The Golden Girls in ENCORE PERFORMANCE: How One Woman’s Passion Helped a Town Tap into Happiness (April 2012). When Vicki Riordan revived her dream of running a dance studio at the age of 62, she unexpectedly started a large, vibrant community of women of all ages, bound together by a love for dance. Check them out here and here.

A complex thriller for fans of Greg Iles, ICE FIRE (May 2012) by David Lyons introduces Jack Boucher, a Cajun born Judge, who must go outside the law to prevent an ecological disaster.

The first in a debut trilogy, Alex Adams’s WHITE HORSE (April 2012) imagines a post-apocalyptic world in which a virus has begun to wipe out humanity. This one is for fans ofThe Hunger Games and The Road.

Touchstone

A funny and heartwarming new novel from Jill Smolinski, OBJECTS OF MY AFFECTION(May 2012) tells the story of an unusual friendship between a down-on-her luck young mother and an eccentric, reclusive painter.

In SKELETON BOX (June 2012), the newest mystery from acclaimed writer Bryan Gruley, journalist Gus Carpenter investigates a crime with origins that hold secrets about his family and his beloved town of Starvation Lake.

In Mark Henshaw’s debut thriller, RED CELL (May 2012), two CIA outcasts must try and stop a secret Chinese weapon from igniting a world war.

Howard

In acclaimed novelist Frank Peretti’s new thriller, ILLUSION (March 2012), a magician encounters a teenager who is identical in every way to his late wife, and is determined to uncover the mystery behind her appearance.

A military nurse moves to an Amish community and finds both love and hardship in AN UNCOMMON GRACE by Serena B. Miller (April 2012).

Looking for information about our titles or great content for your newsletter? Look no further:

		www.SimonandSchuster.biz : Our bookseller-and-author-specific website that features a wide range of resources including downloadable Digital Catalogs, author photos, cover images, terms and promotions, and other corporate information.
		“The Inner Sanctum” : A Blog for Booksellers written by yours truly and other marketing folk.
		The Digital Toolbox: A monthly alert of our electronic assets to enhance your websites and e-newsletters.
		The SOURCE: A weekly round-up of Simon & Schuster authors in the news, highlighting national television and radio appearances and major review coverage. Think of it as your TV Guide for books.
		Something to Read About: The S&S Book Club: The online community for all things book clubs. Like most of the finer things in life, stories are meant to be shared.

Don’t forget our Reading Group Resources website offers book club features and recommendations. You can find sample featured reading group discussion questions, learn the inside story about how your favorite books came to be, follow the S&S Book Club Twitter feed to join in the conversation, and more.

Happy Reading and Happy Holidays,

Wendy Sheanin
Director of Marketing, Adult Publishing Group
Simon & Schuster Inc.
1230 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10020
Wendy.Sheanin@simonandschuster.com
212-698-7359