I Thought You Were Dead by Peter Nelson
(Algonquin Books, $23.95, 9781565125971)
"Dante may have had his Beatrice, but Paul Gustavson has Stella, a venerable pooch who is his guiding light for matters of the mind and heart. Their ongoing dialogue is smart, sweet, and poignant, and together they take on their fears of thunderstorms and seedy bars (hers) and normal, loving relationships without the buffer of alcohol (his), each bringing out the best in each other. This book is clever, heartwarming, and engaging." -- Emily Crowe, Odyssey Bookshop, South Hadley, MA

The Solitude of Prime Numbers by Paolo Giordano
(Viking Adult, $25.95, 9780670021482)
"Childhood traumas have shattered Alice and Mattia physically and psychologically. A friendship that begins in high school provides for each an anchor to a world too frightening to navigate alone. In this singular and striking debut, Giordano explores the ability of the human spirit to endure and to heal. Once you pick this up, you won't want to put it down." -- Jennie Turner-Collins, Joseph-Beth Booksellers, Cincinnati, OH

Matterhorn: A Novel of the Vietnam War by Karl Marlantes
(Atlantic Monthly Press, $24.95, 9780802119285)
"Every war has produced seminal fiction, but in the case of Vietnam there have been few examples. Marlantes now increases that list with a towering, majestic novel of men in combat. Like all great literature, his work transcends a particular war because of the universality of his characters and themes. This is a novel that will endure." -- Bill Cusumano, Nicola's Books, Ann Arbor, MI

The Tale of Halcyon Crane by Wendy Webb
(Holt, $15, 9780805091403)
"Ghosts, seances, and an unsolved murder are brought together on a remote island in the middle of the Great Lakes. Hallie James, who thought her mother died in a fire decades earlier, has discovered she was alive--until recently. Hallie's father's last words in answer to why he staged their deaths were, 'I had to save my little girl.' From what or whom? A gothic thriller with a modern twist." -- Karen Briggs, Great Northern Books and Hobbies, Oscoda, MI

Bite Me: A Love Story by Christopher Moore
(William Morrow, $23.99, 9780061779725)
"While possibly the last of Moore's vampire series, his signature wit is still in full force. Moore perfectly captures the voice of the teenage Goth-girl Abby Normal and pulls off his mix of comedy with a real emotional core with his usual mastery. This is a perfect book for longtime fans and new readers." -- Mike Burns, Howard's Bookstore, Bloomington, IN

Secret Daughter: A Novel by Shilpi Somaya Gowda
(William Morrow, $23.99, 9780061922312)
"Secret Daughter is the story of Asha, a daughter given up by her rural Indian mother in an attempt to give her a better life. Somer, Asha's adoptive mother in California, grapples with her daughter's return to her birth country as a young woman.The two families, intertwined by a twist of fate, will capture your heart." -- Caitlin Doggart, Where the Sidewalk Ends, Chatham, MA

A Murderous Procession by Ariana Franklin
(Putnam Adult, $25.95, 9780399156281)
"Adelia is back in this fourth (and my favorite!) installment of the Mistress of the Art of Death series. King Henry II assigns Adelia to accompany his daughter, Joanna, to Italy for her wedding. Mysterious deaths occur amongst the royal procession, and Adelia is the prime suspect. She must uncover the killer and clear her name before the murderer's ultimate goal is accomplished. Once you start this book you won't want to put it down!" -- Erin Kurup, Book House of Stuyvesant Plaza, Albany, NY

Solar by Ian McEwan
(Nan A. Talese/Doubleday, $26.95, 9780385533416)
"Nobel Prize-winning English physicist Michael Beard is a human being of extremes: very bright, very lazy, overweight, over married (five times), amoral, and rapacious. Despite early success, he has become irrelevant until a lucky break furnishes him with material to change course, become an environmental darling, and appear to save the world. McEwan, as usual, writes a taut plot line, with suspense and dread of retribution building with each turned page." -- Darwin Ellis, Books on the Common, Ridgefield, CT

The Creation of Eve by Lynn Cullen
(Putnam Adult, $25.95, 9780399156106)
"The story of Sofonisba Anguissola, the Renaissance painter, has long been forgotten. Michelangelo's tutelage and recommendation send her to Spanish Queen Elisabeth as a lady-in-waiting. While each endures heartbreak from men they love but can never have, Cullen takes us into the world of painting and political stratagems. This masterpiece is beautifully heartbreaking and impossible to put down." -- Lauren Denham, The Alabama Booksmith, Birmingham, AL

The Spellmans Strike Again: A Novel by Lisa Lutz
(Simon & Schuster, $25, 9781416593409)
"The fourth and final installment of the Spellman Quartet finds the Spellmans spying on each other more than they are for their clients. Mom is keeping tabs on Isabel's dates in the hopes that she'll get married. The kids want to know why parts of the house are disappearing. Could someone really be stealing doorknobs and light fixtures? Lutz has written a quirky and sometimes bizarre tale that's definitely good for a laugh." -- Anne McMahon, Boswell Book Company, Milwaukee, WI

31 Bond Street: A Novel by Ellen Horan
(Harper, $25.99, 9780061773969)
"This engaging mystery of 1850s NewYork explores the death of prominent dentist and businessman Harvey Burdell and the subsequent trial of his housemistress Emma Cunningham. Based on actual events, Horan creates an inventive and compelling story that will keep you turning pages to the last." -- Meaghan Beasley, Island Bookstore, Corolla, NC

Nowhere to Run by C.J. Box
(Putnam Adult, $25.95, 9780399156458)
"Gripping, compelling storytelling by Edgar Award- winning author Box makes his 10th Joe Pickett mystery a must-read. Set against the wide-open spaces of Wyoming, scary people do scary things to not-so-innocent bystanders. This book delivers a walloping good read on so many levels: superb writing, eerie plot, startling twists, and Joe Pickett's quiet decency showcased against the conflict between community need and individual integrity." -- Marie, Seattle Mystery Bookshop, Seattle, WA

The Bride Collector by Ted Dekker
(Center Street, $24.99, 9781599951966)
"Special FBI agent Brad Raines facing his most complex case, a serial killer targeting beautiful young women, enlists the aid of Paradise, an extraordinarily gifted mentally ill young woman who can see the finale moments of a persons life when she touches their dead body. Ted Dekker has out done himself again." -- Sharon Kovacs, Saturn Booksellers, Gaylord, MI

Whiter Than Snow by Sandra Dallas
(St. Martin's Press, $24.99, 9780312600150)
"Dallas has written another absorbing book filled with compelling characters. In 1920, an avalanche devastates a poor mining town high in the Colorado mountains. Nine children are trapped on their way home from school, and only four survive. Each child's family has a story. Was it chance or destiny that brought them to Swandyke from such different backgrounds? Don't miss this one!" -- Laurie Krushenisky, MacDonald Book Shop, Estes Park, CO

Anthill by E. O. Wilson
(W. W. Norton, $24.95, 9780393071191)
"Three parallel viewpoints--of ants, developers, and environmentalists--are woven together in this novel by the Pulitzer Prize-winning science writer, who turns to fiction at age 81. Wilson tells the wonderful story of a young boy from Alabama who grows up to do battle to save his beloved forest. This magical tale reminds us of the life-and-death struggle that is going on all around us to protect our wilderness." -- Karen Harris, Andover Bookstore, Andover, MA

Eaarth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet by Bill McKibben
(Times Books, $24, 9780805090567)
"McKibben has written his most important book about humankind's most pressing issue: global climate change and what it means. This book is a wakeup call about the 'tough new planet' we've created with our profligate behavior over the past 200 years. Read this book and recommend it widely. Hopefully you and your neighbors will get to work on solutions." -- Gary Colliver, Windows on the World-Books & Art, Mariposa, CA

Purge by Sofi Oksanen
(Grove Press, Black Cat, $14.95, 9780802170774)
"Translated from Finnish, this winner of Finland's top literary prizes is the story of Aliide, an Estonian peasant who survived the Soviet occupation, only to face the brutal realities of a post-occupation world when her sister's granddaughter shows up half-conscious in her yard. Powerful writing and exacting sense of place make this book stand out." -- Claire Benedict, Bear Pond Books of Montpelier, Montpelier, VT

The Lake Shore Limited by Sue Miller
(Knopf, $25.95, 9780307264213)
"A beautifully and bravely written novel about an accident beyond anyone's control and how four people atone and come to peace with it. At the core of the story is a play previewing in Boston that becomes central to the lives of the playwright, the play's lead actor, and two attendees with a family tie to the 9/11 tragedy. Vivid characters and their personal narratives flow in and out of this moving novel about the consequences of loss." -- Carol Hicks, Bookshelf At Hooligan Rocks, Truckee, CA

The Season of Second Chances: A Novel by Diane Meier
(Henry Holt & Co., $25, 9780805090819)
"This novel offers a poignant and entertaining view of a young woman's self discovery. As a Columbia professor, published academic, and owner of a New York apartment that has a great view of the Hudson River, Joy Harkness has it all. But does she? Transplanted to a New England college town, she buys a derelict Victorian house and has a relationship with the handyman who turns it into a beautiful home. Meier has produced a book that is fun to read and offers insight into Joy's transformation." -- Fran Keilty, Hickory Stick Bookshop, Washington Depot, CT

Seeing Stars by Diane Hammond
(Harper Paperbacks, $13.99, 9780061863158)
"Venture into the world of child stars, where the next booking could be their big break. Ruth leaves her husband in Seattle while trying to help their daughter find the part that will make her a star. Allison, old beyond her tender years, is searching for the role that will make her a household name. Quinn has the talent and drive, but is he too volatile to shine in Hollywood? You will come to care about these characters, and want to know their stories and share their hopes." -- Deon Stonehouse, Sunriver Books, Sunriver, OR

Fiction

An Anthology of Modern Irish Poetry by Wes Davis (Edit.) (Belknap/Harvard, $35, 9780674049512)
Beautiful Assassin: A Novel by Michael C. White (William Morrow, $24.99, 9780061691218)
Divine Misfortune by A. Lee Martinez (Orbit, $19.99, 9780316041270)
Fireworks Over Toccoa: A Novel by Jeffrey Stepakoff (Thomas Dunne Books, $22.99, 9780312581589)
The Girl Who Chased the Moon: A Novel by Sarah Addison Allen (Bantam, $25, 9780553807219)
How Clarissa Burden Learned to Fly: A Novel by Connie May Fowler (Grand Central Publishing, $23.99, 9780446540681)
The Irresistible Henry House: A Novel by Lisa Grunwald (Random House, $25, 9781400063000)
Known to Evil: A Leonid McGill Mystery by Walter Mosley (Riverhead , $25.95, 9781594487521)
The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott: A Novel by Kelly O'Connor McNees (Amy Einhorn Books/Putnam, $24.95, 9780399156526)
The Lotus Eaters: A Novel by Tatjana Soli (St. Martin's Press, $24.99, 9780312611576)
Nightmare Alley by William Lindsay Gresham (NYRB Classics, $14.95, 9781590173480)
Pearl of China: A Novel by Anchee Min (Bloomsbury , $24, 9781596916975)
Robin and Ruby: A Novel by K.M. Soehnlein (Kensington, $24, 9780758232182)
Something Red: A Novel by Jennifer Gilmore (Scribner, $25, 9781416571704)
The Scent of Rain and Lightning: A Novel by Nancy Pickard (Ballantine, $25, 9780345471017)
A Thread of Sky: A Novel by Deanna Fei (Penguin Press , $24.95, 9781594202490)

Nonfiction

Contested Will: Who Wrote Shakespeare? by James Shapiro (Simon & Schuster, $26, 9781416541622)
Dead End Gene Pool: A Memoir by Wendy Burden (Gotham, $26, 9781592405268)
Every Dog Has a Gift: True Stories of Dogs Who Bring Hope & Healing Into Our Lives by Rachel McPherson (Tarcher/Penguin, $23.95, 9781585427956)
How to Be a Sister: A Love Story with a Twist of Autism by Eileen Garvin (The Experiment (dist. PGW), $15, 9781615190164)

Local historian Jack Dudley returns with his latest retrospective, the lavishly illustrated Bogue Banks: A Look Back. Fans of his earlier work on Morehead City, Swansboro, Beaufort and Ocracoke, as well as his illustrated histories of Waterfowling traditions, will want to have this book to complete their collection. Dudley brings all of his knowledge and experience with coastal history and folklore to bear in his latest book. We promise you won't be disappointed.

About the book:

Bogue Banks: A Look Back is a photographic history of the Bogue Banks from the early 1900s through the 1960s.  The images in this volume are divided into six photo-chapters that provide a pictorial documentary of Fort Macon, early lifeboat stations, road construction, Atlantic Beach, fishing and dwellings, as well as nature scenes and aerials of Bogue Banks before development took place on a massive scale.

In addition to providing a documentary of landmarks and activities of the past, another intent of this volume is to emphasize the artistic merits of the photographs. To some readers, history is dull and boring, but the art of photography has been a wonderful tool in making the past come alive. Over 300 images give visitors and newcomers an insight into Bogue Banks' colorful heritage and the native Bogue Bankers and other Carteret Countians an opportunity to relive their past.

Belle Weather:  A Celia Rivenbark Encounter

You know, it is a little ironic that Celia and I live in the same town, but the only place I ever actually get a chance to talk to her is out of state at various book events and conventions. I ran into her in the hotel lobby of the Holiday Inn (a dismal place) in Decatur, AL, during the Decatur Book Festival in August. It was totally unplanned. “Hi there Celia,” I sang out, preventing her from going into the closet-sized hotel shop for some lady-like product. “Why, hi there, darlin’” she said, and gave me one of those polite hugs where you don’t really touch each other. There was cause for this. It was about a million degrees out. “Don’t you look nice.” She went on, which was patently a shameless lie. I was hot, and tired and my hair, which I’d braided myself, made me look like—how did the guy in Best in Show put it?—a cocktail waitress on an oil rig.  “Thank you!” I simpered back.

Celia was there because she’s on the road promoting her new book, the hussy;  Belle Weather: Mostly Sunny With a Chance of Scattered Hissy Fits (St. Martin’s Press, $21.95). It says something about Celia’s writing that I read the book from start to finish—with only one bathroom break—and laughed every time I turned the page. There is a section about renovating the house, a section about raising her daughter (and husband), and a section devoted to general cultural weirdness like reality television shows. Now, I don’t own a house and have no interest in renovating anything. I don’t have children and am glad not to have to raise any. And I don’t watch American Idol.  But I loved ever single essay. Except, possibly, the one about the lesbians who torpedoed beach day. I had the uncomfortable feeling I knew the people she was talking about in that one. I’m so sorry, Celia!

The book, of course, is  hilarious. I mean, even the title page is hilarious. Even the acknowledgements and the index are funny. Okay, I’m telling a lie, there is no index. But if there were, it would be pretty damn funny, because it would probably look something like this:

Britney Spears
Dumpster (abuse of)
Granite countertop (relationship with)

So do yourselves a favor and READ BELLE WEATHER!

Jack Dudley is a Carteret County resident an the area's most popular local historian. He spends his free time pursuing his interest in coastal history and folklore, and applies his avocations for photography and historical research towards documenting the history and traditions of North Carolina's coastal communities.

Down East: Portraits of the Past

Coming in November! Call 800-DEEGEES

A photographic history of Down East from the early 1900s through the 1960s. Before the early 1900s, Down East was not considered isolated, it was the link for Carteret County and much of central Norh Carolina with the outside world by way of maritime traffic through Ocracoke and Beaufort inlets. After the days of sailtrains, however, roads and automobilesbecame the arteries for transportation in mainstream North Carolina. Down East had no major roads, consequently it was isolated and remote even by the standards of the era. But by 1930 a road had been built from Beaufort toAtlantic, paving the way (literally) for numerous adventurous photographers.

In Down East, Dudley has collected the best examples of the work from these early recorders, creating a pictorial history that documents life in a bygone era. Maritime scenes, churches gatherings, schools, post offices and other landmarks preserve the memory of a community now lost to the past. Many of the structures in the photographs have long since gone, but in Down East, their images will remain unforgotten. 

MOREHEAD CITY: A Walk Through Time

The most popular "coffee table" book on the area, Dudley's Morehead City is the standard reference for people interested in the history of the town, and the most sought-after keepsake for visitors who want to remember their time on our coast. Dudley's books stand apart from other local histories for their attention to detail and the care taken to reproduce the many vintage photographs they contain in the highest possible quality.