Written by a Portlander and set right here at home, Heartsick is a thriller mystery worth picking up. The dogged detective figure gets a little twist in Cain’s novel–he’s the former victim of the very serial killer he brought to justice. Heartsick takes place after the capture of Gretchen Lowell, a rare female serial killer, but now a new killer is on the loose.
All you need is a book to read
Heartsick by Chelsea Cain (Out now)
Written by a Portlander and set right here at home, Heartsick is a thriller mystery worth picking up. The dogged detective figure gets a little twist in Cain’s novel–he’s the former victim of the very serial killer he brought to justice. Heartsick takes place after the capture of Gretchen Lowell, a rare female serial killer, but now a new killer is on the loose. Archie Sheridan, our detective, has to let go of his crippling fear in order to solve this new case before the murderer kills again. Cain creates a dynamic cast of characters and avoids cliche. For Portlanders, there’s the added excitement of following these twisted characters down streets they live on.
The War by Geoffrey C. Ward (Out now)
The War is a companion piece to the PBS series of the same name produced by documentarian Ken Burns. The book includes many of the documents, letters, photos, and stories of the people that the documentary follows. In its large and visual format, the book makes a very poignant addition to the series, telling the story of World War II from a human perspective. From this vantage point, words such as “hero” take on a whole new meaning, causing readers to reevaluate war altogether.
I Am America (And So Can You) by Stephen Colbert (Out now)
Our deepest wishes are granted with Stephen Colbert’s new book I Am America (And So Can You). Now we can watch the Colbert Report anytime we want, simply by opening a book! Never before has a piece of written work given us so many answers, and benefited our lives more thoroughly than Colbert’s. Within seconds, readers become more patriotic and altogether better citizens of the great United States of America. Basically, you wont ever need to read another book after this one. Which is fine–most other books are communist anyway.
A Lifetime of Secrets by Frank Warren (Out now)
A Lifetime of Secrets is Frank Warren’s fourth book collecting the deepest secrets of ordinary people. In this latest, the secrets are more revealing and more emotional than anything before. The postcards displayed in A Lifetime of Secrets, vary from touching confessions of love and good regard, to tragic revelations of guilt and pain. Nothing about the book disappoints, and although the concept is not new, the book remains fresh. Like its predecessors in the Post-Secret series, A Lifetime of Secrets is a fantastic conversation piece, but also wonderful to enjoy on your own.
Gonzo: The Life of Hunter S. Thompson by Jann S. Wenner (Out now)
This coming February will mark three years since the death of acclaimed journalist and unique personality, Hunter S. Thompson. As the creator of “Gonzo” journalism, Thompson was an infamous figure, yet what people knew of him was only surface level. The new biography, written by his former editor Jann Wenner, attempts to shed new light on the dynamic and mysterious man. Thompson, who infiltrated inaccessible worlds such as the infamous Hells Angels motorcycle gang and wrote the popular Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas was an innovative and controversial man. This new biography promises to reveal previsouly unknown information and insight.
Should You Be Laughing At This? by Hugleikur Dagsson (Out Now)
New to the States this month, this book is full of jokes that really do make you ask yourself, “should I be laughing at this?” “This” is incest, alcoholism, suicide, murder, and a whole host of other completely unacceptable subjects. It’s sick and hilarious. Hugleikur Dagsson, an Icelander, has struck humor gold with this one. The book is great for anyone who loves The Bunny Suicides and Don Herzfeld’s Rejected
Cartoons.
Borat by Borat Sagdiyev (Available November 2007)
This new Borat book, celebrating the glorious nation of Kazakhstan, looks like it will be another cult favorite. Available on Nov. 6, the book is a continuation of the themes that made the Borat film a hit. Written by Borat, one of funnyman Sascha Baron Cohen’s alter egos, the book promotes Kazakhstan’s points of interest, to name a few: sex criminals, anti-Semitism, and a brand new mall, which includes three stores and an electrical “staircare.” Written in Borat’s famous broken English, Borat: Touristic Guidings to Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan looks like it will be one of the funniest books of the year.
The Truth about Chuck Norris: 400 Facts About the World’s Greatest Human by Ian Spector (Out November 2007)
You guessed it–this is a book about Chuck Norris. And if you’re aware of the Chuck Norris Internet phenomena, you can probably guess what is in it. On Nov. 29, for better or worse, the popular Chuck Norris facts will be entombed in 176 pages. Including truisms like “A cobra once bit Chuck Norris’s leg. After five days of excruciating pain, the cobra died,” and “Every piece of furniture in Chuck Norris’s house is a Total Gym,” this book promises to be popular among Chuck Norris fans everywhere.
