The Laments
by George Hagen

The Laments are an undeniably quirky family. They move from South Africa to the Persian Gulf to Rhodesia to England to suburban New Jersey in search for their place in the world. At the heart of the book is Will Lament, the scrawny baby the Laments take home from the hospital for consolation when their own baby is kidnapped. As Will grows up, he senses he is different from the rest of the family and wonders if he truly belongs.

As odd as the Laments are, through their restlessness, their responses to adversity, and their unwieldy love for each other, George Hagen gives readers a picture of an every family that is funny and sad and true.

ISBN: 1400062217
Hardcover SRP: $24.95
Pub Date: June 2004
Publisher: Random House
Vintage Books USA is re-releasing Toni Morrison’s classic books with new forewords by the author herself. They include:


Beloved
ISBN: 1400033411
Paperback SRP: $13.00
Pub Date: June 2004
Song of Solomon
ISBN: 140003342X
Paperback SRP: $14.00
Pub Date: June 2004
Sula
ISBN: 1400033438
Paperback SRP: $13.00
Pub Date: June 2004

Tar Baby
ISBN: 1400033446
Paperback SRP: $13.00
Pub Date: June 2004
Jazz
ISBN: 1400076218
Paperback SRP: $13.00
Pub Date: June 2004





American Moments
by Robert Burleigh
Illustrated by Bruce Strachan

In this inventive picture book, readers are placed in the action of 18 monumental events in American history. From the first Thanksgiving and Susan B. Anthony’s courageous courtroom hearing to the Wright brothers’ original takeoff and Rosa Parks’ inspiring actions, each moment captures the heart and soul of the nation, its triumphs and trials.

ISBN: 0805070826
Hardcover SRP: $18.95
Pub Date: June 2004
Publisher: Henry Holt & Company




At Mesa’s Edge
by Eugenia Bone

Eugenia Bone was happy with her life as a New York City food writer, but she knew that her husband, a transplanted westerner, was filled with a discontent he couldn't explain. So when he announced that he wanted to buy a forty-five-acre ranch in Crawford, Colorado (population 255), she reluctantly said yes.

At Mesa's Edge is the witty, often-moving story of ranch restoration and of struggles with defiant skunks, barbed wire, marauding cows, and loneliness. Bone learns to garden in the drought, to fly-fish, and to forage. In the process, she discovers the bounty of the region. She fries zucchini flowers in batter and dips them in cilantro-flavored mayonnaise, grills flavorful T-bones from the local ranchers' grass-fed beef, pan-fries trout, fills crepes with wild mushrooms, and makes cherry pies with thick, sugary crusts. Partly a memoir, partly a cookbook with 150 appealing recipes, At Mesa's Edge is a transporting tale of rejuvenation, a celebration of everything local, and a reminder that the best food is to be found in our own back yards.

ISBN: 0618221263
Hardcover SRP: $24.00
Pub Date: June 2004
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Company




Oblivion
by David Foster Wallace

In the stories that make up Oblivion – his first work of fiction in five years – David Foster Wallace conjoins the rawest, most naked humanity with the infinite convolutions of self-consciousness to create a dazzling and unforgettable collection.

ISBN: 0316919810
Hardback SRP: $25.95
Pub Date: June 2004
Publisher: Little Brown and Company




I Love Everybody (And Other Atrocious Lies)
by Laurie Notaro

I Love Everybody (And Other Atrocious Lies) stares down the mid-30s. In side-splitting essays, Laurie Notaro describes the horror of entering the corporate work force, her grandmother’s obsession with women’s television, her husband’s obsession with Kate Winslet, and the absurdity of getting a pimple in the crease of a newly discovered wrinkle.

ISBN: 0812969006
Paperback SRP: $12.95
Pub Date: June 2004
Publisher: Villard Books