No, these books are not all recent releases, but they floated my boat enough for me to want to recommend them to you:
1. Old Money by Wendy Wasserstein. A great and funny play about the gentrification of New York City over time. Wasserstein does an excellent job illustrating the effects that industrialization and its New Money had on NYC at both the turn of the 20th Century and that century’s zeitgeist.

2. The Cheating Culture: Why More Americans Are Doing Wrong to Get Ahead by David Callahan. Callahan makes a convincing argument that the decline of decency in corporate and individual behavior is rooted squarely in capitalism. The book is copyright 2004 and believe me, it shows. Former Governor of New York Elliot Spitzer is still a hero and not the buffoon (Client #9) who racked up tens of thousands of dollars of debt to a call girl.

3. Are You There Vodka, It’s Me, Chelsea? by Chelsea Handler. The rare television talk show host who shoots from the hip. Her “memoir” is sharp and funny and she’s not afraid to make herself unloveable.

4. Blue Angel by Francine Prose. A scary novel about a middle-aged creative writing professor who falls in love with his manipulative protege.

5. A People’s History of the United States 1492-Present by Howard Zinn. I know, it took me long enough. It was a joy to read a history book that’s devoid of idiotic mythology.

6. Hubert’s Freaks: The Rare-Book Dealer, the Times Square Talker, and the Lost Photos of Diane Arbus by Gregory Gibson. A great book of non-fiction about one man’s quest to solve a mystery about vintage books and old tymey New York freak shows.

7. Love Is a Mix Tape: Life and Loss, One Song at a Time by Rob Sheffield. A great book for music lovers who want to reminisce and have their hearts broken.

8. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro. A frighteningly dreamy look at a society that has traded chance for science. The characters in this book haunt me.

9. Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami. A romantic and modern novel about love and sacrifice.

10. White Teeth by Zadie Smith. Another “academic novel” about an interracial relationship between a professor and his student that jeopardizes the structure of two families.

Now you give me your recommendations!
Posted in
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"Blue Angel",
"Hubert's Freaks",
"Love Is A Mix Tape",
"Never Let Me Go",
"Norwegian Wood",
"Old Money",
"The Cheating Culture",
"White Teeth",
A People's History of the United States,
Chelsea Handler,
David Callahan,
Diane Arbus,
Eliot Spitzer,
Francine Prose,
Gregory Gibson,
Hauki Murakami,
Howard Zinn,
Japanese lit,
Kazuo Ishiguro,
New York,
play,
rare books,
Rob Sheffield,
Wendy Wassterstein,
Zadie Smith