The spring book rush continues. Here are some recommended titles:
• "Armageddon In Retrospect" by Kurt Vonnegut (Putnam, $24.95, 240 pages): Vonnegut, who died in April 2007, was one of the 20th century's most important and prolific writers. Among his many novels were "Slaughterhouse-Five" (made into a movie in 1972), "The Sirens of Titan," "Jailbird" and "Mother Night." Just out is what his publisher describes as "12 previously unpublished pieces on war and peace … with his trademark blend of antic humor, tragedy and social commentary. … (They encompass) memoir, letters, science fiction, satire and speeches." If you don't know Vonnegut's work, this is a fine introduction.
• "Pig Candy: Taking My Father South, Taking My Father Home" by Lise Funderburg (Free Press, $24, 320 pages): This moving memoir is the story of an adult daughter and her dying father, who spend the last months of his life together. She "comes to understand his rich and difficult background" growing up African American in the South. Funderburg is the author of "Black, White, Other."
• "Time Bandit" by Andy and Johnathan Hillstrand (Ballantine, $25, 240 pages): You know that cool reality-TV show "Deadliest Catch" on the Discovery Channel, about the fishermen who go out in 60-foot seas to harvest Alaska king crabs in the Bering Sea? Well, the Hillstrand brothers are two of the boat captains featured on the series. They continue to scare us in this behind-the-scenes book.
• "Where in the World Is Osama bin Laden?" by Morgan Spurlock (Random House, $25, 304 pages): Wondering why no one can catch terrorist mastermind bin Laden, the author trots the globe in search of the elusive figure. Along the way, he interviews "soldiers, terrorists, imams and academics." Filmmaker Spurlock's 2004 documentary "Super Size Me" was nominated for an Academy Award.
• "Quiet, Please: Dispatches From a Public Librarian" by Scott Douglas (Da Capo Press, $25, 330 pages): Shhhh! No, actually, you won't hear that much anymore, writes Douglas, a 20-something librarian who sets out to show that public libraries are, well, pretty hip places. You know, with all their computers and cafes and weird customers who try to hide in the bathroom right before closing. Very funny stuff.
• "The Whole Truth" by David Baldacci (Grand Central, $26.99, 416 pages; on sale April 22): The mega-seller adds one more global thriller to his long list. This one involves an arms manufacturer, a secret agent, a journalist and a "perception management" expert who try to unite the world around an issue that's been totally fabricated.
• "The Ginseng Hunter" by Jeff Talarigo (Doubleday, $21.95, 177 pages): This graceful literary tale takes readers into the life of a Chinese man who harvests ginseng root in the hills above the Tumen River, which separates China from North Korea. Eventually, he must make a choice: Help North Korean refugees escape their hellish lives across the river, or remain uninvolved.
The Bee's Allen Pierleoni can be reached at (916) 321-1128 or apierleoni@sacbee.com. Contact him with news of coming literary events that are open to the public.
