If the summer reading season lacked focus, the fall season is about to bring a landslide of much-anticipated books by A-list authors.

No surprise there. In the $23 billion book industry, fall is when the publishing houses release titles written by their most prestigious names. It's also when half the year's book sales take place. Which makes sense, since fall is the walk-up to the holiday gift- giving season.

Let's take a minute for some context. What kind of fall season can readers expect? Where is it trending?

Kathryn Popoff, vice president of merchandising-adult trade for Borders Books, acknowledges the dominance of top authors, along with a long list of biographies and autobiographies. She notes, though, that "a trend that began this summer and will continue into the fall is consumers' acceptance of new voices."

"(In fiction) think of the success of 'The Shack' by William Young and certainly 'The Story of Edgar Sawtelle' by David Wroblewski, prior to its selection to Oprah's Book Club," Popoff said.

In nonfiction, one trend is beauty books, she said. "People want to live, look and feel their best, and publishing has responded. Certainly, 'You: Being Beautiful' by Michael F. Roizen and Mehmet C. Oz, and 'The One Hundred: A Guide to the Pieces Every Stylish Woman Must Own' by Nina Garcia."

David Callanan, site merchandiser for the Amazon.com Online Bookstore, pointed to "the autobiographies and financial advice from billionaires Warren Buffett ('The Snowball'), Richard Branson ('Business Stripped Bare') and T. Boone Pickens ('The First Billion Is the Hardest')."

Many of the season's nonfiction titles will be politically oriented, Callanan added, by authors including Bob Woodward ("The War Within"), Barton Gellman ("Angler," the Dick Cheney biography), Michael Moore ("Mike's Election Guide 2008"), Ted Nugent ("Ted, White and Blue") and H.W. Brands ("Traitor to His Class," the life and presidency of FDR).

In fiction, "the big names prevail," he said. " 'The Given Day' by Dennis Lahane is his departure from crime thrillers to historical fiction. Stephen King has a short-story collection ('Just After Sunset'), and there's James Patterson ('The Sixth Target'), Toni Morrison ('A Mercy') and John Updike ('The Widows of Eastwick')."

From the offices of Publishers Weekly magazine, the 136-year-old bible of the publishing industry, editor-in-chief Sara Nelson expects plenty of books about the war in the Middle East.

"One (exceptionally good read) in particular – which is on bookshelves now – is 'The Forever War' (by New York Times war correspondent Dexter Filkins).

"In fiction, Dennis Lahane's 'The Given Day' will be very big hit with (history buffs) and baseball fans."

To get readers going, check out a sampling of upcoming fall titles on Page D3, arranged alphabetically by author name. Some of them are on sale now; for the others, the upcoming publishing dates are noted.

FICTION

• "Once Were Cops" by Ken Bruen (St. Martin's, $22.95, 304 pages; Oct. 28): The Shamus Award- winning Irish novelist brings his unique brand of plot and mayhem to this story of two New York police officers about to go over the edge.

• "A Most Wanted Man" by John le Carré (Scribner, $28, 336 pages; Oct. 7): Intelligence agencies from three countries converge to muddle a morass of secrets and intrigue when a terrorist masquerading as a student arrives in Germany.

• "Scarpetta" by Patricia Cornwell (Putnam, $27.95, 512 pages; Dec. 2): Forensic psychologist Kay Scarpetta is asked by the New York Police Department to consult on a case involving a prisoner whose paranoia turns out not to be an illusion at all.

• "The Little Book" by Selden Edwards (Dutton, $25.95, 416 pages): Writing and getting this remarkable novel published was a 30-year labor of love for the author. The time-traveling protagonist suddenly finds himself in Vienna, Austria, in 1897. How he deals with this "dislocation in time" and what he discovers about his "impact on the course of human history" are the heart of this remarkable tale.

Call The Bee's Allen Pierleoni at (916) 321-1128.