Serenity: The Shepherd’s Tale by Joss Whedon, Zack Whedon, et al.
Available now (Order on Amazon)

From the publisher:
One of Serenity’s greatest mysteries is finally revealed in The Shepherd’s Tale, filling in the life of one of the show’s most beloved characters – Shepherd Book! Who was Book before meeting Mal and the rest of the Serenity crew, how did he become one of their most trusted allies, and how did he find God in a bowl of soup? Answers to these and more questions about Book’s past are uncovered in this original hardcover graphic novel by rising stars Zack Whedon (Dr. Horrible, Terminator, Fringe) and Chris Samnee (Blackest Night: Tales of the Corps, Daredevil). A pivotal chapter in the ongoing Serenity saga, The Shepherd’s Tale is also a rollicking, action-packed epic in its own right.

Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen King
Available November 9, 2010 (Order on Amazon)

From the publisher:
“I believe there is another man inside every man, a stranger . . .” writes Wilfred Leland James in the early pages of the riveting confession that makes up “1922,” the first in this pitch-black quartet of mesmerizing tales from Stephen King. For James, that stranger is awakened when his wife, Arlette, proposes selling off the family homestead and moving to Omaha, setting in motion a gruesome train of murder and madness.
In “Big Driver,” a cozy-mystery writer named Tess encounters the stranger along a back road in Massachusetts when she takes a shortcut home after a book-club engagement. Violated and left for dead, Tess plots a revenge that will bring her face-to-face with another stranger: the one inside herself.

“Fair Extension,” the shortest of these tales, is perhaps the nastiest and certainly the funniest. Making a deal with the devil not only saves Dave Streeter from a fatal cancer but provides rich recompense for a lifetime of resentment.

When her husband of more than twenty years is away on one of his business trips, Darcy Anderson looks for batteries in the garage. Her toe knocks up against a box under a worktable and she discovers the stranger inside her husband. It’s a horrifying discovery, rendered with bristling intensity, and it definitively ends a good marriage.

Like Different Seasons and Four Past Midnight, which generated such enduring films as The Shawshank Redemption and Stand by Me, Full Dark, No Stars proves Stephen King a master of the long story form.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth by Jeff Kinney

Available November 9, 2010 (Order on Amazon)

From the publisher:
Greg Heffley has always been in a hurry to grow up. But is getting older really all it’s cracked up to be?

Greg suddenly finds himself dealing with the pressures of boy-girl parties, increased responsibilities, and even the awkward changes that come with getting older—all without his best friend, Rowley, at his side. Can Greg make it through on his own? Or will he have to face the “ugly truth”?

Hell’s Corner by David Baldacci
Available November 9, 2010 (Order on Amazon)

From the publisher:
Oliver Stone and the Camel Club return in #1 bestselling author David Baldacci’s most stunning adventure yet.

An attack on the heart of power . . .

In sight of the White House . . .

At a place known as . . .

HELL’S CORNER

John Carr, aka Oliver Stone-once the most skilled assassin his country ever had-stands in Lafayette Park in front of the White House, perhaps for the last time. The president has personally requested that Stone serve his country again on a high-risk, covert mission. Though he’s fought for decades to leave his past career behind, Stone has no choice but to say yes.

Then Stone’s mission changes drastically before it even begins. It’s the night of a state dinner honoring the British prime minister. As he watches the prime minister’s motorcade leave the White House that evening, a bomb is detonated in Lafayette Park, an apparent terrorist attack against both leaders. It’s in the chaotic aftermath that Stone takes on a new, more urgent assignment: find those responsible for the bombing.

British MI-6 agent Mary Chapman becomes Stone’s partner in the search for the unknown attackers. But their opponents are elusive, capable, and increasingly lethal; worst of all, it seems that the park bombing may just have been the opening salvo in their plan. With nowhere else to turn, Stone enlists the help of the only people he knows he can trust: the Camel Club. Yet that may be a big mistake.

In the shadowy worlds of politics and intelligence, there is no one you can really trust. Nothing is really what it seems to be. And Hell’s Corner truly lives up to its name. This may be Oliver Stone’s and the Camel Club’s last stand.

I Still Dream About You: A Novel by Fannie Flagg

Available November 9, 2010 (Order on Amazon)

From the publisher:
The beloved Fannie Flagg is back and at her irresistible and hilarious best in I Still Dream About You, a comic mystery romp through the streets of Birmingham, Alabama, past, present, and future.

Meet Maggie Fortenberry, a still beautiful former Miss Alabama. To others, Maggie’s life seems practically perfect—she’s lovely, charming, and a successful real estate agent at Red Mountain Realty. Still, Maggie can’t help but wonder how she wound up in her present condition. She had been on her hopeful way to becoming Miss America and realizing her childhood dream of someday living in one of the elegant old homes on top of Red Mountain, with the adoring husband and the 2.5 children, but then something unexpected happened and changed everything.

Maggie graduated at the top of her class at charm school, can fold a napkin in more than forty-eight different ways, and can enter and exit a car gracefully, but all the finesse in the world cannot help her now. Since the legendary real estate dynamo Hazel Whisenknott, beloved founder of Red Mountain Realty, died five years ago, business has gone from bad to worse—and the future isn’t looking much better. But just when things seem completely hopeless, Maggie suddenly comes up with the perfect plan to solve it all.

As Maggie prepares to put her plan into action, we meet the cast of high-spirited characters around her. To Brenda Peoples, Maggie’s best friend and real estate partner, Maggie’s life seems easy as pie. Slender Maggie doesn’t have to worry about her figure, or about her Weight Watchers sponsor catching her at the Krispy Kreme doughnut shop. And Ethel Clipp, Red Mountain’s ancient and grumpy office manager with the bright purple hair, thinks the world of Maggie but has absolutely nothing nice to say about their rival Babs “The Beast of Birmingham” Bingington, the unscrupulous estate agent who hates Maggie and is determined to put her out of business.

Maggie has heartbreaking secrets in her past, but through a strange turn of events, she soon discovers, quite by accident, that everybody, it seems—dead or alive—has at least one little secret.

I Still Dream About You is a wonderful novel that is equal parts Southern charm, murder mystery, and that perfect combination of comedy and old-fashioned wisdom that can be served up only by America’s own remarkable Fannie Flagg.

Decision Points by George W. Bush
Available November 9, 2010 (Order on Amazon)

From the publisher:
President George W. Bush describes the critical decisions of his presidency and personal life.

Decision Points is the extraordinary memoir of America’s 43rd president. Shattering the conventions of political autobiography, George W. Bush offers a strikingly candid journey through the defining decisions of his life.

In gripping, never-before-heard detail, President Bush brings readers inside the Texas Governor’s Mansion on the night of the hotly contested 2000 election; aboard Air Force One on 9/11, in the hours after America’s most devastating attack since Pearl Harbor; at the head of the table in the Situation Room in the moments before launching the war in Iraq; and behind the Oval Office desk for his historic and controversial decisions on the financial crisis, Hurricane Katrina, Afghanistan, Iran, and other issues that have shaped the first decade of the 21st century.

President Bush writes honestly and directly about his flaws and mistakes, as well as his accomplishments reforming education, treating HIV/AIDS in Africa, and safeguarding the country amid chilling warnings of additional terrorist attacks. He also offers intimate new details on his decision to quit drinking, discovery of faith, and relationship with his family.

A groundbreaking new brand of memoir, Decision Points will captivate supporters, surprise critics, and change perspectives on one of the most consequential eras in American history – and the man at the center of events.

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I haven’t reviewed a graphic novel for Daemon’s Books before, but issue 32 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer is just so awesome that I couldn’t resist. It’s the first issue written by Brad Meltzer and the first in the Twilight arc, a four-issue arc in which we will finally learn the identity of the mysterious big bad of Season 8. The big reveal will take place in the next issue, though it’s been nearly impossible to avoid the spoilers so I think most of us already know who it is. For now though it’s still a secret and in this issue, Buffy explores her newfound powers of flight and super speed. Meanwhile, Willow realizes that Giles, Andrew and Faith are missing, and while trying to find them she discovers the source of Buffy’s superpowers.

This issue and all it’s Superman/superhero references (Buffy’s faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive) were a whole lot of geeky fun. The raging battle and slayer deaths of the past few issues have made them kind of dark, so a more lighthearted story was welcome. Unfortunately for Buffy, the fun comes to an abrupt end when she realizes where her new powers are coming from. It’s a twist I didn’t see coming and I’m interested to see where they take the story from here.

I feel like Meltzer really gets Buffy and he did an amazing job of capturing each character’s voice. The banter between Xander and Buffy, for example, was just perfect. Meltzer (in keeping with the superhero theme, I think) includes captions to introduce each character, for example: “Xander. Buffy’s best friend. One eye. Funny. Mostly.” You don’t find out who’s saying the introductions until about halfway through, which was a little confusing, but I’m willing to overlook that because they were so hilarious.

I continue to enjoy Georges Jeanty’s art and I think he captures Buffy and Willow particularly well. Between that and the spot-on dialogue in this issue, I almost felt as if I was watching an episode of the TV show. To me, it just doesn’t get better than that.

Overall, I think Brad Meltzer’s first issue was a huge success and I can’t wait for the next issue. I haven’t been this excited about Buffy for a while and I have high hopes that Joss Whedon is going to wrap up Season 8 in an unforgettable way.

Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars | Writer: Brad Meltzer | Pencils: Georges Jeanty | Inks: Andy Owens | Colors: Michelle Madsen | Publisher: Dark Horse Comics | Pages: 40 | Source: Purchased