SCHULZ AND PEANUTS: A BIOGRAPHY
by David Michaelis

For almost fifty years, Charles Schulz drew all 17, 897 strips for his Peanuts cartoon. No help, nor any ideas from anyone else. He did it all himself.
In Schulz and Peanuts Michaelis has written quite an absorbing biography of a brilliant man who, unfortunately, was very unhappy. Schulz always had this feeling of "aloneness" and never felt loved. His whole life was the comic strip.
Through extensive interviews with family, friends and peers, access to his studio and business correspondence, private letters and drawings (250 Peanuts strips interspersed throughout), the book will awaken you to what this, intensely private, man was all about.

AGENT ZIGZAG: A TRUE STORY OF NAZI ESPIONAGE, LOVE, AND BETRAYAL
by Ben Macintyre

In Agent Zigzag Macintyre has written a terrific biography of Eddie Chapman, who was a double agent during World War II. Chapman was a petty criminal, a womanizer, a thief, a liar, but who had sheer luck and courage to perform his incredible deeds for both Britain and Germany.
The book is exhaustively researched and reveals information on the secret services and the spy techniques that Chapman learned.
A thriller not to be missed.

LEDYARD: IN SEARCH OF THE FIRST AMERICAN EXPLORER
by Bill Gifford

Long after his death, in 1789, John Ledyard was known as "the Celebrated Traveller," exploring places that no other American had tried before. He took several expeditions, one of which was Captain Cook's last voyage. Another trip was to travel across North America, which was planned with Thomas Jefferson, who was a good friend of Ledyard's. This journey was by himself and he almost made it across Russia when he was arrested.
In Ledyard, Bill Gifford has crafted a glorious tale.

MANHUNT: THE 12-DAY CHASE FOR LINCOLN'S KILLER
by James L. Swanson

In Manhunt Swanson, a Lincoln historian, has written a terrific account of the search for Abraham Lincoln's assassin.
The book is exhaustively researched with details such as the kind of hinges that were on the door, behind which Lincoln sat, at Ford's Theatre.
From the beginning to the end, the story is so thrilling that it's virtually impossible to pull away from it.
Anyone who is a history or Civil War buff would love reading this book.

FOUR SEASONS IN ROME: ON TWINS, INSOMNIA AND THE BIGGEST FUNERAL IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD
by Anthony Doerr

Upon receiving an American Academy scholarship, Doerr, along with his wife and newborn twins, arrive in Rome for a year-long stay.
Doerr writes, lyrically, about being parents, having twins, learning Italian, eating the marvelous food, exploring the city and countryside, meeting Romans and falling in love with the Eternal City.
Four Seasons in Rome is a wonderful book, beautifully written.

THE RIVER QUEEN
by Mary Morris

Morris, who teaches at Sarah Lawrence College, takes time off to journey down the Mississippi River. Her father has just died and she wants to seek out the places that he has told her about. She rents a houseboat and hires two men, named Tom and Jerry, to captain the boat.
The book is part travelogue and part memoir with an effortless writing style.
The River Queen is highly recommended.

THE ADVERSARY: A TRUE STORY OF MONSTROUS DECEPTION
by Emmanuel Carrere

"On the Saturday morning of January 9, 1993, while Jean-Claude Romand was killing his wife and children, I was with mine in a parent-teacher meeting at the school attended by Gabriel, our eldest son."
So begins Emmanuel Carrere's The Adversary.
Jean-Claude Romand was a failure in life. His childhood was dysfunctional, he never held a job, stole money and was constantly in a depressed state. For years, he deceived his family and friends by his charade of pretending to be a doctor at the World Health Organization. Eventually his lies caught up with him.
The book is both riveting and disturbing and true crime at its best.

ASSEMBLING MY FATHER: A DAUGHTER'S DETECTIVE STORY
by Anna Cypra Oliver

Assembling My Father is not your run-of-the-mill, conventional, memoir. The author, who never knew her father (he committed suicide when she was quite young), searches for him via assorted memorabilia and interviews with old friends.
Many of the chapters have small black and white photos, printed on the pages, at odd angles, which adds to the flavor of her unique telling.
Ms. Oliver is an extraordinary writer.