Best juicy non-fiction I've read recently is Tracey Kidder's new book: "Strength in What Remains" about an extraordinary young medical student from war-torn Burundi who landed as a delivery boy at Gristede's in NYC and made his way through Columbia College and on to be a dr. (I read it on an air plane and couldn't put it down. Kidder is a superb writer IMHO.)

The Help is my most recently finished book so I'm also looking for something fabulous.
I spotted a new Anita Shrieve at the airport yesterday but did not have time to browse through it.

Elizabeth, that one sounds good, I'll look it up.

The Shack. It's in a large paper back and wonderfully interesting.

The Hour I First Believed by Wally Lamb. What a great book. It begins with a couple having marital problems, and they work at Columbine High School when the shooting occurs. It follow their lives afterwards. I really have liked all of Wally Lamb's books, and this is a great one.
Jen

Thanks for the suggestions! Looking forward to reading.

I really enjoyed "Loving Frank", a historical fiction about Frank Lloyd Wright.

My Life in France by Julia Child (with her nephew). A wonderful and interesting story if you have any interest in Julia Child.

Excellent suggestions above; I've often wondered if there are particular times of the year where there are more new book launches or is it random ?

I read lots of books, but "The Lovely Bones" is one that really stands out. I could not put this book down. It's quite sad - I cried the whole way through, but it really touched me in a way that most books don't.

I have to add a vote for Loving Frank -couldn't put it down...

Some nonfiction books that I enjoyed:

All the Way Home: Building a Family in a Falling-Down House by David Giffels --really liked this book. About a young couple who bought an old and very dilapidated fixer upper in Ohio. Aside from the obvious appeal to anyone who reads this board :), it was a tender and thoughtful look at becoming a family.

The Motion of the Ocean: 1 Small Boat, 2 Average Lovers, and a Woman's Search for the Meaning of Wife by Janna Cawrse Esarey -- for anyone who has ever dreamed of or dreaded the idea of setting sail on the high seas, another good book on several levels. The author dishes about lots of the real details of doing that kind of adventure but there is, as with my first recommendation, a very heartfelt look at finding one's true love, getting married and discovering what marriage means.

About Alice by Calvin Trillin -- one of the sweetest, most loving books I've ever read by a fabulous writer, about the love of his life, his late wife Alice.

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls -- this was a bestseller and deservedly so. A portrait of an almost mythically dysfunctional set of parents by one of the kids who grew up in the direst poverty, but survived to become a journalist and now author. Wonderful book.

When Skateboards Will Be Free: A Memoir of a Political Childhood by Sa Sayrafiezadeh -- another growing up memoir. The author's parents, though divorced, were both staunch socialists/communists and his tale of growing up in America through that filter is engrossing.

Girlbomb: A Halfway Homeless Memoir and Have You Found Her both by Janice Erlbaum -- I advise reading these in order; the first is the true story of a girl growing up in NYC who ends up in a homeless shelter, the second is a follow up from the same woman, now grown, who befriends a runaway while volunteering at the same shelter. Great writing style, excellent books.

Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant: Confessions of Cooking for One and Dining Alone by Jenni Ferrari-Adler --a set of essays on just what the title says! Very enjoyable light reading.

Girls Like Us: Carole King, Joni Mitchell, Carly Simon-And the Journey of a Generation by Sheila Weller -- this one resonated with me because all three artists are of my generation, and I grew up listening and loving their music. A very entertaining read; lots of insider tidbits about the 60s-70s-80s music scene.

Helping Me Help Myself: One Skeptic, Ten Self-Help Gurus, and a Year on the Brink of the Comfort Zone by Beth Lisick -- very funny book about a series of adventures undertaken by the author. A slimdown cruise with Richard Simmons, now THERE'S a concept! And many more hilarious experiences.

Money Changes Everything: Twenty-Two Writers Tackle the Last Taboo with Tales of Sudden Windfalls, Staggering Debts, and Other Surprising Turns of Fortune by Jenny Offill and Elissa Schappell -- pretty much just what the title says! Very easy read too, would be a good airport companion.

Not Buying It: My Year Without Shopping by Judith Levine -- thought provoking book about a woman who quit buying. Makes you wonder...could YOU go a year without shopping?!

OK, enough for now! Happy page-turning,

Ann

My Life in France sounds right. I didn't think of it because it is isn't new, but if you haven't read it, it is wonderfully "juicy".

Another gripping new non-fiction is TR Reid's The Healing of America. Fast paced, personal and public-spirited, the author took his ailing shoulder around the world to see how different health care systems would treat it and pay for it. His shoulder is an entry point to health care around the world in developed countries. Topical and accessible.