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Our mailroom experienced a deluge of nonfiction titles last week. Let's sort through some of them:
"Riding Rockets: The Outrageous Tales of a Space Shuttle Astronaut" by Mike Mullane (Scribner, $26, 384 pages): International Space Hall of Famer Mullane lets it all hang out in this irreverent look at NASA bureaucracy and his fellow astronauts. However, there are moving moments, as well. For instance, he writes of his first sight of Earth from space: "To say the view was overwhelmingly beautiful would be an insult to God."
"Then Junior Said to Jeff: The Best NASCAR Stories Ever Told," compiled by David Poole and Jim McLaurin (Triumph, $22.95, 182 pages): This series of brief anecdotes involving NASCAR drivers is just the thing for fans of the ever-growing spectator sport. It includes a CD of interviews with top racers.
OAS_AD('Button20'); "Robbing the Bees: A Biography of Honey" by Holley Bishop (Free Press, $14, 336 pages): If you didn't buy the hardback edition last year, the new paperback is a sweet investment. Bishop swapped her job as a New York literary agent for life on a Connecticut farm, where she started keeping bees. That led to her witty, fascinating treatise on the remarkable insect and the amber treasure it produces.
"Fired! Tales of the Canned, Canceled, Downsized & Dismissed," edited by Annabelle Gurwitch (Touchstone, $19.95, 256 pages, on sale Feb. 28): Numerous celebrities (and non-famous folks) share their stories of being "let go." For instance, award-winning stand-up comic Judy Gold recalls being fired from her jobs as a turnpike toll collector and a waitress (the latter because she was taller than her boss).
"Condor: To the Brink and Back" by John Nielsen (HarperCollins, $25.95, 272 pages): The saga of the giant condor is a moving one, and National Public Radio environment correspondent Nielsen reports it well. But he goes beyond explaining how the ancient bird was saved from the brink of extinction. For one thing, he takes to task the bureaucratic infighting inside the $20 million California Condor Recovery Program and other involved groups.
"Enrique's Journey" by Sonia Nazario (Random House, $26.95, 320 pages, on sale Tuesday): Journalist Nazario's tale of a teenager's flight from Honduras to the United States in search of his mother took a Pulitzer Prize when it first appeared in the Los Angeles Times. The book version has been expanded, with more research and details. It is being developed for an HBO series.
"No End in Sight: My Life as a Blind Iditarod Racer" by Rachael Scdoris and Rick Steber (St. Martin's Press, $22.95, 256 pages, on sale Feb. 21): Nobody believed Scdoris could turn her love of dog-sledding into a run in the 2005 Iditarod Trail International Sled Dog Race. Especially given the fact that she is legally blind and was only 20 years old at the time. But she did.
"The 100 Greatest Sales Tips of All Time," compiled by Leslie Pockell and Adrienne Avila (Warner, $10, 128 pages, on sale Feb. 24): You needn't be a salesperson to appreciate and practice these gems of opportunity, from diverse sources. Here's a good one from Sony co-founder Akio Morita: "Two shoe salesmen found themselves in a rustic part of Africa. The first wired back to his head office: 'No one here wears shoes!' The second wired, 'No one wears shoes here. We can dominate the market. Send all possible stock.' "
Upcoming author appearances include:
* Linda Cohen and Joan Bechtel for "Motherhood Confidential: The Strange Disappearance of My Best Friend" (GynaVision, $13.95, 251 pages): Cohen and Bechtel have collaborated on what has been called "the ultimate anti-advice book." Their humorous, informative co-memoir takes motherhood head-on.
Event: 3 p.m. Saturday at the Book Seller, 107 Mill St., Grass Valley, (530) 272-2131.
* Heather Estay for "It's Never Too Late To Be a Bridesmaid" (Avon, $12.95, 272 pages): "I've been in scads of weddings," Estay writes, "(and) now my daughter has been bitten by the matrimonial bug. Being mother of the bride couldn't be any worse than being in those other weddings, could it? In a word, 'Yes.'"
Event: 7 p.m. Wednesday at Borders, 2339 Fair Oaks Blvd., (916) 564-0168.
About the writer: 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. Unique content, exceptional value. SUBSCRIBE NOW! To see more of the Sacramento Bee, or to subscribe, go to http://www.sacbee.com Copyright 2004 Sacramento Bee. All Rights Reserved.
