Books: New and noteworthy

Paste BN's Jocelyn McClurg scopes out the hottest books on sale each week.

1. The Book of Love by Roger Rosenblatt (Ecco, non-fiction, on sale Jan. 20)

What it's about: Just in time for Valentine's Day, Rosenblatt (The Boy Detective) uses lines from love songs to riff on everybody's favorite subject.

The buzz: "A book to savor," says Booklist.

2. God, Guns, Grits, and Gravy by Mike Huckabee (St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Press, non-fiction, on sale Jan. 20)

What it's about: Huckabee, who has left his Fox News show in advance of another possible GOP presidential run, offers his conservative vision of America.

The buzz: Three of Huckabee's previous books have been top-50 Paste BN best sellers.

3. First Frost by Sarah Addison Allen (St. Martin's Press, fiction, on sale Jan. 20)

What it's about: The Waverly women of Bascom, N.C., from Garden Spells are back in this tale of a stranger with news that shakes the family.

The buzz: "A beautiful, lyrical story," says Publishers Weekly.

4. Murder at Camp Delta by Joseph Hickman (Simon & Schuster, non-fiction, on sale Jan. 20)

What it's about: Hickman, a one-time staff sergeant at Guantanamo, reports on the controversial deaths of three prisoners in 2006.

The buzz: It's being published the same day as Guantanamo Diary by Mohamedou Ould Slahi, a detainee since 2002.

5. Sweetland by Michael Crummey (Liveright, fiction, on sale Jan. 19)

What it's about: Grizzled Moses Sweetland refuses to budge when the government offers residents of a remote island in Newfoundland money to move to the mainland.

The buzz: "Moses is a memorably strong-willed character," says Publishers Weekly in a starred review.