Books: New and noteworthy

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

1. Cross Justice by James Patterson (Little, Brown, fiction, on sale Nov. 23)

What it’s about: After his cousin is accused of a crime, Alex Cross returns to his North Carolina hometown and is drawn into a case involving the murders of socialites.

The buzz: Patterson has had an extremely busy 2015: nine of his books (most written with co-authors) made Paste BN’s Best-Selling Books list this year.

2. Boys in the Trees by Carly Simon (Flatiron, non-fiction, on sale Nov. 24)

What it’s about: A memoir by the singer-songwriter who had some of the biggest hits ("You’re So Vain," "Anticipation") of the 1970s.

The buzz: Simon dishes on the men in her life, from Warren Beatty to Mick Jagger to her first husband, singer James Taylor.

3. Gratitude by Oliver Sacks (Knopf, non-fiction, on sale Nov. 24)

What it’s about: Collects four essays Sacks wrote about aging and mortality, all published in The New York Times in the last two years of his life.

The buzz: A neurologist best known for books such as Awakenings and The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, Sacks died on Aug. 30 at age 82.

4. Over the Top and Back: The Autobiography by Tom Jones (Blue Rider Press, non-fiction, on sale Nov. 24)

What it’s about: The Welsh singer, a major heartthrob in the ‘60s and ‘70s, relives the glory days of pop stardom (“What’s New Pussycat?”).

The buzz: Nov. 24 is a big day for musical nostalgia, with Carly Simon’s book also landing.

5. Reacher Said Nothing: Lee Child and the Making of ‘Make Me’ by Andy Martin (Delacorte, non-fiction, on sale Nov. 24)

What it’s about: Martin, a Cambridge academic and Lee Child uber-fan, shadows the best-selling thriller writer as he pens the 20th Jack Reacher novel, 2015’s Make Me.

The buzz:Make Me landed at No. 1 on Paste BN’s Best-Selling Books list on Sept. 17.