Books: New and noteworthy

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

1. The Last Star by Rick Yancey (Putnam, fiction, on sale May 24)

What it’s about: As this young-adult sci-fi trilogy wraps up, heroine Cassie and her comrades ready for one final battle with the invading Others.

The buzz: The first book, The 5th Wave, was a No. 1 Paste BN best seller that became a movie starring Chloe Grace Moretz as Cassie.

2. Drive!: Henry Ford, George Selden, and the Race to Invent the Auto Age by Lawrence Goldstone (Ballantine, non-fiction, on sale now)

What it’s about: Looks at the pioneers of the automobile industry, from the world-famous to the lesser known.

The buzz: Goldstone also wrote Birdmen, a history of the Wright Brothers, which Paste BN gave ***½ (out of four) stars.

3. Marlene by C.W. Gortner (William Morrow, fiction, on sale May 24)

What it’s about: Novel based on the life of German film star Marlene Dietrich, who shunned the Nazis and became the voice of America for the USO.

The buzz: “Leaps off the page…cinematic in both scope and story,” says Booklist.

4. The City of Mirrors by Justin Cronin (Ballantine, fiction, on sale May 24)

What it’s about: Another dystopian trilogy concludes, as Cronin follows up Paste BN best sellers The Passage and The Twelve.

The buzz: Cronin will do a live video chat with Paste BN on May 23 at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT. (go to books.usatoday.com).

5. The Children by Ann Leary (St. Martin’s Press, fiction, on sale May 24)

What it’s about: Leary, wife of actor Denis Leary, returns with a novel about a squabbling New England clan, told through the eyes of the 29-year-old daughter.

The buzz: "Deeply satisfying," says Kirkus Reviews.