Books: New and noteworthy

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

1. Rising Star: The Making of Barack Obama by David J. Garrow (William Morrow, non-fiction, on sale May 9)

What it’s about: Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Garrow interviewed more than 1,000 people for this portrait of Obama before he became president.

The buzz: “Epic…political history buffs will be fascinated,” says Publishers Weekly in a starred review.

2. A Dog’s Way Home by W. Bruce Cameron (Forge, fiction, on sale May 9)

What it’s about: After a young man and his pit bull mix are separated by rules banning the breed, Bella tries to make her way home.

The buzz: Cameron’s A Dog’s Purpose climbed to the top of Paste BN’s Best-Selling Books list in January, propelled by the movie adaptation.

3. Since We Fell by Dennis Lehane (Ecco, fiction, on sale May 9)

What it’s about: A former TV reporter who has an on-air breakdown covering the Haiti earthquake marries a man who is not who he seems to be.

The buzz: “A crafty, ingenious tale of murder and deception,” says Kirkus Reviews.

4. Jackie’s Girl: My Life With the Kennedy Family by Kathy McKeon (Gallery Books, non-fiction, on sale May 9)

What it’s about: McKeon recounts the 13 years, beginning in 1964, that she spent as Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis’s personal assistant and sometime nanny to Caroline and John Jr.

The buzz: Our fascination with Jackie shows no signs of waning (see Jackie starring Natalie Portman; The Kennedys: After Camelot with Katie Holmes).

5. Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman (Pamela Dorman Books/Viking, fiction, on sale May 9)

What it’s about: Debut novel about the offbeat, off-putting title character, who finds a friend in the nerdy IT guy in her office.

The buzz: It’s an Indie Next pick of independent booksellers and a Library Reads choice of librarians. “A compulsively readable, heartwarming story,” says Kaitlin Smith of Copperfield’s Books in Sebastopol, Calif.