Beatles Art: fantastic new artwork of the fab four edited by Linda Webb & Jeffrey Webb Presents full-color reproductions of more than 150 works of art that were inspired by the Beatles and their songs, including paintings, sculptures, caricatures, and doodles, along with essays in which the artists share their thoughts on their art, their lives, and the world.

The driving book: everything new drivers need to know but don't know to ask by Karen Gravelle Presents a guide to driving an automobile for new drivers including anecdotes and information on everyday challenges, from how to drive in bad weather, to unexpected mishaps such as road rage and traffic accidents. Sure to alleviate anxiety for people who've just graduated from a learner's permit.

Escape! : The story of the great Houdini by Sid Fleischman A biography of the magician, ghost chaser, aviator, and king of escape artists whose amazing feats are remembered long after his death in 1926. The show-biz details are as fascinating as the transformation of an immigrant whose "biggest sleight-of-hand was himself.”

Girlbomb: a halfway homeless memoir by Janice Erlbaum A columnist describes her adolescence as a runaway in New York City, explaining why she exchanged her home for life on the city streets, her struggle to balance school, the shelter system, and her battle to rescue herself from street life. A vivid, painfully realistic coming-of-age memoir.

The North Pole was here: puzzles and perils at the top of the world by Andy C. Revkin An environmental reporter recounts his expedition to the North Pole where he followed oceanographers as they studied the mysteries of climate modeling and global warming, revealing how the fate of the pole will impact the earth. The illustrations include full-color photographs of the author's trek, archival reproductions and photos of previous excursions, original diagrams that clarify concepts and maps.

This I believe: the personal philosophies of remarkable men and women edited by Jay Allison and Dan Gediman. A collection of essays by Americans, including Colin Powell, Bill Gates, and John Updike, in which the authors explore their personal beliefs. In an age of disinformation, spin, and lies, NPR's This I Believe comes as a source of refreshment and useful disquiet.

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini Set against the three decades of Afghanistan's history shaped by Soviet occupation, civil war, and the Taliban, this novel tells the stories of two women, Mariam and Laila. Both grow close despite their age difference and initial rivalry as they suffer at the hand of a common enemy: their abusive husband.

Ludie's life by Cynthia Rylant A collection of poems that tell the story of Ludie, a poor woman in a coal-mining town in West Virginia, from her childhood to her adolescent years, and then through her married life into her old age. The narrative is often a collection of Zen-like moments of self-discovery and serenity. A powerful read for young and old alike.

Under the banner of heaven: a story of violent faith by Jon Krakauer Presents an account of the 1984 murder of Brenda Lafferty and her fifteen-month-old daughter Erica by Mormon Fundamentalists Ron and Dan Lafferty who claim they were acting on an order directly from God. Krakauer tackle issues of faith in this true-crime/religious expose, which delves deep into the heart of the Mormon faith.

The Glass Castle: A memoir by Jeannette Walls The author recalls her life growing up in a dysfunctional family with an alcoholic father and distant mother and describes how she and her siblings had to fend for themselves until they finally found the resources and will to leave home. A chilling, wrenching, incredible testimony of childhood neglect that is at the same time a pull-yourself-up-by-the-bootstraps, thoroughly American story.