Mariposa by Greg Bear

In an America driven to near bankruptcy with crushing foreign debt, the Talos Corporation stands out as a major success story?training soldiers and security forces from around the world and providing logistics and troops for nearly all branches of the United States government. But Talos has another plan in mind?the destruction of the federal system and constitutional law.

Three FBI agents are all that stands between Talos?s CEO Axel Price and the subversion of our nation. Fouad Al-Husam is working undercover in Lion City, Texas, on the Talos Campus - but he may have just overplayed his hand. Agent William Griffin will engage in a desperate diversion to try to rescue Al-Husam, and the top-secret information he literally carries in his blood.

Rebecca Rose is called into action to partner with an unlikely hero: Nathan Trace, one of a team of four who created and programmed the thinking machines that are about to help Axel Price in his plans for domination. Trace and his colleagues were caught up in a violent incident in the Middle East several years ago, and experienced Post-Traumatic Stress disorder. All of them were forcibly enrolled in a treatment program sponsored by Talos Corporation, code-named Mariposa - which supposedly cured their PTSD. But now they are beginning to notice unexpected side effects. The Mariposa subjects are being liberated from nearly all human emotions and concerns - and all mental limits - to become brilliant sociopaths. They are out of control and they must die.

About the Author

Greg Bear is the author of more than thirty books of science fiction and fantasy, including Quantico, Blood Music, The Forge of God, and Darwin?s Radio. Awarded two Hugos and five Nebulas for his fiction, one of two authors to win a Nebula in every category, Bear has been called the ?best working writer of hard science fiction? by The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Science Fiction. His stories have been collected into an omnibus volume by Tor Books. Bear has served on political and scientific action committees and has advised Microsoft Corporation, the U.S. Army, the CIA, Sandia National Laboratories, Callison Architecture, Inc., and other groups and agencies. His novels The Forge of God and Anvil of Stars have been optioned by Warner Brothers, and Darwin?s Radio and Darwin?s Children have been optioned by Michael DeLuca and Howard Braunstein. He lives in Washington with his wife, Astrid Anderson Bear, and children, Erik and Alexandra.

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The Collector by Jack Nisbet

Jack Nisbet first told the story of British explorer David Thompson, who mapped the Columbia River, in his acclaimed Sources of the River. That book set the standard for research and narrative biography for the region. Now Nisbet turns his attention to David Douglas, the premier botanical explorer in the Pacific Northwest and other areas of western North America. Douglas' discoveries include hundreds of western plants ? most notably the Douglas Fir.

The Collector tracks Douglas' fascinating history, from his humble birth in Scotland in 1799 to his botanical training under the famed William Jackson Hooker to his adventures in North America discovering "exotic" new plants for the English and European market. The book takes readers along on Douglas' journeys into a literal "brave new world" of then-obscure realms from Puget Sound to the Sandwich Islands. In telling Douglas' story, Nisbet evokes a lost world of early exploration, pristine nature, ambition, and cultural and class conflict with surprisingly modern resonances.

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Bestsellers, wk ending Dec. 6, 2009

The Pacific Northwest Indie Bestseller List, as brought to you by northwest-books.com, IndieBound and PNBA, is based on reporting from the independent booksellers of the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association and IndieBound. Most of these books aren't books from the Pacific Northwest, but are books that are currently selling well in the Pacific Northwest. Titles shown with a mark (·) before the name are not listed on the comparable National Independent Bestseller List for the same week.

Week ending December 6, 2009

HARDCOVER FICTION

1. The Lacuna
Barbara Kingsolver, Harper, $26.99, 9780060852573
2. Half Broke Horses
Jeannette Walls, Scribner, $26, 9781416586289
3. The Help
Kathryn Stockett, Amy Einhorn Books/Putnam, $24.95, 9780399155345
*4. War Dances
Sherman Alexie, Grove, $23, 9780802119193
5. Too Much Happiness
Alice Munro, Knopf, $25.95, 9780307269768
6. Under the Dome
Stephen King, Scribner, $35, 9781439148501
7. U Is for Undertow
Sue Grafton, Putnam, $27.95, 9780399155970
8. Last Night in Twisted River
John Irving, Random House, $28, 9781400063840
9. The Lost Symbol
Dan Brown, Doubleday, $29.95, 9780385504225
10. The Girl Who Played With Fire
Stieg Larsson, Knopf, $25.95, 9780307269980
11. Pirate Latitudes
Michael Crichton, Harper, $27.99, 9780061929373
12. Wolf Hall
Hilary Mantel, Holt, $27, 9780805080681
*13. Trial by Fire
J. A. Jance, Touchstone, $25.99, 9781416563808
14. I, Alex Cross
James Patterson, Little Brown, $27.99, 9780316018784
*15. The Gathering Storm
Robert Jordan, Brandon Sanderson, Tor, $29.99, 9780765302304

HARDCOVER NONFICTION

1. Stones Into Schools
Greg Mortenson, Viking, $26.95, 9780670021154
2. The Big Burn
Timothy Egan, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $27, 9780618968411
3. Where Men Win Glory
Jon Krakauer, Doubleday, $27.95, 9780385522267
4. Going Rogue
Sarah Palin, Harper, $28.99, 9780061939891
*5. The Collector
Jack Nisbet, Sasquatch, $23.95, 9781570616136
6. Half the Sky
Nicholas D. Kristof, Sheryl WuDunn, Knopf, $27.95, 9780307267146
7. What the Dog Saw
Malcolm Gladwell, Little Brown, $27.99, 9780316075848
8. Born to Run
Christopher McDougall, Knopf, $24.95, 9780307266309
*9. Rustic Fruit Desserts
Cory Schreiber, Julie Richardson, Ten Speed Press, $22, 9781580089760
10. True Compass
Edward M. Kennedy, Twelve, $35, 9780446539258
11. The Imperial Cruise
James Bradley, Little Brown, $29.99, 9780316008952
12. SuperFreakonomics
Steven D. Levitt, Stephen J. Dubner, Morrow, $29.99, 9780060889579
*13. The Elements
Theodore Gray (Ed.), Black Dog & Leventhal, $29.95, 9781579128142
14. Have a Little Faith
Mitch Albom, Hyperion, $23.99, 9780786868728
15. Open
Andre Agassi, Knopf, $28.95, 9780307268198

TRADE PAPERBACK FICTION

1. The Art of Racing in the Rain
Garth Stein, Harper, $14.99, 9780061537967
2. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Stieg Larsson, Vintage, $14.95, 9780307454546
3. Olive Kitteridge
Elizabeth Strout, Random House, $14, 9780812971835
4. The Elegance of the Hedgehog
Muriel Barbery, Europa Editions, $15, 9781933372600
5. Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet
Jamie Ford, Ballantine, $15, 9780345505347
6. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
Mary Ann Shaffer, Annie Barrows, Dial, $14, 9780385341004
7. The Road
Cormac McCarthy, Vintage, $14.95, 9780307476302
8. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle
David Wroblewski, Ecco, $16.99, 9780061374234
9. The Piano Teacher
Janice Y.K. Lee, Penguin, $15, 9780143116530
10. Precious (Push Movie Tie-In Edition)
Sapphire, Vintage, $13, 9780307474841
*11. People of the Book
Geraldine Brooks, Penguin, $15, 9780143115007
12. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
Seth Grahame-Smith, Jane Austen, Quirk, $12.95, 9781594743344
13. The Private Patient
P.D. James, Vintage, $15, 9780307455284
14. The Shack
William P. Young, Windblown, $14.99, 9780964729230
*15. City of Thieves
David Benioff, Plume, $15, 9780452295292

TRADE PAPERBACK NONFICTION

1. Three Cups of Tea
Greg Mortenson, David Oliver Relin, Penguin, $15, 9780143038252
*2. Winetrails of Washington
Steve Roberts, Lisa Pettit (Illus.), Winetrails Northwest, $19.95, 9780979269806
3. My Life in France
Julia Child, Anchor, $15, 9780307277695
4. The Omnivore's Dilemma
Michael Pollan, Penguin, $16, 9780143038580
*5. Winetrails of Oregon
Steve M. Roberts, Lisa Pettit (Illus.), Winetrails Northwest, $24.95, 9780979269813
6. I Am America (and So Can You!)
Stephen Colbert, Grand Central, $15.99, 9780446582186
*7. Mushrooms of the Pacific Northwest
Steve Trudell, Joe Ammirati, Timber, $27.95, 9780881929355
8. In Defense of Food
Michael Pollan, Penguin, $15, 9780143114963
*9. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle
Barbara and Camille Kingsolver, Steven Hopp, Harper Perennial, $15.99, 9780060852566
10. The Glass Castle
Jeannette Walls, Scribner, $15, 9780743247542
11. Alex & Me
Irene M. Pepperberg, Harper, $13.99, 9780061673986
12. Freakonomics
Steven D. Levitt, Stephen J. Dubner, Harper Perennial, $15.99, 9780060731335
13. Nightlight
The Harvard Lampoon, Vintage, $13.95, 9780307476104
14. Hot, Flat, and Crowded 2.0
Thomas L. Friedman, Picador, $16, 9780312428921
*15. Give a Little
Wendy Smith, Hyperion, $14.99, 9781401323400

MASS MARKET

1. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Stieg Larsson, Vintage, $7.99, 9780307473479
2. The Road
Cormac McCarthy, Vintage, $7.99, 9780307476319
3. The Official Scrabble Players Dictionary, 4th Edition
Merriam-Webster, $7.50, 9780877799290
*4. Outlander
Diana Gabaldon, Dell, $7.99, 9780440212560
*5. Dead to the World
Charlaine Harris, Ace, $7.99, 9780441012183
*6. The Catcher in the Rye
J.D. Salinger, Warner, $6.99, 9780316769488
*7. Cruel Intent
J.A. Jance, Pocket Star, $7.99, 9781416566359
8. Exit Music
Ian Rankin, Little Brown, $7.99, 9780316018876
9. Santa Clawed
Rita Mae Brown, Bantam, $7.99, 9780553591590
*10. Club Dead
Charlaine Harris, Ace, $7.99, 9780441010516

CHILDREN'S ILLUSTRATED

1. Waddle!
Rufus Butler Seder, Workman, $12.95, 9780761151128
2. Fancy Nancy's Splendiferous Christmas
Jane O'Connor, Robin Preiss Glasser (Illus.), Harper, $17.99, 9780061235900
3. Goodnight Moon
Margaret Wise Brown, Clement Hurd (Illus.), Harper, $8.99, 9780694003617
4. The Christmas Magic
Lauren Thompson, Jon J Muth, Scholastic, $16.99, 9780439774970
5. Where the Wild Things Are
Maurice Sendak, Harper, $17.95, 9780060254926
6. Gallop!
Rufus Butler Seder, Workman, $12.95, 9780761147633
*7. The Spirit of Christmas
Nancy Tillman, Feiwel & Friends, $16.99, 9780312549657
8. Skippyjon Jones, Lost in Spice
Judy Schachner, Dutton, $16.99, 9780525479659
9. Carl's Snowy Afternoon
Alexandra Day, FSG, $12.99, 9780374310868
*10. Jan Brett's Snowy Treasury
Jan Brett, Putnam, $29.99, 9780399254017

CHILDREN'S INTEREST

1. The Book Thief
Markus Zusak, Knopf, $11.99, 9780375842207
2. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
Sherman Alexie, Ellen Forney (Illus.), Little Brown, $8.99, 9780316013697
3. Fantastic Mr. Fox
Roald Dahl, Quentin Blake (Illus.), Puffin, $6.99, 9780142414552
4. Return to the Hundred Acre Wood
David Benedictus, Mark Burgess (Illus.), Dutton, $19.99, 9780525421603
5. Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Journey to Change the World... One Child at a Time
Greg Mortenson, David Oliver Relin, Puffin, $8.99, 9780142414125
6. The Magician's Elephant
Kate DiCamillo, Yoko Tanaka (Illus.), Candlewick, $16.99, 9780763644109
7. Graceling
Kristin Cashore, Graphia, $9.99, 9780547258300
8. Peter and the Sword of Mercy
Dave Barry, Ridley Pearson, Hyperion, $18.99, 9781423121343
*9. Open Me Up
DK Publishing, $24.99, 9780756655327
*10. Listen to the Wind
Greg Mortenson, Susan L. Roth, Dial, $16.99, 9780803730588

CHILDREN'S FICTION SERIES TITLES

1. Twilight
Stephenie Meyer, Little Brown, $10.99, 9780316038386
2. The Hunger Games
Suzanne Collins, Scholastic, $17.99, 9780439023481
3. Eclipse
(Twilight, Book 3)
Stephenie Meyer, Little Brown, $9.99, 9780316027656
4. The Fourth Apprentice
(Warriors: Omen of the Stars, #1)
Erin Hunter, Harper, $16.99, 9780061555091
5. The Mysterious Benedict Society
Trenton Lee Stewart, Little Brown, $6.99, 9780316003957
6. New Moon
(Twilight, Book 2)
Stephenie Meyer, Little Brown, $10.99, 9780316024969
7. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days
Jeff Kinney, Amulet, $13.95, 9780810983915
8. The Lightning Thief
(Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1)
Rick Riordan, Miramax, $7.99, 9780786838653
9. The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey (The Mysterious Benedict Society, #2)
Trenton Lee Stewart, Little Brown, $6.99, 9780316036733
10. Diary of a Wimpy Kid
Jeff Kinney, Amulet, $12.95, 9780810993136

Puget Sound Through an Artist's Eye by Tony Angell

For nearly fifty years Tony Angell has used Puget Sound's natural diversity as his artist's palette. In this book, he describes the living systems within the Sound and shares his observations and encounters with the species that make up the complex communities of the Sound's rivers, tidal flats, islands, and beaches: the fledging flight of a young peregrine, an otter playfully herding a small red rockfish, the grasp of a curious octopus.

Angell goes on to explain the methods he uses in his art. The shapes, movements, patterns, and even temperatures and smells that he experiences in the field are all brought to bear on his work. His drawings bring clarity to his visual and emotional memories, and his sculptures allow him to approach a memory from many directions and retain that memory in his hands. In all of his work, he lets the passion and excitement of his discoveries drive his artistic expression.

Angell augments his descriptions of the wildlife of the Puget Sound region and his working methods with two appendices listing guides and references to this and other regions by other artists and naturalists. These resources not only put wildlife viewers in touch with the times and places to view particular species, but also speak to the patience and willingness to be delighted that are necessary to increasing the understanding of our wild neighbors.

About the Author

Tony Angell is an illustrator, sculptor, and author. Angell has won numerous writing and artistic awards for his work, including the prestigious Master Wildlife Artist Award of the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum and the 2006 International Victoria and Albert Museum Illustration Grant Award. His sculptural forms celebrating nature are to be found in public and private collections throughout the country. In 2002, Angell retired as Washington State Director of Environmental Education after thirty years of service. A devout conservationist, he received The Oak Leaf Award, the highest recognition given by the national office of The Nature Conservancy. He is author of Ravens, Crows, Magpies, and Jays and Owls. He lives in Seattle with his wife and two daughters.

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Trial by Fire by J.A. Jance

In the heat of the Arizona desert, a raging fire pushes temperatures to a deadly degree, and one woman is left to burn. Pulled naked and barely breathing from the fire, the victim has no idea who she is, let alone who would do this to her -- or why. In her hospital bed she drifts in and out of consciousness, her only means of communicating a blink of the eye. And then an angel appears.

Misguidedly known around town as the "Angel of Death," Sister Anselm has devoted her life to working as an advocate for unidentified patients. To her burn patient, she is a savior. But to this Jane Doe's would-be killer, Sister Anselm's efforts pose a serious threat. Ali Reynolds is on the scene as the new media relations consultant for the Yavapai County Police Department, keeping reporters at bay and circumventing questions about arson and a link to a domestic terrorist group called Earth Liberation Front. But her job quickly becomes much more.

As Ali struggles to help Sister Anselm uncover the helpless woman's identity, they realize that by locating the missing relatives they may be exposing the victim once more to a remorseless killer determined to finish the job. Faced with the possibility of putting all three of their lives in jeopardy, Ali fearlessly pursues justice -- and what she discovers is a secret even darker and more twisted than she ever could have imagined.

About the Author

J.A. Jance is the top 10 New York Times bestselling author of the Joanna Brady series; the J. P. Beaumont series; three interrelated thrillers featuring the Walker family; and Ali Reynolds series. Born in South Dakota and brought up in Bisbee, Arizona, Jance lives with her husband in Seattle, Washington, and Tucson, Arizona. Please visit her website, jajance.com.

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