Recommendations of new books from the staffs of a rotating list of Bay Area independent bookstores. This week's list is from Pegasus Books Downtown, 2349 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley (510) 649-1320. www.pegasusbookstore.com.

FICTION

The Guest Cat,

by Takashi Hiraide: A young couple in Japan is visited by a mysterious cat. She comes and goes, leaving their lives changed subtly, gracefully, for the better. In paperback.

Bark: Stories,

by Lorrie Moore: Who can write the foibles of the human spirit like Lorrie Moore? In her new collection, she once again shows us what we're really like inside.

Insel,

by Mina Loy: Unpublished during Loy's lifetime, this surrealist novel is set in the bohemia of 1930s Paris and features a recently unearthed alternate ending. In paperback.

The Interestings,

by Meg Wolitzer: Starting the summer of Nixon's resignation, this sweeping novel follows six close friends through their successes, failures and the life that happens in between. In paperback.

NONFICTION

Think Like a Freak,

by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner: Why did David Lee Roth insist on no brown M&Ms in his dressing rooms? Why do the Nigerian e-mail scammers keep saying they're from Nigeria? Levitt and Dubner are as entertaining and informative as always.

The Summer of Beer and Whiskey,

by Edward Achorn: Did you know the St. Louis Cardinals were created to bump their owner's beer sales? Originally laughed at as "The Beer and Whiskey Circuit," Achorn outlines how the founding of the American League solidified baseball as America's pastime. In paperback.

The Noble Hustle: Poker, Beef Jerky, and Death,

by Colson Whitehead: Whitehead takes a break from writing novels about pandemics and race relations to tell us what it's like to play in the World Series of Poker.

The Last Train to Zona Verde: My Ultimate African Safari,

by Paul Theroux: The travel writer takes us back to Africa, examining the changes in both himself and the continent in the years since he first journeyed there. In paperback.
http://www.sfgate.com/books/topshelf/article/Book-recommendations-from-Pegasus-Books-5501283.php
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