New Books in October

The Neurological Thriller

If you actually read the stories for "Expository Writing," then you might have already come across neurologist Oliver Sacks and his stories about the oddities of the human condition. His newest title, The Mind's Eye promises more of the same. The book, which comes out late this month, will talk about the ways people learn to communicate with altered senses.

Stories range from the concert pianist who loses her ability to read music and the neurobiologist who cannot see in three dimensions to Sacks' first-hand account of losing vision in one eye after suffering from ocular melanoma. Sacks knows how to go from "aw, what an inspirational story," to "oooh what an interesting disease," from one page to the next, making this a medical page-turner you won't want to miss.

The New Kid on the Shelf

As he spoofed himself while hosting Saturday Night Live, actor James Franco sometimes appears to make career choices by picking them out of a hat. Movie star, soap star, artist —the list goes on. Now with the release of his new book, Palo Alto, we can add short story writer to his résumé.

Palo Alto sounds like a typical collection of stories about various teenagers and their struggles. But the fact that Franco is writing about his own hometown may just work in his favor. The only way to find out whether Franco got published due to his fame or his talent would be to pick up this nondescript book for yourself.