NONFICTION
Nicholas Fox Weber opens his fascinating new book, “The Bauhaus Group: Six Masters of Modernism,“ with a telling anecdote. It’s 1972, and he’s driving the Bauhaus-trained textile artist and printmaker Anni Albers home in his stylish British sports car. (“[A]n exemplar of the Bauhaus ideals of impeccable functioning and no wasted space,“ Weber recalls Albers and her husband Josef saying of the car.)

The burning of Atlanta, with a memorable assist from Hollywood, is one of those events that resonates. Fires that destroy great cities perhaps are always especially horrific, but in Atlanta’s case the bonfire was also a crucial factor in the defeat of the South. Now, in “The Bonfire: The Siege and Burning of Atlanta,“ journalist Marc Wortman vividly describes the events leading up to the fire, the fire itself and its consequences.

For students of 20th-century history, the title of this book is shorthand for tragedy and disaster. It outlines the self-deceptive, smug and misguided efforts of British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain to appease the territorial aims of the greatest criminal in recent history, German dictator Adolf Hitler. With Chamberlain in the lead, Britain and France ceded to Hitler significant chunks of Czechoslovakia without the Germans having to take military action and without the participation of the Czech government in the dismemberment of its country.

NONFICTION DES MOINES, Iowa Many people entering retirement envision a life of fun and relaxation, but the opposite can be true. Without the social contacts that come from reporting to an office everyday, some retirees feel isolated. Others feel depression from an emptiness that comes with sudden idle time. Psychologist Nancy K. Schlossberg’s latest of nine books, “Revitalizing Retirement: Reshaping Your Identity, Relationships, and Purpose” says you should spend as much time preparing your psychological portfolio as you do your financial one. In today’s recession, which is leaving millions of workers suddenly jobless, her tips also can help unemployed workers develop a plan for moving on.

Melanie Gideon believes she’s sleepwalking through life. But it’s much worse than that: She’s paralyzed by a fear of the rogue waves—both real and metaphoric—that she’s certain will overtake her family. Never mind that, as she describes her life, she has a loving husband, a well-adjusted 9-year-old son, the means to stay home with him and no reason to expect the worst.

NONFICTION
Melanie Gideon believes she’s sleepwalking through life. But it’s much worse than that: She’s paralyzed by a fear of the rogue waves—both real and metaphoric—that she’s certain will overtake her family. Never mind that, as she describes her life, she has a loving husband, a well-adjusted 9-year-old son, the means to stay home with him and no reason to expect the worst.

NONFICTION
Melanie Gideon believes she’s sleepwalking through life. But it’s much worse than that: She’s paralyzed by a fear of the rogue waves—both real and metaphoric—that she’s certain will overtake her family. Never mind that, as she describes her life, she has a loving husband, a well-adjusted 9-year-old son, the means to stay home with him and no reason to expect the worst.

NONFICTION
Melanie Gideon believes she’s sleepwalking through life. But it’s much worse than that: She’s paralyzed by a fear of the rogue waves—both real and metaphoric—that she’s certain will overtake her family. Never mind that, as she describes her life, she has a loving husband, a well-adjusted 9-year-old son, the means to stay home with him and no reason to expect the worst.

NONFICTION
Melanie Gideon believes she’s sleepwalking through life. But it’s much worse than that: She’s paralyzed by a fear of the rogue waves—both real and metaphoric—that she’s certain will overtake her family. Never mind that, as she describes her life, she has a loving husband, a well-adjusted 9-year-old son, the means to stay home with him and no reason to expect the worst.

NONFICTION
Melanie Gideon believes she’s sleepwalking through life. But it’s much worse than that: She’s paralyzed by a fear of the rogue waves—both real and metaphoric—that she’s certain will overtake her family. Never mind that, as she describes her life, she has a loving husband, a well-adjusted 9-year-old son, the means to stay home with him and no reason to expect the worst.

NONFICTION
Melanie Gideon believes she’s sleepwalking through life. But it’s much worse than that: She’s paralyzed by a fear of the rogue waves—both real and metaphoric—that she’s certain will overtake her family. Never mind that, as she describes her life, she has a loving husband, a well-adjusted 9-year-old son, the means to stay home with him and no reason to expect the worst.

NONFICTION
Melanie Gideon believes she’s sleepwalking through life. But it’s much worse than that: She’s paralyzed by a fear of the rogue waves—both real and metaphoric—that she’s certain will overtake her family. Never mind that, as she describes her life, she has a loving husband, a well-adjusted 9-year-old son, the means to stay home with him and no reason to expect the worst.

NONFICTION
Melanie Gideon believes she’s sleepwalking through life. But it’s much worse than that: She’s paralyzed by a fear of the rogue waves—both real and metaphoric—that she’s certain will overtake her family. Never mind that, as she describes her life, she has a loving husband, a well-adjusted 9-year-old son, the means to stay home with him and no reason to expect the worst.

NONFICTION
Melanie Gideon believes she’s sleepwalking through life. But it’s much worse than that: She’s paralyzed by a fear of the rogue waves—both real and metaphoric—that she’s certain will overtake her family. Never mind that, as she describes her life, she has a loving husband, a well-adjusted 9-year-old son, the means to stay home with him and no reason to expect the worst.

NONFICTION
Melanie Gideon believes she’s sleepwalking through life. But it’s much worse than that: She’s paralyzed by a fear of the rogue waves—both real and metaphoric—that she’s certain will overtake her family. Never mind that, as she describes her life, she has a loving husband, a well-adjusted 9-year-old son, the means to stay home with him and no reason to expect the worst.