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Harry was patient: He knew the Iranian agents were out there. They were angry and greedy and lonely and needy. This one had been disrespected by the Revolutionary Guard. That one hadn't gotten the promotion he wanted. One man resented the corrupt officials who ran his program. Another man's wife had cancer that could only be treated in the West … Take your pick. They were out there. Harry knew it. He had lists of dozens of people his case officers would pitch, if they ever got close enough.
--The Increment by David Ignatius (Norton, $26.95)
Stories
My father dropped out of his English class, furious at the language that randomly distributed meaningless articles and insisted on having a subject in every stupid sentence. He made cold calls to Canadian companies and in unintelligible English described his life, which included being a diplomat in the world's greatest cities, to perplexed receptionists who would simply put him on indefinite hold.
--Love and Obstacles by Aleksandar Hemon (Riverhead, $25.95) Novel
The applicants are angry because I can't see how special they are … The alumni are angry because they got in … but their brilliant kid got denied. The faculty's angry because we took the athlete, not the genius.
--Admission by Jean Hanff Korelitz (Grand Central, $24.99)
Sports
The cup [of water] had barely touched my lips when I felt a horrible pain in my back. Reflexively, my head whipped around … and I saw a man wearing a baseball cap and a vicious sneer … His hands were clutching a long knife. He started to lunge at me again.
--Getting a Grip by Monica Seles (Avery, $26)
Biography
To eat, he made watercolor sketches of a farm from the fields, then knocked on the farmhouse door and asked to trade the drawing for a meal.
--The Protest Singer: An Intimate Portrait of Pete Seeger by Alec Wilkinson (Alfred A. Knopf, $22.95)
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