Books: New and noteworthy

USA TODAY’s Jocelyn McClurg scopes out the hottest books on sale each week.

1. Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen (Simon & Schuster, non-fiction, on sale Sept. 27)

What it’s about: A memoir by the iconic rocker — and he even wrote it himself.

The buzz: The book already has made headlines, with Springsteen’s disclosure to Vanity Fair that he has long suffered from depression.

Bruce Springsteen sums up 30-year depression battle with car metaphor

2. Woman of God by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro (Little, Brown, fiction, on sale Sept. 26)

What it’s about: A woman poised to make history by becoming the first pope is surrounded by enemies.

The buzz: Patterson and Paetro already have teamed up for two USA TODAY best sellers this year: 15th Affair, which landed at No. 1 in May; and The Trial, a BookShots title that hit No. 2 in July.

3. Imperfect Union by Chuck Raasch (Stackpole, non-fiction, on sale Oct. 1)

What it’s about: Recounts story of New York Times correspondent Sam Wilkeson, who wrote a famous dispatch from Gettysburg after learning that his son, a Union lieutenant, had died in the battle.

The buzz: Comes with a recommendation from Ken Burns (The Civil War): “An important book, one that contains both an aerial and intimate view of the human cost of the greatest battle ever fought in North America.”

4. The Fever Code by James Dashner (Delacorte, fiction, on sale Sept. 27)

What it’s about: In this prequel to The Maze Runner, we learn how Thomas built the Maze and how the Gladers met.

The buzz: Dashner’s best-selling dystopian young-adult series has spun off two hit movie adaptations (The Maze Runner, The Scorch Trials).

5. Mercury by Margot Livesey (Harper, fiction, on sale Sept. 27)

What it’s about: A woman’s obsession with a thoroughbred boarded at her stables leads to violence and threatens her marriage.

The buzz: It’s an Indie Next pick of independent booksellers. A “riveting psychological novel,” says Mary Cotton of Newtonville Books in Newton, Mass.