Bookmarks: Recently released books

Here are some books that have crossed our desks recently.

HARDBACKS

"CLARA AND MR. TIFFANY," by Susan Vreeland, Random House, $26, 401 pages (f)

It's the late 1890s and Clara Driscoll works for Louis Comfort Tiffany, helping to make the leaded-glass lamps he is famous for. Clara is the head of Tiffany's women's division and conceives of and designs most of the lamps and struggles for artistic recognition in the company. Another complication is that Tiffany doesn't employ married women, and any employee who does marry must resign. And Clara would also like to find love, too, leaving her to choose between her heart and her profession.

"PHANTOMS IN THE SNOW," by Kathleen Benner Duble, Scholastic Press, $17.99, 226 pages (f)

The historical tale of orphaned 15-year-old Noah Garrett who moves to cold, snowy Colorado to live with his uncle is set during World War II. Raised a pacifist, Garrett is now living close to Camp Hale, a military base that houses the Phantoms — soldiers on skis. Noah struggles to reconcile his views about war and survive the cold as he is swept up in the events at the training back to the battlefield.

More hardbacks recently released:

"THE INVASION YEAR: An Alan Lewrie Naval Adventure,"by Dewey Lambdin, Thomas Dune Books, $25.99, 368 pages (f): The most recent installment of the Alan Lewrie Series takes Captain Alan Lewrie back to Britain to defend the English Channel from a planned attack by Napoleon and test out a weapon called a "torpedo."

"Being Polite to Hitler," by Robb Forman Dew, Little, Brown and Company, $24.99, 304 pages (f): Set in the U.S. in the 1950s, Agnes Scofield is unwillingly and unexpectedly at the center of her family's drama as she does her best to help her family.

"Livia: Empress of Rome," by Matthew Dennison, St. Martin's Press, $27.99, 320 pages (nf): This biography tells the story of Livia, who was the second wife of the Roman emperor Augustus, and that her true crime wasn't murder.

"India Calling," by Anand Giridharadas, Times Books, $25, 273 pages (nf): Looks at India's changing identity and the influences that shape the nation.

"Our Man in Tehran: The True Story Behind the Secret Mission to Save Six Americans during the Iran Hostage Crisis and the Foreign Ambassador Who Worked with the CIA to Bring Them Home," by Robert Wright, Other Press, $25.95, 406 pages (nf).