Complete book coverage for Jan. 31, 2010

Salinger, whose 1951 novel created a lasting symbol of teenage discontent, died Wednesday at his remote New Hampshire home. He refused interviews for years and published his last story in 1965.

In the latest by the author of ‘Underworld,’ three characters sit around talking and thinking through the slender, nuanced novel.

Here are stories of personal apocalypses and the outrageous tragicomedy in seemingly ordinary lives, all delivered with the author’s trademark explosive style.

The authors remind us that we need to remember that we’re still connected to the world of nature just outside our homes.

The collection of short stories is about people who are falling apart in front of our eyes.

Who is the notorious lover of women? The author gives us an unexpected portrait that challenges the traditional ideas surrounding him.

Inspired and unplugged in her Northwest attic, the author crafts essays that aim for a meeting of the minds.

Plus: ‘Things We Didn’t See Coming’ and ‘I Want to Be Left Behind’

Fiction Weeks on list1.The Help by Kathryn Stockett (Putnam: $24.95) The lives of a maid, a cook and a college graduate become intertwined as they change a Mississippi town. 34 2.First Rule by Robert Crais (Putnam: $26.95) Joe Pike’s past catches up with him when an old friend’s entire family is killed.2 3.The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson (Knopf: $25.95) A hacker implicated in two murders must revisit her past to prove her innocence. 22 4.Noah’s Compass by Anne Tyler (Knopf: $25.95) After being attacked, an unambitious, unemployed teacher loses his memory and embraces the exuberance of a younger woman. 25.Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel ( Henry Holt: $27) The rise of Henry VIII’s advisor Thomas Cromwell.126.The Book of Genesis Illustrated by R.

Fiction 1. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson ($14.95) 2.