The Best Of The New Fall Books

(CBS)  Historical storyteller E.L. Doctorow follows the destructive path of Union general William Tecumseh Sherman through the South in 1864.

Futurist Ray Kurzweil examines the potential of artificial intelligence.

Talented young Londoner Zadie Smith visits this side of the Atlantic for her third novel.

Their latest books are on Janet Maslin's list of the best of the season, reviewed on CBS News Sunday Morning.

Below is her full list of recommended new releases, with links to excerpts or additional information for each.

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Tab Hunter Confidential, by Tab Hunter
Read more about the 1950s Hollywood star Tab Hunter, author of Tab Hunter Confidential, at the site of his publisher, Algonquin Books.

The March, by E.L. Doctorow
Read an excerpt from The March, the new historical novel by E.L. Doctorow, on the Random House site.

On Beauty, by Zadie Smith
Read an excerpt of On Beauty, the new fractured family tale by Zadie Smith, on the Penguin UK site.

Fallen, by David Maine
Read more about David Maine, Biblical storyteller and author of Fallen, on the Canongate site.

The Year of Magical Thinking, by Joan Didion
Read an excerpt from The Year of Magical Thinking, Joan Didion's examination of her own grief at the death of her husband, John Gregory Dunne, in The Guardian.

The Singularity is Near, by Ray Kurzweil
Learn more about Kurzweil, and about artificial intelligence, at KurzweilAI.net.

Goodnight, Nobody, by Jennifer Weiner
To read an excerpt and find out more about the author of Goodnight, Nobody, see Jennifer Weiner's blog.

The Tender Bar, by J.R. Moehringer
To find out more about The Tender Bar, a memoir of an unusual childhood, see the Hyperion Books site.