FICTION

WIN, LOSE OR DIE by John Gardner (Berkley: $4.95). James Bond is sent to baby-sit three world leaders at a shipboard superpower summit; his fate becomes uncertain when a female assassin is dispatched to distract him--permanently.

DISAPPEARING ACTS by Terry McMillan (Washington Square Press: $8.95) Career-crossed relationship between two contemporary African-American urban dwellers, a teacher and a construction worker.

COUNTERATTACK: The Corps Book III by W.E.B. Griffin (Jove: $5.50). The maturation process of the Marines--subject of two earlier Griffin books--during the attack at Guadalcanal.

THE MEN’S ROOM by Ann Oakley (Ivy: $4.95). Complications ensue when two married university colleagues become intimate.

THE OLD SILENT by Martha Grimes (Dell: $5.95). Master mystery writer spot-lights Inspector Richard Jury for the tenth time out.

NONFICTION

HOOVER DAM: An American Adventure by Joseph E. Stevens (University of Oklahoma: $12.95). Tale of the construction of this mammoth structure--referred to as “the widow maker” and a “damn big dam”--includes the human dramas of those who built it.

THE WRITING LIFE by Annie Dillard (HarperPerennial: $8.95). Dillard weaves her own personal experiences into essays on what it takes to be a professional writer.

THE FIGHTING SPIRIT: A Championship Season at Notre Dame by Lou Holtz with John Heisler (Pocket: $5.95). Holtz tells what it took to bring this team back from a five-year slump.

IT WOULD BE SO NICE IF YOU WEREN’T HERE: My Journey Through Show Business by Charles Grodin (Vintage; $9.95). Often cast in understated, tenacious roles, Grodin displays the wit and philosophy that have kept him relatively steady in a volatile arena.

LOVE’S EXECUTIONER: And Other Tales of Psychotherapy by Irvin D. Yalom, MD (HarperPerennial: $9.95). A psychiatrist draws on 10 cases of patients suffering from a variety of mental ailments to demonstrate moments of breakthrough.

SELF-HELP / REFERENCE

AMERICA BY MAIL (Avon: $14.95) Upscale items from menswear to pet-care. Complete with order forms and rebates coupons (many expire September 30th).

NEW ENGLAND BY MAIL, compiled by Daniel and Lisa Ramus (Rutledge Hill: $9.95), features the quality and durability of items long associated with this region; indexed by state, company and product. And if you can’t find it in either of those try.

THE CATALOG OF CATALOGS II: The Complete Mail-Order Directory by Edward L. Palder (Woodbine: $14.95), touting more than 12,000 catalogues. You may need the 116 shopping days left before Christmas to get through this one.