Staff Recommendations

Jane Dystel recommends:

Hearing the story behind THE GUERNSEY LITERARY AND POTATO PEEL SOCIETY – that author Mary Ann Shafer, a first time novelist, got ill toward the end of the writing process and her niece Annie Barrows, a children’s book writer, helped complete it – I was intrigued.  And so I started reading – and I absolutely fell in love.

Normally I hate epistolary anything.  I find the form difficult to read and follow.  That, however, is not at all true with this lovely novel.  It is beautifully written with wonderfully memorable characters and a well crafted story.  The authors’ ability to tell a very sad tale in a clever and sometimes humorous way is engrossing and I found the book difficult to put down every time I had to.  It is an absolute delight, and I recommend it highly.

Last summer, as I was planning a vacation that would include a couple of particularly long plane flights, I asked the staff for some book recommendations.  One suggestion was the new James Frey novel, BRIGHT SHINY MORNING.  I had never read A Million Little Pieces, although I had heard people loved it despite the huge controversy surrounding both the book and its author. I loaded Fry’s novel to my trusty Sony e-Reader thinking I would probably just dip in a little bit to see what all of the hubbub was about.  I found that I really couldn’t put the book down.  Frey is a natural storyteller as everybody knows, and he has created a very unusual novel, with the city of Los Angeles as the main character.  I admit I didn’t love everything about the book, especially in the final quarter.  But I found it to be fresh, entertaining and, despite its length, worthy of the time necessary to finish it.  I also believe that this could become a classic of sorts down the road – it is that original in its ambition and scope. 

For years I have wanted to read Khaled Hosseini’s THE KITE RUNNER but for one reason or another just didn’t get around to it.  Then, it was assigned as summer reading for my fifteen-year-old son and when he raved about it, I knew I had to see for myself.  It is an incredibly powerful story about modern Afghanistan, about friendship, about fathers and sons, about cruelty, and, above all else, love.  I was simply riveted from the first page and had trouble putting this book down when I had to. The characters are perfectly drawn; the story moves quickly and unpredictably and the emotional ups and down are pitch perfect.  I can well understand the success of THE KITE RUNNER and would highly recommend it to readers of all ages.  It is a literary triumph.

Irène Némirovsky’s SUITE FRANCAISE consists of the first two of what were supposed to be five interrelated novellas about the German occupation of France in World War II.  Though the book is incomplete, it is easy to feel the tragedy of what happened not only to the Jews but to everyone living in Paris and its environs during this terrifying period.  As interesting as the actual stories are the appendices which tell, among other things, the outcome for the author and her family.  Even with all that was going on around her and in the face of impending death, Némirosky captured a time in our history we must never forget.

I would hope this becomes a classic.

Mark Haddon’s THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME is one of the most original books I’ve read in years.  Haddon’s ability to get inside the head of a young man with autism is both moving and a superb achievement.  This is a fast and extremely satisfying read.

My favorite memoir in recent times is J.R. Moehringer’s THE TENDER BAR.  The author’s voice is incredibly real and sympathetic; his experiences sweet and touching yet filled with real life disappointments and joy.   It is one of the best books I have read in this category.

MIDDLESEX by Jeffrey Eugenides - I loved the voice, the incredible research done by the author, the character development, and the originality and freshness of the story. I really think it is a brilliant novel.

I would recommend KILLING FLOOR by Lee Child – the voice is really unique, the hero interesting, and the novel an edgy, dark thriller. Child reminds me of our client Michael Crow.

Miriam Goderich recommends:

I love well executed historical fiction, and I’m a big fan of well plotted, original mysteries with strong protagonists you want to follow from one book to the next.  MAISIE DOBBS by Jacqueline Winspear is both a precisely imagined work of historical fiction and a compelling mystery which both conforms to and thwarts the category’s formula.  Maisie is a literary delight.  Her life circumstances might have been invented by Dickens if the old Victorian could have brought himself to make a woman a hero.  She is also thoroughly modern in her yearning for the intellectual and physical freedoms that men have always had but also very much a product of her post WWI society.  A contradictory, brilliant, and quietly passionate character, you find yourself wanting to sit down with Maisie Dobbs over tea and a biscuit for an extended conversation.

As a new year approaches, to say that we find ourselves in challenging times is an understatement.  There’s bad news all over and a lot of fear about what lies ahead.  And, we have a young leader, who many of us see as a beacon of hope in these dark times and who is about to dive into the turbulent waters of history.   This puts me in mind of T.H. White’s THE ONCE AND FUTURE KING, his elegant, elegiac, and wise retelling of the Arthurian legend.  Although the story has been told many times across many centuries (including by such unlikely scribes as John Steinbeck) no one captures the grandeur, flawed humanity, magic, ambition and tragedy that is at the heart of Arthur’s journey better than White.  His is a book (four books, really) about how the forces of evil can be kept at bay – sometimes -- by the power of honor, generosity, and noblesse oblige.  And, it is a cautionary tale about how most of us carry within us the seeds of our own destruction.  Above all, THE ONCE AND FUTURE KING is an adventure, a love story, and one of my all time favorite books.

I was e-chatting with a friend the other day and we were discussing historical fiction.  That got me thinking about how much I’ve always enjoyed being transported back in time with a book as my vessel.  When it is flawlessly researched and well written, with fascinating characters whose voices ring true to their eras, a historical novel is a true delight.  Caleb Carr’s THE ALIENIST is a suspenseful thriller in which turn-of-the century New York City, with all its glorious energy and brash self-importance, is a character in its own right.  It is a smart, literary page turner.  Check it out.

Summer weekends and vacations always make me think of high school reading lists.  Though those days are way back in the rear view mirror, I still associate this time of year with weighty, literary fiction that I finally have time to read and savor as well as the mysteries and thrillers that keep you glued to the page while you slowly turn a bright shade of lobster red on your beach chair.  For a little of both, this summer, I recommend the languorous, gorgeous study of magnificent decay that is Giuseppe di Lampedusa’s THE LEOPARD and the funny, elegiac, suspenseful debut mystery by James Hime, THE NIGHT OF THE DANCE.Slather on the SPF 40 and settle down for hours of great reading.

I’m a sucker for well-written, engrossing women’s fiction that explores aspects of the female experience while telling a compelling story.  But, so much of women’s fiction these days feels like a cross between an episode of All My Children and an Oprah segment that I’m not often tempted to pick up many of the bestsellers in this category.  An exception in recent years is THE DIVE FROM CLAUSEN’S PIER by Ann Packer.  A thoughtful, thoroughly entertaining novel about a young woman’s choice between duty and independence, loyalty and personal happiness, it features believable characters whose inner lives are lovingly and carefully drawn. The writing is both lush and precise, and the author refuses to reduce her heroine and the book’s central dilemma to a cliché.  It is a deeply satisfying read.

I was recently talking to one of our agents about the current popularity of the female sleuth category and suggesting that he read Dorothy Sayers’ remarkable series featuring Lord Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane.  Set in England on the eve of WWII, these books feel as modern as anything published today.  Harriet is a delightfully headstrong heroine with some pretty unconventional ideas and Lord Peter is urbane and terribly smart.  Sparks fly when they come together to solve crimes—the intense, caustic Harriet a source of endless fascination for Lord Peter whose tongue is always firmly planted in his aristocratic cheek but whose sharp eye and penchant for satire belie his dandyish ways.  BUSMAN’S HONEYMOON, in particular, is Sayers at her best.  A sharp, evocative and intelligent writer, her books set the standard modern mystery writers should aspire to.

A few years ago, I fell in love with Jane Shapiro’s THE DANGEROUS HUSBAND, a hilarious, poignant, witty and heartbreaking novel. Shapiro’s mordant observations on the essential disconnect between the sexes are wickedly nuanced and full of playful irony. She is the literary love child of Woody Allen and Evelyn Waugh.

David Morrell's LESSONS FROM A LIFETIME OF WRITING is an excellent guide for writers of both commercial and literary fiction. It is also an entertaining read, peppered as it is with anecdotes from David's own illustrious career as a bestselling author and former professor of literature. His insights into plot, story, voice, and character are incisive and tremendously helpful.

I love all types of fiction, from low- to highbrow and everything in between. But, every once in a while I read something that stays with me because of the author's sheer virtuosity as a prose stylist, skill as a storyteller, and ability to connect with essential truths about human nature. BEL CANTO by Ann Patchett is such a book.

Michael Bourret recommends:

Since I got my Kindle, I've been doing more nonfiction reading lately – something I don't get to do enough of.  The book I most recently finished was Dave Cullen's COLUMBINE.  The book is utterly compelling, almost too much so.  I found myself reading it when I intended to be doing other things: checking email, calling friends, making dinner.  The book is consuming in a way that I haven't experienced in a long time.  Cullen strips away all the assumptions, rumors, myths and misconceptions, leaving a clear, stark, sobering account of what happened.  Emotionally gripping from page one, I recommend the book to anyone who thinks they can handle it.  They won't be disappointed.

For you YA readers out there, at least those of you with a strong constitution, I recommend LIVING DEAD GIRL by Elizabeth Scott.  It’s a terrifying, engrossing book that can easily be read in one sitting (and probably will be).  This is the kind of edgy, boundary-pushing fiction that I’m always on the lookout for.

I recently read and loved THIS IS WHAT I DID by Ann Dee Ellis.  I'd been reading about the book for a while when my client, Sara Zarr, insisted I read it.  I'm glad she did.  Logan, a sensitive eighth-grader, is still troubled by an event that transpired before he moved to his new school.  In fact, his parents moved because of what happened.  As the book progresses, we get closer and closer to the secret in Logan's past, something darker than we might have imagined.  The book is powerful from beginning to end, and Logan's pitch perfect narration will draw in anyone who picks it up.  Ms. Ellis is a writer to keep an eye on

I recently read and loved PROM DATES FROM HELL by Rosemary Clement-Moore.  It's the story of Maggie Quinn, a sarcastic and cynical teenager who has to deal not only with bitchy cheerleaders, but also an ancient evil hell-bent on making this prom night one for the history books.  While Prom Dates draws on great influences like Heathers and Buffy, Maggie's voice is one of a kind and carries the novel.  This is just the kind of great commercial fiction for teens that I'm always looking for.

I've got two very different, yet thematically related, recommendations this month. 

The first is Scott Westerfeld's UGLIES series (UGLIES, PRETTIES, and SPECIALS).  Set in a future utopia/dystopia, the books are a wonderfully engaging story about a girl choosing between a necessarily uncertain life of freedom and the safe, predictable, controlled existence of her modern society.  Westerfeld does a great job of asking big questions without letting the philosophy bog down the story, and story is what makes us want to continue reading something, even nonfiction. 

That leads me to my other recommendation, Chris Hedges' AMERICAN FASCISTS, which is a compelling exploration of parallels between past fascist movements and the current dominionist movement in the US, told through first-hand reporting.  For anyone concerned about the intersection of religious and public life, this is a must-read, and this is exactly the kind of smart, well-researched, controversial nonfiction that I'm on the lookout for.

I recently read a terrific new YA book, CLAY by David Almond.  Almond did an amazing job of reeling me in, lulling me into the ordinariness of the characters’ lives, and then injecting their world with the shocking and unimaginable.  This is the kind of book I'm always on the lookout for, one that deals with complex and often dark subjects (in this case, the dangers of playing God) while also being highly readable.  CLAY will stick with you long after you finish it. 

I recently finished books that satisfy the two sides of my personality. The first is a nonfiction classic I've been dying to read ever since I took a class on Hellenistic religions - THE GNOSTIC GOSPELS by Elaine Pagels. It's an engaging book, and I was so impressed by its lucid explanation of Gnosticism. I'd recommend it to anyone interested in early Christianity or the history of the Church.

On the YA front, I recently read BOY HEAVEN by Laura Kasischke in one afternoon -- I couldn't put it down. I don't want to give too much away, but if you love mysteries and the supernatural, this is sure to be an instant classic. What makes this novel all the more impressive is that the author injects a very commercial premise with some first-class writing. A must-own for any YA reader.

When looking for YA novels, I'm always after a fresh and distinct voice – a character you know and relate to only after a few sentences. In the modern YA classic, VISION QUEST, Terry Davis has created just such a character in Louden Swain. Louden is at turns confident and insecure, spiritual and hedonistic, and through him Davis captures the amazing ability of teenagers to be an adult one moment and a child the next, making this a book that can be enjoyed by adults as well as teens.

Stacey Glick recommends:

I’ll admit it – one of the perks of working in book publishing is getting books for free. So I’m sometimes surprised when I walk into a bookstore and pick up a book that compels me to buy it. This happened recently with Ruth Reichl’s new memoir, NOT BECOMING MY MOTHER. I loved the opening anecdote so much that I bought the book. She’s a lovely writer and the book beautifully captures the essence of the complex woman her mother was. But I know what I’ll come back to again and again is that opening story about the moldy chocolate pudding. It’s a classic in the making.

I recently read and enjoyed I WAS TOLD THERE’D BE CAKE by Sloane Crosley. It’s the kind of writing I’m looking for in that she takes perfectly ordinary topics (and neuroses) and turns them into smart, funny, relatable self-deprecating tales. The voice is distinctive and fresh, and although essay collections generally can be a challenge to sell, this sometimes uneven collection is good enough to make for a satisfying whole.

Alan Weisman’s THE WORLD WITHOUT US is a great example of high concept, speculative nonfiction that looks at a really unique subject and explores it from almost every conceivable angle. Judging from robust sales, the public is eager to embrace a book like this that doesn’t offer anything strictly historical (although historical elements factor in to his thesis), or practical, or even entertaining, necessarily, but rather interesting and thought provoking. It’s refreshing to see such a unique subject handled in such a dynamic way, and it’s the kind of nonfiction I’d like to see more of.

I love a good memoir. Joan Didion’s THE YEAR OF MAGICAL THINKING is an emotionally wrenching, beautifully written and painfully honest retelling of the author’s harrowing experience when her husband literally drops dead in their living room just days after their only daughter is admitted to the hospital in critical condition. Its almost melodic rhythm draws you in, and the observations Didion shares about life and death and the fear that comes with the unexpected are remarkable and completely relatable. Memoir is a tough category, but there’s always room for a book like this that rises above the pack and leaves the reader seeing things in a completely different way than before.

I recently picked up a copy of Steve Almond’s CANDY FREAK, a book I’d heard a lot about when it was published a few years back and hit the bestseller lists. It’s a fun and quirky read, and the kind of book that I love because it’s completely unique and works largely because of the strength of the writing and Almond’s engaging voice. He takes on a subject we all (well, at least I) love—candy—but one no one ever thought to express in a book-length treatment. At the pitch stage, the reaction might have begged some to wonder if it could actually work, but work it did. The combination of a fresh topic, an entertaining narrative, a great package and positive word-of-mouth led to a successful publication that gave a large audience of readers the chance to enjoy the delicious, calorie-free treat of CANDY FREAK.

Sue Miller’s LOST IN THE FOREST is an engaging, insightful, sometimes riveting and always engrossing read. The thing that most impressed me and I don’t see often enough in commercial fiction is Miller’s skill at drawing the reader in within the first few pages with interesting characters and a terrific setup. That ability to capture the reader’s attention early is imperative in the current market, and the sign of a strong story to follow. I’d like to see more fiction like this that really does grab you at page 1.

Tom Perrotta's LITTLE CHILDREN is an example of the kind of smart, contemporary commercial fiction that I'd like to see more of. With a strong interest in psychology, this novel appeals to me because the author explores a suburban community where nothing is exactly what you expect, and the complexity of the character's individual choices make them relatable, even if they're not always sympathetic. Perrotta manages to entertain the reader through often serious subject matter with a light touch and strokes of poignant humor. Like the terrific show Six Feet Under on HBO or much of John Irving's quirky fiction, Perrotta defies the norm in introducing us to the dark side of suburbia.

Jim McCarthy recommends:

When I first heard the plot of Suzanne Collins’ THE HUNGER GAMES (a bunch of teens are selected to battle each other to the death—on television!), it sounded derivative of Battle Royale and Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery. It also seemed like it would be impossible to pull off in a satisfactory way that was also appropriate for its young adult target audience. That the book succeeds so completely is a testament to Collins’ ability to confound expectations, her ability to create wholly realized, deeply sympathetic characters, and the sheer scope of her imagination. I hate that the next book in the series isn’t out yet.

Written as one exceptionally long complaint letter, Jonathan Miles’ DEAR AMERICAN AIRLINES could have been gimmicky and one-note. Instead, he turned a charming concept into a gutbuster-cum-tearjerker. Laugh-out-loud funny, deeply emotional, and remarkably true, Miles’ slim novel ultimately feels expansive, earnest, and emotional, a feat of focus, precision, and narrative momentum.

Deeply disturbed individual returns to deeply creepy family home. Pathos ensues. We’ve been there before, but Entertainment Weekly television critic Blake Flynn brings numerous new twists to an old concept in her debut thriller SHARP OBJECTS. This is an uncomfortable book that gets under your skin and stays there. Reminiscent of Shirley Jackson’s We Have Always Lived in the Castle, Flynn’s book is a brief, exciting trip into dark hearts and minds.

Historical fiction always seems to me to be especially difficult to pull off, which is why I was particularly impressed by the dazzling, heartbreaking blend of the personal and political in Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s novel of the Nigerian civil war, HALF OF A YELLOW SUN. Brilliantly structured and beautifully written, it is at once the most devastating and simply the best novel I have read in recent months.

Sometimes I wonder how many times the same subject can be written about before there’s nothing left to say. Then along come authors like James Swanson who, in MANHUNT, takes the history of Lincoln’s assassination and imbues the story with suspense, intrigue, and a thrilling, fresh perspective.

Five years after I read Jennifer Egan’s LOOK AT ME, its characters remain vivid in my memory. A deeply unnerving novel of profound insight, Egan’s work imprints itself on the reader. It is a spellbinding book that deserves to be widely read and appreciated. I am awed by the author’s talent and thrilled by the unsettling visions she created.

Memoirs are incredibly tough to do well. It’s tricky to make your life fascinating and make yourself likeable while also pulling no punches and being honest (insert James Frey joke here). This is why I can hardly say enough good things about Josh Kilmer-Purcell’s I AM NOT MYSELF THESE DAYS. As a former drag queen who spent a number of months living with his hustler boyfriend in a Manhattan penthouse, his experience is rarified at best. That said, you can relate to him on every page—through the screw-ups and heartbreak and insanity. Not only does he fill each page with laughter and pathos, he backs it all up with a deep understanding of people and a powerful level of sympathy and compassion. Framed beautifully within seven months of his life, the book is in turns gut-wrenching and laugh-out-loud hysterical. In my humble opinion, it is the very best that memoir has to offer, and I recommend it whole-heartedly.

Charlie Huston's CAUGHT STEALING is a fantastic example of what happens when all of the pieces–the writing, the plot, the character, the pacing–rise to the level of greatness in a work of commercial fiction. I would love to come across a writer who has written a thriller that's just as, well?hrilling as this hyperkinetic first novel.

I love a great sentence as much as the next guy, but I'm more interested in an author getting to the meat of the matter rather than exercising their prose ability. I recommend Dennis Cooper's GOD, JR. for its ultra-spare, incisive writing.

Lauren Abramo recommends:

Anyone looking for daring, fun, and well executed fiction should check out Josh Bazell’s BEAT THE REAPER.  It’s darkly comic, at times a bit nauseatingly graphic, and definitely edgy, with a driving plot that will get you to the end of the book in a sitting or two.  A thriller featuring subplots about Auschwitz and child sex slaves doesn’t sound like a laugh riot, but somehow it is, and Bazell doesn’t hesitate to go to some uncomfortable and potentially offensive places.  The climax of the book features what must be the most disgusting scene I’ve ever read—if “read” still applies when half looking at the page out of the corner of your eye while peering through your fingers—and yet somehow it still works.  Even the moments you can anticipate knocked me off balance a bit. A fantastic and surprising read.

I’ve recently begun reading Sarah Vowell’s Assassination Vacation  which has given occasion for me to fondly recall the Friday night I canceled my dinner plans because I’d started reading THE PARTLY CLOUDY PATRIOT on the subway after work and knew I wouldn’t be socializing till I was done.  Admittedly, it’s not an especially long book, but I barely stopped reading long enough to walk from the subway station to my apartment and then sat riveted in the same spot till I turned the last page.  I wonder if the collection would still resonate as much as it did when I read it a couple years ago, deep in the woes of the Bush administration and less hopeful political times, but I suspect Vowell’s voice would still do the trick—and essays like the one on the cafeteria 750 feet below ground in Carlsbad Caverns have no need of political context.  The book is like a chat with a particularly amusing and brainy friend who can articulate what you’re feeling better than you ever could yourself.  If you’re looking for a political call to arms with a sense of humor or just a fun and fast read unashamed of its own nerdiness, you need look no further than THE PARTLY CLOUDY PATRIOT.

For me voice is the make-or-break feature of fiction writing.  I’m as fond of slow, thoughtful and quiet plots as I am of fast-paced, heart-stopping tension.  I don’t have to love a protagonist to find him or her fascinating.  But the voice has to be there, and if it’s not, I’m not either.  That’s what I loved so much about Joshua Ferris’s THEN WE CAME TO THE END.  From the first paragraph, Ferris nails his narrative voice and he (almost) never breaks from it, even as you think he can’t possibly sustain it or your interest for another page.  And yet somehow he does—keep it going and keep you hooked—and the one shift in voice and POV is intentional and serves its purpose in the narrative.  Like a literary version of The Office minus the crazy boss, THEN WE CAME TO THE END is a delight that I’d recommend to anyone—and I’m eagerly waiting to see what Ferris comes up with next.

We often talk about needing to “fall in love” with a first novel in order to champion it, and it’s absolutely true.  For that reason, I’m surprised and delighted that Tom McCarthy’s phenomenal REMAINDER made its way to bookshelves.  It’s not an easy book to love in the traditional sense—the protagonist is detached and disturbed, and I can imagine that readers who need to fall for and feel for their main characters won’t find that here.  It’s a fictional investigation of weighty issues of reality and human experience, and the delight in reading it is being sucked ever further into the protagonist’s bizarre worldview.  I didn’t love him or hope for any particular outcome for him (as you would that the hero gets the girl or vanquishes the enemy), but I was utterly fascinated by the inner workings of his mind and how he played that out in the world around him.  Well worth the read for fans of thought-provoking and experimental fiction.

One of the great joys of excellent nonfiction is falling in love with a subject you don’t have any pre-existing interest in.  I recently had the pleasure of reading a book Jane represents, Michael Weinreb’s THE KINGS OF NEW YORK.  In it, he tackles the world of high school chess and manages to make it completely and utterly riveting.  By maintaining the perfect balance between participation and observation and exploring the lives of these fascinating students beyond the chess arena, Weinreb drew me in from the very first chapter and kept me hooked in a way I would never have thought possible.  I cheered when the students won, felt sympathy when they lost, and experienced the excitement of every tense competition.  I wouldn’t have guessed that chess could keep me on the edge of my seat, but in Weinreb’s hands it was delightfully possible. 

While I’ve read and loved many books by Julian Barnes, one that made a particularly strong impression was the novel TALKING IT OVER.  A convoluted love triangle between Stuart, his girlfriend Gillian, and his best friend Oliver, Barnes turns typical narrative structure on its head by telling the story entirely in the words of its protagonists as each tells their own version of how their triangle was ripped apart.  Presenting three opposing viewpoints on the same events, Barnes makes the reader decide whose version to believe without the benefit of an objective narrator—and in doing so, he creates three characters brimming with depth and nuance, whose flaws are as apparent as their strengths.  This kind of inventive storytelling technique is hard to pull off without seeming like a gimmick, so it’s a delight to see it done so well.

We have so much reading to do around here that I genuinely appreciate novels that make a real impact and stick with me after I’ve read them. New plotlines and characters are constantly crowding out the old ones in my brain, but some books just stay with you whatever else you might read down the line. For me, Siri Hustvedt’s WHAT I LOVED is a wonderful example of such a book. Moving, thought provoking, and engaging, Hustvedt’s story of the interconnected lives of an art historian, an artist, an English professor and a Ph.D. student specializing in madness in the 19th century is one I recommend to anyone looking to read a compelling story well told.

My attention span for non-fiction isn't as long as I'd like it to be, so I'd love to see more books like Philip Gourevitch's WE WISH TO INFORM YOU THAT TOMORROW WE WILL BE KILLED WITH OUR FAMILIES. He makes the appalling story of the Rwandan genocide come alive without boring or discouraging the reader. The book is informative and well-informed but never dry, and it really is tough to put down. An engaging style and tone are important, especially when your message is as vital as this book's. It feels relevant and never dated and I predict it will be an engaging and valuable read even years down the line.

Jessica Papin recommends:

I just read Margaret Atwood’s engrossing, disturbing and brilliant YEAR OF THE FLOOD, in which she returns to the post-apocalyptic landscape she mapped in Oryx and Crake, this time looking at a cult of extreme urban homesteaders known as Gardeners, whose gospels reconcile science and faith in ways that would render both Richard Dawkins and Jerry Falwell apoplectic. Atwood is so celebrated and her books so anticipated that she hardly needs my voice added to the chorus of praise, but I do think it’s worth noting how, in an increasingly category-bound marketplace, literary works of “speculative fiction” can be sold outside of genre.  Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go, Audrey Niffeneger’s The Time Traveler’s Wife, and the less well-known but the wonderfully weird Under the Skin by Michel Faber, all books I loved, rely squarely on the conventions of science fiction and yet are successfully marketed to a mainstream literary market. Perhaps these are the exceptions that prove the rule, or maybe (as I like to think) they are demonstration that really good books are bigger than the categories we assign to them.

Not long ago, a colleague gave me a copy of THE AYATOLLAH BEGS TO DIFFER: THE PARADOX OF CONTEMPORARY IRAN by Hooman Majd, an Iranian born American who offers a fascinating insider’s perspective on a country most memorably characterized as part of the “axis of evil.” Unlike so many books on the Islamic world, which, whether explicatory or alarmist, tend toward the humorless, Majd’s exploration of his homeland, its rich and ancient culture, its faith and politics (the latter often indistinguishable owing to the present theocracy) is witty, nuanced, and engaging. The grandson of an Ayatollah, the sometime translator for President Ahmedinijad, a regular contributor to GQ and the New Yorker, the author is something of a paradox himself, but his book is essential--and delightful--reading for the armchair internationalist.

Chasya Milgrom recommends:

I recently read the much lauded LUSH LIFE by Richard Price, and the book certainly lives up to all the hype. It is a remarkable meditation on the real-life consequences of a single act of violence and richly captures and reveals the colliding worlds of the Lower East Side. Price, who wrote for the critically acclaimed television show The Wire, is a master at spot-on dialogue and is able to really capture all walks of life in the most authentic and compelling way. This is a rare book that will leave you impressed with his remarkable storytelling ability.

On a recent vacation I picked up a copy of FORESKIN’S LAMENT by Shalom Auslander, a simultaneously vitriolic and wickedly funny memoir about his upbringing in an Orthodox Jewish community and his painful childhood. Auslander digs deep, chronicling his attempts to distance himself from the ways of his family and community, beginning with his first forbidden non-kosher Slim Jim at the age of 8 to his internal debate over whether or not to circumcise his newborn son (hence the title). All the while he wrestles with and scorns a God whom he believes out-despises him at every turn and seeks to punish him for his every transgression. Auslander splays all the pain, confusion, neuroses and anger out on to the page, and tightly bounds it up with sharp, hilarious prose that will leave you laughing out loud.

Min Jin Lee’s FREE FOOD FOR MILLIONAIRES is a slice-of-life novel that gives us a peek into the world of Casey Han, a Korea-born, America-bred, Princeton graduate who is stuck between two worlds; that of her poor immigrant parents and the glamorous life of her wealthy co-workers and friends.  Casey doesn’t quite know what to do with herself now that she has an expensive degree, loads of debt, and a demanding, hard-to-please father. She is suffering from her very own quarter-life crisis. Trying to figure out where she belongs is no easy matter, but in this accomplished and compelling debut novel, Lee leads us through Casey’s journey as an Ivy League post-graduate and first generation American with honesty and style. This is just an honest-to-goodness absorbing read.

I recently read an excellent memoir called THE MISTRESS’S DAUGHTER by A.M. Homes. At 31, A.M., who is adopted, discovers that her birth mother has come looking for her. This isn’t your typical joyful, teary, reunion story. It’s hard and confusing for so many reasons and the author doesn’t mince words about the emotional upheaval it causes. She finds that her biological parents are not the fantasy dream parents that she had imagined as a child and her experiences with them prove to be more disappointing than anything else. Homes grapples with the crippling disappointment in an intensely honest way, asking the questions that have no answers, that will never have answers, but she also places herself at a certain distance, delivering facts, incidents, and conversations to us with astonishing clarity and accuracy wherever she can, which makes you feel as though you are watching it all unfold. The result is a book that is heartbreaking and evocative, yet frank and factual. Homes bravely bears her innermost self to us all in this well-crafted, stylish and terrific memoir.

For anyone who has even a passing interest in science, I highly recommend Bill Bryson’s A SHORT HISTORY OF NEARLY EVERYTHING. Bryson’s History, takes it’s readers through what is arguably some seriously boring material (like, for instance, the history and evolution of every major scientific field) and teases from it the most interesting characters, anecdotes, and phenomena to occur in the history of science, while still being completely thorough in his research, clear in his explanation, and, dare I say, educational. His digestible, funny, entertaining, and interesting book will make you wish you had been assigned to read this in grade school.

I love great historical fiction that can vividly bring another time and place to life and still be a page-turner. Philippa Gregory's THE QUEEN’S FOOL blends fact and fiction, with each working off the other in a way that makes both fascinating. In the novel, the reader is introduced to the Tudor court through the fresh eyes of Hannah, a young clairvoyant, who has fled the Inquisition with her father and must now work as a seer for Queen Mary while hiding her true identity.  She is a fascinating protagonist—courageous, intelligent, and determined. Gregory expertly describes historical details and brings 16th century England and the intricate politics of the English courts alive and adds to it the fascinating characters and the perfect amount of romance, intrigue and action.

THE HISTORY OF LOVE by Nicole Krauss is a wonderful example of literary fiction that combines beautiful prose, a touching, fantastical storyline, and wonderfully original characters to create a novel that explores loneliness, love, loss, hope and the human condition. I love to see fiction that can so vividly explore the most basic of human emotions and still never lose sight of the importance of the plotline and characters. The storyline is original and quirky, but realistic enough to get lost in, and makes for both an entertaining and illuminating read.

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