Fiction
The Hunger Angel, by Herta Muller. Muller, a Nobel Laureate, weaves the story of a young man sent to a Soviet labor camp in 1945 and forced into a life of extreme deprivation.
I, Iago, by Nicole Galland. The celebrated novelist imagines the backstory behind one of Shakespeare’s most infamous villains.
Goliath, by Susan Woodring. A small furniture-manufacturing town in North Carolina provides the backdrop for a quirky cast of characters faced with an unsettling mystery.
The Wind Through The Keyhole, by Stephen King. The latest in King’s Dark Tower series is a story within a story.
Afterwards, by Rosamund Lipton. A thriller built around the complex relationship between a mother and a daughter.
Memoir
The Jack Bank, by Glen Retief. A South African childhood marred by the extreme psychological effects of adolescent bullying.
Vice, by Sgt. John R. Baker. An LAPD officer’s life in Compton, Calif., from 1951 to 2001.
In My Father’s Country, by Saima Wahab. A Pashtun woman’s unlikely life’s journey from Afghanistan to America and back.
Offbeat History
More Powerful than Dynamite, by Thai Jones. The author calls 1914 New York City’s “year of anarchy” — fueled by ideas much like the Occupy movement.
American Canopy, by Eric Rutkow. Who knew how much American history was influenced by trees? This author does.
After Camelot, by J. Randy Taraborrelli. A celebrity journalist takes on the Kennedy dynasty post-1968.
Terrorism
Permanent Emergency, by Kip Hawley and Nathan Means. The inner workings of the Transportation Security Administration.
Oklahoma City, by Andrew Gumbel and Roger Charles. A detailed account of the Oklahoma City bombing and the extensive investigation that followed.
Issues
The Great Divergence, by Timothy Noah. A deeper look at the ever-growing gap between rich and poor Americans.
Last Call at the Oasis, by Karl Weber, editor. A collection of essays about global water scarcity and how different communities are dealing with it.
Straphanger, by Taras Grescoe. A strong and timely argument for moving metropolitan motorists away from their cars. Publishers Weekly
