Come to Africa and Save Your Marriage and other stories
Maria Thomas' stories afford comic insight into life in Africa — minus the stereotypes.
The Mineral Palace
Heidi Julavits' first novel has a Dust Bowl knack.
From Beirut to Jerusalem
Tom Friedman's recollection of his days as a correspondent in Beirut help illuminate a region.
Reef
Set in a time before the Tamil Tigers, pre-Lanka Ceylon comes alive.
The Sports Writer
Introducing Frank Bascombe, a New Jersey suburbanite who can't stop thinking about his own life, and that of a nation.
Sputnik Sweetheart
Haruki Murakami's contemplation of separation and self is intriguing and bizarre, but fails to fulfill its promise.
For the Time Being
Annie Dillard shops era-to-era, seeking the essence of history by taking heart from the meaning of sand.
All My Friends Are Superheroes
Secret powers are Andrew Kaufman's powerful theme in comic stories that expose human flaws.
The Dark Room
Rachel Seiffert takes a penetrating and affecting X-ray of the German wartime condition.
The Lost Ships of Pisa
Mike Sedge makes the case for Pisa as a port that was once as prosperous as Venice or Genoa.
Clara Callan
Richard B. Wright's descriptions of Rome in the 1930s makes this novel worth reading.