The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo: A Novel, by Stieg Larsson.
A journalist and his punk prodigy investigate the disappearance of a woman forty years ago.

Olive Kitteridge: Stories, by Elizabeth Strout.
Powerful linked stories about grief and connectedness in a town on the Maine coast.

The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society: A Novel, by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows.
A novel in letters describing life on the Channel Islands during German occupation.

Say You’re One of Them: Stories, by Uwem Akpan.
Five tragic, beautifully-told tales of growing up in Africa, from the point of view of children.

The Art of Racing in the Rain: A Novel, by Garth Stein.
Dog gleans wisdom from the topsy-turvy life of his race car-driving master.

Three Cups of Tea, by Greg Mortenson.
An American mountain climber returns to Pakistan and Afghanistan to build schools.

The Elegance of the Hedgehog: A Novel, by Muriel Barbery.
A Parisian apartment building is the setting for ruminations on beauty and life by the 54-year-old woman concierge and a 12-year-old tenant.

My Life in France, by Julia Child.
How the famous chef came to find her passion.

Home: A Novel, by Marilyn Robinson.
A brother and sister, long estranged, return home to their ailing father.

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle: A Novel, by David Wroblewski.
A boy’s idyllic life on a farm is shattered when his father dies mysteriously.