海角大神

These are the fiction titles Monitor reviewers liked best this month.

Leyla鈥檚 House, by Z眉lf眉 Livaneli, translated from Turkish by聽Brendan Freely and Yelda T眉谤别诲颈听

鈥淭he critical point was when a person stopped asking 鈥楬ow do I look?鈥� and started asking 鈥楬ow do I see?鈥欌�� realizes Leyla, the nearly 80-year-old protagonist of Z眉lf眉 Livaneli鈥檚 satisfying novel of fortitude and transformation. Kicked out of her Istanbul mansion, Leyla shelters in the city鈥檚 bohemian Cihangir neighborhood with a gentle 20-something man and his musician girlfriend. Digressions, historical bits, and perspective shifts add to the appealing brew. - Erin Douglass

The Bookbinder鈥檚 Secret, by A.D. Bell

In 1901, Oxford bookbinding apprentice Lily Delaney happens upon a historical mystery. A 50-year-old burned letter sets in motion a thrilling search for more messages tucked inside books, with Lily determined to pursue the truth behind a story of lost riches, hidden love, and murder. Bibliophiles will enjoy this one. - Stefanie Milligan

Vigil, by George Saunders

George Saunders鈥� slim novel offers a slice of final-reckoning pie with a dollop of beauty and a sprinkle of nuts. A malicious oil tycoon shuffling off this mortal coil finds himself under the kind and gracious care of an incorporeal young woman assigned to his case. The bully rails, the comforter (mostly) listens, and the prose dazzles. There are weird moments, and it鈥檚 all worth it. - Erin Douglass

The Murder at World鈥檚 End, by Ross Montgomery

Amid fears of the apocalypse 鈥� the return of Halley鈥檚 Comet in 1910 鈥� house servants are instructed to board up a Cornwall manor. But murder is afoot! It鈥檚 a delightfully quirky locked-room mystery. - Stefanie Milligan

The Sea Child, by Linda Wilgus

At age 4, Isabel Henley was found soaked and silent on an English beach. Years later, as a destitute war widow, she returns to investigate her mysterious past. Local gossips believe she鈥檚 the daughter of a sea spirit. Isabel takes in a wounded sea captain, then embarks on ocean adventures with dangerous smugglers in this action-packed, romantic tale.听- Stefanie Milligan

This Is Where the Serpent Lives, by Daniyal Mueenuddin

Daniyal Mueenuddin examines privilege and poverty amid Pakistan鈥檚 caste system. The novel begins in the 1950s with an orphaned boy surviving on the streets and unfolds to the present day, exposing the chasm between the classes. - Joan Gaylord

These are the nonfiction titles our reviewers liked best this month.

Winter: The Story of a Season, by Val McDermid

Val McDermid, best known for her intricately plotted 鈥渢artan noir鈥� crime novels, takes the sting out of short frosty days and long windblown nights in this lovely, gentle, beautifully illustrated paean to the darkest season in her native Scotland. - Heller McAlpin聽 聽 聽Read the full review here.

The Oak and the Larch, by Sophie Pinkham

The forest was Russia鈥檚 birthplace, but in its quest for empire, the forests that had protected it from invasions became targets. Pinkham鈥檚 focus is on how Russian literature and cinema have long spurred resistance to the various governments鈥� heedlessness of environmental consequences. - Bob Blaisdell聽 Read the full review here.

Always Carry Salt, by Samantha Ellis

Samantha Ellis鈥� memoir explores the complexity of reacquainting with her ancestral tongue, Judeo-Iraqi Arabic. Brimming with historical accounts, family anecdotes, and enticing recipes (hello, makhboose), the book captivates. There鈥檚 searching and much stretching, as Ellis finds her way through a rich tangle of stories: personal, political, cultural, linguistic. - Erin Douglass

The Spy in the Archive, by Gordon Corera

Gordon Corera tells the true story of how Vasili Mitrokhin, a disaffected KGB librarian, stole secrets from the Soviet archives and smuggled them to the West. Both a portrait of a man losing faith in a brutal regime and a gripping account of a daring escape, this book is an immersive and propulsive read. - Malcolm Forbes聽 Read the full review here.听