海角大神

1.听The Mirror & the Light听by Hilary Mantel

This long-awaited and utterly riveting conclusion to Hilary Mantel鈥檚 Booker Prize-winning trilogy about Thomas Cromwell, King Henry VIII鈥檚 ruthless lawyer, finds Cromwell at the height of his power and influence at court 鈥� and therefore ripe for a fall.听Click here for a full review.

2.听The Night Watchman听by Louise Erdrich听

Louise Erdrich鈥檚 novel follows night watchman Thomas Wazhushk as he leads his Chippewa tribe to defeat the passage of a 1953 Senate bill that would end treaties with Indian nations, depriving them of their land. Erdrich鈥檚 blend of pathos, earthy humor, and reverence for nature makes this a captivating read. Click here for a full review.听

3.听The City We Became听by N.K. Jemisin

Every city has a beating heart 鈥� New York has six. The multiracial avatars of New York鈥檚 boroughs have to fend off the infiltration of an alien intelligence. N.K. Jemisin鈥檚 fantasy novel doesn鈥檛 waste time on explanations or pleasantries 鈥� it鈥檚 an unapologetic examination of modern race relations. Click here for a full review.

4.听The Other Bennet Sister听by Janice Hadlow

Readers needn鈥檛 be fans of 鈥淧ride and Prejudice鈥� to enjoy this debut novel in which Mary, the middle sister in the Jane Austen classic, steps out of the shadows. It鈥檚 a historical novel told for contemporary times.

5.听Separation Anxiety听by Laura Zigman

While Marie Kondo-ing her basement, Judy Vogel, a failing children鈥檚 writer in a failing marriage, finds one thing that sparks joy: stuffing her sheltie in her son鈥檚 old baby sling and wearing her dog. Readers won鈥檛 think, 鈥淲ow, this mom has lost it,鈥� but rather, 鈥淲hat a great idea. My pooch loves to snuggle.鈥� That鈥檚 Laura Zigman鈥檚 comic genius, that she can take the stuff of mid-life misery and make it not just relatable but downright funny.

6.听Code Name H茅l猫ne听by Ariel Lawhon

Australian expatriate Nancy Wake was a courageous spy and a revered leader in the French Resistance during World War II. She was known by the Gestapo as the elusive White Mouse. Ariel Lawhon鈥檚 historical novel, based on the real-life Wake, celebrates her astonishing bravery.听

7.听The Henna Artist听by Alka Joshi听

Alka Joshi鈥檚 culturally rich debut novel sweeps you back to 1950s post-independence India. Henna artist and herbal healer Lakshmi Shastri is determined to get ahead, but her past might trip her up. Vibrant characters, evocative imagery, and sumptuous prose create a satisfying, unforgettable tale.

8.听Writers & Lovers听by Lily King

Lily King鈥檚 novel follows Casey, a 30-something writer working on her novel while also putting in hours as a waitress. The book captures how taking that last step into adulthood 鈥� juggling relationships, expectations, student debt 鈥� can seem even harder while holding onto a flame of creative energy that the workaday world tries to extinguish.听

9.听Hammer to Fall听by John Lawton

In this third Joe Wilderness spy thriller, John Lawton鈥檚 MI6 protagonist is on the move from Germany to Finland. Not your typical James Bond-style spy, Wilderness鈥� postings get more interesting by the minute. He ends up in Czechoslovakia just before the Soviets send in tanks to quash the 1968 Prague Spring uprising. Lawton is a master of the genre, and his writing is not only historically accurate, but also rich, ribald, cynical, informed, inventive, and hilarious.

10.听Pharma听by Gerald Posner

Built on years of research and interviews with key players, 鈥淧harma鈥� lays bare the greed, hypocrisy, and systematic deceptions of the pharmaceutical industry. In writing that鈥檚 both highly technical and intensely gripping, Posner describes a growing malignancy affecting health care.