The Age of Shakespeare by Frank Kermode. 822.3 CK
A beautifully written and accessible analysis of Shakespeare’s artistry set within the framework of the history and culture of the Elizabethan era.

American Chica: Two Worlds, One Childhood by Marie Arana. B ARANA
A child born of parents from two very different cultures learns how to navigate in both.

The Art of Mending: A Novel by Elizabeth Berg. FIC BER
Faced with their sister’s unpleasant memories of the past, two siblings are forced to move past denial and search for the truth.

Ava’s Man by Rick Bragg. B BUNDRUM
The story of a proud and much-loved man whose children still cried when speaking about him 40 years after his premature death.

The Botany of Desire: A Plant’s-Eye View of the World by Michael Pollan. 581.6 P
The histories of four everyday plants – the apple, the tulip, the marijuana plant and the potato – illustrate how plants woo humans and other animals in order to survive.

Chicken Soup for the Fisherman’s Soul: Fish Tales to Hook Your Spirit and Snag
our Funny Bone by Jack Canfield. 799.1 C
Stories that exemplify how special relationships can develop while fishing.

The Children’s Blizzard by David Laskin. 978.02 L
A sudden violent blizzard in 1888 becomes a turning point in the minds of even the most steadfast settler.

A Coffin for Dimitrios by Eric Ambler. MYS AMB
A novelist’s chance encounter with a Turkish colonel leads him into a world of assassination, espionage, drugs and treachery.

A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole. FIC TOO
Fancying himself a medievalist, 30-year-old Ignatius J. Reilly moves from one job to another leaving havoc in his wake.

Counting Sheep: The Science and Pleasures of Sleep and Dreams by Paul R. Martin. 612.821 M
A scientist’s argument for our “sleep-sick society” to start taking sleep more seriously.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon. FIC HAD
Falsely accused of killing his neighbor’s poodle, autistic 15-year-old Christopher Boone decides to track down the killer.

Dark Fire by C.J. Sansom. MYS SAN
In 1540, lawyer Matthew Shardlake is called in to help a friend’s niece who has been charged with killing her cousin, but he has no idea that it will force him back into Cromwell’s dangerous schemes.

Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris. 814 S
Twenty-seven essays that display the oddities, quirks and poignant moments of the Sedaris family.

Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation by Lynne Truss. 428.2 T
A former editor takes a humorous look at common grammatical errors.

The Eighth Day: A Novel by John Case. FIC CAS
An opportunity to earn extra cash tracing the source of a smear campaign against a tycoon involves part-time investigator and full-time artist Danny Cray in something far more sinister than he imagined.

Freedom Rising: Washington in the Civil War by Ernest B. Furgurson. 973.7 F
An examination of the U.S. Capitol and the heroes, scoundrels, eccentrics, dealmakers and patriots who populated it during a time of crisis.

Gilead: A Novel by Marilynne Robinson. FIC ROB
When faced with his impending death, a good man decides to record his family’s history and his own inner thoughts for his young son.

High Fidelity by Nick Hornby. FIC HOR
The owner of a London record shop leans on the company of his clerks when his girlfriend leaves him.

Hissy Fit by Mary Kay Andrews. FIC AND
After she discovers her fiancée and her maid of honor in an embrace, interior decorator Keeley Murdock changes her carefully constructed life’s plan.

How to Read a Book by Mortimer Jerome Adler. 028 A
A guide to successful reading comprehension discusses the various levels of reading and how to achieve them – no matter how difficult the reading material.

I, Rhoda Manning, Go Hunting With My Daddy: & Other Stories by Ellen Gilchrist. FIC GIL
Stories that show that everyday life, with all of its dangers, can make us wiser, stronger and more self-aware.

Kate Vaiden by Reynolds Price. FIC PRI
From the vantage point of middle age, the narrator looks back at her life and the emotional emptiness that characterizes it after she is orphaned at the age of 11.

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. FIC HOS
The privileged son of a wealthy Afghani businessman is haunted by a childhood incident and an act of betrayal.

Life of Pi: A Novel by Yann Martel. FIC MAR
A zookeeper takes a journey with his family and one of his sons finds himself in a situation where he must use his wits to survive.

Lost in the City: Stories by Edward P. Jones. FIC JON
Characters in these stories forge bonds of community as they struggle against the limits of their city, Washington D.C., to stave off the loss of family, friends, memories, and ultimately, themselves.

Murder With Peacocks by Donna Andrews. MYS AND
As if planning three weddings isn’t stressful enough, maid of honor Meg Langslow has to find a killer after a newcomer hints at one too many skeletons in the guests’ closet.

My Sister’s Keeper: A Novel by Jodi Picoult. FIC PIC
A child conceived to save her sister decides to fight back and take control of her own body and how it is used.

The Nanny Diaries: A Novel by Emma McLaughlin. FIC MCL
Hired by a Park Avenue family, a nanny’s job expectations become more outrageous by the moment.

The Red Tent by Anita Diamant. FIC DIA
The stories of four women, and a look inside the place where women gathered to live out the cycles of their lives.

Shadow Divers: The True Adventure of Two Americans Who Risked Everything to Solve
One of the Last Mysteries of World War II by Robert Kurson. 940.5451 K
The true adventure story of two divers who must prove that the sub they find off the U.S. east coast is U-869.

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. FIC RUI
A mysterious book and its equally mysterious author intrigue a young boy and influence the direction of his life.

The Spiral Staircase: My Climb Out of Darkness by Karen Armstrong. B ARMSTRONG
A spiritual crisis and a debilitating illness lead a young woman to change the direction of her life.

The Straight Man by Richard Russo. FIC RUS
The interim chairman of a contentious English department makes a foolish statement and finds himself in more trouble than he could ever imagine.

Time and Again by Jack Finney. FIC FIN
A man is transported back through time and falls in love with a beautiful woman.

The Warlord’s Son by Dan Fesperman. FIC FES
An aging correspondent is sent to a war zone and the guide he hires has secrets that may get him killed.

We Are All the Same: A Story of a Boy’s Courage and a Mother’s Love by Kames T. Wooten. 362.1969 W
A young boy’s battle with AIDS illustrates the failure of South African leaders to confront and deal with the epidemic that is ravaging their country.