By Paulo Coelho
240 pages; Harper Perennial
Available at: Amazon.com | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound

"I love Coelho because he asks important questions, like What would I do today if I knew I'd be hit by a bus tomorrow?" This novel, the Brazilian author's 15th book, is about a woman who tries to kill herself, only to end up in a mental hospital where a doctor tells her she has just a few days to live. But then she falls in love with a fellow patient, and together they choose life. "Veronika gave me chills because it shows the power of the mind," Malin Akerman says.

— As told to Abbe Wright