Fall of Giants
By Ken Follett
1,008 pages; Dutton
No one does fat historical epics better. This one begins a trilogy that will cover the 20th century—pretty much all of it.
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Before You Suffocate Your Own Fool Self
By Danielle Evans
240 pages; Riverhead
An accomplished debut collection about young African-American overachievers who struggle with sexuality, class, and racial identity.

City of Tranquil Light
By Bo Caldwell
304 pages; Holt
A bittersweet novel about a missionary couple passionately devoted to each other and to their adopted country, China.

At Home: A Short History of Private Life
By Bill Bryson
512 pages; Doubleday
How to learn history without leaving the house? Study such ordinary items as fuses and the toilet. Gimmicky, but because it's Bryson, it works.

Great House
By Nicole Krauss
289 pages; Norton
A well-traveled desk links multiple narratives of memory and loss in this haunting novel that spans New York, Jerusalem, and London.
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