Solar
By Ian McEwan
304 pages; Nan A. Talese/Doubleday
The master of Atonement is back with a story about a womanizing scientist who tries to mend his life by fixing the world.

Imperfect Birds
By Anne Lamott
288 pages; Riverhead
In her fictional mode, the spiritual bard of Marin County, California, explores what happens to the girl she introduced in Rosie (1983).
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Further Adventures in the Restless Universe
By Dawn Raffel
120 pages; Dzanc
Sharp, spare stories about women at, or approaching, the ends of their ropes.
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American Taliban
By Pearl Abraham
272 pages; Random House
Ripped from the headlines: a novel about an American surfer dude who enters a chat room and emerges an Islamic zealot.

Burned
By Louise Nayer
270 pages; Atlas
Nayer looks back at the fire that didn't quite kill her parents but did destroy their lives.
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