Juliet By Anne Fortier 464 pages; Ballantine Call this debut novel Julie and Juliet: It's about a contemporary woman descended from the model for Shakespeare's heroine. Get the reader's guide
I'd Know You Anywhere By Laura Lippman 384 pages; William Morrow The popular mystery-series author's latest stand-alone: a terrifying story about a death-row inmate obsessed with the only victim he left alive. Get the reader's guide
Designated Fat Girl By Jennifer Joyner 264 pages; Skirt! A familiar tale—food-obsessed woman finally conquers her demons, almost—is noteworthy for its memoirist's brutally frank voice. Get the reader's guide
Hollywood: A Third Memoir By Larry McMurtry 160 pages; Simon & Schuster Just as winning as the first two installments of the Lonesome Dove author's lifelong reminiscences.
The Lady Matador's Hotel By Cristina García 224 pages; Scribner A multicultural group of strangers gathers in a Central American hotel in this exotic, lush, and sensual novel from the author of Dreaming in Cuban. Get the reader's guide
A Curable Romantic By Joseph Skibell 608 pages; Algonquin An irresistible romp about a lovelorn 19th-century doctor who falls in with Sigmund Freud—and some dangerously attractive women. Get the reader's guide
Bitter in the Mouth By Monique Truong 304 pages; Random House A deeply compassionate and artfully crafted novel about being foreign and family at the same time—by the writer whose debut, The Book of Salt, swept us away. Get the reader's guide
Ape House By Sara Gruen 320 pages; Spiegel & Grau From the author of Water for Elephants, a novel about bonobos who are smarter and more interesting than their human "caretakers." Get the reader's guide
Russian Winter By Daphne Kalotay 480 pages; HarperCollins This tale of a Russian ballerina who defected to Boston is a history lesson inside an evocative novel about art and betrayal. Get the reader's guide
Book of Days By Emily Fox Gordon 320 pages; Spiegel & Grau These accessible yet sophisticated essays on modern life are so astute, you'll think the author has been hiding in your closet. Get the reader's guide
Juliet
I'd Know You Anywhere
Designated Fat Girl
Hollywood: A Third Memoir
The Lady Matador's Hotel
A Curable Romantic
Bitter in the Mouth
Ape House
Russian Winter
Book of Days