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October 3, 2012 The debut novel of Robin Sloan, a former Twitter and Current TV employee, tells the thoughtful, magical story of Clay, a worker in a mysterious literary emporium. Aside from the occasional groaner insight, the buoyant narrative demonstrates Sloan's gift of charismatic prose.

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October 2, 2012 Dennis Lehane's latest novel moves from the modern Boston of books like Mystic River to Prohibition-era Florida. Reviewer Jennifer Reese says the story is weighed down by too much lovingly researched period detail, and not enough attention to character development.

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September 27, 2012 After an ill-advised affair with his sister-in-law ends tragically, Harold, the protagonist of A.M. Homes' new novel, looks to the Internet for solace. Harold's unfortunate online encounters unfold as a dark, but ultimately hopeful, critique of the digital generation.

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September 26, 2012 When aspiring Broadway actress Catherine and World War II vet Harry first lock eyes on the Staten Island Ferry, everything changes — but their lives together won't be easy. Mark Helprin delivers an old-fashioned love story, and an ode to 1940s New York, in his novel In Sunlight and in Shadow.

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September 26, 2012 Author Terry Pratchett is best known for his 39-book Discworld series, but his latest novel, Dodger, leaves the Disc behind for a lighthearted romp through Victorian London. Reviewer Tasha Robinson says Dodger shows an author wearing his not-so-secret soft heart on his sleeve.

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September 25, 2012 Charles Rowan Beye has been married three times — to two women and a man. Now, over age 80, he looks back on his life and asks, "What was that all about?" Critic Maureen Corrigan says Beye's memoir, subtitled "A Gay Man's Odyssey," is a complex, poignant addition to the sexual canon.

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September 25, 2012 The traditional mother-daughter dynamic turned on its head for New York Times columnist Alex Witchel in the wake of her mother's struggle with dementia. But Witchel's memoir, despite its raw honesty, fails to provide the depth needed to make it a standout in a trendy genre.

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September 20, 2012 T.C. Boyle's past work is largely satirical and tough on his characters. In San Miguel, readers will find the same biting tone, but none of the irony. Loosely based on ranchers' memoirs of a grim California island, this chillingly written novel exposes a bleak and savage reality.

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September 20, 2012 Author Kij Johnson's first short story collection mixes straightforward realism with lyrical science fiction and fantasy. Reviewer Alan Cheuse says the stories bring to mind the work of Ursula Le Guin, and have the power to highlight the marvelous aspects of everyday life.

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September 19, 2012 Susanna Moore tells the saga of an ambitious girl, a family's artistic fortune and a world at war. Young heroine Beatrice Palmer is whisked off to Berlin where she is put to work packing up priceless artwork in a wealthy family's mansion.

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