Book List

Outstanding Debuts of 2011

FICTION

IN ZANESVILLE

by Jo Ann Beard

This could be an instruction book for a perceptive teenager. For an adult, it resonates as a bittersweet remembrance of a... Full review >

FULL REVIEW >

MYSTERY & DETECTIVE

GUILT BY ASSOCIATION

by Marcia Clark

A 15-year-old girl is raped. The Latino boy she’d been tutoring is the sole suspect. She’s rich, the daughter of Frank... Full review >

FULL REVIEW >

FICTION

I'LL NEVER GET OUT OF THIS WORLD ALIVE

by Steve Earle

Already well-respected for both his music and his acting, Earle can now add novelist to an impressive résumé. Full review >

FULL REVIEW >

FICTION

SOLACE

by Belinda McKeon

An engrossing, highly rewarding read that marks McKeon as a writer to watch. Full review >

FULL REVIEW >

ROMANCE

ATTACHMENTS

by Rainbow Rowell

A certain light charm pervades the novel—a Spring Break kind of book. Full review >

FULL REVIEW >

FICTION

MY DEAR I WANTED TO TELL YOU

by Louisa Young

A literate, moving wartime tale in which love triumphs over despair. Full review >

FULL REVIEW >

BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR

AN EXCLUSIVE LOVE

by Johanna Adorján translated by Anthea Bell

In the process of assimilating disparate facts into a poignant and elegant story, Adorján exposes her own hopes and fears,... Full review >

FULL REVIEW >

NONFICTION

TIGER, TIGER

by Margaux Fragoso

A gripping, tragic and unforgettable chronicle of lost innocence and abuse. Full review >

FULL REVIEW >

BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR

BLOOD, BONES, AND BUTTER

by Gabrielle Hamilton

After initially disdaining a career in food as one devoid of “meaning and purpose,” she finds both here. Full review >

FULL REVIEW >

NONFICTION

MOBY-DUCK

by Donovan Hohn

There are no easy answers, but it’s the hunt that counts, and Hohn makes it a gladdening, artful journey of discovery. Full review >

FULL REVIEW >

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