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The Enchanted: A Novel
by Rene Denfeld
The nameless narrator of this haunting, lyrical novel, an inmate on death row, describes prison as an "enchanted place" where the hoofbeats of galloping golden horses mark time and where miniature hammer-wielding men live inside dungeon walls that "sigh with sadness." Into this world comes the Lady, an investigator tasked with finding evidence that might exonerate a condemned man named York -- who has already resigned himself to his fate. As the Lady and her companion, a fallen priest, embark on a quest to save York, the narrator gradually reveals his own dark past. This debut, by a journalist and advocate for the incarcerated, employs mystery and magical realism to explore prison culture and humanize those behind bars.
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The Eyre Affair: A Novel
by Jasper Fforde
In an alternate England where the Crimean War never ended and dodos are kept as pets, Special Operative Thursday Next is a literary detective. And since fictional characters are as real as "real" people, that means they can be crime victims (or perpetrators). When criminal mastermind Acheron Hades steals a Prose Portal and kidnaps Jane Eyre from her book, it's up to Thursday to save the day. Can she thwart the diabolical Hades and reunite Jane and Mr. Rochester? Find out in this charming mix of cozy mystery, police procedural, and fantasy -- and then continue her adventures in six more Thursday Next stories!
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A Long Way Down
by Nick Hornby
On New Year's Eve, the roof of London's Topper's House is a popular destination -- for four people looking to end their lives. Put off by having an audience, the four get distracted by attempts to solve each others' problems, and spend the night commiserating (and getting on each others' nerves). Over the next few months, the four completely different individuals (a heartbroken teen, a single mother of a comatose adult son, a former TV personality/ex-con, and a bereft musician) slowly take steps to heal each other and themselves. Each character takes a narrative turn, while their disparate personalities (and the way they irritate each other) offer plenty of humor within an otherwise moving tale.
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Life of Pi: A Novel
by Yann Martel
Pi Patel is 16 when his father decides to leave his zoo in Pondicherry, India, and move the entire family to Canada. But only a few days into the trip, the boat carrying the Patels capsizes and Pi is tossed into a life raft. The raft, which also holds an orangutan, a hyena, a zebra, and eventually Richard Parker -- a 450 pound Bengal tiger -- will be his home for the next 227 days. Pi, nurtured by an encyclopedic knowledge of animals and equal love for Islam, Hinduism, and Christianity, must sustain himself as he and the hungry tiger struggle to survive.
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The book of strange new things : a novel
by Michel Faber
Called to perform missionary work in a world light years away where the natives are fascinated by the concepts he introduces, man of faith Peter Leigh finds his beliefs tested when he learns of natural disasters that are tearing Earth apart. 200,000 first printing.
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