Anne Roiphe always knew she wanted to be a writer. So she married one. Not in this day and age. She chose the path of least resistance. Even readers who call this a cop-out will be fascinated by this memoir of a woman who matures quickly and finally finds a voice. Her own voice. "Art and Madness: A Memoir of Lust Without Reason" (Nan A.

How can you not love Adam Gopnik? Many readers first got to know the witty, warm-hearted New Yorker magazine writer as he chronicled his family’s humorous five-year adventure in the City of Lights in the best-selling, “Paris to the Moon.”. Gopnik’s children, Luke and Olivia, emerge as the most lovable “characters” in his latest book, “Through the Children’s Gate,” but when reached recently by telephone, the amiable author was quick to insist that “all kids are charming and imaginative if you give them a chance and you listen to them.”.

When Newbery Honor author Carolyn Coman (What Jamie Saw, 1995) first conceived of lovable Hope Scroggins with her collaborator, Rob Shepperson, both realized early on that the waif was a character sure to resonate with young readers. What child can’t relate to a girl whose parents are so abhorrent that they simply abandon her little sister?

Ann Patchett is the winner of the Orange Prize, whose books include a memoir, Truth & Beauty, chronicling her friendship with the late writer Lucy Grealy, as well as such bestselling novels as Bel Canto and The Patron Saint of Liars. Her latest novel, State of Wonder, is equal parts medical thriller and adventure story as former surgeon Marina Singh is wrested from her comfortable life as a Minnesota pharmaceuticals researcher to undertake a mission in the perilous wilds of the Amazon.

Chiru, small, sheep-like animals in Tibet, have a unique plight—they cannot be shorn to use their luxurious wool, but must be slaughtered instead. In this arresting picture book, The Chiru of High Tibet, Jacqueline Briggs Martin and illustrator Linda Wingerter handle this delicate topic with much care.

Though he won the National Book Award for his 1974 classic, Dog Soldiers, Robert Stone has hardly rested on past accomplishments. His latest standout is a collection of stories peopled with bleak but fascinating characters. Creating Michelangelo Antonioni-like human wastelands are a Stone hallmark, a cinematic comparison the author would scarcely shrink from.

Isabel Gillies wrote the bestselling memoir Happens Every Day after her first husband left her for another woman. Happiness, of course, truly is the best revenge, and her latest, A Year and Six Seconds, is proof that new love can come along faster than you expect. Gillies took a break from a busy writing schedule to share her thoughts on love, loss and remarriage.

White is one of the most beloved American authors of all time, best-known for his children’s classic Charlotte’s Web. Author Michael Sims has undertaken the task of delving into and revealing important facts from White’s past in The Story of Charlotte’s Web. Here, we talk to Sims about the iconic author and his classic book.

In her triumphant return to long fiction, Antonya Nelson’s embattled characters traverse the landscape of Wichita, Kansas, in the aftermath of the infamous BTK murders, a time the author has firsthand experience with. “His [Dennis Rader’s] first victims lived across from my elementary school, just three doors down from a friend,” says Nelson.

Owning a coffee shop in war-torn Afghanistan may not be every girl's dream. But Sunny Tedder couldn't wait to escape "Nowheresville, America" and find adventure, and that's what she gets by moving to Kabul in "A Cup of Friendship." As if living in fear of suicide bombings, kidnappings and outright murder isn't enough excitement, Sunny and her network of female friends navigate the cultural clashes and secret love affairs that give the fast-paced novel more twists and turns than a Kabul back road.

Who knew that Jane Smiley had so much to teach us about movies? After writing 11 works of fiction and three nonfiction books, including A Thousand Acres, the masterwork that won her the Pulitzer Prize, Smiley took an intermission from her own fiction to school readers in Thirteen Ways of Looking at the Novel.

Douglas Wolk has the best job in the world. After all, who could complain about getting paid to read comic books all day long? Lucky for both the comics-obsessed and graphic-novel-uninitiated among us, the Portland author shares his thoughts on the work of authors ranging from Art Spiegelman to Alison Bechdel in his wise new book, "Reading Comics," (Da Capo Press, 405 pages, $22.95).

Gildiner's memoir is a refreshingly honest, touching, and witty account of Gildiner's high school and college years during the turbulent '60s, when America was in major transition politically, socially, culturally, and economically. It calls to mind the awkwardness of adolescence, the embarrassing and sometimes painful experiences that still make us cringe upon recollection, the realizations and acceptances that are all part of "growing up"—we've all struggled with the same things.

British author Alison Weir has built a literary empire speculating about the sexier side of life for kings and queens from centuries past. In “Captive Queen,” the author titillates readers with a stunning portrayal of 12th century virago Eleanor of Aquitaine as a lusty temptress, all too happy to abandon her doddering husband, France’s King Louis VII, for up-and-comer Henry of Anjou, more than a decade her junior.

Has Anne Rice gone soft? Perhaps that would explain her new obsession with angels and all things holy. No matter. Her writing still contains enough tension to keep readers guessing in her latest Songs of the Seraphim book, “Of Love and Evil” — in fact, the author’s insistence on choosing the exalted over the evil is actually a breath of fresh air.

"The Love of My Youth," by Mary Gordon (Pantheon, $25.95) The mistress of subtlety, Mary Gordon, returns with an eccentric novel framed around the city walks of 60-something former lovers who meet again in Rome. The novel is set in the eternal city, where little ever changes, between two characters who are thoroughly changed by their 40 years apart.