Richard McGuire’s HERE is an astounding graphic novel, a singular work in the medium. Charting the events occurring in a single spot--here--over the course of millennia, McGuire ingeniously overlays images from various epochs, creating a dreamlike tableau that alters the way time is perceived. Just open it up and take a look. Perfect for fans of Chris Ware, or any reader seeking out the unusual.  

Magicians lie by trade--illusion, fantasy, carefully drawn  scenarios with precisely chosen words--so I’ll admit: I really only picked up this book to see how redundant the title was. I need to thank my bitter skepticism for leading me to this fabulous historical fiction-mystery-romance. THE MAGICIAN’S LIE is the story of The Amazing Arden, caught and interrogated by a young policeman on the night her husband is murdered: murdered, they think, during the Halved Man trick of her act. As she spills out her story to Virgil, it’s hard not to get caught up in the illusion, too--but the question hangs: what's true? Her story screams for sympathy--a young woman hurt by self-absorbed parents, by sexual violence, by a world with no time for her--and as she becomes sure of herself, learning her trade and becoming her own person, I was ready to fight to the death for her. But the question remains--where’s the lie? You’ll race to find out like I did, led along by Arden’s vibrant voice and sharply-etched imagery as memorable as a stage illusionist should be.

NEW OBSESSION ALERT: Katherine Howe has crafted a YA masterpiece! Set mostly in 2012 Massachusettes with interludes in 1706 Salem Village, this book is breathtaking, heartstopping, and juicy, in the best possible way. Girls at St. Joan's Academy are falling ill with a "Mystery Illness" which includes a series of odd symptoms and behaviors. No one can explain it, there's a media frenzy, and you never know who it will strike next. This is a perfect example of YA with major adult crossover appeal. Read it. Have your kids read it. Have your grandparents read it.

Anna Sun’s first novel, DREAMERS OF THE ABSOLUTE, is the story of a young woman searching for both love and the meaning of life. This may seem common enough fodder for a novel, but in the modest hands of Sun, a quiet masterpiece emerges. This young woman travels to rural Kentucky to visit her brother, her only living relative, who has taken a vow of silence at a Trappist Monastery. Unable to speak with him, she spends seven days contemplating and reflecting on past relationships, as well as her own future. Quiet, meditative and revelatory, this small novel is a powerful reminder of the importance that simplicity and beauty play in literature.

There are short stories, and then there's Kelly Link. In GET IN TROUBLE, she dares her characters (and readers!) to cough up the deep stuff. And I'm not talking about your long-lost love. I'm talking about lust, shame--you know, the things you hide from your Facebook feed. Take this one: a fifteen-year-old girl pretends to be her older sister so she can go on a blind date with a man old enough to be her father. But rather than expose characters to persecute them, Link reminds us that we all have secrets--and that's okay. As bold as it is all-embracing, this collection deserves your attention.

When Suki Kim seizes the opportunity to travel to North Korea with a group of evangelical Christian missionaries (despite not being one herself), she has no idea how hard her next six months will be. Kim works teaching English to the sons of North Korea’s elite, and instantly becomes one of the country’s most-monitored and carefully-minded foreign visitors. Though Kim grows close to her students, it’s impossible to escape the government’s guard on her daily life. Everything she teaches must be approved; she has to constantly watch what she says, while her emails are monitored; even her students lie constantly for no reason, about something as small as a classmate’s absence. Kim’s memoir is a deeply interesting look at life under the watchful eye of the North Korean regime.