Hellhound on His Trail: The Stalking of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the International Hunt for His Assassin by Hampton Sides
This is one of the best nonfiction books I've read in years. Sides' descriptions and details are so vivid I can almost picture Memphis. He's a fantastic writer, and this particular book reads like a good mystery.

Solar by Ian McEwan
Literature is full of examples of great books ("Lolita," "Confederacy of Dunces") whose protagonists are, well, asses. The ass of this new work by McEwan is Michael Beard, a Nobel prize-winning physicist whose ego and self-deceptions are astonishingly funny and sadly familiar.

Dexter Is Delicious by Jeff Lindsay
What can I say? Sometimes you need a good, pulpy read, and the Dexter series satisfies my obsession with serial killers. This is the newest book in the series, just released in September. It's bloody, might inspire nightmares, and is every bit as good as the television series... maybe better.

The Man Who Watched Trains Go By by Georges Simenon
This isn't a new book, or even a new release, but I discovered it this year. Simenon is one of my favorite authors, sort of like a Belgian Jim Thompson, and how great for us that he published nearly 200 novels. Makes me feel like a slacker.

The Foundations of Judo by Yves Klein
That's right. THE Yves Klein. I can't explain why I love this book as much as I do. It is fantastic. It makes me want to be a Judo master.

Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman by Haruki Murakami
This is a collection of Murakami's short stories. He's one of the best writers living today, and when I read his short stories I think they're his best work. Until I read one of his novels, and I think I prefer them.

A French Alphabet Book of 1814 by Charles Plante
Rizzoli publishes such wonderful things! This book, a series of watercolors designed to teach a 2-year old boy how to read, was originally published nearly 200 years ago. It's funny, beautiful, and kind of weird.

The Tiger: A True Story of Vengeance and Survival by Jack Vaillant
This is the true story of a large Amul tiger that sought revenge on a Siberian town after a poacher took its kill. It gave me nightmares.

Merle's Door: Lessons from a Freethinking Dog by Ted Kerasote
If you need something to make you feel fuzzy all over, and then leave you sobbing like a child, this is your book. Beautifully written. We should all have a Merle in our lives.

Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
Sue practically forced this book on me, and I wasn't too excited to start it. Two pages in, and I knew I would love it. Technically I'm cheating, since I haven't reached the end. McMurtry's writing is so beautiful, and his characters practically come to life before your eyes. So I'm savoring it until the very last page.