For the Ray Bradbury fan:

Now and Forever: Somewhere a Band is Playing & Leviathan ’99
by Ray Bradbury
Two novellas – one about time and music, the other a riff on Moby-Dick- from the ninth decade of this unique & inventive author.

For the computer geek:

Options: the Secret Life of Steve Jobs
by Fake Steve Jobs
Steve Jobs sets out to save the world in this fake story by a fake author about a real company.

For the ghost story enthusiast:

20th Century Ghosts
by Joe Hill
Pleasantly creepy stories from Stephen King’s son; they are about far more than just the ghosts.

For the Lake Wobegon tourist:

Pontoon: a Novel of Lake Wobegon
by Garrison Keillor
Life & loves of a spirited woman; family, community and lots of laughs.

For the Easy Rawlins pal:

Blonde Faith
by Walter Mosley
Rawlins’ 10th case; the detective is distracted by the women in his life.

For the chess player who reads thrillers:

Zugzwang
by Ronan Bennett
Pre-revolutionary Russia in ferment with a reclusive chess master at the center of a plot to kill the Tsar.

For the cinephile:

Zeroville
by Steve Erickson
Dreamlike novel of obsession and movies with constant allusions to film.

For the McCall Smith groupie:

Love Over Scotland
by Alexander McCall Smith
Denizens of 44 Scotland Street in their third adventure.

For the Irish history buff:

Tipperary
by Frank Delaney
An Irish Gone With the Wind

For the chick lit babe in the ‘burbs:

Manless in Montclair: How a Happily Married Woman Became a Widow Looking for Love in the Wilds of Suburbia
by Amy Holman Edelman

For the supernatural seeker:

Lord John and the Hand of Devils
by Diana Gabaldon
Three supernatural yarns deftly written and based on historical research.

For the literati:

Beethoven Was One-Sixteenth Black: and Other Stories
by Nadine Gordimer
Fragmentary pieces full of finesse and power by the Noble laureate.

For the fan of political thrillers:

The Ghost
by Robert Harris
A ghostwriter rewrites the memoirs of a former British prime minister; the first draft lead to the writer’s demise.

For the Latin literature lover:

The Bad Girl
by Mario Vargas Llosa
Grand passion from the contemporary master.

For the tough guy:

Why Marines Fight
by James Brady
Marine veterans of all wars tell their inspirational stories.

For the identity seeker:

Abraham’s Children: Race, Identity, and the DNA of the Chosen People
by Jon Entine
A look at the genetics of Judaism – informative for Jews and non-Jews alike.

For the disco fan:

The Great Funk: Falling Apart and Coming Together (on a Shag Rug) in the Seventies
by Thomas Hine
The pop culture spotlight shines on the visual decade of the seventies.

For the Francophile & biography fan:

Napoleon’s Master: A Life of Prince Tallyrand
by David Lawday
Literate life of a legend.

For the gastronome:

Secret Ingredients: The New Yorker Book of Food and Drink
edited by David Remnick
Food and drink as pleasure, sustenance, metaphor, adventure, comedy and more by literary stalwarts.

For the family history maven:

The Genetic Strand: Exploring a Family History Through DNA
by Edward Ball
Like a detective story with a surprise ending.

For the philosopher:

The Authentic Confucius: a Life of Thought and Politics
by Annping Chin
Agenda-free biography of China’s greatest intellectual.

For your mother:

A View of the Ocean
by Jan de Hartog
The bravery and faith of his mother shine through this posthumous love letter to her.

A Vineyard in Tuscany: a Wine Lover’s Dream
by Ferenc Mate
Light, romantic tale of a dream come true.

A Charmed Life: Growing Up in MacBeth’s Castle
by Liza Campbell
Scottish history threaded through a nightmarish memoir of a tragic modern life.

For the graphic novel aficionado:

Life, in Pictures: Autobiographical Stories
by Will Eisner
Posthumous collection commemorates the man who gave his name to the industry’s top annual awards, the Eisners.

For the American history devotee:

American Creation: Triumphs and Tragedies at the Founding of the Republic
by Joseph J. Ellis
Six stories, each revealing the genius and the shortcomings of the Founders.

For the balletomane:

Nureyev: The Life
by Julie Kavanaugh
Brilliant biography of the erratic and dazzling Soviet/American dancer.

For the Charlie Brown fan:

Schulz and Peanuts: a Biography
by David Michaelis
A close look at the psyche of the master of the comics craft.

For the adventurer:

The Climb of My Life: Scaling Mountains with a Borrowed Heart
by Kelly Perkins
A tough survivor undeterred by a heart transplant forges ahead with her adventures.