Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel (Picador $16) Winner of the Man Booker Prize 2010. "Thomas Cromwell remains a controversial and mysterious figure. Mantel has filled in the blanks plausibly, brilliantly. Wolf Hall has epic scale but lyric texture. Its 500-plus pages turn quickly, winged and falconlike....Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall is both spellbinding and believable." - The New York Times Book Review

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In the Heart of the Canyon by Elisabeth Hyde (Vintage $15) "This novel follows 12 nature lovers and their guides for two weeks as they raft down the rapids of the Colorado River throught the Grand Canyon. Scenery and adventure abound, but the most important journeys are interior." -- New York Times Book Review

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Strokes of Genius: Federer, Nadal, and the Greatest Match Ever Played by L. Jon Wertheim (Mariner $13.95. The players' contrasting styles made this 2008 Wimbledon men's final exciting and extraordinary.

With by Donald Harington (Toby $14.95) is a sensual, irresistible tale, full of unexpected twists and turns. What starts out as a suspenseful recounting of child abduction evolves into the story of eight-year-old Robin Kerr growing up in the wilds of the Ozarks, left to fend for herself on a remote, inaccessible mountain-top. Without "human" company for a decade, forced to live off the land, Robin is never alone; her animal companions grow more numerous year by year, and the "live ghost" of a young boy who once lived on the mountain is her constant companion. Harington has given us a fascinating and triumphant story of survival—and one of the most original love stories I've ever read. -- Nancy

The Spare Room by Helen Garner (Picador $14) is a short but powerful novel about tested friendship when a friend experiencing terminal cancer comes to stay with "Helen" to receive questionable treatment. There's not a wasted word in this novella, which is described by Peter Cary as "perfect." Poignant and unforgettable. -- Nancy

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Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons (Penguin $15) This rural comedy/fairy tale parody will have you laughing out loud. It's a great lesson in how to eliminate melodrama and melodramatic people from our lives. It is with this intention that Flora Poste, armed with copies of THE HIGHER COMMON SENSE and MANSFIELD PARK as her magic wand, sweeps into gloomy Cold Comfort Farm as a self-appointed fairy godmother. -- Vicki

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