Bill Bryson
Neither Here Nor There
This travel memoir lets the reader tag along as the author experiences Europe from his own humiliating yet hilarious point of view.
Augusten Burroughs
Possible Side Effects
A memoir by a young gay alcoholic who finally manages to turn his life around. His richly detailed childhood and young adult stories are recounted with a warmth and humor that are a sight to behold.
James Anderson
The Never-Open Desert Diner
Set in the southeast desert of Utah, this novel captures the life of a long-haul trucker as he encounters the desert rats who inhabit this well-told atmospheric story of loneliness, revenge, and love.
Kent Haruf
Plainsong
The folks who populate this small town located in northwest Colorado during the 1970s represent humanity's timeless spectrum of old and young, wise and foolish, and isolated and passionate.
Elizabeth Berg
Open House
As she moves through the process of her broken marriage, the heroine grows by taking on new experiences. A heartwarming story that's populated with creature comforts and characters that ring true.
Randy Pausch
Last Lecture
A memoir of one man's reaction to the news that he has pancreatic cancer. Wise, funny, and unforgettable, the author conveys a sense of humanity and the meaning of life.
Christina Baker Kline
Orphan Train
Orphan trains existed in the 19th and 20th centuries to help place homeless kids with families in the Midwest, with varying degrees of success. The story follows one of them from the early 1900s and counterpoints her experience with that of a present-day orphan. A well-told story.
Ruth Ozeki
A Tale for the Time Being
Nao, a 16-year-old girl living in Tokyo begins a diary that eventually ends up in the hands of Ruth, who lives on an island off the Pacific coast of Canada. Nao recounts her life as well as that of her great grandmother, a Buddhist nun. Past and present, and inner peace and hopelessness are only some of the marvelous subjects touched upon in this adventure mystery.
Abraham Verghese
Cutting for Stone
The lives of twin brothers begins in Ethiopia and follows them through their interest in medicine and love. Epic and tragic, the story hits every high and low that you can imagine, and then some.
Jeannette Walls
The Glass Castle
This family puts the 'd' in dysfunctional. The story of a woman growing up in a family whose parents are highly irresponsible, the author and her siblings do their best to rise above their environment. At times exasperating, hopeless, and hopeful, it puts a fine point on the idea of how vulnerable children are and what a monumental challenge parenting is.
