A selection of fiction:

THE ABSTINENCE TEACHER. By Tom Perrotta
A FREE LIFE. By Ha Jin
THE RELUCTANT FUNDAMENTALIST. By Mohsin Hamid
THROW LIKE A GIRL: Stories. By Jean Thompson
TREE OF SMOKE. By Denis Johnson.
THE VIEW FROM CASTLE ROCK: Stories. By Alice Munro

And some non-fiction:

ARSENALS OF FOLLY: The Making of the Nuclear Arms Race. By Richard Rhodes
DUE CONSIDERATIONS: Essays and Criticism. By John Updike
HOW TO TALK ABOUT BOOKS YOU HAVEN’T READ. By Pierre Bayard
LEGACY OF ASHES: The History of the CIA. By Tim Weiner
THE REST IS NOISE: Listening to the Twentieth Century. By Alex Ross

100 Notable Books of the Year