Wolitzer is a wonderful writer (The Interestings). This is an insightful book about a woman married to a writer who has become famous. There is a precise description of life in the 1950s for women – confronting boundaries and restrictions; the power of withholding. The slow reveal of the depth of what appears to be a one-sided relationship is enticing. This book reminded me of a Kate Christensen novel, The Great Man, also a great read.
Amy notes: in 2018 this book was released as a movie. The movie is fine, but Glenn Close as the titular wife is excellent.
Ishiguro writes impeccable books about life in England: e.g. Remains of the Day and my favourite, 
Sometimes a horror book can provide a cracking good story (think The Stand by Stephen King, but please no other King books). In this story, a malevolent ghost is out for revenge on the living. The main character who suffers this haunting is so remarkably unlikeable that it is interesting that we still hope for his survival in an epic battle between the living and the (un)dead ghost. Violent but still an enjoyable read, the old “and now for something entirely different”.
The writing in this books reminds me of Toni Morrison, so high praise. There is a strong sense of impending doom for a Mississippi family (poverty, dog-fighting, teen-age pregnancy) while Katrina bores down on them. Excellent descriptive writing.
The premise of this book is that the act of reading makes stories come alive, and so a young 12-year-old boy crosses a portal into a world that contains elements of books/stories that he has read. For example, he encounters a new spin on Red Riding Hood and a hilarious version of the Seven Dwarfs. But there is a dark and violent aspect of this new world as well, similar to original Grimm tales and modern 
This wonderful book is the third in the Gilead trilogy, and is the best, in my opinion. There is almost no sense of place; most of the book takes place in Lila’s mind. The dominant emotion for Lila to learn is trust because she must always fight an impulse to flee what is a good outcome for her. Magnificent story telling.
What David Read 