ENGROSSING MEDITATION on Russia’s history and geography by an English expatriate scholar is witty, informative.

CANDID AND HEARTFELT memoir of a difficult marriage, sudden widowhood tries a bit too hard for simple answers.

THOUGHTFUL, POETIC MEMOIR of an evangelical girlhood by a writer who came to find the divine in nature.

FASCINATING BIOGRAPHY of Thurston the Magician, Houdini’s greatest rival and a pioneer of modern stage magic.

AMERICA’S OBSESSION with money explored through quirky biographies of 18th and 19th- century counterfeiters.

DAVE BARRY does his Dave Barry thing. Highlights: a hilarious TWILIGHT parody; a guide to ridiculous dogs.

IDEALS OF UTOPIA explored in the context of today’s planned environments; reportage adds fun to philosophizing.

BRUTALLY CANDID, SNARKILY funny memoir of an anxious childhood in 1970s North Carolina.

THE IMPACT OF AIDS in Botswana, highlighted in moving personal stories and updates on medical, policy advances.

FASCINATING, WITTY LITTLE book about the history of the George Washington mythology and its relation to truth.