In Dead Wake, Erik Larson draws on telegrams, war logs, love letters and survivor depositions to paint an extraordinary picture of the lives of the passengers on the ill-fated Lusitania, whose sinking by a German U-boat in 1915 cost the lives of 1,198 people and drew America into a world war. However, it’s not only the lives of the passengers like famed Boston bookseller Charles Lauriat and female architect Theodate Pope Riddle that Larson brings to life, but also the captains of both the Lusitania and the German U-boat, not to mention Winston Churchill and Room 40 in British intelligence and President Wilson. Larson’s way of  presenting historical information to read like fiction makes Dead Wake a wonderful read for everyone–even those who don’t normally read nonfiction.

The Magicians, by Lev Grossman is a smart fantasy novel which pays homage to several fantasy classics while working under the premise that magic is hard and to practice magic you must have an emotional instability. The main character, Quentin Coldwater is a genius,, who likes to perform card tricks, but he is depressed.  Then, he is ‘invited” to take the entrance exam into Brakebills College for Magical Pedagogy. Grossman give a literary nod to Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia (through the magical land of Fillory) in this book.

Sitting on the riverbank with her sister one warm sunny day, Alice spies a White Rabbit in a waistcoat who pulls out a pocket watch exclaiming he’s late before popping down a rabbit hole.  Of course, Alice, who is by nature a curious girl, must follow.  She finds herself in a strange place, where she can grown and shrink all depending on what she eats, and meets many odd characters, including the Mad Hatter, who is trapped in a perpetual tea-time, the Cheshire cat, who leaves it’s grin behind as it fades away to nothing and the foul-tempered Queen of Hearts, before finally waking up back on the riverbank. One of the most famous and enduring children’s books, Alice in Wonderland captures childhood curiosity and imagination in a uniquely absurd and whimsical way.

Presumed dead after being impaled by an antenna during a massive storm which forces the crew of Ares 3 to abort their mission,  Mark Watney, finds himself stranded on Mars, with only science and wit to help him survive–plus all the materials left behind after the crew’s evacuation. Watney must find a way to grow food on a barren planet, re-establish communication with NASA, and drive 2,000 miles to the Schiaparelli crater in order to get what he needs to rendezvous with his crew and get him back to Earth. Weir weaves enough humor in with technical details that it is a pleasure to read, whether you’re a hard-core science fiction fan or not.

To precocious Scout Finch, there is nothing more mysterious and frightening than her reclusive neighbor Boo Radley. She can’t even walk past his house; she has to run. She plays games with her brother Jem and their friend Dill to act out the rumors surrounding Boo and what his life must be like, never coming out of the house. They even make bets to see who is brave enough to run up to Boo’s house and touch it, a game that causes Boo’s father to shoot at the Finch kids and run them off of his property. However, when her father acts as a defense attorney to a black man accused of raping a white woman in 1930s Alabama, Scout soon learns that Boo Radley is not the most frightening thing in town. In fact, he may turn out to be her salvation. Harper Lee paints a vivid picture of life, family and racism through a child’s eyes and teaches her readers to look at the soul of a man and not judge the look of him.