1. The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet, Written by: David
(Staff Picks/Fiction)

By David Mitchell (Random House, $26.00) This is a staggeringly, brilliantly, and overwhelmingly great book. It's so good, in fact, that I'm tempted to argue that David Mitchell just might be the most

2. The Complete Maus, Written by: David
(Staff Picks/Graphic Novel)

By Art Spiegelman (Random House, $35.00) It seems really absurd to be recommending such a seminal and universally acclaimed (and read) book as Art Spiegelman's Maus. It's readership, after all, is e

3. I Was a Rat, Written by: David
(Staff Picks/Childrens)

By Philip Pullman (Yearling, $6.50) There are only two children's book authors that I've continued to read as an adult, and one of them is Phillip Pullman. He writes the kind of books that I wish I

4. Just So Stories, Written by: David
(Staff Picks/Fiction)

By Rudyard Kipling (Penguin, $7.00) There are so many books I should have read as a child but didn't. As it turns out this has mostly been a good thing. For instance, if I had already read (or had h

5. Speak, Memory, Written by: David
(Staff Picks/Nonfiction)

By Vladimir Nabokov (Vintage, $14.95) If you're at all receptive to a recommendation of an autobiography by Vladimir Nabokov you're probably already well aware of his linguistic virtuosity. If you’re

6. Flawless, Written by: David
(Staff Picks/Nonfiction)

By Scott Andrew Selby and Greg Campbell (Union Square Press, $24.95) Are you at all curious about how a small band of Italian thieves were able to steal half of a billion dollars worth of diamonds and

7. Hons and Rebels, Written by: David
(Staff Picks/Nonfiction)

By Jessica Mitford (NYRB, $15.95) I've been reading my fair share of great memoirs lately, and I have to say that this one is definitely my favorite. It is the first book in a very long time that mad

8. The Gardner Heist, Written by: David
(Staff Picks/Nonfiction)

By Ulrich Boser (Harper, $14.99) In March of 1990, two thieves posing as police officers stole $500 million worth of paintings from Boston's Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. It still stands as the b

9. The Discovery of France, Written by: David
(Staff Picks/Nonfiction)

By Graham Robb (W.W. Norton, $18.95) I've always assumed France's cohesion into a hexagon-shaped whole to have been settled eons ago. Not true. Graham Robb's Discovery of France, a very engaging an

10. Because I Was Flesh, Written by: David
(Staff Picks/Nonfiction)

By Edward Dahlberg (New Directions, $9.95) There's a lot that I didn't like about this book. That it's painfully self-conscious even for a memoir, and that the author is apparently unable to express

11. Jacques the Fatalist, Written by: David
(Staff Picks/Fiction)

By Denis Diderot (Penguin Classics, $15.00) In both sensibility and technique, Denis Diderot's novel Jacques the Fatalist is remarkably modern--especially for a book first published in 1796. In fact

12. Dune, Written by: David
(Staff Picks/Fiction)

By Frank Herbert (Ace Books, $7.99) If you're a science fiction fan, I'm sure you've already read Frank Herbert's classic. But if you're not, and are okay with a little fantasy, don't be afraid--rea

13. The Eaves of Heaven, Written by: David
(Staff Picks/Nonfiction)

By Andrew X. Pham (Three Rivers Press, $16.00) A dramatic and ardent family history. An informative primer on 20th century Vietnamese politics. A wonderfully told tale of a life lived through three

14. Cod, Written by: David
(Staff Picks/Nonfiction)

By Mark Kurlansky (Penguin, $15.00) Without question, this will be the most informative, intriguing, and entertaining book on any single fish that you'll ever read.

15. Prater Violet, Written by: David
(Staff Picks/Fiction)

By Christopher Isherwood (UMinn Press, $15.95) What I like best about Christopher Isherwood is his remarkable ability to convey the humor of his characters. Some of them, in fact, are so hilariously l

16. Parisians, Written by: David
(Staff Picks/Nonfiction)

By Graham Robb (W.W. Norton, $28.95) I almost can't believe how great this book is. Graham Robb has given us an astoundingly creative history of Paris. It's as entertaining and interesting as it is

17. Krakatoa, Written by: David
(Staff Picks/Nonfiction)

By Simon Winchester (Harper Collins, $13.95) You might not think that anyone could keep the story of a volcanic eruption interesting for 400-and-some-odd pages, but you'd be wrong. Simon Winchester'

18. Red Harvest, Written by: David
(Staff Picks/Fiction)

By Dashiell Hammett (Vintage Crime, $13.00) Dashiell Hammett's books have the feel of literary artifacts--no one really writes like him anymore. If you haven't read anything of his yet, try Red Harv

19. The Rescue Artist, Written by: David
(Staff Picks/Nonfiction)

By Edward Dolnick (Harper Perennial, $14.95) On February 12, 1994 the XVII Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway opened with their usual fanfare. On this same day in Oslo, only a two-hour drive awa

20. The Emperor of Scent, Written by: David
(Staff Picks/Nonfiction)

By Chandler Burr (Random House, $14.95) I never thought that the science of scent would be this interesting. Chandler Burr has written an enormously entertaining account of Lucca Turin's passionate