Michael's Picks

This coming-of-age novel is about two misfits--the 'prime numbers' of the title--who struggle to overcome damaged childhoods and find a way to connect with each other. It is a haunting, compelling, beautifully written and translated first novel by an Italian physicist.

A great World War II novel. Atmospheric, romantic, full of plot twists and mystery. A little bit of The English Patient mixed with Alan Furst. A first rate novel by a hometown boy.

This biography reads like a novel - the author is a respected novelist - because Daniel Boone is a larger-than-life character whose adventures and exploits live up to the legend.

Mike Davis is a truly amazing writer--this history of "the poor man's Air Force" is filled with some astonishing surprises. The story of the car bomb is complicated and ongoing.

In this comical and creepy twist on Kafka, a cockcroach wakes up one morning and finds he's a human. It turns out that cockcroach qualities are perfect for achieving great humnan success.

There is no writer quite like Alan Furst. His novels are packed with atmosphere and romance, but also history and all the drive and plot twists of a traditional thriller. Furst never disappoints.