Book Detective

In the wake of her sister Ivy's widely publicized suicide attempt, Ursula Van Urden arrives in the metropolis of Middle City with hopes of starting her own life anew. In an attempt to understand the events leading up to her sister's breakdown, Ursula meets Ivy's mysterious boyfriend, Chas Lacouture, and joins his trendspotting firm, Tomorrow, Ltd. Armed with only a sketch pad and the mandate to "find the future," she begins an odyssey into the strangely intoxicating world of trendspotting where one lesson prevails: At the heart of every product lies a paradox, and when cultivated successfully, it yields untold riches. As Ivy's delusions grow stronger and more apocalyptic, Ursula's observations of a filthy, rodent-eating homeless girl -- an urban savage -- lead to an elaborate advertising scheme gone awry that has unexpected consequences.

Take Me With You by Catherine Ryan Hyde

Empire Falls by Richard Russo

Anne of Windy Poplars by Lucy Maud Montgomery

The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes

Out Stealing Horses by Per Petterson

A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by David Eggers

2666 by Roberto Bolano

Buying the Farm by Kimberly Conn

Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver

Harbor of the Heart by Katherine Spencer

The Book of Ruth by Jane Hamilton

Everyman by Philip Roth

We Were the Mulvaneys by Joyce Carol Oates

Old School by Tobias Wolff

South of Broad by Pat Conroy

Men in the Sun and Other Palestinian Stories by Ghassan Kanafani

The Wake Up by Catherine Ryan Hyde

The Risk Pool by Richard Russo

Drop City by T. Coraghessan Boyle

The Children Act by Ian McEwan