The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen (fiction)
A deserving National Book Award winner and Oprah Book Club selection, Franzen's novel can be read as a saga of an incredibly dysfunctional American family and as a searing indictment of a dysfunctional America as it approaches the millennium. The writing is often stunning (reminiscent of early Updike), and while neither the family members nor the country are altogether likable, they are so deeply and lovingly drawn that I ended up caring very much about each of them.

A Cold Day for Murder by Dana Stabenow (mystery)
Stabenow is to Alaska as Hillerman is to New Mexico. As Alaskan native, she captures the vastness, ruggedness, and a lot of the lure of the state. Her heroine, Kate Shugak, an Aleut, is feisty, independent, competent, and ready to take on all manner of sleuthing. The supporting characters are also wonderful, particularly her hybrid (wolf/husky) dog, Mutt, with whom she has a deeply spiritual relationship. There are fourteen books in the series and not a weak one in the bunch. I read them all during a three-week trip to Alaska last summer, and Kate was a great companion and guide.

Bible and Sword by Barbara Tuchman (history)
For years I've been looking for a book with a lens powerful and clear enough to bring the Israeli/Palestinian conflict into focus for me. In the aftermath of September 11th, I happened upon this book, Tuchman's first, published originally in 1956. Beautifully written and very readable, Tuchman traces the motives that have drawn the English people to the Holy Land from the Bronze Age to the Balfour Declaration of 1917. In examining the role that Britain played in the re-creation of the state of Israel, Tuchman elucidates the complex and centuries-old roots of the current problem.

Bad Bet on the Bayou by Tyler Bridges (New Orleans/history)
An examination of the rise of gambling and the fall of Edwin Edwards, Bridges exposes the underbelly of Louisiana politics and the long-standing systemic corruption in the state and in the gaming industry. Outrageous, engaging hilarious, eye-popping, enlightening, provacative and informative, this is a fun read if you can manage not to get too mad or too sad.