Ellis Island by Mark Helprin. "The writing is just magical. I've never read a collection of short stories so dynamically different yet each one is very satisfying."

So Long, See You Tomorrow by William Maxwell. "The precision of the writing is astounding. It's barely over 100 pages, and there isn't a wasted word."

Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson. "An odd duck of a novel and a perennial bestseller here."

The Tender Bar by J.R. Moehringer. "A great memoir."

Hannah Schwartz, owner of Children's Book World, Haverford:

Evil Genius by Catherine Jinks. "This kid is super, super smart and, after he finishes school, finds out he's adopted and his actual father is a super-evil genius who wants him to join the Axis Institute for World Domination. Really smart and clever."

Song of the Sparrow by Lisa Ann Sandell. "A wonderful retelling of 'The Lady of Shalott.' "

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan. "Based on Greek mythology but set in the present, the hero discovers he is half-human, half-god and that his father is Poseidon. He's sent to Camp Half-Blood and goes on all these adventures where Hades is Los Angeles."

The Penderwickes: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy by Jeanne Birdsall. "Just a wonderful, beautiful old-fashioned book that kids love."

David Hiltbrand, an Inquirer editor and author of the mysteries Dying to be Famous and Deader than Disco:

The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon. "An exquisite treat: an ingenious conceit told with heart, humor and chutzpah."

Bangkok Haunts by John Burdett. "Another exotic and endlessly engaging case for Thai police detective Sonchai Jitpleecheep.

A Question of Attraction by David Nicholls. "A delightful coming-of-age comedy about a student consumed with appearing on the BBC version of College Bowl."

Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke. "The ridiculously rich and enchanting saga of a pair of accomplished British magicians in the Napoleonic era."

CivilWarLand in Bad Decline by George Saunders. "Breathtakingly dyspeptic and derisory stories about America in the age of malls."

Frank Wilson, Inquirer book editor:

Nostromo by Joseph Conrad. "The very humidity of the jungle is turned into poetry."

Barchester Towers by Anthony Trollope. "Brings to mind expansive lawns in bright sunlight where supremely civilized men and women stroll and bicker."

Travels with a Donkey by Robert Louis Stevenson. "The perfect walking tour with the perfect companion, at the end of which you will surely shed a tear."