Science Fiction. In this return to the dystopian world of Oryx and Crake, the "Waterless Flood" predicted by Adam One, founder of the environmentalist God's Gardeners cult, has come to pass in the form of a manmade viral apocalypse. The only survivors are two women, former fast-food employee Toby and sex worker Ren, who escaped their fate through sheer luck. However, plenty of transgenic organisms remain, from the lethal liobams (lamb-lion hybrids) to pigs with human DNA. Should Ren and Toby venture out of their respective safe havens to search for other humans? And if they stay put, will they be any safer? For a haunting glimpse of an all-too-plausible future, check out The Year of the Flood.

Memoir. In these autobiographical essays, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Michael Chabon reflects on what it means to be a man. Tackling an array of subjects from both his past and his present, Chabon examines his experiences as a husband and father and how these have shaped his life. From serious topics such as sex, drugs, and religion to lighter musings on (among other things) comic books and baseball, Chabon provides insights and observations that anyone--man or woman--can relate to.

General Fiction. Obsessive fan Duncan has spent 20 years researching reclusive singer-songwriter Tucker Crowe (who disappeared in 1986), while his long-suffering partner Annie wonders if she's wasted the best years of her life. When Duncan obtains a demo of "Juliet, Naked," Crowe's acoustic reimagining of his classic album "Juliet," a frustrated Annie listens to it first and posts a less-than-glowing review of the music online. To everyone's surprise, Annie receives a response from Crowe himself...which grows into an e-mail correspondence in which the two reveal aspects of their very different lives. Fans of High Fidelity will enjoy Nick Hornby's latest story to feature music-obsessed characters.

Mystery. Hercule Poirot, the most famous mustachioed detective in literature, takes on one of the most challenging cases of his career in this classic "locked room" mystery by Agatha Christie. When Poirot boards the Orient Express in Istanbul, the train is unusually crowded. However, another compartment soon becomes available when the passenger next door to Poirot, Mr. Ratchett, is murdered. Using his celebrated "little grey cells," the intrepid Belgian sleuth ferrets out information that's more mystifying than revealing, all the while aware that the killer is still on board. If you crave more Poirot, try Death on the Nile.

Historical Fiction/Western. In 1879, gun-toting, mustache-sporting Wyatt Earp leaves Dodge City to take up the post of deputy sheriff in the most lawless town in the West: Tombstone, Arizona. Shortly after he arrives, Earp falls in love with showgirl Josie Marcus and finds himself at odds with corrupt sheriff Johnny Behan, in part because he's Josie's lover. At the same time, Ike Clanton and his Cowboy gang are spoiling for a fight. This standalone work by mystery veteran Robert B. Parker provides a riveting account of the events leading up to the legendary gunfight at the O.K. Corral.

Juvenile Fiction. In this supernatural take on Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book, a toddler escapes the man who murders his entire family by taking refuge in a nearby cemetery. Adopted by its ghostly denizens, Nobody "Bod" Owens grows up in the graveyard, where his mysterious mentor Silas teaches him everything he needs to know to survive. But even a graveyard full of friends may not be enough to protect him from the killer, who's still searching for him. Read by the author, The Graveyard Book is fun listening experience for all ages.

Horror. After Edgar Freemantle loses his arm in a work-related accident and his wife during his rehabilitation (she leaves him after his uncontrollable rages turn violent), he decides to start over by moving to Duma Key. Once he sets up house on the lush, largely uninhabited Gulf Coast island, Edgar develops a strange compulsion to create art--and some unusual abilities to go along with it. Are these changes the result of his accident, or is there a more sinister force at work? This chiller by Stephen King will appeal to fans of his other works, such as The Shining.

General Fiction. Not long after the end of WWII, London newspaper columnist Juliet Ashton receives a letter from Dawsey Adams, a farmer on the small Channel Island of Guernsey. Soon his letters are joined by those of the island's other inhabitants, who write to Juliet to tell her about the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, a book club hastily invented during the German Occupation that soon became a defiant celebration of friendship and community during a dark time in history. Don't miss this story, which is "truly perfect on audio" (Audiofile).

Historical Thriller. Set in the Soviet Union in 1953, Child 44 is the story of MGB (State Security Force) officer Leo Demidov, an honest man whose promising career is derailed by politics. Demoted and dispatched to a remote village in the Ukraine, Leo uncovers the existence of a serial killer who's targeting local children. But in Stalin's Russia, where things like serial killers are not supposed to exist, it's a crime against the State to suggest that one is on the loose. If you like thrillers with detailed historical settings, you'll love this suspenseful and atmospheric debut by Tom Rob Smith. And don't miss Smith's second Leo Demidov book, The Secret Speech.