Imbued with the characteristic wit and intelligence that Meg Wolitzer brought to The Interestings, The Wife raises big questions about voice, marriage, power, and gender in literature. Slim but smart, this provocative story can be read in a day, but it will remain on your mind for much longer. A film adaptation starring Glenn Close and Frances McDormand is in the works and we would watch those two titans of acting in just about anything.

Cameron and Sonia were best friends until an incident that occurred when they were nineteen ended their friendship. Now a decade later, Cameron believes she’ll never see Sonia again. Eloquent and honest, it is a beautiful portrayal of the loss that lingers at the end of a friendship.

This culinary fairy tale about an Indian boy from Mumbai who becomes a three-star chef in Paris was the basis for a feature film starring Helen Mirren. Lively and brimming with the colors, flavors, and scents of the kitchen, The Hundred-Foot Journey is a succulent treat about family, nationality, and the mysteries of good taste.

When the wildly unpopular Colonel Protheroe is shot to death, the residents of his English village are not exactly devastated—even the vicar declares that his killing did the world a favor. In a town overflowing with suspects, the gentle but sharp Miss Jane Marple steps up to crack the case. In Nancy’s retirement years, I imagine she is something like this beloved sleuth.