About to turn nine, Rose Edelstein swipes a piece of homemade cake only to find that she can taste the baker's emotions--in this case her mother's dissatisfaction. Since she can now taste emotions in everything she eats, meals become difficult for Rose, and for a while she simply subsists on junk food from a vending machine. Readers who enjoy stories tinged with magical realism--think Sarah Addison Allen's Garden Spells, Laura Esquivel's Like Water for Chocolate, or pretty much anything by Isabel Allende--will enjoy following Rose as she comes to terms with her new ability, while others will appreciate the way author Aimee Bender explores Rose's relationships with her similarly burdened family.

Leaping back and forth through time from 1970s San Francisco to the early 2020s in Manhattan and focusing on a broad cast of characters, this unusual novel centers (sort of) on music producer Bennie Salazar and his assistant, Sasha. But there's also Alex (Sasha's so-so date for an evening), Scotty (Bennie's former band mate), and a host of others who serve to emphasize the connections between people even as time marches ever onward. Booklist calls this a "hilarious, melancholy, enrapturing, unnerving, and piercingly beautiful mosaic of a novel," and you'll likely agree if you're interested in experimental writing that tackles a recognizable subject--growing up and growing old.

In this half-sequel/half-retelling of the Pulitzer Prize-winning author's The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love, María García, the inspiration for the Mambo Kings' biggest hit, reminisces about her days and nights in Havana, offering a different perspective on the story told in Mambo Kings. From the beautiful Cuban countryside to Havana's bright lights, Maria's doomed love affair with Mambo King Nestor Castillo fills this book with passion and informs her entire life story. It may not matter which order you read the two novels in, but you should definitely make sure to follow the reading of one with a reading of the other.

Beginning with the unforgettable line "It was an airport gypsy who told me that I had to kill my husband," Backseat Saints follows Rose Mae Lolley (also known as Ro Grandee) as she flees her violent husband, searches for a former sweetheart, and tries to build a better life for herself. Those of you who have read Gods in Alabama might remember her part there, but Rose Mae has this novel all to herself, and while she's far from perfect, she's working her way toward a brighter future despite all the obstacles thrown in her way. If you love Southern fiction, Southern women, or tales of second chances, you won't want to miss Rosa Mae's adventures.

After she watches the man she's always been in love with marry her best friend, Savannah Leone takes to the bottle and the television. The next morning, she learns that she has apparently purchased a puppy on the Internet. The "puppy," however, turns out to be a highly trained 100-pound German shepherd police dog. The vet she takes him to...well, he turns out to be rather handsome--and single. But lest you think this is "just" another girl-meets-boy story, don't forget about that newly married couple, whose demands on Savannah's time might cause some problems. Equally, Savannah's painful awareness of class differences adds tension. Fans of chick-lit (or of dogs!) will eat it up.

Distrust. Paranoia. Deception. These are the hallmarks of life for newly exonerated suburban librarian Betsy Treading, who has returned to her hometown determined to salvage her life and clear any lingering suspicion by discovering who really killed her neighbor, Linda Sue Nelson, 12 years ago. Unsurprisingly, it's not easy to gain the townspeople's trust, and even Betsy's one loyal friend on Juniper Lane seems to have secrets to hide. The tension ratchets up as Betsy delves deeper into the web of connections, secrets, and lies that ties suburban neighbors together, and fans of literary suspense "will be rewarded" (Publishers Weekly) by the twists this story takes.

Don Celestino has not spoken to his grumpy older brother, Don Fidencio, in years, ever since...well, it's not quite clear what started off the estrangement. At any rate, prompted by his lovely housekeeper (and much younger love), Socorro, Celestino frees Fidencio from the terrible nursing home his daughter and son-in-law have placed him in, and the two aging, bickering men (and hopeful Socorro) take off on a journey to Mexico, where they hope to investigate the old family legend at the heart of their dispute. This well-written debut takes on relationships and life in a border town with equal skill; Kirkus Reviews calls it "knowing, touching and true."

T.S. Spivet's fans at the Smithsonian Institution consider him a cartography genius--in fact, they've awarded him a prestigious prize they'd like him to accept in person, complete with a keynote speech for the celebration. What they don't know is that he's only 12 years old. But he's nevertheless determined to get from his parents' Montana ranch to D.C., and so he hops a train to begin his crossing of America. Along the way this precocious boy muses on everything from his impending fame to the garbage found on city streets and comes across some equally wide-ranging travelers. Cleverly illustrated, annotated, and printed, this debut is one of a kind.

Stuck at Chicago's O'Hare airport on his way to the wedding of his estranged daughter, 53-year-old Bennie Ford starts writing a letter of complaint to the airline that stranded him. It rapidly turns into a missive that addresses far more than his failed travel plans--from his drinking problem to his troubled mother to his doomed career, Bennie has a lot to be unhappy about. But in the course of the night, through his writings and his conversations with fellow stranded passengers, Bennie finds that despite all his regrets, there is hope for the future.

Here's a different sort of travel book--in the sequel to Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict, 19th-century Jane Mansfield awakens in the body of modern-day Los Angeleno Courtney Stone and must learn to navigate the strange cultural mores of this alien civilization. And while Jane relishes some aspects of the 21st century (her newfound privacy and independence, for example), she must also deal with exceedingly liberal social practices and confusing modern technologies--as well as handle Courtney's demanding job, seductive ex-fiancé, and solicitous (and handsome) friend Wes. Full of humorous details, this novel, like its predecessor, is perfect for fellow Austen addicts.

In this fictionalized account of a true story, newly married Chinese doctor Shu Wen goes to Tibet in 1958 to find out what happened to her husband, reportedly killed while posted there by the People's Liberation Army. After bearing much hardship as a lone female doctor, she is separated from her own Army unit; rather than attempt to return home, however, she continues to seek her husband, and is taken in by a nomadic Tibetan family. Her time in Tibet opens her eyes to a different way of life, and while eventually she does return to China, it is to a China much changed from the one she remembers. Readers will be captivated by this portrayal of China and Tibet--and undying devotion.

At 80-something, Ella Robina is dying. Rather than spend her last moments in treatment for terminal cancer, she kidnaps her husband and takes off in their RV for one last grand adventure down Route 66 to Disneyland. Naturally, her kids (and her doctors) demand that she return home to Detroit, especially since her husband, John, has Alzheimer's. But Ella knows what she wants, and as the two navigate their way down the road, they share memories of their life together (interspersed with Ella's ever-feisty one-liners). "Joyous, painful, funny, moving, tragic, mysterious, and not to be missed," says Booklist.