If there is one piece of advice I’ll take away from the books that crossed my desk this year, it’s from Kathleen Winters’ friend, who advised her to pack a getaway bag in case of unexpected travel opportunities. Thank god she did, because otherwise we might not have Boundless, Winter’s stunning memoir of journeying through the Northwest passage. Winter’s personal reflections on marriage, family, and past relationships, combined with her poetic observations of the Northern geography and people, breath new energy into the traditional travelogue format.

“Shredding and reassembling history into a thrilling story that is part spy mystery and part historical intrigue, The Confabulist challenges our notions of what is real and what is illusion. Like a well-executed stage show, this novel does the truly remarkable on every page, creating a sprawling story with taut, precise prose. Steven Galloway manages, like his central figure, Harry Houdini, to do the seemingly impossible right in front of our eyes over and over again — even when we’re watching for it — beguiling us and making it look easy.”