Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith is the latest of the many retellings of Jane Austen’s classic and is the surprise hit of summer. Much like the original novel, the Bennett sisters live in the English countryside, which is stirred by the arrival of two wealthy bachelors. Unlike the original, the resulting opinions and relationships formed between the characters is played out against the backdrop of hordes of undead roaming the meadows, which they often have to fight off.

Lisa See has established herself as an excellent writer of Chinese historical fiction with books such as Snow Flower and the Secret Fan . In Shanghai Girls , See once again creates a gripping story with believable characters that lets readers live inside a time and place different from our own

Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella is about Lara, a busy twenty-something-year-old who gets visited by the ghost of her great-aunt Sadie (from the twenties). She gets enlisted to find Sadie’s missing necklace, which leads to Kinsella-style antics in love and life. Sophie Kinsella Bio Complete List of Sophie Kinsella Books If You Like Sophie Kinsella Books, Try..

The House at Sugar Beach , one of our Top 10 Books of 2008 , is now available in paperback. This is an astonishing and moving memoir about growing up in Liberia during a violent civil war. Helene Cooper is the daughter of one of Liberia’s elite families, but after a coup threw her people out of power, she moved to the United States, eventually becoming a journalist.

In an interview this spring, U.S. President Barack Obama mentioned that he was reading Joseph O’Neill’s Netherland for pleasure between briefings. Taking advantage of the publicity, Vintage Books moved up the date of the paperback release

Best Friends Forever , a new novel written by bestselling author Jennifer Weiner, is a charming and deeply satisfying read about the unexpected reunion of two estranged best friends. Like Weiner’s other novels, Best Friends Forever is an absorbing book that’s perfect for beach reading, but it’s also emotionally resonant and takes unexpected turns

Are you excited about the movie version of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince ? Fans old and young are flocking to theaters and will be sure to have strong opinions of whether the movie lived up to the book. If you see the movie, let us know what you think — but be sure to note up front if your comment has any spoilers

Philippa Gregory has two releases in the next couple months: The Other Queen in paperback this week and a new novel, The White Queen , which will be released August 18. Gregory has gathered a following with her historical fiction novels that are heavy on romance and intrigue.