A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
Meet Ove. He's a curmudgeon - the kind
of man who points at people he dislikes as if they were burglars caught outside
his bedroom window. He has staunch principles, strict routines, and a short
fuse. People call him 'the bitter neighbor from hell.' But behind the cranky
exterior there is a story and sadness. So when one November morning a chatty
young couple with two chatty young daughters move in next door and accidentally
flatten Ove’s mailbox, it is the lead-in to a comical and heartwarming tale of
unkempt cats, unexpected friendship, and the ancient art of backing up a
U-Haul. All of which will change one cranky old man and a local residents'
association to their very foundations.
A Most Wanted Man by John Le Carre
A half-starved young Russian man claiming to be a devout Muslim, an idealistic young German civil rights lawyer, and a sixty-year-old scion of a failing British bank based in Hamburg form an unlikely alliance as the rival spies of Germany, England and America scent a sure kill in the “War on Terror,” and converge upon the innocents.
The Circle by Dave Eggers
When Mae Holland is hired to work for the Circle, the world's most powerful internet company, she feels she's been given the opportunity of a lifetime. The Circle, run out of a sprawling California campus, links users' personal emails, social media, banking, and purchasing with their universal operating system, resulting in one online identity and a new age of civility and transparency. As Mae tours the open-plan office spaces, the towering glass dining facilities, the cozy dorms for those who spend nights at work, she is thrilled with the company's modernity and activity. Mae can't believe her luck, her great fortune to work for the most influential company in the world--even as life beyond the campus grows distant, even as a strange encounter with a colleague leaves her shaken, even as her role at the Circle becomes increasingly public.
