Us by David Nicholls

In an unlikely romance, geeky scientist Douglas Petersen wins the hand of the lovely painter Connie and they marry, start a family, and move into contented middle age ... until one night, Connie blindsides Douglas with the announcement she's thinking about leaving too when their son goes off to college in a few months.

In the meantime, they've got a grand European vacation planned to show Albie all the great works of art on the continent - and there's no reason to waste the money or skip such fun, now, is there?

This book shifts back and forth in time to tell the story of Douglas and Connie's romance and marriage, while also chronicling one really hellacious vacation. Eventually, Douglas realizes what's wrong - but is it too late?

This book can be pretty grim going, but it's also quite funny. Every family's got a "Douglas", so you'll recognize the depressions and dramas - sometimes you just want to swat him one for his ignorance. I was also super-jealous of their European adventure, even as miserable as it was.

Mary and O'Neil by Justin Cronin

Looking for a great literary novel to discuss with bookclub? This may be the answer.

The novel's actually a series of stories which deal with the sort of everyday occurrences that make up a life: college love and lovers, the bond between siblings, uneasy imperfect relationships between people who love one another, children and change.

While the book is titled after one couple, the story actually encompasses the lives of an entire family - parents, two children, their spouses, and the eventual grandchildren. It's a literary novel, but accessible and relatable to anyone who's ever wondered where they should be going in life, or if they're ever going to figure things out.

This was Cronin's debut novel (2001), and if you're looking for the vampires found in his newer books, you'll be disappointed. But the same wonderful writing is here, and the same pull of strong characters about whom you care and want to see triumph.

The Dinner by Herman Koch

WOW. This book blew me away, and a big part of that is that I neither suspected nor anticipated the true story in this novel. Suffice it to say I will not be telling you much in this review, either, so as not to ruin it for you.

Two couples meet for dinner. The men are brothers, and one of them is a high-ranking politician. The other brother (whose perspective we share) is dreading this dinner - he'd rather grab a bite at the local cafe than go to this pretentious, trendy restaurant, he doesn't really like his brother much, the conversation will be intolerable. And while I thought the book was about that bad date or about class difference and culture trends, in reality it's much, much bigger. 

I got completely wrapped up - the novel is very well-written - and read the book in just a couple sittings. As the story spins out from dinner and them back again, I was confused and captivated by the characters: I'd find myself thinking, "Wait, what?" So then I'd have to read on. 

This would be stellar for a book discussion. I finished the book and just sat for a minute, absorbing. You'll want to talk about it!

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Completely engrossing from the start, this twisting, tangled story takes the reader through a maze where you're never sure of what the end prize will be: a body? the truth? or something else?

The story gives two sides of a marriage in trouble - through the "now" viewpoint of Nick, whose wife is missing, and through Amy's diary entries. From the start, everybody (including the reader) has to wonder just what's up with Amy's disappearance. Was she abducted? Or did Nick do something to her?

Each new page and piece of information changes the story. I can't say much without giving something away, so I'll just say that all the hype about this book is true: pick it up, and you won't put it down. I read it in two sittings!

Girl Meets Boy edited by Kelly Milner Halls

You could start anywhere here, and you'd be fine - each chapter is a stand-alone short story. But each story also is paired with a he-said/she-said partner that tells a complimentary - and sometimes contradictory - tale.

I loved this book - I consumed it in a sitting. Each story is a gem, and together they deal with the myriad facets of the dating scene. Where each of the stories may take you is an enjoyable surprise - it's hard to predict what's coming, and there are so many tales to be told. Most are about dating and relationships, not so much sticky gooey luuuurrrve.

The Lover's Dictionary by David Levithan

Fans of short stories and six-word memoirs will love the idea behind this novel told through dictionary entries. Over the course of these assembled brief entries the reader views the profile of a relationship - from first date through moving in, from lazy days to missing toothpaste caps, through the affair and the breakup (or is it?).

It's an interesting arrangement because you never know in whose voice the entry speaks or at what point in time it's concerning. Details emerge as the alphabet rolls on, sometimes repeating or doubling back for another look at some significant event. Because a lot is left up to the reader's imagination, it's easy to internalize the story by drawing your own life and loves into the narrative framework.

Will You Still Love Me If I Wet The Bed? a comic by Liz Prince

This is a cute, raunchy little book about couple-dom. It's not for those people for whom love is roses and romance - it's more about love like farting under the covers and folding laundry.

I laughed out loud at things like the cat watching during foreplay, and the dumb everyday conversations of a couple. I shared several pages with a long-married friend and she related immediately.