The life of Robert Altman, told in interviews with nearly 200 of his friends, colleagues and family members.

A wonderfully intelligent and frank memoir about the Mennonite upbringing Rhoda Janzen returned to after an emotional and physical crisis.

John Irving’s new novel follows a father and son through 50 years in “a world of accidents.”

A duck discovers a huge speckled egg in “The Odd Egg”; readers free a frog by opening the pop-up book “Big Frog Can’t Fit In.”

A journey in pictures and verse from an unexplored beach to a busy music-filled family room and into a tranquil, moonlit night.

A pop-up romp through cubism and futurism, and a lesson in early-­20th-century modernist formalism.

This beautifully illustrated retelling of the classic fable has only seven words, all sound effects.

An illustrated poem about the seasons; a story about a penguin searching for new colors; and a collection of classic fairy tales with vivid pictures.

A book imagining trucks as dinosaurs, and other explorations of the primal place of machines in the lives of small children.

Books about a squirrel waiting for winter; a bunny having a snow day; and Santa getting ready for Christmas.

This illustrated collection of surreal tales features water buffalo, stick figures and rivers of unread poetry.

Two young adult histories and a graphic novel about the worst ecological disaster in American history.

A young adult novel about an 18-year-old American soldier struggling under the weight of his experience in Iraq.

This lovely picture book tells a true story about Masai villagers who bestow a heartfelt gift after 9/11.

A tightly paced young adult novel set in a steampunk version of the First World War.

A recent crop of fairy-themed novels and reworked fairy tales is proving the resilience of an age-old genre.

An argument that can-do optimism has hardened into a suffocating force that bears little relation to genuine happiness.

Top 5 at a Glance
1. FREAKONOMICS, by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner
2. THREE CUPS OF TEA, by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin
3. I HOPE THEY SERVE BEER IN HELL, by Tucker Max
4. THE GLASS CASTLE, by Jeannette Walls
5. BLINK, by Malcolm Gladwell

Top 5 at a Glance
1. THE BOOK OF BASKETBALL, by Bill Simmons
2. SUPERFREAKONOMICS, by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner
3. HAVE A LITTLE FAITH, by Mitch Albom
4. WHAT THE DOG SAW, by Malcolm Gladwell
5. ARGUING WITH IDIOTS, written and edited by Glenn Beck, Kevin Balfe and others

An American climber recounts some of the most dramatic attempts on the peak of K2.