HOW TO LIVE SAFELY IN A SCIENCE FICTIONAL UNIVERSE by Charles Yu

People get stuck in time loops, returning to their worst moments and re-emerging from them, over and over, endlessly. Yes, this is a novel about quantum physics and time travel: Grandma’s stuck in time, cooking the same Sunday dinner over and over, while Dad is lost somewhere outside Minor Universe No. 31, where the rest of us live. But then, have you ever obsessively revisited your darkest moments, trying to figure them out and repair them? In a sense, we’re all stuck in time loops. Yu’s novel, then, places the emphasis on the literary second half of “science fiction.” (MB)

COLONEL ROOSEVELT by Edmund Morris

It’s been 30 years in the making, but now Edmund Morris’s sweeping biography of Theodore Roosevelt, perhaps our most enduringly fascinating president, is complete. He started with the 1980 publication of The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt (winner of both the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award), followed it with Theodore Rex, and now we have the third and final installment in our hands. Obviously, with each book clocking in at nearly 1,000 pages, this is not a gift for the casual reader.

If you want to give Roosevelt, but in a smaller dose, consider Mornings on Horseback, David McCullough’s delightful and focused story of TR’s childhood. But it leaves most readers wanting more, which is where Morris comes in. (TSM)

THE LONELY POLYGAMIST by Brady Udall

Some of his kids are running around without any underwear, and there are 28 of them. His construction business is in decline, so he takes a job building a brothel — which, of course, he has to keep secret from Rose-of-Sharon and his three other wives.

You can see the comic possibilities in the life of a multiply-married Mormon. But when teenage rebellion, major misunderstandings and death intrude, the life of Golden Richards starts to live up to the title of Udall’s novel. (MB)

THE EMPEROR OF ALL MALADIES: A BIOGRAPHY OF CANCER by Siddhartha Mukherjee

The war against cancer has been mostly tragic: dead-end research, wrong turns toward radical surgery, misguided dabblings in the realm of chemical poisoning. But there were also bursts of scientific brilliance and useful accidents. (The possibility of chemotherapy was first hinted at by World War I mustard gas.) And there have been heroes: dogged fundraisers, hermetic researchers and good old-fashioned sympathetic doctors.

Mukherjee — a cancer doc and journalist — tells this epic tale with the compassion of a person who has delivered the worst kind of news to waiting families. I’d call it more of a war diary than a biography, but whatever you call it, The Emperor of All Maladies may be the most inspiring book of 2010. (TSM)

A VISIT FROM THE GOON SQUAD by Jennifer Egan

Egan’s novel presents 13 characters, very loosely connected in a narrative that ranges over 40 years. One of them, for example, is a kleptomaniac who’s going to counseling. Her former record-executive boss, Sasha recalls with disdain, “sprinkled gold flakes into his coffee — as an aphrodisiac, she suspected — and sprayed pesticide in his armpits.” But now that Sasha is taking other people’s desires into account (instead of stealing from them), she’s actually happy, the therapist notes. “’I’m always happy,’ Sasha said. ‘Sometimes I just forget.’” (MB)

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF THE EXQUISITE by Jessica Kerwin Jenkins

Here I go, recommending another book (like SoulPancake) based on a website. But before you write me off as hopelessly lowbrow, check it out: Exquisite is perfect for that misunderstood girl on your list who loves Belle and Sebastian and has read every Jane Austen book, like, a dozen times. Vogue contributor Jessica Kerwin Jenkins writes the Encyclopedia of the Exquisite blog, and she’s got style to spare. It’s as precious as its deckled edging, and Jenkins’ elegant little entries about milk baths, the kimono and the trapeze add up to an engaging read — like a guided tour of all the coolest places on Wikipedia you’d never find on your own. (TSM)

MOZIPEDIA: THE ENCYLOPEDIA OF MORRISSEY AND THE SMITHS by Simon Goddard

Morrissey is not trying to make anyone happy. And yet there’s something about that — the man’s devotion to all things miserable and dour — that has converted mobs of superfans. The ex-Smiths frontman is a notorious curmudgeon and eccentric. To please the scads of Moz freaks (including me and about 5 million closeted “heterosexual” men), Simon Goddard, the author of the freakishly in-depth Smiths book Songs That Saved Your Life, has released Mozipedia, a 350,000-word, 600-entry encyclopedia of everything Morrissey. What does he think about sex? Animals? The queen? Your answers are here. (LS)

CREATIONARY

One of the new Legos games, Creationary challenges players to create vehicles, buildings, items in nature or random objects out of Legos. This is a great family game, allowing young players to choose from a lower level of difficulty and engaging their imagination and creativity, while still providing a challenge for older players and their building skills. The rules state this game is for kids ages 7 and up, but it’s a bit challenging and could frustrate the younger players. Good, clean fun, though! ($35)

WIT’S END

Trivia madness, that’s what this is. The questions in Wit’s End tease your mind ... and, if you’re not a maniacal super-genius, it might even kick your brain around a little. The game has three major categories called Teasers, Odd 1 Out, and Sequences. The categories contain brain riddles, trivia questions, putting “things” in categorical timelines or sequences, and problem-solving. Players can demote each other, making it even more difficult to win, no matter how smart you are. This is great for a dinner party, unless of course you tend to hang out with highly competitive, violently aggressive people. In that case, go with the Ungame. ($28)

MENTAL FLOSS

This trivia game is recommended for players 15 and older, which is freaking fantastic. Players love that you can read the instructions, set up the game, and be playing in five minutes. It’s for adults and it’s easy to use? I’m in. Players move around the board by correctly answering questions for the “left brain,” or “right brain” while also being asked to spot “big fat lies.” Every now and again, someone lands on the “enlightening round,” which involves super-hard questions. Other plays can stop each other from advancing by using “mental block” cards. If you think Cranium is for nut jobs, you might really enjoy Mental Floss. ($26)

BEAT THE PARENTS

The theme of this game is, “Find out who’s really the boss in the family.” Parents play on one end of the board game, and kids play on the other. Parents are asked questions that most kids would know the answers to (“What show features the brothers Rod and Todd Flanders?”) and kids guess answers to things like, “What band had a drummer named Ringo?” ($10)

FUNGLISH

This is a completely crazy word-guessing game. Sure, it sounds like every other word-guessing game — Pictionary, Charades — but it isn’t ... with Funglish, there’s no acting or talking; rather, players must find and grab clues from 120-word tiles to describe your word. You keep playing tiles for your “guessers” until the time runs out. The game comes with 300 secret words, so settle in — the game could last for quite some time. ($22)

DON'T BE A DORK
Be the first player to reach Dork Paradise. This game is for Jackass wannabes. It’s not for kids, and it’s not for families. The rules are muddy and the point is silly, but it’s a memorable game. Players start in the “gene pool,” separate into Dorks and Keeners, then make their way around the board. There are silly questions, ridiculous stunts, improvisational performances and more. Some challenges are momentary, while other challenges last throughout a round or the entire game. If you’re shy, don’t even think about this game. From the way you talk to the actions you take, this game will definitely make a dork out of you. ($43)

SCRIBBLISH

Another great game from the makers of Cranium. Marketed as combining “telephone” with something akin to Pictionary, Scribblish challenges players to look at a game card, then scribble quickly what they think the card says. The first person passes her drawing to the next player, who writes down a phrase describing the previous player’s drawing. The next player turns those words back into another scribbled drawing. After everyone has had a chance to draw, the created story is read out loud. This game is hilarious and fast-paced, and works best if people are lousy artists. Creators of the game say it’s good for families and anyone over 8. I say it’s best for any gathering of people needing a good laugh. ($18)

WISE & OTHERWISE

If you like Balderdash, you’ll love Wise & Otherwise. This is a lighthearted, wacky way to learn old proverbs from around the world. In Wise & Otherwise, a player reads the first part of an old saying, then the rest of the players try to come up with a possible ending for the saying. Each player scores when another player believes their made-up ending or when they correctly guess the actual saying. Any language-loving wordsmith is going to thoroughly enjoy this game. ($43)

DIXIT

This storytelling game won board game of the year in both France and Spain, and is both easy to set up and quick to learn. If you like the speed and hilarity of Apples to Apples, you’ll like Dixit. It’s a fairly cerebral and creative game. A player chooses a picture card, then states a word or phrase that describes some aspect of what she sees. The rest of the players then choose one of their picture cards that they think most resembles that word or phrase. This is good, clean, creative, non-trivia fun for the whole family. ($30)

LAUNDRY JUMBLE

It’s laundry day! This is a fun, educational game for kids 4 and older. Geared at helping teach children fine motor skills, matching, and counting, Laundry Jumble has children dress animals. They reach inside the game dryer and explore what’s in it using their sense of touch. Kids then match picture cards with the clothing they feel inside the dryer. This is a great game for preschool students. ($27)

SNOW TAILS

Something tells me this game is big in the Palin household. In Snow Tails, players race a modular course with their sled mats, competing in a dog sled competition in the Arctic Circle. Sled pieces speed up and slow down according to their dogs’ strength and the luck of the card drawn. Balanced sleds get bonus movements while careless players can ruin or dent their transportation. I’ve never seen anything like it. ($38)