Every Sunday. the San Francisco Chronicle Book Review publishes a list of new books recommended by a Northern California independent bookstore, This is a recent list from the staff at Pegasus Bookstore in Oakland (pegasusbookstore.com)
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FICTION
The Patrick Melrose Novels by Edward St. Aubyn
Taken together they are the finest reading experience I've had this year: hilarious, deeply affecting, with an eagle eye for the facades inherent in social life.
The Dirty Streets of Heaven by Tad Williams
You could call this angel noir or metaphysical mystery; either way it is something very strange and deeply entertaining.
Live By Night by Dennis Lehane
Set during the prohibition era, Lehane's new novel builds upon the world he introduced inThe Given Day. This is the story of a rise to power, lost love, and gun fights. In a word: awesome!
The Borrower by Rebecca Makkai
An accidental road trip taken by a children's librarian and one of her young patrons turns into a story that is oddly sweet, and a testimony to how books can make an otherwise unbearable childhood bearable.
NONFICTION
I Could Pee on This: and other poems
by Francesco Marciuliano
Cats are truly marvelous creatures. In this new collection of poetry, we get to hear from them in their own words. Their desires, their fears, their insecurities are all laid bare. These are real cats writing real poems.
How 
Music Works by David Byrne
So practical that it could also be titled "How the Music Business Works" or "How Rock Bands Work," David Byrne distills a lifetime of knowledge into one lovely McSweeney's hardcover.
Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling
This book is as hilarious and charming as you'd expect from this rising star of comedy.Part biography, part random observations: all Mindy.
Smoke Signals: a Social History of Marijuana - Medical, Recreational, and Scientific
by Martin A. Lee
This is an exhaustively researched, serious-minded book about the wacky weed. Martin writes about the history of marijuana as well as the most recent medical and legislative breakthroughs with the certainty of an expert and the passion of a connoisseur.
is 
Box. Meanwhile, Nelson DeMille
determined search for his missing hat. Now Klassen has written a second story about a lifted lid called This Is Not My Hat that, while not a sequel, addresses similar themes and will delight all fans of his work. Both are in bookstores now.
Francisco's own Daniel Handler) is back with the first of a planned 4-book series detailing the story of his life. Book #1,Who Could That Be At This Hour?, chronicles Snicket's apprenticeship for a mysterious organization. With Handler's deft and witty touch in constant evidence, the story unfolds merrily and seemingly haphazardly, leaving you hanging and wanting more.