Donna Trump of Minneapolis writes:

I'm reading "The Orphan Master's Son" by Adam Johnson. I've only just started it, but it is the best, so far, of fact-based fiction. Jun Do's life and work in present-day North Korea are made ugly and exasperating by propaganda and cruelty, and beautiful in his longing for family, love and belonging. Also on my bedside table: "Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay," by Elena Ferrante; "Today Means Amen," poetry by Sierra DeMulder, and "Transatlantic," by Colum McCann.

What's on your bedside table? E-mail us at books@startribune.com.