Books to recommend

I thought I was the only person who took photos of interesting book covers, and was tremendously relieved to recently note two other bloggers sharing that they also admired and photographed books! Specs and Wings likes the designs, and Denise shared some great new (to me) titles and authors.
I confess, I've always loved libraries, and spend very little purchasing new books. One of my relatives gives me a bookstore gift card every year for Christmas, and I do love a used book store!
I enjoy historical fiction, books about our pets, and novels about people going on voluntary or involuntary adventures. I highly recommend the books shown here, though some have sad parts. I don't read what I consider to be "gore", though some of the WWII realities in Villa Triste were tragic. 
I "cut my teeth" on James Herriot's rural veterinarian tales, and laughed over hilarious scenes in The Patron Saint of Lost Dogs. Most of the authors shown in this post are women, but I read every Tom Clancy, David Baldacci, and Daniel Silva book.
In fact, I gave Anne Hillerman a try as she continues Tony Hillerman's legacy with books set in the western US. I appreciate Erica Bauermeister's uplifting novels. It's a good day when I learn something new, even if the content is odd in my life, such as cooking last meals (in Nowhere but Home) or travels to lands that are exotic even to me (The Fever Tree). What is your favorite contemporary book?