Fiction. Literary Nonfiction. Edited by Eric Olsen and Cheryl Olsen. In our third annual, 28 writers divulge the special books nearly 300 of them occupying the prime real estate next to their beds: how they got there, what makes them stand out, what longings they fulfill. Along the way, the wordsmiths offer insights into their own literary pursuits and why reading is such a critical element of their craft. Appendices of publications by contributors, as well as all the volumes they write about, round out this voyeuristic book lovers' fest.

"This bedside book list is like peeking...