15 fiction books that follow their own rules — and make great gifts

What books make the best gifts? That's not an easy question when it comes to fiction; each novel or story collection sets its own mood, follows its own rules, appeals to its own perfect reader.

Here's what you need to know about 15 delightful works of fiction, all published this year, and the ideal recipient who will thank you for making the match.

Toad

Shopping for a Gen Xer? Or, really, anyone fascinated by nonconformity? Look no further than this posthumously published novel by Katherine Dunn, the author of the 1989 classic "Geek Love." Where that bestseller depicted a family of carnival freaks, "Toad" harks back to the '60s (Dunn was in fact a boomer), rendering that decade of idealism via flashbacks to a cohort of Northwestern hippie college kids who