''When he was small, he was often mistaken for a girl. It was still the fashion in many well-to-do families to dress little boys in gowns of lace and taffeta, and Paula Bonhoeffer considered a skirt a convenience to Fraulein Horn, who must change the diapers.'' From Saints and Villains (Norton, $25), DENISE GIARDINA's historical novel about Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the German pastor who was executed for his part in a plot to assassinate Hitler
''I woke up with a hangover and roof tar on my feet and a vague recollection of pacing around up there half the night. I think I threw a bottle at the building next door and somebody yelled something.'' From JEN BANBURY's debut novel, Like a Hole in the Head (Little, Brown, $21.95)
