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The 10 Best Book Reviews of 2021

Merve emre on simone de beauvoir, justin taylor on joy williams, and more.

The older I get, the more I’m interested in critics who play around with form and style. Mixing genres, experimenting with voice and structure, and tapping into personal experience are some of my favorite devices, though I still have a soft spot for the formal limitations of an 800-word newspaper writeup. From longform online essays to crisp perspectives in print, here are my 10 favorite book reviews of 2021.

Brought to you by Book Marks , Lit Hub’s “Rotten Tomatoes for books.”

Parul Sehgal on Soyica Diggs Colbert’s Radical Vision: A Biography of Lorraine Hansberry ( New York Times )

Sehgal deftly takes on the style of the theatre in her review of a book about Chicago’s greatest playwright, by opening her first paragraph like the first scene in a play.

“The curtain rises on a dim, drab room. An alarm sounds, and a woman wakes. She tries to rouse her sleeping child and husband, calling out: ‘Get up!’ It is the opening scene—and the injunction—of Lorraine Hansberry’s 1959 play A Raisin in the Sun , the story of a Black family living on the South Side of Chicago.”

Merve Emre on Simone de Beauvoir’s The Inseparables (tr. Lauren Elkin) ( The New Yorker )

Emre always helps readers see things in a new way, in this case not just Simone de Beauvoir’s lost novel, but also Simone de Beauvoir herself.

“To read The Inseparables is to learn what could have been, and to judge what was a little more harshly. It is to see in the memoirs a lingering refusal to give Zaza the autonomy that everyone in life seems to have denied her at the greatest possible cost. And it is to see in The Second Sex an inability, or perhaps an unwillingness, to make as affirmative a case as possible for lesbian identity.”

Victoria Chang and Dean Rader on Douglas Kearney’s Sho ( Los Angeles Review of Books )

Reviews-in-dialogue are my new favorite thing. I love how naturalistic and conversational they are, as the form really allows critics to be themselves. Chang and Rader are a joy to read.

“Kearney’s body of work is very much about play with language, yet, that somehow feels like it diminishes the political aspects of his poems and his body of work. Perhaps play itself in Kearney’s work is a political act. I find this tension fascinating because on the one hand, I often get carried away in Kearney’s language (and the conceptual aspects of his work), but I’m also acutely aware of the humanity in his work (or the exploration of anti-humanity). In this way, maybe play and the political are not mutually exclusive. Maybe for Kearney, play = confrontation.”

J. Howard Rosier on Frederick Seidel’s Selected Poems ( Poetry Foundation )

Rosier does a great job bringing paratext to bear on the text itself, in this case interviews and Seidel’s other work.

“For a poet as revered as Seidel, there are scant mentions of turns of phrase being Seidelian, few poetic narratives or structures construed as Seidelesque. Chalk it up to the oddity of a formalist disassociating form from content; Seidel uses form like a hypnotist to mesmerize readers so that they are sedated, or at the very least put at ease, in spite of his content.”

Sheila Liming on Edith Wharton’s Ghosts ( Cleveland Review of Books )

Every editor’s dream assignment is a critic with deep subject matter expertise, and you can’t beat Liming—author of What A Library Means to A Woman: Edith Wharton and the Will to Collect Books —writing about Wharton’s ghost stories.

“Here are ‘fetches’ (ominous doppelgangers) of Celtic superstition, zombie mistresses rising from the grave, and ghost dogs, even. But for each of these paranormal threats there is an equally normal, equally mundane, and equally human villain attached to the story. In this way, Wharton’s Ghosts can be read and interpreted in concert with many of her better-known works, including novels like The House of Mirth and The Age of Innocence , which tell stories of everyday human malice.”

Meg Ringer on Jon McGregor’s Lean Fall Stand ( Chicago Review of Books )

Some of the best reviews are the product of a critic who brings personal experience into their analysis of the book at hand. Ringer’s perspective on Lean Fall Stand is full of unique insights and emotional power. (Disclosure: I founded the Chicago Review of Books in 2016, but stepped back from an editorial role in 2019.)

“Though there was a time—before we met, before his diagnosis—when my husband traveled to Antarctica, Robert and Anna’s story is not ours. It is barely even close. But Lean Fall Stand reads like a meditation on the questions we all must someday face: Who am I? What can I stand? Who will be there when I fall?”

Ryan Ruby on Peter Weiss ( The Point )

Speaking of hybrids between personal essays and reviews, Ruby’s experience discovering the work of Weiss during the 2016 election is riveting stuff.

“By creating physical objects that survive their creators and the world in which they were made, the artist helps to manufacture the continuity of our collective experience of historical time, and to the extent that it distinguishes itself, the work of art can become a symbol of that continuity. ‘Imagination lived so long as human beings who resisted lived,’ the narrator writes, but in the end what Weiss demonstrates in The Aesthetic of Resistance is that the converse is also true, and just as important, then as now, for what the imagination always has and always will resist is death.”

Justin Taylor on Joy Williams’ Harrow ( Bookforum )

I love a good delayed lede. In this marvelous example, the title of the book Taylor’s reviewing doesn’t even appear until more than 800 words have passed.

“I drove across the Everglades in May. I had originally planned to take Alligator Alley, but someone tipped me off that, in the twenty years since I left South Florida, the historically wild and lonesome stretch of road had been fully incorporated into I-75, turned into a standard highway corridor with tall concrete walls on both sides, designed to keep the traffic noise in and the alligators out.”

Lauren LeBlanc on Maurice Carlos Ruffin’s The Ones Who Don’t Say They Love You ( Los Angeles Times )

Ruffin’s fiction does a lot of interesting things with place, and LeBlanc smartly centers her review on New Orleans, as well as the way Ruffin subverts geographical expectations.

“Several recent story collections (Bryan Washington’s Lot and Dantiel W. Moniz’s Blood Milk Heat spring to mind) present geographies as characters. While Ruffin’s stories can’t help but transport the reader to humid, sunken, decaying New Orleans, it’s too easy to say this book is merely a set of love songs to the city. What makes such collections ring true is the way they subvert conventional knowledge.”

Victor LaValle on James Han Mattson’s Reprieve ( New York Times )

Opening a review with a question can be a powerful way to focus a reader’s attention, as LaValle does here with a compelling lede drawn from his own insights as a horror fiction writer.

“Why do people enjoy being scared? This is a pretty common question for those of us who write horror, or stories tinged with horror, and maybe for those who design roller coasters too. Why do some people take pleasure in terror?”

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These Are the 55 Best New Books to Read in 2021

Add these to your reading pile right now.

We've been independently researching and testing products for over 120 years. If you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. Learn more about our review process.

So what should you read next ? This year, there are lots of exciting new releases from some of our favorite authors, as well as stunning debut books from a diverse group of newcomers in just about every genre you can think of. For 2021, many of our top book picks offer us critiques on our society today, a peek into complicated family dynamics, steamy romance novels that will remind you that love isn't dead after all, spooky thriller books that will send shivers up your spine, historical books that dip back into the past and creepy ghost stories that will keep you up past your bedtime.

And while some of these books may not be on shelves quite yet (or may be delayed due to supply chain issues), you should hit that preorder button anyway. Ordering books in advance not only gives you mail to look forward to that isn't a bill, but it helps support authors too. If you think we've missed something that should be included on our list, let us know in the comments — we always love discovering new books. Sound off about what you thought if you've read one of our favorites, too!

Ashley Audrain The Push: A Novel

Fans of psychological thrillers, crack open this one about the relationship between mothers and daughters. Before Blythe's daughter is born, she wants to create the deep bond she never had with her own mom. But when Violet arrives, she's convinced something's wrong with her little girl. The tragic events that follow will make you question her sanity and the story she's telling us.  

RELATED:  The 35 Best Psychological Thriller Books to Scare Yourself Silly

Una Mannion A Crooked Tree: A Novel

One fateful night, 15-year-old Libby's harried single mom orders her sister Ellen, 12, to get out and walk home after their bickering gets to be too much. What follows not only shatters the girls' innocence, but sets off a chain of events that reveals the darkness in their sleepy town. This novel drives home how one moment can change everything. 

Joan Didion Let Me Tell You What I Mean

Joan Didion needs no introduction, and neither does this incisive collection of works, mostly drawn from early in her career. Topics include Martha Stewart, a Gamblers Anonymous meeting, writing itself and her own doubts about it all. Didion fans shouldn't sleep this one, and neither should anyone else. 

Rachel Hawkins The Wife Upstairs: A Novel

The plot might feel familiar in this feminist twist on a classic gothic romance. Broke dog walker Jane has her sights on the wealthy Eddie Rochester. Eddie's got a past, but then again, so does she. Read to find out whether either of them can ever escape their secrets, or if their forbidden tryst is doomed to failure.

Sarah Moss Summerwater: A Novel

A creeping aura of disquiet pervades this quietly unsettling novel set in a cluster of cottages in rural Scotland. Lacking cell service, the families spend their days watching each other's movements through the blinds, learning perhaps a little too much about the others. It's a slow burn, but the payoff at the end will leave you breathless. 

Cherie Jones How the One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House: A Novel

This transporting novel set in Barbados reveals the way even the most disparate lives are interconnected. It delves into wealth and class, love and crime — and the emotional turmoil that roils in a rapidly gentrifying area and the people who live there.  

RELATED: 25 Books By Black Authors to Add to Your Reading List

Caitlin Horrocks Life Among the Terranauts

In a series of vivid, immersive short stories, we meet characters living in ever-so-slightly fanciful realities and others navigating deeply human experiences that could be ripped from our own lives. Whether you enjoy sci-fi, realistic fiction or bite-sized escapes from the real world, you'll find something to love here. 

Brandon Hobson The Removed: A Novel

The Echota family is never the same after their son Ray-Ray is killed in a police shooting. His mother Maria struggles with her husband Edgar's worsening dementia, while their daughter Sonja leads a solitary life and her brother Edgar battles drug addiction. As the anniversary of Ray-Ray's passing approaches, Maria and Edgar take in a foster son whose arrival just might be the change the family needs. 

Abigail Dean Girl A: A Novel

After Lex escapes from an abusive childhood, she does her best to put it all behind her. But when her mother dies in prison and leaves their family home to her and her siblings, the woman formerly known as "Girl A" has to reconnect with the only people who really know what happened to them. This gripping story about family dynamics and the nature of human psychology will hold you tight all the way through. 

Nancy Johnson The Kindest Lie: A Novel

When Ruth gets pregnant as a teenager, she gives up her son for adoption and leaves town for an Ivy League education, hoping they're both on a path toward better things. But she never really gets over him, so when her husband wants to start a family years later, she's drawn back home to find out what happened to her baby. What follows is a heart-wrenching story of family, racism, poverty and love. 

RELATED:  The 20 Best Feminist Books to Put on Your Reading List This Year

Chang Rae-Lee My Year Abroad: A Novel

This wildly original novel carries us across the world as Tiller, a mediocre college kid, gets tied up with Pong, an international businessman who takes him on the trip of a lifetime. We bounce between those adventures and the life Tiller finds afterward with Val, a single mom in witness protection, as he tries to figure out what it all means. It's by turns dark, humorous and almost sneakily insightful. 

Leesa Cross-Smith This Close to Okay: A Novel

We all carry our past with us, and that's never clearer than in this powerful story about two strangers who come together when they both need someone the most. Recently divorced therapist Tallie Clark pulls over when she sees Emmett about to jump from a bridge. She coaxes him to safety, and over the course of the emotional weekend that follows, we learn that Emmett's not the only one who needed saving. 

Jennifer Ryan The Kitchen Front: A Novel

You'll feel like you stepped back in time with this historical fiction set in WWII Britain. Four women from very different walks of life compete in a cooking competition to become a presenter on the BBC, and learn a lot about themselves — and each other — along the way. It's uplifting, a little scandalous and even includes recipes so you can cook along with them.  

Patricia Lockwood No One Is Talking About This: A Novel

This fragmented, genre-bending story about a woman who earns social media fame and wonders about what "the portal" is doing to society, her brain and the people who use it, feels both strange and intimately familiar. It's bizarre, oddly funny, at times piercing and absolutely a must-read for all of us social media users.

Emily Layden All Girls: A Novel

When scandal strikes a prestigious New England Prep School, all of the students handle the fallout a bit differently. This striking debut follows nine young women as they navigate their own coming-of-age in the shadow of a controversy that feels all too familiar. 

Kazuo Ishiguro Klara and the Sun: A novel

The hotly-anticipated latest novel from Nobel Prize in Literature-winner Kazuo Ishiguro deals with themes both personal and universal, familiar and futuristic. The 2017 Nobel committee described Ishiguro's books as "novels of great emotional force" that "uncovered the abyss beneath our illusory sense of connection with the world." Read this one and you'll understand why. 

Sarah Penner The Lost Apothecary: A Novel

If you've ever wanted to really get back at someone, have we got a book for you. In 18th century England, a secret apothecary sells disguised poison to the victims of oppressive men. That is, until a client makes a horrible mistake. Meanwhile, in modern-day England, an aspiring historian stumbles onto the story with potentially devastating results. 

courtesy of Kaitlyn Greenidge Libertie: A Novel

Growing up in Brooklyn during the Reconstruction, Libertie knows her physician mother wants Libertie to follow a similar path. But instead, Libertie accepts the proposal of a Haitian man to pursue a new life, only to discover she's still not his equal on the island. Inspired by the story of one of the first Black female physicians in the U.S., this is a gorgeous meditation on what freedom means.

Sharon Stone The Beauty of Living Twice

In a gorgeous memoir that talks about how she put her life back together after a massive medical event, actress and humanitarian Sharon Stone lets us all in to her world. Whether you've followed her work or not, this slice of life makes a great read. 

Morgan Jerkins Caul Baby: A Novel

The Harlem Melancons are powerful and prosperous, thanks to their magical caul that has healing properties. When neighbor Leila turns to them to save her baby and the deal falls through, it sets off a chain of events that will reverberate through the Melancon clan and Harlem itself. This engrossing story is rich with mystery, page-turning tension and the powerful ways family can hold us even in toxic circumstances. 

Lizz (she/her) is a senior editor at Good Housekeeping , where she runs the GH Book Club, edits essays and long-form features and writes about pets, books and lifestyle topics. A journalist for almost two decades, she is the author of Biography of a Body and Buffalo Steel. She also teaches journalism as an adjunct professor at New York University's School of Professional Studies and creative nonfiction at the Muse Writing Center, and coaches with the New York Writing Room. 

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The 2021 Book Releases to Order Now and Thank Yourself Later

New titles from Jennifer Weiner, Akwaeke Emezi, Sally Rooney, and more.

2021 has given us some incredible books. While you're perusing through this year's top releases, expect a brilliant mix of fiction from bestselling authors like Morgan Jerkins and Sally Rooney, along with an invitation into the lives of prominent figures like Senator Mazie K. Hirono in  Heart of Fire   and Tarana Burke in  Unbound . Ahead, our list of the best books of 2021 to order today and thank yourself later.

'The Push' by Ashley Audrain

If you're looking for a psychological drama about motherhood, Ashley Audrain's  The   Push  takes readers inside the mind of main character Blythe who questions her relationship with her daughter when she's born, forcing her to eventually confront some truths about herself. 

Available January 5, 2021

'One of the Good Ones' by Maika Moulite and Maritza Moulite

When teen activist Kezi Smith is killed after attending a social justice rally, her family is left to wonder what it actually means to be "one of the good ones."

'The Prophets' by Robert Jones, Jr.

Robert Jones, Jr.'s debut novel,  The Prophets ,   is a queer love story centered on two enslaved men, Isaiah and Samuel, who live together on a plantation in the Deep South—forced to confront oppression, betrayal, and ultimately, the threat of their existence.  

'Black Buck' by Mateo Askaripour

Twenty-two-year-old Darren seemingly goes from a Starbucks employee to a ruthless salesperson at an NYC tech startup overnight, becoming unrecognizable to his family. After tragedy strikes, he turns his grief into action by devising a plan to help young people of color enter America's salesforce and achieve the "American dream."

Available January 12, 2021

'Detransition, Baby' by Torrey Peters

When Reese's girlfriend Amy decides to detransition and become "Ames," Reese finds herself engaging in self-destructive behavior. Things get even more complicated when Ames impregnates his boss and lover, Katrina. Alas, it gives him a chance to decide whether this is an opportunity to have both Reese and Katrina in his life.

'Aftershocks' by Nadia Owusu

Nadia Owusu's gripping memoir helps readers struggling with their own identity feel seen through Owusu's recount of her unstable childhood, family secrets, and depression that eventually lead to her self-discovery. 

You Have a Match' by Emma Lord

Tweet Cute  author Emma Lord returns with  You Have a Match , where main character Abby finds out that she has a secret sister who she decides to meet at summer camp. Expect some juicy drama to follow. 

'Concrete Rose' by Angie Thomas

Fans of  The Hate U Give  will be excited to learn Angie Thomas' second book in the series,  Concrete Rose , takes readers to Garden Heights 17 years before the events in the first novel. 

'Run to Win' by Stephanie Schriock and Christina Reynolds

In  Run to Win ,  EMILY's List  President Stephanie Schriock and VP of Communications Christina Reynolds create a guide on how to run for office and win. It includes a foreword from Vice President Kamala Harris who knows a thing or two about winning. 

'Shipped' by Angie Hockman

When a workaholic marketing manager and a remote social media manager (who are both up for the same promotion!) are forced to go on a company cruise together, they discover that their virtual love/hate relationship may not include much hate in real life after all. 

Available January 19, 2021

'Let Me Tell You What I Mean' by Joan Didion

Readers who have been longing for new Joan Didion will be thrilled to learn she's publishing 12 previously uncollected essays in  Let Me Tell You What I Mean .

Available January 26, 2021

'The Ex Talk' by Rachel Lynn Solomon

If you happen to love a good romance  and  NPR, look no further than Rachel Lynn Solomon's  The Ex Talk . 

Available January 26, 2021

'The Girls I've Been' by Tess Sharpe

Soon to be a  Netflix film starring Millie Bobby Brown ,  The Girls I've Been  centers on Nora, the daughter of a con woman, who is caught in a bank heist and determined to get herself, her girlfriend, and her ex/best friend out safely...no matter what it takes. 

'Girl A' by Abigail Dean

Behold a psychological novel about a girl who escapes captivity, and later finds herself at the very place she escaped from—forced to confront her identity as "Girl A." 

Available February 2, 2021

'Surviving the White Gaze' by Rebecca Carroll

In  Surviving the White Gaze ,   cultural critic Rebecca Carroll reflects on her childhood growing up Black in a white rural New Hampshire town and how she forged her path as a Black woman in America.

'Milk Blood Heat' by Dantiel W. Moniz

If you're obsessed with Florida, Dantiel W. Moniz's  Milk Blood Heat  uses the state as a backdrop to tell compelling stories of ordinary people in this memorable debut. 

'This Close to Okay' by Leesa Cross-Smith

In  This Close to Okay , Leesa Cross-Smith tells the story of recently-divorced therapist Tallie Clark, who spots a man named Emmett on a bridge who's seemingly trying to end his life. As they learn more about each other (the book is told in alternating perspectives), Tallie chooses not to tell him she's a therapist. Instead, they have to learn the truth about each other—and themselves—the hard way.

Available February 2, 2021

'Fake Accounts' by Lauren Oyler

Allow Lauren Oyler to take you on a wild ride in  Fake Accounts , where a woman discovers her boyfriend is an anonymous online conspiracy theorist. Believe it or not, that's only the beginning.

'My Year Abroad' by Chang-Rae Lee

When Pong Lou, a Chinese American entrepreneur, takes Tiller, an average American college student, with him on a trip across Asia, his perspective on life is forever changed. 

'Do Better' by Rachel Ricketts

Rachel Ricketts's  Do Better: Spiritual Activism for Fighting and Healing from White Supremacy  addresses anti-racism from a spiritually-aligned perspective, providing readers with a guidebook on how to fight racial injustice and white supremacy from the inside out.

'The Kindest Lie' by Nancy Johnson

Nancy Johnson's  The Kindest Lie  finds main character, Ruth, back in her hometown that's plagued with racism and despair during the 2008 financial crisis. There she befriends Midnight, a young white boy who helps her uncover secrets from her past. 

'Kink' Edited by R.O. Kwon and Garth Greenwell

Featuring an incredible roster of writers,  Kink  is a short fiction collection that explores love, lust, BDSM, and more, edited by bestselling author R.O. Kwon and Garth Greenwell.  

Available February 9, 2021

'Sparks Like Stars' by Nadia Hashimi

In  Sparks Like Stars , Sitara Zamani is transported to a new American life after communists staged a coup in her home of Afghanistan, assassinating the president and her entire family. Forty years later, she encounters the soldier who saved her (and may have been responsible for her family's death), prompting her to return to the country for answers. 

Available March 2, 2021

'My Inner Sky' by Mari Andrew

There's something about Mari Andrew's words and illustrations that make you feel at home.  My Inner Sky  reminds readers of the shared grief, joy, and sorrow that we experience throughout life—and how to cope with it.

'Professional Troublemaker' by Luvvie Ajayi Jones

If you've been consumed with imposter syndrome or, frankly, anything that's been holding you back in life, allow  New York Times  bestselling author and keynote speaker Luvvie Ajayi Jones to help you tackle that fear through her signature wit and refreshing honesty.

Available March 2, 2021

'Infinite Country' by Patricia Engel

Patricia Engel's  Infinite Country  takes readers into the lives of a Columbian family who has immigrated to the U.S. and is forced to weigh the all-too-familiar struggle of risking deportation or willingly returning to the very country they decided to flee from. 

'How Beautiful We Were' by Imbolo Mbue

When the fictional African village of Kosawa is being destroyed by an American oil company, the people residing in the village decide to fight back, prepared for the consequences that they'll face. 

Available March 9, 2021

'Black Girl, Call Home' by Jasmine Mans

Jasmine Mans's highly-anticipated poetry collection,  Black Girl, Call Home,  beautifully illustrates what it's like to be a queer Black woman in America. 

Available March 9, 2021

'Act Your Age, Eve Brown' by Talia Hibbert

Talia Hibbert's third book in the Brown Sisters series focuses on the unpredictable Eve Brown and the unexpected love she finds at the bed and breakfast she interviewed as a chef for. She may or may not have also ~ accidentally ~ hit the owner with her car, but we'll leave the rest of that story for the book. 

'Justice, Justice Thou Shalt Pursue' by Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Amanda L. Tyler

In  Justice, Justice Thou Shalt Pursue , readers will learn even more details about the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's family life and lifelong career fighting for gender equality. The book was heading into production around the time of RBG's death. 

Available March 16, 2021

'Of Women and Salt' by Gabriela Garcia

Gabriela Garcia's  Of Women and Salt  spans across multiple generations of women living in Cuba, Miami, and Mexico and the decisions they have made that ultimately connect—and shape—their lives. 

Available March 30, 2021

'Libertie' by Kaitlyn Greenidge

In Reconstruction-era Brooklyn, Libertie Sampson is conflicted between the life she feels compelled to live and the one her mother wants for her: to go to medical school and become a doctor. Things become increasingly complicated when Libertie accepts the marriage of a man from Haiti, only to discover her freedom is further limited as a Black woman in their relationship. 

'The Beauty of Living Twice' by Sharon Stone

In  The Beauty of Living Twice , actress and humanitarian Sharon Stone reflects on how she rebuilt her life after a massive stroke that altered her family, love, and career. 

Available March 30, 2021  

'Girlhood' by Melissa Febos

Here, Melissa Febos brilliantly explores society's definition of becoming a woman and the values—or lack thereof—it taught her growing up. 

'You Love Me' by Caroline Kepnes

Caroline Kepnes is back with the third book in the  You  series (yes, the original books from the Netflix series). This time around, Joe is headed to the Pacific Northwest and, well, you probably have an idea of what happens next. 

Available April 6, 2021

'Caul Baby' by Morgan Jerkins

Morgan Jerkins's first work of fiction is about a woman named Laila, desperate to become a mother, who's in search of a caul from an old and powerful family in Harlem known as the Melancons. What follows is a deep search for familial connection after Laila's niece, Amara, gives birth to a child named Hallow that she gives to the Melancons to raise. When Hallow and Amara cross paths years later, Hallow must decide where she truly belongs.

Available April 6, 2021

'Peaces' by Helen Oyeyemi

Helen Oyeyemi, bestselling author of  Gingerbread,  returns with another magical storyline. This time, in  Peaces , a couple finds themselves on a sleeper train that turns out to be anything but ordinary. 

'When the Stars Go Dark' by Paula McLain

Paula McLain,  New York Times  bestselling author of  The Paris Wife , is back with  When the Stars Go Dark— a story about a detective named Anna Hart who becomes obsessed with a missing persons report in her hometown that's reminiscent of an unsolved murder from her childhood.

Available April 13, 2021

'Aquarium' by Yaara Shehori

Yaara Shehori's debut centers on two deaf sisters, Lili and Dori Ackerman, raised by deaf parents who refuse to let them interact with anything or anybody in the world of hearing. That is, until they suddenly find themselves in it and are forced to relearn everything they've been taught. 

Available April 13, 2021

'Hana Khan Carries On' by Uzma Jalaluddin

Uzma Jalaluddin's rom-com with competing halal restaurants is exactly the kind of novel we need in 2021. 

'Heart of Fire' by Mazie K. Hirono

Mazie K. Hirono, the first Asian-American woman and the only immigrant serving in the U.S. Senate, shares her inspiring journey growing up in rural Japan and eventually becoming one of the most influential members of Congress.

Available April 20, 2021

'Crying in H Mart' by Michelle Zauner

If you read Michelle Zauner's  viral  New Yorker  essay  about crying in H Mart after her mother's death, you'll want to order her memoir, which expands on the essay, immediately. 

Available April 20, 2021

'Anna K Away' by Jenny Lee

At last, Jenny Lee's  Anna K— a modern adaptation of Anna Karenina — returns with its sequel,  Anna K Away ,   set over the course of the next summer after Alexia Vronsky's tragic death.

Available April 27, 2021

'You Are Your Best Thing' by Tarana Burke & Brené Brown

Tarana Burke, acclaimed activist and founder of the Me Too movement, and Dr. Brené Brown,  New York Times  bestselling author and professor, teamed up to create an anthology on the Black experience that includes essays from some of the most vital voices of our time. 

'The Last Thing He Told Me' by Laura Dave

You know it's probably a good thriller when Reese Witherspoon decides to transform it into a  limited TV series  starring Julia Roberts. When main character Hannah's husband disappears and leaves a note telling her to protect his daughter, she finds out her husband wasn't exactly who he was cracked up to be. Together, the mother and stepdaughter start to discover the truth about the man they thought they knew. 

Available May 4, 2021

'Notes on Grief' by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

The exquisite author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's latest work,  Notes on Grief , is a book we can all relate to in our ways during the COVID-19 pandemic. Here, Adichie details the loss of her father last summer. 

Available May 11, 2021

'That Summer' by Jennifer Weiner

The summer wouldn't be complete without an aptly-titled novel from  New York Times  bestselling author Jennifer Weiner that explores themes of friendship and power. 

'Billie Eilish' by Billie Eilish

Billie Eilish fans, rejoice: The 19-year-old singer/songwriter is publishing a visual introspection into her life with never-before-seen photos.

'Yearbook' by Seth Rogen

As Seth Rogen perfectly  put it , "I wrote a book called  Yearbook . It’s true stories and essays and stuff that I hope you think are funny. It comes out in May, but if you like you can order it now. Yay!"

'People We Meet on Vacation' by Emily Henry

If you enjoyed Emily Henry's  Beach Read , you'll appreciate  People We Meet on Vacation —a novel about two best friends, Alex and Poppy, whose annual vacation ritual is halted after they've stopped speaking. And yet, somehow they convince each other to go on one final seven-day vacation together in an attempt to make it right. 

Available May 11, 2021

'While Justice Sleeps' by Stacey Abrams

There seems to be nothing  Fair Fight  founder Stacey Abrams can't do, and that includes writing a compelling thriller. Ever so timely,  While Justice Sleeps  centers on Avery Keene, a young clerk for the fictional Justice Howard Wynn, who becomes his legal guardian and power of attorney when he slips into a coma. When Avery discovers the justice has been secretly researching a controversial case, she's propelled on a quest for the truth while Washington attempts to replace the justice. 

'State of Emergency' by Tamika D. Mallory

In  State of Emergency: How We Win in the Country We Built , activist and social justice leader Tamika D. Mallory gives readers the tools they need to fight injustice and find a pathway towards true freedom. This is the first book from Charlamagne Tha God’s new imprint,  Black Privilege Publishing .

'Don't Breathe a Word' by Jordyn Taylor

The Paper Girl in Paris'  Jordyn Taylor returns with  Don't Breathe a Word— a boarding school mystery that alternates between the past and the present to discover the secrets that lie within Hardwick Preparatory Academy. 

Available May 18, 2021

'The Guncle' by Steven Rowley

When once-famous actor Patrick ,  otherwise known as Gay Uncle Patrick (GUP) ,  becomes the primary guardian of his young niece and nephew after tragedy strikes, he finds himself in the role of a lifetime. 

Available May 25, 2021

'Instructions for Dancing' by Nicola Yoon

Nicola Yoon,  New York Times  bestselling author of  Everything, Everything  and  The Sun Is Also a Star ,  returns with another charming love story. This time around, main character Evie has a vision of a couple's romance — knowing exactly how it begins and ends — and must determine whether her own budding romance is worth the risk of heartbreak. 

Available June 1, 2021

'With Teeth' by Kristen Arnett

Kristen Arnett's  With Teeth  paints an equally humorous and moving portrayal of a mother's fear of her hostile son while desperately trying to keep her family together as she grows increasingly resentful of her wife. 

'One Last Stop' by Casey McQuiston

The  New York Times  bestselling author of  Red, White & Royal Blue  returns with the queer New York City love story we didn't know we needed. In  One Last Stop , cynical 23-year-old August meets a gorgeous girl on the subway and it may actually be too good to be true after all — she soon discovers this woman is actually displaced in time from the '70s, and she must figure out how to help her. 

'The Other Black Girl' by Zakiya Dalila Harris

The Other Black Girl  is the NYC publishing story Black women have been waiting for. The novel centers on 26-year-old editorial assistant Nella Rogers who's fed up with the microaggressions she experiences as the only Black girl in the office, finding solace when the new girl Hazel arrives. That is, until Nella starts receiving threatening notes to leave her job, and soon realizes there's something much deeper going on here.

'Somebody's Daughter' by Ashley C. Ford

Ashley C. Ford invites us into her world growing up a poor Black girl in search of answers—namely why her father, who she often turns to for hope, is in prison—taking readers on an emotional journey that leads her to discover the truth about his incarceration, and herself, along the way.

Available June 1, 2021

'Malibu Rising' by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Daisy Jones and The Six  fans will be thrilled to learn Taylor Jenkins Reid has a new novel— Malibu Rising —coming out about four famous siblings in the '80s who throw an end-of-summer party.

'Seven Days in June' by Tia Williams

Tia Williams's sultry romance novel,  Seven Days in June , is about two former lovers who reconnect at a New York literary event. There, they can't deny their chemistry or the fact that they haven't forgotten about each other in the decades since they were last together. Now, during seven days in June, they must decide what their future has in store.  

'The Woman in the Purple Skirt' by Natsuko Imamura

Natsuko Imamura's  The Woman in the Purple Skirt , a bestseller in Japan, is being shared with an American audience this summer. The novel centers on, as you may have guessed, the Woman in the Purple Skirt, who is being watched by the Woman in the Yellow Cardigan. Why does everyone pay attention to the Woman in the Purple Skirt and not the Woman in the Yellow Cardigan? You'll just have to find out. 

Available June 8, 2021

'Dear Senthuran' by Akwaeke Emezi

In  Dear Senthuran , critically-acclaimed author Akwaeke Emezi turns the focus on their own life. Through a series of letters written to friends and family, they reflect on decisions about their gender and body, how they've managed to navigate certain relationships, and much more.

"As someone who’s been carefully curating their public image for years, it feels almost dangerous to write so honestly, but the final result is a text that I love, one that deeply engages with the metaphysics of Black spirit & singularly faces the Black reader,"  says  Emezi.

Available June 8, 2021

'Animal' by Lisa Taddeo

At its core, Lisa Taddeo's debut novel,  Animal , is about female rage and desire. If this book is anything like Taddeo's  Three Women , expect masterful storytelling. 

'Blackout' by Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk & Nicola Yoon

Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk,  and  Nicola Yoon?! When six incredible Black storytellers come together to create a series of interconnected love stories, you know you're about to read something special.

Available June 22, 2021

'Filthy Animals' by Brandon Taylor

Hailed as one of 2020's breakout literary stars,  scientist-turned-novelist  Brandon Taylor is back with  Filthy Animals— a collection of connected short stories set in the midwest . 

Available June 22, 2021

'Something Wild' by Hanna Halperin

When sisters Tanya and Nessa Bloom travel to the Boston suburbs to help their mom pack up their childhood home, they reckon with their past while discovering a disturbing truth: their mother is in an abusive relationship. Now, they must figure out what comes next for all of them. 

Available June 29, 2021

'Seek You' by Kristen Radtke

Talk about a sign of the times. Kristen Radtke's  Seek You: A Journey Through American Loneliness  quite literally helps readers feel less alone as she explores our feelings of longing and why we're so afraid to talk about them. 

Available July 13, 2021

'Goldenrod' by Maggie Smith

Following the release of last year's  Keep Moving , Maggie Smith will publish another set of poems that center on parenthood, solitude, love, and memory. Smith  says   Goldenrod  has been five years (!) in the making. 

Available July 27, 2021

'They'll Never Catch Us' by Jessica Goodman

Jessica Goodman, bestselling author of  They Wish They Were Us  (the book is being adapted into a  TV series starring Halsey !), returns with  They'll Never Catch Us— a murder-mystery that centers on a new cross-country star in town who goes missing and the two sisters, also elite runners, who are prime suspects in her disappearance.  

'We Were Never Here' by Andrea Bartz

Andrea Bartz's mystery,  We Were Never Here , is about two best friends who are enjoying their annual reunion trip until one of them walks into their hotel room to find the other killed a backpacker in self-defense. A similar incident happened the year prior...was it just a coincidence or something more? 

Available August 3, 2021

'The Heart Principle' by Helen Hoang

The eagerly-anticipated third novel in the Kiss Quotient series, Helen Hoang's  The Heart Principle  proves how wrong you can be about someone—and how they may just be the right person for you. 

Available August 31, 2021

'A Slow Fire Burning' by Paula Hawkins

New York Times  bestselling author of  The Girl on the Train  Paula Hawkins's new novel— A Slow Fire Burning —is about a young man who's found murdered in a houseboat and the three women who are suspects in the case.

'Beautiful World, Where Are You' by Sally Rooney

Yes, you read that correctly. Sally Rooney, author of  Conversations with Friends  and  Normal People , returns with  Beautiful World, Where Are You —a novel about friendship and sex. 

Available September 7, 2021

'Misfits' by Michaela Coel

Michaela Coel's  Misfits  shares her journey of belonging and how we can all transform our lives by embracing who we are. If you felt the  I May Destroy You  creator's  Emmys speech  in your soul, you'll definitely enjoy this book. 

' The Night She Disappeared ' by Lisa Jewell

Lisa Jewell's  The Night She Disappeared, Marie Claire's  October book club pick , is a thriller that begins with the disappearance of 19-year-old mother Tallulah who doesn't return home after a night out. 

'Matrix' by Lauren Groff

If you love historical fiction, you'll appreciate Lauren Groff's upcoming novel,  Matrix , which centers on 17-year-old Marie de France who's sent to England to become the head of a poverty-stricken abbey. 

'You Got Anything Stronger?' by Gabrielle Union

Gabrielle Union's  You Got Anything Stronger?  is the followup to her first book,  We ' re Going to Need More Wine . Here, Union discusses everything from her experience with surrogacy to racism in Hollywood. Within her stories, she proves it's okay to change our minds as we grow and evolve. 

Available September 14, 2021

'Unbound' by Tarana Burke

Tarana Burke, founder of the Me Too movement, has released her highly-anticipated memoir that highlights the strength and perseverance that led her to where she is today. As she  tweeted , "It’s been a long time coming."

'The Hill We Climb and Other Poems' by Amanda Gorman

If you follow Phoebe Robinson  on Instagram  or listened to  2 Dope Queens  or read any of her previous books, you know that you can expect hilarious life lessons and stories from her upcoming essay collection,  Please Don't Sit on My Bed in Your Outside Clothes . The title alone is *chef's kiss.*

Available September 28, 2021

'Believing' by Anita Hill

Anita Hill, who made history when she testified in 1991 against then-U.S. Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas with claims of sexual harassment, is a prominent lawyer, professor, and advocate. In  Believing , she traces the history of gender violence in society and what she's learned in the decades since her testimony. 

'We Are Not Like Them' by Christine Pride and Jo Piazza

Christine Pride and Jo Piazza teamed up to write their new novel,  We Are Not Like Them —a story about two childhood best friends (one who's white and one who's Black) who are forced to navigate race and friendship when the white friend's husband is involved in the shooting of an unarmed Black teenager. Read Pride and Piazza's interview with  MC   here .

Available October 5, 2021

'State of Terror' by Hillary Rodham Clinton & Louise Penny

The collab I didn't know I needed! Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and bestselling author Louise Penny have teamed up to write a thriller about—wait for it—a secretary of state who joins her rival's administration and must combat a series of terrorist attacks. 

Available October 12, 2021

'The 1619 Project' by Nikole Hannah-Jones

Nikole Hannah-Jones's  The 1619 Project , originally  published in  The New York Times Magazine   in August 2019, is an expansion of the award-winning project that teaches us the dismal truth about America's history of slavery and how it's manifested into the world we live in today. Through Bookshop.org, customers can donate the book directly to local schools, libraries, and book banks. 

Available November 16, 2021

'Call Us What We Carry' by Amanda Gorman

The world is eagerly awaiting National Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman's debut collection of poetry, which includes the breathtaking poem she read at President Biden's inauguration titled,  "The Hill We Climb."  

Available December 7, 2021

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Rachel Epstein is a writer, editor, and content strategist based in New York City. Most recently, she was the Managing Editor at Coveteur, where she oversaw the site’s day-to-day editorial operations. Previously, she was an editor at Marie Claire , where she wrote and edited culture, politics, and lifestyle stories ranging from op-eds to profiles to ambitious packages. She also launched and managed the site’s virtual book club, #ReadWithMC. Offline, she’s likely watching a Heat game or finding a new coffee shop. 

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46 Books We Can’t Wait to Read in 2021

Being stuck at home has its upsides..

After a year of industry chaos and many delayed book releases, 2021 brings a bumper crop of new fiction and nonfiction books — including a collection by cultural critic Hanif Abdurraqib and much-anticipated novels from Kazuo Ishiguro, Rachel Cusk, and, yes, Jonathan Franzen. It also brings promising fiction debuts from writers such as the late Anthony Veasna So and poet Melissa Lozada-Oliva. Here’s everything you need to get you through this last stretch of indoor time.

This quick-witted, trenchant debut novel starts like a superhero origin story. Darren Vender (he describes himself as an “attractive black man” who is “taller than average”) is a manager at a Starbucks in Park Avenue, where he’s worked for four years. At night he returns to the three-story brownstone in gentrifying Bed-Stuy where he lives with his mother. Then one day at work Darren is overcome by an ability he never knew he possessed: He convinces a regular customer who always places the same order to purchase another drink instead. Turns out the customer is a bigwig who is impressed by Darren’s salesmanship, and he invites Darren to work at his start-up. What follows is a harrowing tale that operates at the fraught intersection of capitalism, race, and class. — Tope Folarin

In this gripping reimagining of Jane Eyre that takes place in Birmingham, Alabama, Jane starts out as a dog-walker in Thornfield Estates, a wealthy gated community, where she soon finds out all that glitters is paste. She snares the attention of the mysteriously widowed Eddie Rochester, who recognizes that the secrets of Jane’s past perhaps mirror his own — and invites Jane to move in. She quickly gets access to a lifestyle she had only ever dreamed about, but something isn’t right: Eddie is distant. Strange noises come from upstairs. And she begins to realize she’s on a countdown to someone discovering who she really is. What would have happened if Jane Eyre had not been a naïve innocent with a heart of gold? Grab this page-turner and find out. — Nichole Perkins

Billed as a memoir, Owusu’s book is so much more: a history of Africa’s relationship with the West, a clear-eyed depiction of the ties that bind — and the grievances that disconnect — Black people around the world, and an analysis of how broken families produce broken human beings. But it’s Owusu’s life story that will burrow into you. She is the product of a union between a proud Ghanaian man and a hopeful Armenian American woman who perceive their relationship as an expression of intimate love and grand idealism. Owusu relies on the language of earthquakes — foreshock, mainshock, aftershock — to describe what happens to her and her family once her parents’ marriage breaks apart. This is a book that will shake you to your core. — Tope Folarin

Peters’s novel follows a trans couple, Amy and Reese, whose lives are turned upside down when Amy decides to detransition and become Ames. When Ames gets his lover/boss, Katarina, pregnant, things are flipped upside down once more. The word “polarizing” will be tossed around in discussions about this book , but mostly, Detransition, Baby will force you to think hard about family and queerness and motherhood and sex. And keep thinking about them long after you finish reading. — Madison Malone Kircher

Hubbard’s second novel is as original, warm, and expertly researched as her debut, The Talented Ribkins, but with significantly more tragedy. A groundskeeper at a down-on-its-heels southern mansion watches with increasing furor as the house’s owner manipulates his employees for riches and glory. A quietly thrilling addition to what I hope becomes a flourishing Ladee Hubbardverse. — Molly Young

Yang’s devastating history of the Chinese Cultural Revolution has been long in the making. First published four years ago in Hong Kong, The World Turned Upside Down is now finally available in English, thanks to translators and editors Stacy Mosher and Guo Jian. (Mosher and Guo are also responsible for translating Yang’s groundbreaking 2008 book Tombstone , about the Great Chinese Famine.) For Yang, who is 81 and still living in Beijing, the publication of such work is a testament to his political commitment and bravery: The World Turned Upside Down offers an unflinching account of the years 1966 to 1976, when China, under Mao, endured enforced starvation, mass purges, and constant double talk from government officials. This was gaslighting at a national scale. Cutting through decades of propaganda and revisionism, Yang’s much-needed corrective joins what one hopes is a new wave of reckonings, which includes Helen Zia’s Last Boat Out of Shanghai (2019) and Rana Mitter’s China’s Good War (2020). — Jane Hu

An elegant writer of unconventional thrillers, Finn has a gift for weaving existential and political concerns through tautly paced prose. The Hare is set in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom, where we find a single mother scrapping for survival while cursed with a royally sociopathic ex-lover. One of many excellent books released by Two Dollar Radio, a family-run publisher out of Ohio. — Molly Young

Broder ( The Pisces ) is back with a new novel about a 24-year-old in Los Angeles named Rachel, who has an eating disorder, a disordered relationship with her mother, and a stand-up comedy hobby. (Honestly … that tracks.) At a therapist’s recommendation, Rachel goes on a 90-day detox from her mom and instead finds herself falling for a fro-yo heir, Miriam, whose family’s Judaism looks deeply different from Rachel’s own. A story about religion, sexuality, food, and feeling your fucked-up feelings. — Madison Malone Kircher

Hobson’s last novel, Where the Dead Sit Talking , a Cherokee coming-of-age novel set in 1980s Oklahoma, was a finalist for the National Book Award, and I’ll eat my pajamas if his new novel — which is also set in Oklahoma and deepens Hobson’s themes of displacement and violence — doesn’t get a nom too. — Molly Young

The suburban American hero of Lee’s new novel, Tiller, is a self-described “slightly-below-average guy in all categories” who gets caught up with Pong Lou, a borderline caricature of a Chinese American entrepreneur who sells drinks with alleged restorative qualities. The novel — set at a time when it was still possible to journey to China — alternates between Tiller’s whirlwind past, when he traveled across that country as Pong’s assistant, and his present, in which he’s residing in Middle America with a girlfriend who is under witness protection. As with Lee’s debut 1995 novel Native Speaker , or the more recent On Such a Full Sea (2014), which is set in a dystopian “New China,” this one subverts as many ethnic stereotypes as it perilously evokes. My Year Abroad is a syncopated surprise, with an ending that will be sure to leave you texting all your friends. —Jane Hu

You could describe Brontez Purnell, who lives in Oakland, as a writer, choreographer, filmmaker, curator, actor, and artist, or you could just cover your bases and call him a “national treasure.” 100 Boyfriends is a collection of short stories so wrigglingly alive and counterculturally refreshing that it deserves a new noun — a pod of whales, a murder of crows, a jubilee of Brontez Purnell stories? I’d wager that he sets down the best first lines of any living writer. — Molly Young

A debut novel from critic Oyler, Fake Accounts chronicles a woman who, at the dawning of the Trump presidency, discovers her boyfriend is a decently famous Instagram conspiracy theorist. That discovery is revealed on the novel’s back cover — but it’s a second, even more dramatic twist that upends the nameless narrator’s life and got me hooked on this book. If you’re looking for fiction that understands the complexities of life online and the way that world seeps into reality, this is it. — Madison Malone Kircher

Reading Patricia Lockwood raises questions. Questions such as, How can a person understand both herself and the world with such clarity? How does a person experience things so intensely and express them so buoyantly? Am I laughing or am I crying? Lockwood’s first novel is as crystalline, witty, and brain-shredding as her poetry and criticism. — Molly Young

When I heard that Ishiguro was coming out with a new novel, I gasped. Klara and the Sun is the writer’s first publication since winning the 2017 Nobel Prize in Literature. And if you’re a ride-or-die Ishiguro reader (what other kind is there?), you won’t be disappointed. Narrated in his signature first person — which hovers somewhere between inscrutable and Very Big Feelings — the book’s protagonist is the eponymous Klara, an Artificial Friend who is hypersensitive to human emotions. As Klara carefully and lovingly observes others, the work of Ishiguro’s reader is to carefully and lovingly observe her. An ideal novel for our lonely present, exploring questions of alienation, emotional labor, failed communication, and what it means to love a world that refuses to love you back. —Jane Hu

The protagonist of Nguyen’s 2015 novel The Sympathizer , a French-Vietnamese immigrant and North Vietnamese government mole, is a man forever caught between — between nations, identities, and his own morals. The last time we saw him, he was out at sea, off to an uncertain locale and praying for absolution and freedom. In this sequel to Nguyen’s Pulitzer winner, the same man has taken up residence in Paris, living in the country most implicated in the contradictions of his life as a colonial subject. Immersed in talk and conflict with left-wing intellectuals, junkies, and Vietnamese aunties, and haunted by dreams of torture and betrayal, the protagonist faces an even greater challenge than those he faced in the first novel. His mission, if he chooses to accept it, is to survive. — Kevin Lozano

In this poetry collection, spoken-word artist Jasmine Mans pulls at all the threads of who she is as a Black queer woman from Newark, unravels herself, then puts herself back together via clear, precise language that brooks no argument. In the poem “Because I Am a Woman Now,” the speaker wants the comfort of a lie, but knows that womanhood means facing truth in new, vague ways. In “Momma Said Dyke at the Kitchen Table,” Mans decodes a mother’s reaction to a daughter’s coming out. Black Girl, Call Home moves from vignette to cultural criticism to ballad to eulogy to memoir with grace. — Nichole Perkins

Chilean novelist Nona Fernández has developed a reputation for composing unsettling portraits of life during Chile’s brutal military dictatorship, with stories that venture beyond the stiff and incomplete histories recorded by truth and reconciliation commissions. In her 2015 coming-of-age novella, Space Invaders , a group of friends piece together memories of a classmate who vanished after her father, a police agent, went into hiding. Fernández’s upcoming book, The Twilight Zone , translated from Spanish by Natasha Wimmer, is just as eerie. Its narrator, a documentarian living in modern-day Santiago, obsessively combs through the confessions of a former military officer to reimagine the final moments of the people he tortured and disappeared. In the process, she ventures beyond the historical records that present the Chilean dictatorship’s crimes as a series of isolated cases, revealing an alternate world that haunts the nation’s psyche. — Miguel Salazar

Fans of Mary Gabriel’s exquisite Ninth Street Women , which tells the story of the mid-century New York City art boom from the perspective of five exceptional female painters, will rejoice over Fierce Poise , the first major biography of Helen Frankenthaler. Nemerov organizes his unconventional take into 11 distinct moments from the 1950s — the decade when Frankenthaler (barely out of college) developed her technique of staining a canvas with turpentine and pigment, married fellow artist Robert Motherwell, and worked toward her first major exhibition. Moody and textured, Fierce Poise celebrates, and mimics, Frankenthaler’s sweetly explosive paintings. — Hillary Kelly

There’s been a boom of workplace-set literature over the past five years or so—novels like Helen Phillips’s The Beautiful Bureaucrat, Hilary Leichter’s Temporary, and Halle Butler’s The New Me , which turn a deadpan focus on the stultifying rhythms and soul-killing mindlessness of the twenty-first century office. There’s No Such Thing As an Easy Job , by Japanese phenom Kikuko Tsumura (translated into English by Polly Barton), is the next candidate for this mini canon. The unnamed narrator is burnt out by the emotional stresses of her last job, so she wanders into an employment agency and asks for something easy and brainless. The agency complies, and while the series of bizarre and unexpected jobs she lands after that — hanging posters, writing copy for cracker boxes — free her from the tension of her old work, they also impose new questions about how we can separate any occupation from who we are. — Hillary Kelly

In Abdurraqib’s 2019 book Go Ahead in the Rain , a genre-bending tribute to A Tribe Called Quest, he blended criticism and historical analysis with personal essays and poetry. His upcoming collection, A Little Devil in America , is similar in approach and more expansive in scope, celebrating the rich and storied history of Black performance in the United States in a series of essays, reflections, and memories. From chapters on Soul Train and Whitney Houston’s musical career to historical analyses of dance marathons and meditations on blackface, Abdurraqib shares his love for Black performance — both onstage and in everyday life — and examines how it has been imagined, molded, and consumed by Black and non-Black audiences alike. — Miguel Salazar

This follow-up to Danan’s steamy 2020 debut The Roommate is filled with humor, healing, and heady good times (and, yes, that is a naughty pun). It inhabits the same world as Danan’s last book, and follows Naomi Grant — a former porn star and founder of a wildly successful sex-positive start-up — who now wants to share her unconventional expertise via live, in-person lectures but keeps finding that academia is too stubborn and old-fashioned to give her the time of day. When the handsome rabbi Ethan Cohen approaches her to teach a course on modern intimacy that he hopes will entice new blood to his synagogue, Naomi hesitates. Sex and religion, especially a religion she herself walked away from, don’t mix well, and this rabbi is way too hot for her not to corrupt. She decides to take the chance, and soon finds herself wondering: Who’s corrupting whom? — Nichole Perkins

“Recipes,” Lebo writes in the introduction to this glorious mash-up of memoir, love note, and cookbook, “are rituals that promise transformation.” The transformations she chronicles here are those of the flesh, both human and fruit — journeys through maceration and tenderization. In 26 essays, each accompanied by recipes for jellies, tonics, or balms, Lebo writes about little-known fruits such as aronia and medlar, known only to niche gardeners and long-dead cooks, and more ubiquitous varieties, such as blackberry and pomegranate. Every sentence is as sensuous as the first bite into a cold, juicy plum. — Hillary Kelly

Sincere and contemplative, Nelson’s debut novel is a love story about trauma, masculinity, and vulnerability. A young British-Ghanaian photographer falls for a dancer after a brief encounter in southeast London, and the two quickly develop a magnetic but undefined relationship, complicated by the fact that she lives in Dublin and dates one of his friends. During drunken excursions and sleepless nights, they bond over shared childhood experiences — both were among the only Black students at mostly white private schools — and a profound appreciation for Black artists from Isaiah Rashad to Zadie Smith. But as the relationship deepens, fissures begin to form. — Miguel Salazar

In 2018, Michelle Zauner, lead singer of the band Japanese Breakfast, wrote an essay for The New Yorker titled “ Crying in H Mart ,” where she discussed her connections to shopping in the Asian market chain, tearing up in the food court as she watched people eat, and how it all reminded her of her mother, who had passed away a few years earlier. Now Zauner has expanded that into a memoir, about her mother, her own life, and the centrality of food . Crying in H Mart is palpable in its grief and its tenderness, reminding us what we all stand to lose. — Gabrielle Sanchez

Jhumpa Lahiri craves difficulty. How else to explain the Pulitzer Prize–winning novelist’s midcareer pivot to working in Italian? Over the past decade, Lahiri, already bilingual in Bengali and English, committed herself to achieving fluency in a third tongue: She moved her family to Rome, published collections of essays she wrote in Italian, translated novels by Italian writer Domenico Starnone into English, and outlined her obsession with her adopted language in an essay for the The New Yorker . Now we get Whereabouts , a novel Lahiri wrote in Italian then translated to English herself. It follows a woman as she moves through the nameless Italian city where she lives, contemplating her relationships and the unexpected directions her life has taken. Come for the linguistic derring-do, stay for the introspection. —Madeline Leung Coleman

Cusk’s latest novel draws loosely from Lorenzo in Taos , the 1932 memoir by art patron Mabel Dodge Luhan about the time D.H. Lawrence came to stay with her in New Mexico. Second Place tells of a male artist, “L,” who visits the female narrator, “M,” tracing an arc from L’s arrival at M’s secluded home in “the marsh” and concluding with his sudden departure. The plot is simple, yet the way it unfolds is as nuanced as ever, narrated in M’s second person to someone offstage. As with Cusk’s Outline trilogy, it takes seriously the complex emotional geometries between ordinary people. Second Place is a deeply philosophical book about what happens when you confuse art with life. —Jane Hu

Either you’re already onboard with this series and need no convincing, or you’ve somehow missed the fact that a cool French writer has been pumping out hilarious and corrosive novels about contemporary urban life at the center and fringes of Paris. Despentes writes like Armistead Maupin, but about aging Gen-Xers instead of hippies and New Agers. — Molly Young

To write on violence — especially violence against women — is a hazardous task. Lingering on sexual violence could spectacularize, or even reenact it. But Rose, a British academic who is one of our leading feminist critics, contends that the far greater risk is to remain blind to it. Her new book of criticism is marked by her usual vigilance, even as it wades into the unfinished business of recent events. In chapters about subjects ranging from trans rights and the Me Too movement to the sexual trafficking of migrant women and children, Rose stays focused, weaving analyses of ongoing sexual violence through readings of literature. What drives the whole work is the writer’s unwavering belief that we cannot begin to change our world without confronting the many forms of violence against women that continue to constitute it. —Jane Hu

Kawakami is a literary celeb in Japan whose much-lauded novel Breasts and Eggs was published in America last year, the first of her three books to be translated into English. Inspired by Nietzsche’s Thus Spoke Zarathustra , Heaven is an investigation of the intrinsic trauma of violence in which a 14-year-old boy who is bullied and taunted for his lazy eye forges a bond with a teenage girl, another victim of the mindless cruelty of children. (It was translated from the Japanese by Sam Bett and David Boyd, who also did Breasts and Eggs .) Haruki Murakami has called Kawakami his favorite young writer, but don’t let that fool you into thinking their work is similar: Kawakami’s writing is as grounded as Murakami’s is flighty, as dedicated to the pared-down shape of her prose as he is to the wild arcs of his narratives. — Hillary Kelly

When D.H. Lawrence died in 1930, many critics considered him little better than a glorified pornographer. He’d published a slate of highly sexualized (and often autobiographical) novels, starting with The Rainbow in 1915 to Lady Chatterley’s Lover in 1928, and the eventual 1960 obscenity trial over the latter in the U.K. only perpetuated his divisive reputation. In this hyperfocused biography, Wilson — Lawrence’s first woman biographer — unpacks those years of Lawrence’s life and sifts through three major crises that affected his work, marriage, and philosophy, asking how such a gifted and original storyteller ended up scorned by the literary establishment during his lifetime. — Hillary Kelly

Galchen is an inventor and fabulist of the highest order: Her narratives are rigorous, antic creations that explore deceit, misinformation, identity, and the nature of knowledge. Her latest puzzle box of a novel is a surrealist horror story set in the 17th century. Narrated by Katharina Kepler — the herbalist mother of the famed German astronomer Johannes Kepler — the novel is constructed as a defense against the most serious of accusations: witchery. Written as a confession that Katharina offers to her next-door neighbor, the story is winding and hallucinatory, full of poison, gossip, and astral musings. Drawing partly from historical documents, the world Galchen creates feels more than just real. It feels haunted. — Kevin Lozano

In this tremendous novel by the Egyptian novelist, we meet a mother who directs her son to obey the orders of his dead father; a young man who wakes up in a ditch only to discover he somehow missed his own wedding; and another man who discovers he can walk on water. Each anecdote brushes the edge of the miraculous before resolving into something more quotidian — until the commonplace ebbs away, and we are left to ponder the mysteries that remain. This is the first of Kheir’s four novels to be published in English, translated from the Arabic by Robin Moger. — Tope Folarin

I’m a sucker for tales about female friendships that slide into obsession. The magnetism between women has so often been underestimated by history and literature that I’ll snap up the work of any author willing to go there. And Imamura isn’t just any writer. The Woman in the Purple Skirt , which took home Japan’s most prestigious literary award in 2019 and was translated from the Japanese by Lucy North, follows the aforementioned, otherwise nameless woman, as she sits in a park, watched by The Woman in the Yellow Cardigan. The two eventually become friends and their lives begin to mesh — but something is off, and one of the women is not what she seems. Not just another cheap thriller with a “you can’t trust anyone” conceit, Imamura’s latest is like Anita Brookner’s Look at Me , reimagined by a surrealist. — Hillary Kelly

Brandon Taylor had a hell of a 2020: His debut novel Real Life , about a queer Black biochemistry grad student barely getting by, was a critical darling that landed on the Man Booker shortlist and is now being developed into a film starring Kid Cudi. Filthy Animals , a new collection of linked stories, promises to delve into similar territory: young Midwesterners navigating cultural landmines and severed connections. A story about a man drawn into the open relationship between two dancers sounds especially Taylor, and especially biting. — Hillary Kelly

Sager has turned out a thriller a year since his 2017 breakout hit Final Girls , about the lone survivor of a horror-movie-style massacre who’s confronted with her past ten years later. They’re all creepily atmospheric, easy to read without being fluffy, and fun as hell. Each book has also been better and more confident than the last, with 2020’s Home Before Dark deftly weaving together narratives from a writer who recounted his experience living in a haunted house (à la The Amityville Horror ) , and his daughter, who returns to renovate the house after her father’s death. Sager’s next offering, Survive the Night , sounds just as fun, creepy, and compelling, with the tagline: “It’s November 1991. George H. W. Bush is in the White House, Nirvana’s in the tape deck, and movie-obsessed college student Charlie Jordan is in a car with a man who might be a serial killer.” —Emily Palmer Heller

At a time when we all want to escape our real lives, what could be more alluring than the sparkling world of a romance novel? In her latest book, rom-com doyenne Guillory whisks us away to Hollywood with one familiar face, a male lead from one her previous novels, and a fresh one, an A-list actress waiting for her next big film. Guillory is known for whirling readers around the dance floors of weddings and palaces with glittering charm and delicate care, and now we can’t wait to see what she does with the glamourous and messy love lives of movie stars. — Tara Abell

The California-born son of Cambodian refugees, the late fiction writer So described inherited immigrant trauma with what Mary Karr called “mind-frying hilarity.” He published stories in The New Yorker and n+1 and died in December, at the age of 28 — nine months before the release of this debut story collection, which is one of the most exciting contributions to Asian American literature in recent years. Afterparties follows everyday life in a Cambodian American community, with a focus on a younger generation negotiating their families’ post-genocide trauma alongside the high jinks of American childhood. So wrote with a light touch, in contrast to Asian American refugee fiction that trafficks in melancholic inscrutability or melodrama. These stories are funny without being satirical, refreshingly realist, and generous in their levity. —Jane Hu

Awad is a dark genius, preternaturally gifted at creating vicious, hilarious tales about the depravity inside us. (Please read her 2019 novel Bunny , about a group of treacly, pink-beribboned MFA students who magically conjure up their ideal men — then ax them when the relationships don’t work out.) All’s Well is set in the theater world, where Miranda, a former actor still in pain from a horrific accident, is attempting to stage Shakespeare’s All’s Well That Ends Well . But the cast stages a coup: They want Macbeth . A wicked mash-up about opioid addiction, Bard nerds, Faustian deals, and a cursed play? Yes, please. — Hillary Kelly

Inflammation is both the metaphor and the stated subject of this ambitious interdisciplinary tome co-written by Patel, a journalist and activist, and Marya, a physician and composer. Together they map the connections between public health, social injustice, economic disparities, climate change, and ancestral trauma, making the case that our crappy world needs a new medical paradigm. — Molly Young

Henrik is a young Japanese man adopted by Danish parents and living in Paris, where he aspires to be a translator. When his girlfriend dies mysteriously, Henrik sets off on an investigation through the city’s seamy underbelly, confronting ghosts of all kinds. This is the debut novel of American writer David Hoon Kim, who himself lived in Paris and studied at the Sorbonne. He writes a mean sentence. — Molly Young

A perfect novel for your end-of-summer ennui, for what will always feel like that moody last week of vacation before school starts again. Four years after her last novel Into the Water and six years years after her international hit The Girl on the Train , Hawkins returns with a new thriller, a murder mystery set on a London canal boat. A little damp and a little cold, we can already feel our bones chilling from the lurking suspense and characters as murky as the Thames. — Tara Abell

Matrix by Lauren Groff (September 7)

With its brilliant he said, she said structure and mythological underpinnings, Groff’s 2015 novel, Fates and Furies , ginned up chatter and racked up award nominations. Matrix takes a sharp left turn away from the novelist’s usual focus on contemporary Americans. Instead, it heads to the 12th century to follow Marie de France, a former lady-in-waiting to Eleanor of Aquitaine, whom the French court sends to England to run an impoverished abbey. Groff has a knack for dissecting the inner workings of cloistered communities (the scarred small town of The Monsters of Templeton , the doomed cult of Arcadia ) so it will be fascinating to see what she makes of the hive-like energy of an all-female community. — Hillary Kelly

Maggie Nelson needs no genre. Reading her books — The Argonauts , Bluets , On Cruelty — tends to make classification of any kind feel destructive, like it would slice through her writing’s vital connective tissue. The same will almost certainly be true of her forthcoming book On Freedom , which will ask how that most American of ideals helps and how it hinders us in four distinct arenas: art, sex, drugs, and the climate. Reading Nelson is like watching a prima ballerina deliver the performance of a lifetime: athletic, graceful, and awe-inspiring. — Hillary Kelly

Richard Powers does Big well. His last novel, 2018’s Pulitzer-winning The Overstory , is a luminous, 500-plus page collection of stories, set across centuries, about the interconnectivity of forests and the people who live among and nurture trees’ primeval glory and innate intelligence. It’s so expansive it feels like you’re watching his characters from space. So it’s no surprise that his next novel, billed as a major event, will leave the atmosphere. Bewilderment is about Theo Byrne, a widowed astrobiologist searching for life on distant planets, who decides to take his young son on a galactic mission. Expect soaring prose and wise lessons about the bonds between humans and Mother Earth. — Hillary Kelly

From what we know so far about Franzen’s first novel since 2015’s Purity , it sounds exceptionally Franzen. Crossroads , the first novel of a new trilogy called “A Key to All Mythologies” (phew), centers on the Hildebrandt family: father Russ and mother Marion, who are both eyeing the exit out of their marriage, and their nearly grown children, Clem, Becky, and Perry. Reportedly the first in a trilogy of untold page count, this volume starts in 1971 and is set, of course, in a Midwest suburb; the series will eventually work its way through three generations. Most intriguing, the title is a tongue-in-cheek play on the character Casaubon’s long-belabored, unfinished book from George Eliot’s Middlemarch . So until October, we’ll be waiting with bated breath for more details — and another inevitable round of Franzenfreude. — Hillary Kelly

Dreaming of You by Melissa Lozada-Oliva (October 26)

A feverish story of young adulthood, exploring how fandom and obsession shape how we relate to the world. Lozada-Oliva’s verse novel borrows its name from Tejana pop star Selena Quintanilla’s 1995 album, released posthumously after she was murdered by the president of her fan club, and centers around a young Colombian-Guatemalan American poet grappling with heartbreak and a stalling career. She decides to summon Selena, her childhood hero, using improvised witchcraft — and is shockingly successful, only to watch helplessly as Selena is immediately catapulted back into stardom and out of the poet’s life. Using love notes, party gossip, self-reflections, and imagined dialogues — with strangers, exes, Selena, and even Selena’s killer — Dreaming of You navigates the complexities of Latinx identity, self-loathing, love, and the loneliness of drifting into adulthood. — Miguel Salazar

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Our critics pick their favorite new books for your summer reading list

Jeffrey Brown Jeffrey Brown

Lena I. Jackson Lena I. Jackson

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• Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/our-critics-pick-their-favorite-new-books-for-your-summer-reading-list

Whether you’re on vacation at the beach or find yourself with a little more time for reading, summer is always a good time to pick up a new book. Jeffrey Brown has recommendations from two News Hour regulars for our arts and culture series, CANVAS.

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Notice: Transcripts are machine and human generated and lightly edited for accuracy. They may contain errors.

Geoff Bennett:

Whether you're on vacation at the beach or find yourself with a little more time for reading, summer is always a good time to pick up a new book.

Jeffrey Brown gets recommendations now from two "NewsHour" regulars for our arts and culture series, Canvas.

Jeffrey Brown:

And to talk about summer books and reading, I'm joined by Ann Patchett, author and owner of Parnassus Bookstore in Nashville, Tennessee. And Gilbert Cruz, he's the editor of The New York Times Book Review.

Thanks, both, for joining us.

Ann, you want to start with fiction?

Ann Patchett, Owner, Parnassus Books:

Sure thing.

I am very excited about "Sandwich" by Catherine Newman. If you want a book that has you from hello, this is the one. Family goes to the cape every summer for two weeks. They have kids in their 20s. They have elderly parents and they eat sandwiches. They are very near Sandwich, and they are the sandwich generation.

That's a real summer book, isn't it?

Ann Patchett:

Ah, it is the ultimate summer book.

And, also, if you're feeling a little stressed, get a copy of "Sipsworth" by Simon Van Booy. This one has been flying off the shelf. This is an elderly woman who's very isolated. She meets a mouse, and the mouse brings all of these wonderful people into her life. It sounds hokey. It's not. It is a really terrific book.

And for something a little darker, "Bear" by Julia Phillips, which has the whole fairy tale vibe. Two young sisters working so hard in a very tough existence on an island off the coast of Washington,it all changes when a bear comes to their neighborhood, and it drives the sisters apart.

Also want to give a quick shout-out to something that just came out in paperback, "Crook Manifesto," Colson Whitehead. Love this book so much. If you want some mystery, some cops and robbers, some corruption, some great writing.

Gilbert Cruz, what do you have for us in fiction?

Gilbert Cruz, Books Editor, The New York Times:

The first one is "Swan Song." Elin Hilderbrand, she is a writer who puts a book out every summer. They're all about Nantucket. They all have drama. They all have romance. And somehow I have found myself reading one book of hers a summer for the past decade.

I'm sort of — I have only been to Nantucket for two hours on, like, the coldest day that I can recall. So I have no idea what it's like to be there in the summer, but I sort of do because I have read a dozen Elin Hilderbrand books.

So I'm a big horror person. There's a book called "Horror Movie" by Paul Tremblay. And there's some people who save their scary stuff until October, until the fall. I'm not that person. I like it all year round. And I think there are many people like me.

This is about essentially an independent horror movie that was made years and years ago. A bunch of tragedies happened. It's become a cult film. And the only person left from the production has started to encounter some weird things. So that's "Horror Movie" by Paul Tremblay.

And then, finally, another genre book, a fantasy, "The Bright Sword" by Lev Grossman. If you have heard of Lev Grossman, it's because of his "Magicians" trilogy, which were a set of books that essentially imagined, what if Harry Potter, but with older people and cursing and all the stuff that older teenagers get into.

This new book imagines the days and the months after the death of King Arthur. So there have been many retellings of the King Arthur legend, books, movies, musicals. This one is sort of a sequel.

You went with all genre books for the summer.

OK, Ann, how about nonfiction?

Hanif Abdurraqib, "There's Always This Year," which is — "On Basketball and Ascension." This is a collection of essays about family and love and grief and fathers. But, most importantly, it's all woven together through the lens of basketball.

Hanif Abdurraqib is one of my favorite writers and just someone I learned from every time I read one of his books. Brilliant.

"My Black Country" by Alice Randall, which is a journey through country music's Black past, present, and future. Alice is a fiction writer and a scholar. This is the story of all the people who have been erased in country music's past, and she is restoring them into the landscape. It's a terrific book.

And "Consent" by Jill Ciment, a very slim little memoir. Jill Ciment was 16 years old when she first kissed her art teacher, who was 46. They got married and they stayed together until he died at 86. And it is her looking back on her life and thinking, it was a happy marriage, but, knowing what I know now, maybe there was something a little wrong about that.

And a great book that just came out in paperback that could be read as a companion piece, my favorite, "Monsters: A Fan's Dilemma" by Claire Dederer. You have got a book club, read these two together. Terrific.

Gilbert Cruz, what are your choices for nonfiction?

Gilbert Cruz:

Well, if I sort of went genre with my fiction choices, I'm also going to go a little pop culture with my nonfiction choices.

So the first book I'm going to talk about is "The Future Was Now" by Chris Nashawaty. This is — I love movies, and I think for a lot of people my age who love movies, the summer of 1982, if you care about science fiction and fantasy, stuff like that, was one of the biggest summers of all time. So it had "E.T.," "Poltergeist," "Blade Runner," "Tron," a "Mad Max" sequel, a "Star Trek" sequel.

And this is essentially a history of that summer, a history of those movies. So I'm looking forward to reading that one.

Another pop culture nonfiction book that's coming out later in June is called "Cue the Sun!" the invention of reality TV. This is by Emily Nussbaum. She's been a TV critic for many wonderful publications. And this is a history of modern reality TV. I don't watch reality TV. I never really have. And that means that I am out of the mainstream.

And so from "Cops," to "Survivor," to "The Bachelor," to "The Apprentice, to "Big Brother," to "Love Is Blind," these are some of the most popular shows of the past several decades. And Emily Nussbaum does an amazing job of sort of sketching that whole history in what they're billing as sort of the first comprehensive history of this very important genre.

Ann, have a bookstore. You have a lot of young readers and I know you wanted to give some choices for them.

Yes, I never want to miss a chance to plug some great kids books.

Jarrett and Jerome Pumphrey, two of their classics have just come out in board books. So these are good for babies, for little kids. You can chew on them, "The Old Truck," "The Old Boat," beautiful, simple, terrific illustrations, great, clear story.

If you have a slightly older kid, absolutely, you want to buy a copy of "Ahoy!" by Sophie Blackall. This is a book about imaginative play and how you can have a summer adventure no matter where you are or what you have got to work with. I adore this book and everything Sophie does.

And America's favorite author for young people, Kate DiCamillo has a new novel out called "Ferris." It's about raccoons, chandeliers, S&H Green Stamps, grandmothers, love and happiness. It's a story about a happy family. Call me crazy, my favorite.

Ann Patchett and Gilbert Cruz, thanks very much.

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In his more than 30-year career with the News Hour, Brown has served as co-anchor, studio moderator, and field reporter on a wide range of national and international issues, with work taking him around the country and to many parts of the globe. As arts correspondent he has profiled many of the world's leading writers, musicians, actors and other artists. Among his signature works at the News Hour: a multi-year series, “Culture at Risk,” about threatened cultural heritage in the United States and abroad; the creation of the NewsHour’s online “Art Beat”; and hosting the monthly book club, “Now Read This,” a collaboration with The New York Times.

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Here Are the 12 New Books You Should Read in July

These are independent reviews of the products mentioned, but TIME receives a commission when purchases are made through affiliate links at no additional cost to the purchaser.

E ven if you can’t escape rising summer temperatures to more comfortable climes, you can at least get lost in a good book . The best new books coming in July include Kevin Barry’s Western romance, Lev Grossman ’s reimagining of King Arthur’s legend, and Laura van den Berg ’s unsettling new novel set in Florida’s underbelly.

Keep Shark Week going with shark scientist Jasmin Graham’s debut memoir focused on her work with the most misunderstood fish in the sea. Hit the road with Turkish author Ayşegül Savaş’ third novel, about a couple running into unexpected trouble finding a new apartment for their family. And gaze deeply into beauty writer Sable Yong’s thoughtful essay collection on the role of vanity in today’s culture.

Here, the 12 new books you should read in July.

The Cliffs , J. Courtney Sullivan (July 2)

A decade ago, best-selling author J. Courtney Sullivan became obsessed with a purple Victorian mansion she discovered while on vacation in Maine. Now, that unique home is at the center of her haunting new novel, The Cliffs. After losing her mother, getting laid off, and separating from her husband, archivist Jane Flanagan returns to her coastal Maine hometown to discover that the long-abandoned gothic house she was obsessed with as a teen has a new owner. Genevieve, a wealthy outsider, has given the once-dilapidated dwelling a misbegotten makeover that she believes has awakened something sinister. In this provocative ghost story that questions how we right our wrongs of the past, the two must team up to rid the mysterious 19th-century home of its spirits and overcome their own demons.

Buy Now: The Cliffs on Bookshop | Amazon

The Heart in Winter , Kevin Barry (July 9)

The Heart in Winter, Irish author Kevin Barry’s first novel set in America, is a rollicking romance that is as wild as the Old West where it takes place. In 1891 Butte, Mont., a reckless young poet and doper named Tom Rourke falls in love with Polly Gillespie, the new wife of the extremely devout captain of the local copper mine. The twosome ride off on a stolen horse together toward San Francisco, only to be pursued by a posse of mad gunmen hired by Polly’s husband. In order to survive in this rip-roaring love story, the outlaws make choices they may live to regret.

Buy Now: The Heart in Winter on Bookshop | Amazon

State of Paradise , Laura van den Berg (July 9)

In Laura van den Berg’s State of Paradise, a ghostwriter travels to Florida during an unspecified pandemic to look after her aging mother. But when she arrives, the unnamed narrator discovers that it’s her little sister who really needs help. Struggling to process the death of their father, her sibling has become obsessed with a virtual reality headset that allows her to reconnect with the dead. Then she suddenly goes missing, alongside countless other Floridians, leading the protagonist to launch an investigation into the mysterious tech company behind the headsets. What ensues is a page-turning story about the challenges of learning to let go.

Buy Now: State of Paradise on Bookshop | Amazon

The Anthropologists , Ayşegül Savaş (July 9)

Inspired by her 2021 New Yorker short story, “ Future Selves ,” Ayşegül Savaş’ perceptive new novel, The Anthropologists , follows a nomadic couple as they struggle to find an apartment in an unnamed foreign city. Asya and Manu, a documentarian and nonprofit worker, are looking to finally put down roots together in a place that is all their own and nothing like where they came from. But as they tour each real-estate listing, envisioning what their future could look like, something always seems off, and they can’t quite place why. The idealistic lovers find themselves chafing against society’s idea of adulthood and look to kindred spirits—a reticent bon vivant, a lonely local, and their poetry-loving elderly neighbor—in hopes of figuring out how to live a good life.

Buy Now: The Anthropologists on Bookshop | Amazon

Die Hot With a Vengeance, Sable Yong (July 9)

With her debut essay collection, Die Hot With a Vengeance, Sable Yong looks to understand why vanity is still such a dirty word in a culture so obsessed with beauty. The former Allure editor offers thought-provoking analysis on social media’s impossible beauty standards , the rise of questionable wellness trends , and whether blondes really do have more fun. Going beyond just sharing her insights from working in the industry, she also weaves in stories of her own complicated relationship with self-image as she grew up feeling like an outsider in her mostly white neighborhood. With humor and candor, Die Hot With a Vengeance shows why beauty should be a tool of self-expression, not self-hate.

Buy Now: Die Hot With a Vengeance on Bookshop | Amazon

The Lucky Ones , Zara Chowdhary (July 16)

Zara Chowdhary’s debut memoir, The Lucky Ones, is a moving tale of survival that spans more than two decades of anti-Muslim violence in India . As a teenager in the early 2000s, Chowdhary bore witness to India’s worst communal riots in over 50 years, which turned Hindu and Muslim neighbors against one another. Chowdhary offers a harrowing account of the violence that occurred—and continues to this day —between the two groups, tracing the political, economic, and social repercussions of 80 years of ongoing bloodshed.

Buy Now: The Lucky Ones on Bookshop | Amazon

Sharks Don't Sink: Adventures of a Rogue Shark Scientist , Jasmin Graham (July 16)

Throughout shark scientist Jasmin Graham’s riveting debut memoir, Sharks Don’t Sink, she compares herself to the oft-misunderstood titular fish. Despite being denser than water, sharks manage to float because they just keep swimming. Graham had to do the same in order to move up in the white male-dominated profession of marine biology. She shares stories of growing up fishing with her dad and describes her struggle to find her place in academia as a Black woman and how that led her to start Minorities in Shark Sciences , an organization that provides support and opportunities for those underrepresented in the marine science field. Graham also makes the case for thinking about sharks differently, and urges us all to help protect these vulnerable, prehistoric creatures.

Buy Now: Sharks Don't Sink on Bookshop | Amazon

The Bright Sword , Lev Grossman (July 16)

Best-selling author Lev Grossman, a former TIME critic, is back with a new, sweeping medieval epic that offers a fresh take on the legend of King Arthur . In The Bright Sword, a gifted young knight named Collum arrives in Camelot in the hopes of competing for a spot at the Round Table. Sadly, though, he’s too late; King Arthur died in battle two weeks earlier, and the knights that survived him are more Bad News Bears than Game of Thrones . Still, Collum joins this lovable band of misfits realizing there’s too much at stake, and their fight has just begun. Together, the group becomes Camelot’s only hope of reclaiming Excalibur, reuniting the kingdom, and keeping Arthur’s foes—dastardly half-sister Morgan le Fay, his fallen bride Guinevere, and disgraced hero Lancelot—from reclaiming the crown.

Buy Now: The Bright Sword on Bookshop | Amazon

Liars , Sarah Manguso (July 23)

In essayist and poet Sarah Manguso’s unflinching second novel, a writer named Jane believes she’s found a supportive partner in John, a visual artist who becomes her husband. But after the birth of their first child, she begins to feel swallowed up by John’s ego. When her own career starts to take off, it’s John who pulls away, leaving Jane to take a closer look at their marriage, which, she realizes, may have never been on solid ground. As she examines the pieces of her life, Manguso’s plucky protagonist makes stirring observations about marriage and identity.

Buy Now: Liars on Bookshop | Amazon

Catalina , Karla Cornejo Villavicencio (July 23)

Karla Cornejo Villavicencio’s debut novel follows Catalina Ituralde, a brash undocumented immigrant from Ecuador on the verge of graduating from Harvard. She’s got a stacked resume and pretty good grades, but her immigration status has made her post-grad prospects rather bleak. This is a major problem for Catalina, who takes care of her grandparents on top of everything else. After years of working to infiltrate Harvard’s high society and as commencement looms over her head, she falls for a sanctimonious anthropology student and begins wondering if she’s found a solution to her woes or just another problem. This sardonic, semi-autobiographical novel is sure to delight fans of Elif Batuman’s The Idiot .

Buy Now: Catalina on Bookshop | Amazon

Someone Like Us , Dinaw Mengestu (July 30)

Dinaw Mengestu’s fourth novel, Someone Like Us , is a beguiling meditation on love, loss, and the need to belong. As his marriage unravels, war journalist Mamush returns to the tight-knit Ethiopian community in Washington, D.C. where he grew up to seek solace. But once there, he discovers that Samuel, his larger-than-life father figure, has unexpectedly died. In hopes of better understanding Samuel, Mamush embarks on a cross-country expedition to trace the older man’s immigration journey—only to unearth a shocking secret about his own lineage.

Buy Now: Someone Like Us on Bookshop | Amazon

They Dream in Gold , Mai Sennaar (July 30)

Playwright and filmmaker Mai Sennaar’s debut novel, They Dream in Gold, is a tender romance that spans decades, generations, and continents. It’s love at first sight when Bonnie and Mansour, African immigrants abandoned by their mothers, meet in New York in 1968. The two bond over Mansour’s music, a blend of Senegalese gospel and American jazz, which they each believe has the power to change the world. When Mansour goes missing while on tour in Spain, a pregnant Bonnie must team up with his mother, grandmother, and aunt to solve the mystery of his disappearance. In detailing their plight, Sennaar unveils a story about motherhood, the African diaspora, and the resilience of Black women.

Buy Now: They Dream in Gold on Bookshop | Amazon

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9 New Books We Recommend This Week

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There are woods near my house where I sometimes head when I’m craving green shadows and stillness, a reminder that time and nature have very little to do with the human scale of things. Very little — but not nothing: As Scott Weidensaul points out in his new book about migratory birds, “A World on the Wing,” humans are deeply implicated in the recent decimation of aviation species. If you love the woods as I do, this book will make you more alert to the chirrups and whistles and flashes of movement in the canopy above you and give you new respect for birds’ incredible abilities. It’s one of our recommended titles this week.

We also have a good stack of fiction in store for you, from Haruki Murakami’s latest story collection to Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney’s satire of Hollywood and marriage to debut novels from JoAnne Tompkins, Sanjena Sathian and Thomas Grattan. In nonfiction, the historian Annette Gordon-Reed takes a turn toward the personal with her book about Texas, “On Juneteenth,” while Simon Heffer revisits the British Empire before World War I and Linda Colley examines the role that constitutions have played in shaping modern governance.

Gregory Cowles Senior Editor, Books Twitter: @GregoryCowles

ON JUNETEENTH , by Annette Gordon-Reed. (Liveright, $15.95.) This series of short, moving essays by the noted historian explores “the long road” to June 19, 1865, when the end of legalized slavery was announced in Texas, the state where Gordon-Reed was born and raised. If the book is a more personally revealing departure for Gordon-Reed, it’s still guided by the humane skepticism that has animated her previous work. “One of the things that makes this slender book stand out is Gordon-Reed’s ability to combine clarity with subtlety,” our critic Jennifer Szalai writes. “She leads by example, revisiting her own experiences, questioning her own assumptions — and showing that historical understanding is a process, not an end point.”

GOOD COMPANY, by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney. (Ecco, $27.99.) Beginning with the discovery of a long-lost wedding ring, Sweeney’s warm, witty novel plumbs the depths of two marriages. Secrets and resentments abound, but loyalty and abiding affection carry this bicoastal tale of actors finding their way in real life. “Sweeney is uncommonly skilled at gently lampooning Hollywood,” Meghan Daum writes in her review. “The constant internal struggle between what the heart wants versus what it should be grateful it already has serves as the primary emotional engine of ‘Good Company.’”

A WORLD ON THE WING: The Global Odyssey of Migratory Birds, by Scott Weidensaul. (Norton, $32.) Weidensaul takes readers on a gripping journey alongside the world’s feathered wanderers and the people who study them. He’s also on something of a crusade, drawing attention to the large number of birds that have been disappearing from the skies. “Weidensaul tasks himself with communicating to both the knowing birder and the layman the epic scale of what’s happening in our skies every year, the whys and hows, while offering rays of hope through the gloomy storm clouds,” Christian Cooper writes in his review. “The success of ‘A World on the Wing’ in navigating that challenge rivals the astonishing feats of the birds he chronicles.”

WHAT COMES AFTER, by JoAnne Tompkins. (Riverhead, $28.) In this debut novel, a pregnant teenager appears in a small town that is reeling in the wake of tragedy. How the residents open their doors to a stranger, and how two neighbors find their way forward after the deaths of their sons, is the backbone of this difficult but elegant story. “It’s a cautionary tale, one that prompted me to ask a series of probing, unwelcome questions at the dinner table,” Elisabeth Egan writes in her latest Group Text column. “But it’s also a powerful and inspiring reminder of how a close-knit community will rally around people in trouble, no matter their age.”

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4 crime and suspense novels make for hot summer reading

Maureen Corrigan

Maureen Corrigan picks four crime and suspense novels for the summer. NPR hide caption

There’s something about the shadowy moral recesses of crime and suspense fiction that makes those genres especially appealing as temperatures soar.

Ash Dark As Night Penguin Random House hide caption

Ash Dark as Night, by Gary Phillips

I’m beginning my recommendations with two distinctive novels that appeared this spring. Gary Phillips introduced the character of LA crime photographer and occasional private eye Harry Ingram in the 2022 novel, One-Shot Harry . The second novel of this evocative historical series is called Ash Dark as Night and it opens in August 1965 during the Watts riots. Harry, who’s one of two African American freelancers covering the riots, has looped his trademark Speed Graphic camera around his neck and headed into the streets.

We’re told that Harry’s situation is, of course, riskier than that of his white counterparts: “[M]aybe one of these fellas might well get a brick upside their head from a participant, but were less likely to be jacked-up by the law. Ingram realized either side might turn on him.” Indeed, when Harry captures the death of an unarmed Black activist at the hands of the LAPD, the photo makes him famous, as well as a target.

This novel is steeped in period details like snap-brim hats and ragtop Chevy Bel Air convertibles, along with walk-ons by real life figures like pioneering African American TV journalist Louis E. Lomax. But it’s Harry’s clear-eyed take on the fallen world around him that makes this series so powerful.

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Blessed Water, by Margot Douaihy

You might think a mystery about an inked-up lesbian Punk musician-turned-nun is a little far-fetched; but New Orleans, the setting of the Sister Holiday series, is the city of far-fetched phenomenon, both sacred and profane. Margot Douaihy’s second book in this queer cozy series is called Blessed Water and it finds the 34-year-old Sister Holiday up to her neck in murky flood waters and priests with secrets. Douaihy’s writing style — pure hard-boiled Patti Smith -- contains all the contradictions that torment Sister Holiday in her bumpy journey of faith. Here she is in the Prologue recalling how she survived swallowing a glass rosary bead:

After my prayers for clarity, for forgiveness, for a cigarette, ... deep inside the wet cave of my body was an unmistakable tickle. ... The bead fought my stomach acid for hours, leaching its blessing or poison or unmet wish. Anything hidden always finds a way to escape, no matter its careful sealing.

Amen to that, Sister Holiday.

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The Expat, by Hansen Shi

The main character in Hansen Shi's excellent debut spy novel is an alienated young man named Michael Wang. He’s a first generation Chinese American a few years out of Princeton who’s hit the bamboo ceiling at General Motors in San Francisco, where he’s been working on technology for self-driving cars. Enter a femme fatale named Vivian who flatters Michael into believing that his brilliance will be recognized by her enigmatic boss in China. Once Michael settles into life in Beijing, however, he realizes he’s been tapped, not as a prodigy, but a patsy. The Expat wraps up too abruptly, but it’s also true that I wanted this moody espionage tale to go on longer.

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The God of the Woods, by Liz Moore

Liz Moore’s extraordinary new literary suspense novel reminds me of Donna Tartt ’s 1992 debut, The Secret History. There are superficial similarities: Both are thick intricate novels featuring young people isolated in enclosed worlds — in Tartt’s story, a Vermont college campus; in Moore’s, a summer camp in New York’s Adirondack mountains. But, the vital connection for me was a reading experience where I was so thoroughly submerged in a rich fictional world, that for hours I barely came up for air.

There’s a touch of Gothic excess about The God of the Woods, beginning with the premise that not one, but two children from the wealthy Van Laar family disappear from Camp Emerson in the Adirondacks 14 years apart. Moore’s story jumps around in time, chiefly from the 1950s into the '70s and features a host of characters from different social classes — campers, counselors, townspeople and local police — and the Van Laars themselves.

The precision of Moore’s writing never flags. Consider this reflection by Tracy, a 12-year-old camper who recalls that: “Her father once told her casually that she was built like a plum on toothpicks, and the phrase was at once so cruel and so poetic that it clicked into place around her like a harness.”

Moore’s previous book, Long Bright River , was a superb social novel about the opioid crisis in Philadelphia; The God of the Woods is something weirder and stranger and unforgettable.

Happy summer reading wherever your tastes take you.

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20 new books hitting shelves this summer that our critics can't wait to read.

2 books offer just the right summer mix of humor and nostalgia