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The best way to imagine The Wren, The Wren is as ripples radiating from a single man, the famed (and fictional) Irish poet Phil McDaragh, who abandons his family when his wife falls ill. Enright is more interested in the ripples than the splash, contrasting McDaragh’s daughter and granddaughter, Carmel and Nell, as both attempt to reconcile the man with his poems (which are included in the book). Lyrical but approachable, filled with deft and surprising sentences, this electric book lands in a place of hope, despite its subject matter.
Timothy
I have not devoured a book so quickly in YEARS. Mister Magic is shrouded in a weird, unsettling cloak of liminal space. Val has been running her whole life from...what? She can’t remember. Until one day, two men appear and tell her they were famous co-stars with her on a once-beloved children’s TV show that few people now remember, and no one can find any real record of anywhere. Chilling, brilliant, and impossible to put down.
Heather
Melissa Broder continuously writes all the thoughts and feelings I'm too afraid to say. With Death Valley, I was easily transported to the desert and found myself greatly attached to the main character. This book follows a woman who travels alone to the California high desert to reflect on her dying father and sick husband. In the desert, she finds a magical cactus that aids her through grief and sorrow. This is so much more than a desert survival story, it is a funny and honest tale of fear, death, and loneliness.I seriously could not put it down!
Tori
White, failing writer June Hayward will do whatever it takes to reach the level of literary fame that her Asian friend Athena Liu has achieved. So when she witnesses Athena die in a freak accident, stealing her newly finished manuscript and publishing it is just the beginning of the web of deceit June finds herself caught in. Adopting the moniker "Juniper Song" and pairing it with a racially ambiguous author picture, June's lies start piling up, and I questioned many times "when is the other shoe going to drop?" For fans of narrators you love to hate, this foray into the toxic world of publishing is for you.
BO
For fans of everything Gothic, queer, and macabre: Summer Sons is every bit as consuming as the sweltering southern summer it’s set in. Eddie is haunted; haunted by the secrets Andrew (his closest ‘friend’) kept from him, a gruesome and menacing spectre that wants inside his skin, and the truth about Andrew’s death. A cloying blend of dark academia, bad decisions ranging from street-racing to drug-use, and a deeply emotional narrative all combine in this slow-burning novel.
Jenna
Are you looking for something cozy and romantic? This is the perfect book to make you feel warm and hopeful inside, and whether you’re looking for a dash of fantasy or some found family, this book will put a spell on you in no time. Mika Moon is one of the few—and secret—witches living in Britain, but her commitment to flying under the radar is tested when she unexpectedly becomes a teacher to three young witches in need of guidance. Oh, and there’s this grumpy (handsome) librarian, too…
Jenna
Are you a fan of The Bachelor? Looking for some demi/ace or mental illness rep? Or maybe just some drama and romance? The Charm Offensive offers all that and more. Charlie Winshaw is the new white-knight star of “Ever After,” but he’s not on the show for love—he’s there to rehabilitate his image. Dev Deshpande, on the other hand, is a believer in true-love and an all-around hopeless romantic. When Dev is tasked with shaping Charlie into the perfect “Ever After” star, well…sparks do start flying—just behind the scenes. If Charlie is meant to fall for one of the “Ever After” women while the world watches, is it still possible for Dev and Charlie to have a happy ending?
Jenna
This was one of my most anticipated memoirs of all time and it did not disappoint. Zauner connects her beautiful relationship with her mother through the meals they ate together and does it so beautifully. It’s a story about grief but it’s also one about love, culture, and family. This book made me call my mom up and ask her to write down every single home recipe that she possibly could.
Jess
This is Michelle Hart's debut novel and I am impatiently awaiting her next work after devouring this beautifully-written and perfectly-paced novel which follows Mallory, a college freshman mourning her mother's death as she enters an affair with an older woman: a professor of children's literature and author of picture books. This book explores so much including loneliness, grief, mother/daughter relationships, lesbian yearning, and how impactful one person can be on your own identity.
Tori
Greta works as a transcriptionist for an odd and somewhat inept sex coach. Through her work, she develops an obsession with one of his patients, who she nicknames Big Swiss. So when she recognizes Big Swiss' voice at the dog park, she becomes determined to do whatever she can to insert herself into this now-real woman's life. I devoured this strange and hilarious work of contemporary fiction in a couple of days.
Bo
Pitched as The Song of Achilles meets Mulan, this novel far surpasses those boundaries. Parker-Chan is unafraid to answer the question: what if I let my queer characters be morally corrupt, at times pathetic, and utterly compelling in their depravity and anguish? In this fantastical reimagining of the rise to power of the Hongwu Emperor in the 14th century, Zhu Chongba claims her dead brother’s identity and a fate of greatness, with her foil found in the eunuch general, Ouyang, who fights on the opposing side in the war that comes for them both. A stunning political fantasy with engrossing depictions of gender and sexuality, and with a sequel that you don’t want to miss—this is one of my favorite duologies!
Jenna
Klune has done it again- he has created another story for adults that reads like a cozy middle-grade fantasy. Puppets is a futuristic spin on the Pinocchio story, so keep your eyes peeled for little easter eggs. I have nothing but praise for this book that is so filled with humor and kindness. Also, prepare to become irrationally attached to some robots.
Anna
Mr Katō is a recently retired crank who spends his daily walks stewing on all the ways his family, friends, and career failed to live up to his expectations. A chance encounter sets him outside of his comfort zone and ultimately forces him to reconsider those relationships, showing us that it’s never too late to find meaning in life. For fans of Fredrik Backman’s A Man Called Ove, but with the weird charm of Sayaka Murata’s Convenience Store Woman.
Timothy
A slow burn thriller following a Cree woman, Mackenzie, who tries to start a new life to avoid dealing with the grief of her sister’s mysterious death; more specifically, she wants to escape her family’s oppressive sorrow. That is, until her increasingly haunting dreams of the events leading to her death begin to seep into reality. I mean, if I woke up with a severed crow’s head in my hand, I’d panic too! In search of answers, she moves back home and quickly realizes she’ll need the strength of her family to fight the lurking evil surrounding them. I couldn’t put this one down.
Beth
Orcs! Swords! Alchemy! Gnomes! And ooey-gooey chocolate croissants? Legends & Lattes is a surprising re-imagination as to what fantasy can be. Viv, a fearsome orc warrior, decides to stash her sword and start out on a new adventure: running a coffee shop. This story is full of lovely little moments in a fantastical world that are sure warm your cold, dead heart. But fair warning: it may also give you an overwhelming desire to cozy up in your favorite café with a hot beverage and a cinnamon roll the size of your head.
Heather
I went into this book without reading any synopsis or reviews- totally blind. I was not expecting a dark, cosmic horror that felt like a modern take on H.P. Lovecraft. This book was fantastic. At one point, the world was literally shifting and merging things together, creating gruesome amalgamations and some strange body horror. If Lovecraft is your thing, I urge you to give this book a try.
Anna
In this electrifying sci-fi adventure enemy agents Red and Blue seek to one-up each other in a centuries-long game of cat-and-mouse that plays out on battlefields and in London teashops. What neither agent could’ve predicted? The love that blooms when they begin a correspondence. With their precarious--yet fierce--love stringing Red and Blue together across time-strands, only one question remains: is their love and wit enough to keep them one step ahead of their enemies, or is the fight to be together the one battle they can’t win?
Jenna
Never in my life have I read a horror novel that kept me guessing as much as this one, and I read a lot of horror books. Ward has crafted a story that truly feels like peeling the layers of an onion as you get to know the characters. I was confused about who the true villain was until the very end of the book. If you're looking for something to absolutely give you chills, this is it.
Anna
A haunted cruise ship in space. Yep, you read that right. This book has everything I love about both the ghost ship and haunted space tropes. It gave me the heebie jeebies in all the best ways, and I would definitely NOT recommend reading this one at night. I give it 10 out of 10 ghost astronauts.
Anna
When Addie wishes for independence she gets more than she bargains for. Addie is cursed to live forever and have no one remember her until one day a boy changes it all with three small words “I remember you." Schwab takes you on a masterful adventure over centuries as Addie tries to leave her mark. This book will have you crying, laughing, and clutching at your heart for the emotional journey that Addie lives through. Be careful what you wish for.
Jess
I am such a sucker for a reimagined classic, and Kingfisher's take on Poe's famous The Fall of the House of Usher is wonderful. Rarely do I come across horror novels with such witty and delightful characters. The dialoge made me want to sit down to tea with each person, but the creepy gothic atmosphere made me want to forgo the tea and run away screaming instead.
Anna
Everything in the world is so hard, but A Psalm for the Wild-Built is such a warm-hearted balm. Sibling Dex (a traveling Tea Monk) and Mosscap (a sentient, “wild-built” robot) wrestle with hard existential questions about purpose and belonging, but the book is generous and patient. Psalm is a great reminder of how huge and full even a small life can be when it’s well-lived. (And don’t miss the follow-up, A Prayer for the Crown-Shy!)
Timothy
Solving cold murders is not your typical retiree pastime; however for Joyce, Elizabeth, Ibrahim, and Ron, it’s the highlight of the week at Coopers Chase retirement village. When a local homicide sends the Thursday Murder Club crime-solving in real time, this quick-witted group of senior citizens will use all their cunning to solve their most thrilling case yet. Filled with dry humor and unique characters, this murder mystery is one of the best and certainly the funniest I've ever had the pleasure of reading.
Anastasia
Black Mirror fans, this is for you. As soon as I picked this book up, I couldn't put it down. Blake Crouch has created a novel that deals with matters of human relationship and of the heart while also not losing any of his masterful, approachable high sci-fi. I haven't fell so in love with a book in such a long time and the ending STILL has me thinking about it at least once a month.
Jess
Set in the ‘50s, When Women Were Dragons is a story about misogyny and, most of all, how keeping quiet about it won’t change anything. During the Mass Dragoning of 1955, tons of women just up and left their jobs, families, and lives when they -poof- turned into dragons. Barnhill has crafted an extremely powerful story about rising up and speaking out, which could not be more timely.
Anna
Hernan Diaz’s fantastic second novel opens with a novel-within-a-novel—Bonds by the fictional author Harold Vanner—about a reclusive millionaire and his wife. The following sections refract, reflect, reframe, and undermine that novel and one another, as we learn about the people and events that inspired Vanner. Trust is a kaleidoscopic portrait of American wealth and the individuals who hoard it, full of unreliable narrators and mysteries that deepen even as they’re solved.
Timothy
Ada Limón’s poetry is some of my favorite to recommend to long-time poetry lovers and new poetry readers alike. Her newest collection is no exception. Reckoning with living in a world where suffering and joy, beauty and loss are all held together in the palm of the same hand, The Hurting Kind, is the kind of book that found me right when I needed it most. I hope it meets you wherever you are too.
Claire
It’s a yearly occurrence for Henry to capture my heart with her books–and Book Lovers certainly did. From both the nods to–and subversions of–movie tropes, to the references to the literary world that backdrop Charlie and Nora’s slow unraveling of each other, I was as head over heels for them as they were for each other. A tender love story full of all the banter you could wish for, paired with the joy found in cherishing your partner’s dreams.
Jenna
The story-telling cleric Chih encounters three shape-shifting tiger sisters one heart-pounding night and--while avoiding getting eaten--gleans the love story of the tigress Ho Thi Thao and her human wife Scholar Dien. Chih shares their version of the legendary story, while the tiger sisters share their version. Full of stunning prose, sweeping romance, captivating storytelling, and an interesting narrative of truth that this series is known for.
Jenna
Jos Charles' last book, feeld, was the first time I ever thought, "I want to memorize this whole book so it's always nearby." Her new book, a Year & other poems, is just as astounding, the poems charged like the moment before static shock, documenting losses, fears, and longings both personal and collective. Time pulses irrevocably in the daybook that is the long title sequence. I remain deeply moved by how carefully and intentionally Charles selects and places each syllable on the page, and by how that care extends to us as readers.
Timothy
This debut poetry collection recounts seismic shifts–a cancer diagnosis following the birth of her child–with searing honesty and gorgeous lyricism. DesAutels’ poems follow illness, recovery, motherhood and all the life that happens amid such earth-shaking moments. Throughout the collection, DesAutels shifts between the dangerous, the familiar and where they intersect, be it in the natural world, the home, or within the body itself. In addition to being stunningly written, the whole collection is at once a gut punch and a healing song, and a journey well worth embarking on.
Claire
In poems that reference "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" and Virginia Woolf with the same ease as noise music and Star Trek, Bianca Stone's latest collection looks at the dark things that live in us all—shame, doubt, addiction—and reminds us that even Christ spent "forty days in the desert / with what he thought was the Devil / but was really just himself." Here’s the moral questioning of Dante and Milton updated with a contemporary gallows humor about the twin existential fears of climate change and capitalism. "That's purgatory, baby."
Timothy
As thrilling as it is to think about wildlife in the city, the sad fact is that it highlights how humans encroach on the natural habitats and habits of the wild ones. Science writer Mary Roach’s new book for adults, Fuzz, looks at the disruption and danger caused by the two worlds converging. In her wildly entertaining manner, she reports on the chaos that ensues ‘when nature breaks the law’. But whose law? The law of nature? The law of science? The law of humankind?
Collette
Folklorist Maria Tatar explores the role of female characters and archetypes from our best known and oft-repeated stories, drawing from ancient tales to modern literature, re-tellings, and social movements. Surveying texts spanning from The Odysseyto Madeline Miller’s Circe, this fascinating read invites us to reengage with and reimagine the heroines we thought we knew, and how their stories shape our world.
Claire
The introduction is titled “Animalish”: my new favorite adjective! This lively collection of essays by Susan Orlean explores human/animal relationships. Although I picked it up for the animal side of the story, I was blown away by her observations about humans. From backyard chicken farmers to show-dog breeders, from hoarders to conservationists, she covers them all with grace and humor. A thought provoking book that will inspire you to take a closer look at your own animalish universe.
Collette
A tender, unflinching story about three unexpectedly intertwined women: one runaway trans girl, a former violinist who sold her soul to a demon, and an alien who’s new to Earth. Katrina is struggling to find her place in the world, but with help from her violin instructor, she’ll find her voice – if Shizuka doesn’t sell Katrina’s soul to hell. Filled with the magic of music and good donuts, romance, and found family, this is a defiantly joyful novel.
Jenna
I love Ross Gay's writing so much. The prose pieces in The Book of Delights are delightful, but they're also complicated, profound, funny, sad, and so much more. A lot like life. Poet Ross Gay avoids saccharine, Hallmark-style sentimentality and finds the gritty, wonderful depths of delight, gratitude, and joy. Ross Gay's books are my answer to most unanswerable questions.
TIMOTHY
“I couldn’t put this book down” is a phrase used so often, we barely blink at it. But to be caught in the pages of a book and never want to leave really is a rare and powerful magic. The House in the Cerulean Sea bestowed that level of enchantment on me. This endearing and entertaining story has everything I want in a comforting fantasy read: whimsy, a cast of misfit characters, a smidge of mystery, a dash of romance, and a whole lot of heart.
CLAIRE
Local author! Local press! Bao Phi's poems are frank and affecting. I admire the tenderness with which he writes about the joys and challenges of being a man and raising a daughter—especially in America, especially as a Vietnamese American. If you want to read more poetry, this book is an excellent place to start.
TIMOTHY
Le Guin is one of the greatest American writers of the last century and this is one of her many masterpieces. Like all of her best work, it takes some “what if?” questions—especially about gender and culture—to their logical endpoints, while also simply telling a very good story. I don’t have enough space here to explain how much I love this book.
TIMOTHY
This beautiful novel is a story within a story, looping back on itself through time. These stories are protected by those who are willing to give their lives for them, and many have. Zachary is searching for these stories and the door to their sanctuary without even knowing it. His door is waiting for him, and with the help of two strangers, he becomes part of a world he knows nothing about. Yet it has been speaking to him his whole life.
-Anna
I'll be honest, I initially found this book a bit off-putting. Eleanor, this story's recluse heroine, is quite socially idiosyncratic. But as you stick with Eleanor's blunders and maladaptive tendencies, clues about why Eleanor seems to be such an unusual human begin to fit together. The result is a deeply funny ode to emerging from the depths of loneliness and opening one's heart.
Kara
Barnhill masterfully expands from her typical work in this eclectic collection of eerie stories. Ranging from the tale of a widow's love affair with a Sasquatch to the life of a girl destined to be a revolutionary pirate; these stories are some of the most imaginative I've read. An extraordinary mix of fantasy, magical realism, science fiction and folk-inspired stories, this book would be a versatile gift.
-Kara
Joe Hill has written everything from novels to comic books, but he really hit the nail on the head with this collection of short stories. Ranging from supernatural to horror, each story is exquisitely crafted to be wholly different from the last. Some are shocking, some sad, and some sent shivers down my spine. This collection would be perfect for that person on your list who doesn’t mind getting a little spooked.
Anna
Sigrid Nunez, winner of the National Book Award (2018 ‘The Friend), is the perfect author to bring to life the small period of time during which Leonard and Virginia Woolf lived with the encroaching danger of Nazi Germany and hosted a marmoset named Mitz—first as a sickly guest, then as a constant companion to Leonard. I’m always curious about the private lives of famous authors and Leonard and Virginia Woolf are such an iconic writing couple. In the early 1900’s they were the ring leaders of the ‘Bloomsbury Group’ of writers and artists. They created their own publishing company: Hogarth Press and mentored young whippersnappers such as T.S. Eliot. This book, culled from diaries, biographies and autobiographies gives us a snapshot of a truly likable couple who maintain rigorous writing/editing schedules but make room for the niceties of Sussex, England circa 1930. This is the minutiae of the worst pet in the world (Mitz) and her fierce attachment to Leonard. Virginia’s acerbic asides are hilarious, weirdly intimate and endearing.
Collette
It's like Handmaid's Tale; except this time, women have all the power. A modern science fiction that is so perceptive and relevant, it is hard to distinguish from reality. It starts with an innocent playground fight, then escalates to a national emergency due to all the cases of injured men. Some of these altercations are involuntary; yet, once some women discover they have the power, they seek vengeance.
Beth
This book has stayed with me for years. Walls impeccably recounts the story of growing up with her unique, nomadic family. Jeanette’s mother was an artist who encouraged the four Walls children to be independent, so she could focus on painting. Her father was an exceptionally brilliant man who taught them about physics, philosophy and geology, but became reckless and abusive when drinking. Thus, the Walls family would run away from their problems, always hoping to build a better life in their self-designed Glass Castle. At its core, this is a heartbreaking story of family and resilience.
Kara