“It’s a particular kind of pleasure, of intimacy, loving a book with someone.” – Lily King, Writers & Lovers
Every Spiral of Fate by Tahereh Mafi
fiction / young adult / fantasy / romance.
At long last, the wedding day has arrived.
The Jinn queen and the enigmatic ruler of Tulan are to be married in a magical, enchanted ceremony—but Cyrus, tethered by a blood oath to his bride-to-be, can find nothing to celebrate in this union. He’s falling ever more deeply in love with the one person oathbound to kill him.
Sworn to an ancient, unbreakable magic, Alizeh can only fulfill the prophecy to free her people by ensuring Cyrus dies by her own hand. And Cyrus is forced to await his end all while Prince Kamran inches closer, ready to take his place by Alizeh’s side.
The countdown to murder coils tensions ever tighter, but the historic wedding has already drawn deadly attention. To prepare for war and protect her people, Alizeh must finally discover her magic—and outrun the enemies trying to stop her.
Alizeh and Cyrus, along with Kamran and their friends from Ardunia, must flee on dragon-back to begin the perilous journey into the legendary mountains of Arya, where a firestorm of revelations, magical discoveries, and fresh allies awaits them. Every allegiance will be tested, every darkness uncovered, and when the shattering secrets of the Tulanian king are finally revealed…
Nothing, and no one, will be the same.
“Tahereh Mafi delivers another swirling romance in the Woven Kingdom series.” – B&N Reads
Fake Skating by Lynn Painter
fiction / young adult / romance.
Growing up, Dani couldn’t help but follow around the adorable son of her mom’s best friend. Funny, kind of nerdy, and a little soft, Alec was always down to hang with Dani when they were little. From play dates on the playground to sneaking into movie theaters, Dani and Alec were inseparable. Until Dani moved away. Alec promised they’d stay in touch—except, they didn’t.
Flash forward and Dani is back in Minnesota for her senior year, she and her mom living with her grandfather. Dealing with the fallout of her parents’ devastating divorce, Dani wouldn’t mind a nerd-out with the cozy and comforting Alec (and maybe a chance to confront him on his MIA status for all these years). But teenage Alec is nothing like the kid Dani remembers. He’s a hockey star in a town where hockey players are worshiped as gods. Dani’s place as his shadow has been taken up by drooling female fans… and he loves it.
Dani is resolved to ice out her former best friend until an unlikely series of events brings them together—and forces them to fake being a couple. Once forced together, the former childhood sweethearts begin to reconnect, unearth complicated family secrets, and face their true feelings towards each other… including the real reason Alec has been pushing Dani away all these years.
“Acclaimed rom-com author Painter’s latest has all her signature ingredients—sharp banter, swoony tension, and characters that feel real… In a story that’s sweet, realistic, and brimming with heart, Painter proves once again that she’s adept at making readers laugh, swoon, and feel seen.” – Aurora Dominquez, Booklist
“A compelling romance inhabited by complex and appealing characters.” – Kirkus Reviews
“In this breezy rom-com, Painter crafts a tangible feeling world in which the relationship stakes are never too high, and the white-cued characters’ chemistry is magnetic, ensuring a satisfying read for romance lovers.” – Publishers Weekly
The Future of Truth by Werner Herzog
nonfiction / essays / memoir / philosophy.
From legendary filmmaker and author Werner Herzog, a compact, effervescent, and deeply personal exploration of art, philosophy, and history that unravels one of our most elusive and contested questions: What is truth—and how to find it in our “post-truth” era?
For over half a century, Werner Herzog has challenged, enriched, and expanded our understanding of the truth. His films and books have mixed fiction and nonfiction, documentary and drama, reality and imagination. Invariably, Herzog goes beyond the appearance of what is true in search of a higher truth, or what he has often referred to as the “ecstatic truth.” In The Future of Truth, a great artist ventures an answer to one of humanity’s deepest, most eternal questions. At a moment when deepfake AI videos are proliferating, and most people have simply thrown up their hands in despair at the ubiquity of what we now know as fake news—not to mention the constant lying and propagandizing from certain public figures—Herzog seeks a remedy. Mixing memoir, history, politics, poetry, science, and fierce opinion, he writes with dazzling originality and panache, urging readers to be unflagging and imaginative in the pursuit of truth, endless though the quest may be:
I don’t think truth is some kind of polestar in the sky that we will one day get to. It’s more like an incessant striving. A movement, an uncertain journey, a seeking full of futile endeavor. But it is this journey into the unknown, into a vast twilit forest, that gives our lives meaning and purpose; it is what distinguishes us from the beasts in the fields.
“I can think of few artists whose musings on truth I’d rather have wash over me.” – Dan Sheehan, Literary Hub
“There’s no agenda here. Herzog isn’t trying to sell us a certain point of view or a certain definition of truth. Like his films, which frequently explore one notion of truth or another, the book asks us simply to consider familiar ideas, truths, and falsehoods from new angles and to see where we end up.” – David Pitt, Booklist
“Herzog is an erudite and elegant writer seeking to understand what he considers the simulacrum of truth… An intelligent and thoughtful reflection on the truth and how we got here.” – Sandra Collins, Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW
Heart the Lover by Lily King ★
fiction / romance.
You knew I’d write a book about you someday.
Our narrator understands good love stories—their secrets and subtext, their highs and free falls. But her greatest love story, the one she lived, never followed the simple rules.
In the fall of her senior year of college, she meets two star students from her 17th-Century Lit class: Sam and Yash. Best friends living off campus in the elegant house of a professor on sabbatical, the boys invite her into their intoxicating world of academic fervor, rapid-fire banter and raucous card games. They nickname her Jordan, and she quickly discovers the pleasures of friendship, love and her own intellectual ambition. But youthful passion is unpredictable, and soon she finds herself at the center of a charged and intricate triangle. As graduation comes and goes, choices made will alter these three lives forever.
Decades later, the vulnerable days of Jordan’s youth seem comfortably behind her. But when a surprise visit and unexpected news bring the past crashing into the present, she returns to a world she left behind and must confront the decisions and deceptions of her younger self.
Written with the superb wit and emotional sensitivity fans and critics of Lily King have come to adore, Heart the Lover is a deeply moving love story that celebrates literature, forgiveness, and the transformative bonds that shape our lives. Wise, unforgettable, and with a delightful connective thread to Writers & Lovers, this is King at her very best, affirming her as a masterful chronicler of the human experience and one of the finest novelists at work today.
“…in a scant 250 pages, this book both delighted me intellectually and affected me on a profound emotional plane… It’s the best love story I’ve read all year, and the day I finished reading it, I did something I have never done before: I put my copy into an envelope and sent it to my best friend, so that I’d have someone to talk to about it.” – Emily Temple, Literary Hub
“For its first half, Heart the Lover, the new novel by Lily King, is a wry, witty, exquisitely evocative campus tale, a fevered fiction of a youthful love triangle, and a reflection, like King’s 2020 Writers & Lovers, on the growth and development of a writer. By the end, it stands as one of the most emotionally devastating and soulfully wise novels I have ever read.” – Priscilla Gilman, Boston Globe
“Even I, who married my college sweetheart more than 40 happy years ago, read Lily King’s new novel about what might have been in a state of blubbery longing… Only Lily King could tell a story so steeped in sorrow and so filled with hope.” – Ron Charles, Washington Post
“King’s swoony story of love and literature, of paths taken and not taken, of the past selves we never truly leave behind, is quietly robust and nearly impossible to put down.” – Annie Bostrom, Booklist, STARRED REVIEW
How to Kill a Witch: The Patriachy’s Guide to Silencing Women by Zoe Venditozzi & Claire Mitchell
nonfiction / history / true crime.
Nothing brings people together like a common enemy, and witches were the greatest enemy of all.
Scotland, 1563: Crops failed. People starved. And the Devil’s influence was stronger than ever―at least, that’s what everyone believed. If you were a woman living in Scotland during this turbulent time, there was a very good chance that you, or someone you knew, would be tried as a witch.
During the chaos of the Reformation, violence against women was codified for the first time in the Witchcraft Act―a tool of theocratic control with one chilling goal: to root out witches and rid the land of evil. What followed was a dark and misogynistic chapter in history that fanned the flames of witch hunts across the globe, including in the United States and beyond.
In How to Kill a Witch, Zoe Venditozzi and Claire Mitchell, hosts of the popular Witches of Scotland podcast, unravel the grim yet absurdly bureaucratic process of identifying, accusing, trying, and executing women as witches. With sharp wit and keen feminist insight, they reveal the inner workings of a patriarchal system designed to weaponize fear and oppress women.
This captivating (and often infuriating) account, which weaves a rich tapestry of trial transcripts, witness accounts, and the documents that set the legal grounds for the witch hunts, exposes how this violent period of history mirrors today’s struggles for justice and equality. How to Kill a Witch is a powerful, darkly humorous reminder of the dangers of superstition, bias, and ignorance, and a warning to never forget the past… while raising the question of whether it could ever happen again.
“[A] lively tribute to the past’s persecuted women and ‘quarrelsome dames.’” – Publishers Weekly
“Venditozzi and Mitchell’s conversational tone and cheeky footnotes bring a bit of levity to counterbalance otherwise horrifying subject matter. An exploration of accusations and misogyny that shows the importance of remembrance.” – Rebekah Kati, Booklist
“Impassioned and authoritative, this searing analysis of the sixteenth-century Scottish witch trials explores why the Patriarchy went to such extraordinary lengths to silence women.” – Waterstones
The Impossible Fortune by Richard Osman ★
fiction / mystery.
It’s been a quiet year for the Thursday Murder Club. Joyce is busy with table plans and first dances. Elizabeth is grieving. Ron is dealing with family troubles, and Ibrahim is still providing therapy to his favorite criminal.
But when Elizabeth meets Nick, a wedding guest asking for her help, she finds the thrill of the chase is ignited once again. And when Nick disappears without a trace, his cagey business partner becomes the gang’s next stop. It seems the duo have something valuable—something worth killing for.
Joyce’s daughter, Joanna, jumps into the fray to help the gang as they seek answers: Has someone kidnapped Nick? And what’s this uncrackable code they keep hearing about? Plunged back into action once more, can the four friends solve the puzzle and a murder in time?
“It’s as delightful as ever—if you loved the first four, you will definitely want to read this one.” – Town & Country
“The Thursday Murder Club is back and better than ever… If you’re coming to the series from the Netflix movie, start at the top. If you’ve read the others, this is a high point.” – Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW
“Osman excels at tying all the disparate stories together in a satisfying way that allows a lot of love to be shared. A worthy fifth addition to a popular series.” – Ilene Cooper, Booklist, STARRED REVIEW
“The crime, though ingeniously plotted, with many red herrings, is not the main attraction. It’s the growing love and respect among the Thursdays and their kith and kin, including a few criminals and cops, that is the biggest draw. All is done with warmth and humor that will satisfy fans of Osman’s fantastic foursome and their sidekicks.” – Liz French, Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW
The Mad Wife by Meagan Church
fiction / historical fiction / suspense.
They called it hysteria. She called it survival.
Lulu Mayfield has spent the last five years molding herself into the perfect 1950s housewife. Despite the tragic memories that haunt her and the weight of exhausting expectations, she keeps her husband happy, her household running, and her gelatin salads the talk of the neighborhood. But after she gives birth to her second child, Lulu’s carefully crafted life begins to unravel.
When a new neighbor, Bitsy, moves in, Lulu suspects that something darker lurks behind the woman’s constant smile. As her fixation on Bitsy deepens, Lulu is drawn into a web of unsettling truths that threaten to expose the cracks in her own life. The more she uncovers about Bitsy, the more she questions everything she thought she knew―and soon, others begin questioning her sanity. But is Lulu truly losing her mind? Or is she on the verge of discovering a reality too terrifying to accept?
In the vein of The Bell Jar and The Hours, The Mad Wife weaves domestic drama with psychological suspense, so poignant and immersive, you won’t want to put it down.
“In a gripping novel that’s both emotionally compelling and suspenseful, Church keeps readers guessing about just how reliable Lulu is as a narrator while also exploring her loved ones’ and doctors’ woefully misguided responses to her deep pain.” – Mara Bandy Fass, Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW
“[An] original book that perfectly blends mystery, thriller, and historical fiction elements. This book kept me on my toes.” – Moms That Read
Matisse at War: Art and Resistance in Nazi Occupied France by Christopher C. Gorham
nonfiction / history / art.
In 1940, with the Nazis sweeping through France, Henri Matisse found himself at a personal and artistic crossroads. His 42-year marriage had ended, he was gravely ill, and after decades at the forefront of modern art, he was beset by doubt. As scores of famous figures escaped the country, Matisse took refuge in Nice, with his companion, Lydia Delectorskaya. By defiantly remaining, Matisse was a source of inspiration for his nation.
While enemy agents and Resistance fighters played cat-and-mouse in the alleyways of Nice, Matisse’s son, Jean, engaged in sabotage efforts with the Allies. In Paris, under the swastika, Matisse’s estranged wife, Amélie, worked for the Communist underground. His beloved daughter, Marguerite, active in the French Resistance, was arrested and tortured by the Gestapo, sentenced to Ravensbruck concentration camp—and miraculously escaped when her train was halted by Allied bombs. His younger, son, Pierre helped Jewish artists escape to New York; even his teenaged grandson risked his life by defying the Germans and their Vichy collaborators.
Amidst this chaos, Matisse responded to the dark days of war by inventing a dazzling new paper technique that led to some of his most iconic pieces, including The Fall of Icarus, his profile of Charles De Gaulle, Monsieur Loyal, and his groundbreaking cut-out book, Jazz. His wartime works were acts of resistance, subtly patriotic and daringly new.
Drawing on intimate letters and a multitude of other sources, Christopher C. Gorham illuminates this momentous stage of Matisse’s life as never before, revealing an artist on a journey of reinvention, wrenching meaning from the suffering of war, and holding up the light of human imagination against the torch of fascism to create some of the most exciting work of his career, of the 20th century, and in the history of art.
“[A] gripping story… excellent… A stirring tale as much for history buffs as for art lovers.” – Kirkus Reviews
“Art and history buffs will find Gorham’s well-researched book an engaging and informative read.” – Donna Marie Smith, Library Journal
“[This] portrait of an artist in flux, a country at a turning point and a family united in defiance makes for a gripping read.” – Andi Zeisler, Salon
The Mean Ones by Tatiana Schlote-Bonne
fiction / horror / suspense / mystery.
So what if Sadie hears talking dead animals and a strange, comforting male voice in her head? The therapist insists these are just symptoms of PTSD. It makes sense considering that she hid under the bed and watched as her best friends were slaughtered.
But the murders were seventeen years ago, back when her name was Sabrina. Now, she’s Sadie: a perfectly normal 29-year-old. She works as a physical therapist assistant and lifts weights with her boyfriend, Lucas, who’s the sweetest, most considerate man—as long as he’s not angry. But when Lucas spontaneously agrees to join a couples trip to a cabin in the woods, the visions get worse, a strange figure stalks her during the night, and that male voice in Sadie’s head keeps calling, asking her to do things she’s never fathomed.
Sadie’s not sure if it’s her paranoia or something else entirely… But she is sure of one thing—this time, she’s not going to sit idly by as everything starts to unravel.
“[A] new horror novel that will give you serious Midsommar vibes.” – Emily Martin, Book Riot
“…startling… Thrumming with the merciless energy of childhood betrayals and desperate desires, the short chapters rush between Sadie’s traumatic past and her uncertain present… Supernatural vengeance is visited upon those who chose to be cruel in the shocking, darkly gratifying horror novel The Mean Ones.” – Michelle Anne Schingler, Foreword Reviews
“This was a hell of a trip that I couldn’t stop reading until it was over… A perfect read for late summer into Halloween!” – Alicia, Left Bank Books
A Philosophy of Thieves by Fran Wilde
fiction / fantasy / science fiction.
The Canarviers are the premier performance thieves in New Washington, blending astonishing acrobatics, clever misdirection, and daring escapes to entertain their rich patrons. As King Canarvier has always told his children, their work is art. Who else could titillate audiences with illicit history lessons and tease them through the gaps in their much-prized security?
Now that they’re adults, King’s children feel their divisions more than their bonds. Roosa attends an exclusive finishing university, blending in so well she’s unsure where she belongs. Her brother Dax craves a chance to prove himself, stifling under his father’s caution.
Then King disappears.
With only days to buy mercy before their father is lost forever, Roo and Dax must compete in a high-stakes Grand Heist, pushing down their resentments to work together. Against a technocrat wagering more than he can lose, a security chief with a taste for pain, and a society beauty with secrets of her own, any misstep promises catastrophic ruin.
But Canarviers are artists. And they perform best when the pressure is on…
“Buckle up for a cyberpunk Great Gatsby, anchored by a thrilling heist.” – Kirkus Reviews
“In this entertaining romp, Wilde pivots from caper novel to a lost-princess tale before wrapping up with Succession-level family business scheming… Wilde adroitly delineates the conflict between the haves and the have-nots and paints an eerie portrait of a postapocalyptic world made up of sea-walled enclaves surrounded by salty wasteland. As with any good soap opera, expect long-missing characters to turn up. It’s good fun.” – Publishers Weekly
“Wilde’s worldbuilding goes far beyond geography… deliciously done and recommended to all and sundry… Is there a sequel in the works? If so, I’d read it.” – Paul Weimer, Nerds of a Feather, Flock Together
Somebody Is Walking On Your Grave: My Cemetery Journeys by Mariana Enriquez; translated by Megan McDowell
nonfiction / essays / memoir / travel / horror.
Cemeteries have great stories and sometimes I steal some for my books.
Mariana Enriquez—called by The New York Times a “sorceress of horror”—has been fascinated by the haunting beauty of cemeteries since she was a teenager. She has visited them frequently, a goth flaneur taking notes on her aesthetic obsession as she walks among the headstones, “where dying seems much more interesting than being alive.”
But when the body of a friend’s mother who was disappeared during Argentina’s military dictatorship was found in a common grave, Enriquez began to examine more deeply the complex meanings of cemeteries and where our bodies come to rest.
In this rich book of essays—“excursions through death,” she calls them—Enriquez travels through North and South America, Europe and Australia, visiting Paris’s catacombs, Prague’s Old Jewish Cemetery, New Orleans’s aboveground mausoleums, Buenos Aires’s opulent Recoleta, and more. Enriquez investigates each cemetery’s history and architecture, its saints and ghosts, its caretakers and visitors, and, of course, its dead.
Weaving personal stories with reportage, interviews, myths, hauntology, and more, Somebody Is Walking on Your Grave is memoir channeled through Enriquez’s passion for cemeteries, revealing as much about her own life and unique sensibility as the graveyards and tombstones she tours. Fascinating, spooky, and unlike anything else, Enriquez’s first work of nonfiction, translated by the award-winning Megan McDowell, is as original and memorable as the stories and novels for which she’s become so beloved and admired.
“…fascinating… Enriquez hides a celebration of life in a book about death that will enliven every collection.” – Sara Martínez, Booklist, STARRED REVIEW
“Providing tantalizing insights into her inspirations and sensibilities, the Argentine queen of horror’s first work of nonfiction is a quirky, passionate memoir of over two decades’ worth of travel to more than 20 of the world’s most interesting cemeteries. Enriquez’s luminous prose (translated by McDowell) and innate curiosity about cemetery folklore, histories and final resting places of the famous and obscure could make thanatophiles of us all.” – Paula L. Woods, Los Angeles Times
“Just in time for spooky season, Mariana Enriquez is here with her first piece of translated non-fiction: a walk through graveyards and cemeteries around the world. I absolutely adore Enriquez (Our Share of Night was my favorite novel of 2023, terrifying and heartbreaking in equal measure) and I cannot think of a better guide through not exactly the realm of the beyond—but rather, the all-too-real spaces where we, the living, must confront the inevitability of ‘that undiscovered country from whose bourn no traveler returns.’” – Drew Broussard, Literary Hub
Truly by Lionel Richie
nonfiction / memoir / music.
As a storyteller second to none, Lionel Richie is ready to tell it all. In this intimate, deeply candid memoir, Lionel revisits hilarious and harrowing events to inspire all who doubt themselves or feel their dreams don’t matter. Lionel chronicles lessons learned during his unlikely story of remarkable success—his dramatic transformation from painfully shy, “tragically” late bloomer to world-class entertainer and composer of love songs that have played as the soundtrack of our lives.
Funny, warm, and riveting, Lionel recalls his childhood in Tuskegee, Alabama, where he grew up on its university campus during the heyday of the Civil Rights movement, raucous adventures as a member of The Commodores, coming-of-age in late 1960s Harlem, culture shock playing gigs on the French Riviera, the big break of being signed to Motown, his meteoric solo career that included an Olympics performance witnessed by two billion around the globe, all the way through to writing and recording “We Are the World” and his current multi-generational fame as a judge on American Idol. Even with its turbulence, loss, and near-calamity, Lionel’s journey takes us on a thrill ride and delivers a memoir for the ages—reminding us of the power of love to elevate our own lives and our world.
“There’s an abundance of love and gratitude in this wildly entertaining, utterly charming memoir.” – Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW
“The complete story of Lionel Richie, told by the man himself, with the signature charm that makes him such a treasure. This is a comprehensive look at the human behind the cultural icon.” – B&N Reads
“…vulnerable and powerful… Truly isn’t a sad book, but it is a candid one. And Richie is refreshingly frank on the subject of race… Even for a reader who has never gone multiplatinum, embraced Nelson Mandela or performed in front of two billion people at the Olympics, these passages are, in many ways, relatable.” – Elisabeth Egan, New York Times
What Stalks the Deep by T. Kingfisher
fiction / horror / fantasy.
Alex Easton does not want to visit America.
They particularly do not want to visit an abandoned coal mine in West Virginia with a reputation for being haunted.
But when their old friend Dr. Denton summons them to help find his lost cousin―who went missing in that very mine―well, sometimes a sworn soldier has to do what a sworn soldier has to do…
“Gothic horror at its finest…” – B&N Reads
“…truly claustrophobic… blends gothic atmosphere with witty banter, giving us a tale that is just as eerie as it is humane.” – Justin Soderberg, Capes & Tights
“T. Kingfisher’s What Stalks the Deep delivers spine-chillingly glorious suspense, subtle body politics, and delightful humor that you should grab and clutch to your bosom right now.” – Make Kay, Fresh Fiction
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