The Land and Its People

Best New Books: Week of 5/26/26

โ€œAs a child I assumed that when I reached adulthood, I would have grown-up thoughts.โ€ – David Sedaris, Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls

Behind Five Willows by June Hur

fiction / young adult / romance / historical fiction.

Book cover of 'Behind Five Willows' by June Hur featuring two characters in traditional attire, standing in a library surrounded by shelves filled with books.

As the dutiful second-eldest daughter of a poor family, society would have Haewon believe that her only hope of a decent life is to marry well. But during a time of rampant government censorship and book banning, she instead works as an illegal book transcriber to make a little extra money. Itโ€™s dangerous work, but she loves itโ€•especially when she gets to transcribe the work of her favorite author, known as Black Lotus.

When her older sister becomes smitten with a wealthy young gentleman, Haewon is roped into chaperoning them during their courtship. Which wouldnโ€™t be so terribleโ€ฆ if it werenโ€™t for the young manโ€™s uptight and annoying best friend who also accompanies them.

As the only son of a noble, Seojun has a lot expected of him. Wealth. Status. Respectability. Certainly not frivolous and often illicit activities such as reading fiction. But Seojun loves to do something even more scandalous: writing. Heโ€™s kept his work secret from his father and friends, but with each passing day, the pressure of being his fatherโ€™s son and the dispiriting actions of the government make Seojun question the purpose of it all. The only thing keeping him going are the encouraging letters he receives from his transcriber, known only as Magpie.

When his best friend falls hard for a girl of lower social status, Seojun finds himself forced to act as chaperone to the infatuated coupleโ€•along with the girl’s younger sister, who is as irritating as she is judgmental. But as Haewon and Seojun spend more time together, they begin to suspect they may have judged each other too quicklyโ€ฆ

“Warmly rendered characters navigate a unique and evocative setting, which echoes with sharp societal commentary as well as witty repartee thatโ€™s reminiscent of Pride and Prejudice.” – Publishers Weekly

“With high stakes and seamless prose, Haewon and Seojunโ€™s dual-POV narrative propels readers forward through their dislike-to-love journey. Despite the historically accurate restrictions on the charactersโ€™ ability to so much as brush hands, their romance is utterly swoony and heartstopping. Side charactersโ€”including both protagonistsโ€™ sisters, parents, and the bookish shopkeeper whose secret novel collection brings everyone togetherโ€”are vibrant and well rendered. An engaging, thoughtful Austen interpretation.” – Karis Rogerson, Booklist, STARRED REVIEW

“A secret book selling shop, a Pride and Prejudice inspired romance, and K-drama vibes sounded like perfection to me and Behind Five Willows was extremely satisfying. Any one of those elements would have sold me, but all three added up to a pure delight… Get it now.” – Crystal, Rich in Color

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Bone of My Bone by Johanna van Veen

fiction / horror / historical fiction / fantasy.

Book cover for 'Of My Bone' by Johanna Van Veen, featuring a skull adorned with decorative elements, set against a dark, dramatic background with red tones.

The year is 1635.

Sister Ursula, a young nun fleeing the ruins of her convent, and Elsebeth, a sharp-witted peasant, escape a band of marauding soldiers and disappear into the Bavarian forest. War scorches the land, and no one survives it alone. Amid the devastation, they find something in the arms of a dying man: the gilded skull of a saint.

It is said that if you reunite the saint’s skull with her body, a wish will be granted. Desperate for salvation, and each with secret desires of their own, Ursula and Elsebeth follow a ragged map across the blighted countryside. But darkness follows them. A necromancer, drawn to the relic’s power. The saint herself, whispering at night. And as the lines between blessing and curse blur, the women must face a harrowing truth: the magic they seek comes at a cost.

At the journey’s end, they’ll face an impossible choiceโ€•one that could tear apart everything they knowโ€ฆ or bind them to each other forever.

“[An] atmospheric, haunting folk horror…” – Kristin Skinner, Library Reads

“Van Veenโ€™s immersive prose makes pages fly by… A must-read for people who love stories as moving as they are horrific.” – Matthew Galloway, Booklist, STARRED REVIEW

Bone Of My Bone is one of the finest, most well-written debut novels Iโ€™ve ever read… fresh and visceral and engaging… absolutely masterful…” – Mylee J. Miller, SFF Insiders

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Bromantasy by Mรกire Roche

fiction / fantasy / romance / comedy.

Book cover for 'Bromantasy' by Mรกire Roche featuring two male characters on a horse in a whimsical landscape filled with flowers, animals, and fantasy elements.

Fellas, is it gay to kiss your bff while on a quest through the forest youโ€™re unqualified for?

Juniper O’Reilly is good at only two things: demolishing a pint of mead and finding the perfect skincare routine. Everything elseโ€”taking care of the farm, bartering for goods, any sort of manual laborโ€”falls to Juniperโ€™s best friend, the absurdly capable, endlessly patient Mo Elmthorn.

But when Juniper accidentally volunteers them both for a quest to kill a fearsome monster, he knows heโ€™s finally gotten in over his head. Juniper hates camping, he hates the dark, and thereโ€™s no way all these foraged mushrooms are going to sit well in his stomach. One thing he doesnโ€™t hate? How good Moโ€™s thighs look in his questing pantsโ€”he doesnโ€™t have time to think about that, though, with a monster to hunt and their futures on the line.

But monsters come in all shapes and sizes. When Juniper and Mo realize that the terrifying beast theyโ€™ve sworn to kill is just a scared little girl torn from her family, theyโ€™re off to find not only the true villain of the story, but maybe even a happy ending.

“A silly, entertaining, and fast-paced romp, this is a sharp send-up of fantasy tropes wrapped in a sweet queer love story with a heavy dose of millennial meme culture.” – Diana Platt, Booklist

โ€œโ€˜Two heroes. One brain cell.โ€™ Are you kidding me?? Not since โ€˜lesbian necromancers in spaceโ€™ has a cover quote gone so hard. Thatโ€™s a 3 Michelin star chefโ€™s kiss level blurb right there. And the text itself lives up to itโ€”a cozy, silly, adventure-packed fantasy, Bromantasy is the perfect antidote to everything terrible in the world right nowโ€ฆ How these two idiots manage to stay alive is a dang miracle, and an absolute laugh riot the whole way. Mรกire Rocheโ€™s queer romantasy is cheeky, clever, and cute as hell.โ€ – Christina Orlando, Reactor

โ€œRocheโ€™s delightful queer cozy fantasy is full of heart, humor, buried feelings, and found family. Hand to fans of TJ Klune and Travis Baldree.โ€ – Kristi Chadwick, Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW

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The Divorce by Freida McFadden

fiction / suspense / mystery.

Book cover of 'The Divorce' by Frieda McFadden, featuring a bride and groom figurine against a pink background with splashes of red.

What is a happily ever after really worth?

Naomi was living the quintessential love story. Boy meets girl. They fall in love, get married, buy a dream house, start a familyโ€ฆ

Thenโ€•he kicks her out, hires the city’s best divorce lawyers, drains their accounts, and takes up with a 20-something.

It’s a brutal end to the story. Naomi should accept defeat: move into a dingy apartment, get back into the workforce, and piece together the shattered remains of her life.

Except, why should she?

Instead, Naomi fixates on her husband’s new girlfriend. What begins as cynical curiosity soon twists into obsessionโ€•and then into something far darker. As Naomi uncovers secrets she never imagined, she realizes her own life may be in danger.

But if it keeps her perfect family intact, isn’t it worth it?

“Savvy McFadden readers will be bracing themselves for her trademark twists, which will leave them rapidly turning the pages to get to the thrilling conclusion. Another gripping entry for McFaddenโ€™s growing legion of admirers.” – Kristine Huntley, Booklist

“Dead bodies turn up in the first sentence of the prologue in McFaddenโ€™s latest domestic thriller. The mystery of who died is at the pulsating heart of this propulsive tale… Fans of stalker novels will cringe with delight as creepy things start to happen… There are three main characters, and any or all of them may be unreliable narrators. Packing the plot with dark, gasp-inducing twists, McFadden outdoes herself in a story about how highly emotional people engage in risky behavior to get what they wantโ€”but in this novel, for better or worse, not everyone will survive.” – Kirkus Reviews

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Dolly All the Time by Annabel Monaghan

fiction / romance.

Cover of the novel 'Dolly All the Time' by Annabel Monaghan, featuring a colorful illustration of two characters on a boat with ocean scenery.

If they start by pretending, can they end with something real?

Dolly Brick has never met a problem she couldnโ€™t solve. Not when her mom left when she was twelve, and not at thirty-nine when she moves with her son back to Whitfield, Rhode Island, for the summer to keep her dad and brother from losing the family home.

So when she comes across Stewart Whitfieldโ€”annoyingly handsome scion of the Whitfield familyโ€”with a flat tire and at the wrong end of a very public, very humiliating breakup, itโ€™s in her nature to help. But Stewartโ€™s proposed arrangement ends up being more than either of them bargained for, because as public dinners and high-society benefits turn into sunset boat rides and kisses that hit her bloodstream like a ghost pepper, Dolly starts to feel something more than helpful. Sheโ€™s never relied on anyone besides herselfโ€”can she really start now?

“A charming love story that absolutely radiates warmth.” – Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW

โ€œNo one writes funny, lovable women like Annabel Monaghan. Sheโ€™s the closest we have to a modern-day Nora Ephron. Her characters sparkle on the page and have such warmthโ€”what I strive for in all my books as well. Dolly sends us to a small seaside town with a single mom and the son of the townโ€™s fanciest family. I drank this book up like I do all of Annabelโ€™s books, the love story tender and funny.โ€ – Maurene Goo, Today

“Monaghanโ€™s sunny tale expertly balances the joy of falling in love with the realities of making difficult life decisions, dealing with anxieties, and managing stress. Throw this one in the beach bag.” – Publishers Weekly

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The Final Target by Nora Roberts

fiction / romance / suspense / mystery.

Book cover of 'The Final Target' by Nora Roberts featuring red roses set against a green background.

He showed up at Arden Bowieโ€™s debut author appearance with a copy of her novel and an eager smile. He showered her with compliments and got her autograph. Then he came to her next event. And the one after that.

Dustin was just an aspiring writer who wanted advice, Arden reassured herself. But after giving in to one of his incessant invitations and chatting with him over coffee, she discovered that ignoring her inner alarm bell had been a terrible mistakeโ€ฆ

An introvert at heart, Arden had long craved solitudeโ€•but now, after a harrowing assault, she finds herself hiding behind locked doors and startling at every sound. And her relief at his imprisonment is tempered by anxiety when Dustinโ€™s wealthy mother helps to get him a paltry five-year sentence at a psychiatric facility.

Arden decides to write a new story for herself, moving to a tiny Oregon town and befriending Gideon, an ex-LAPD detective. But while she learns to thrive, Dustin remains his delusional, twisted self, as fixated as ever and now seething with anger. He still believes Arden’s purpose on earth is to serve and please him. And his job is to protect her. But who will protect her from him?

“This romantic suspense is perfect for Robertsโ€™s many fans, as well as avid readers of Lisa Gardner and Freida McFadden.” – Linsey Milillo, Library Journal

“A particularly nasty villain heightens the stakes in this thriller about a woman learning how to be her own hero.” – Kirkus Reviews

“Roberts masterfully delivers another of her infectiously readable mixes of sinisterly startling suspense and chemistry-rich romance layered into a meticulously crafted plot and enhanced with a realistically relatable cast of family and friends.” – John Charles, Booklist

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A Fortune of Sand by Ruta Sepetys

fiction / historical fiction / mystery.

Cover of the novel 'A Fortune of Sand' by Ruta Sepetys, featuring an intricate design with blue and silver elements against a dark background.

Detroit, 1927. A city of smoke and ambition, where glittering wealth conceals a graveyard of secrets.

Marjorie Lennox is the youngest daughter of a powerful Detroit dynastyโ€”a family rich in money and poor in charm. Creative, reckless, and never quite what they wanted, Marjorie has spent her life overlooked by her controlling father and self-absorbed siblings. But when she secretly applies to an elite arts program backed by a mysterious patron, she grabs the chance to finally step out of her familyโ€™s shadow.

The building is grand.

The talent is extraordinary.

And something is deeply wrong.

The program is strict in ways that feel sinister. Doors lock at strange hours. Rumors spread about women going missing. And the handsome benefactor behind it all is as magnetic as he is unsettling. As Marjorie gets pulled deeper into his world, she must fight to discover the truth before she loses herself completely.

Set in the fading splendor of 1920s Detroit and inspired by real, long-buried events, A Fortune of Sand is a glittering, gothic page-turner about power, control, and the price women pay when they demand to be seen.

“Beloved YA author Sepetys steps into adult fiction and delves into the history of her native Detroit to create a richly detailed portrait of the glittering city and its dark underbelly. This will appeal to fans of Kate Atkinsonโ€™s Shrines of Gaiety and Jennifer Eganโ€™s Manhattan Beach.” – Lindsay Harmon, Booklist, STARRED REVIEW

“…utterly wild in the best way… A hugely entertaining novel about the glamour and darkness of Prohibition-era Detroit, led by a heroine who comes into her own with impressive style.” – Sarah Johnson, Historical Novel Society

“[The] book will satisfy readers looking to get lost in a period mystery full of sparkle, drama, a dash of romance, and one womanโ€™s quest to fight patriarchal forces in defense of her artistic freedom.” – Amy Lyons, Chapter 16

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Ghalen: A Romance in Black by Walter Mosley

fiction / romance.

Book cover of 'Ghalen: A Romance in Black' by Walter Mosley, featuring abstract shapes, vibrant colors, and silhouettes of people walking.

One of the most acclaimed writers working today, Walter Mosley spins magic once again in this beautiful novel that explores the lives of Black characters and one remarkable family through a lens both universal and unique. It touches on the lives of those whose deepest thoughts and motivations are seldom exploredโ€”including the neurodivergent, the incarcerated, and the immigrant tortured by their pastโ€”characters who will stay with you and change how you see the world.

Ghalen, a brilliant young Black man, is the son of two seemingly mismatched parents. His mother, a gifted scientist, whose own mother expected her to exceed all the achievements in her family, and his father, a gentle cook at a small vegan restaurant, whose idiosyncratic nature shows the young woman a radically different love and understanding of life, despite his inexperience and lack of education.

His parentsโ€™ grand love story starts it all off, setting us up to follow Ghalen and his family so deeply, that each new twist and turn feels personal.

The journey through Ghalenโ€™s coming-of-age tale, as he ventures out into the world, is marked with peaks and valleys and such a drive that you canโ€™t help but strap in for it all, while not wanting it to end.

Lush and cinematic, with the narrative drive and indelible power of Barbara Kingsolverโ€™s Demon Copperhead and Paul Murrayโ€™s The Bee Sting, Ghalen is one of this bestselling, prize-winning writerโ€™s finest achievements.

“A heartfelt and beautiful novel.” – Lesley Williams, Booklist, STARRED REVIEW

“Even in chaos, darkness, and hardship, this novel finds reasons to believe in the human spirit.” – Kirkus Reveiws, STARRED REVIEW

“Mosleyโ€™s relaxed pacing and rhythmic prose are deceptively simple. Readers will fall in love with this bighearted family saga.” – Publishers Weekly

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It Happened One Murder by Liz Lawson

fiction / mystery / romance / comedy.

Cover of the novel 'It Happened One Murder' by Liz Lawson, featuring a colorful illustration with a cake showing blood and a knife, and two characters: one sitting with a book and another wearing an apron.

Harriet Baker thought that when she left Logan Island, she was leaving for good. But after getting fired from her dream magazine job, she finds herself stuck back in the sleepy New Jersey beach town living with her eccentric mother and desperate to escape.

And her ticket out might beโ€ฆ murder?

When Harriet’s extravagant birthday party ends with a dead body, all fingers point to Sara Allbright, the troublesome sister of none other than Nic, Harriet’s short-lived fling from years ago that she’s been eager to forget. And the feeling is entirely mutual. But murder makes for a good story, and when Harriet is told that she can get her old job back if she writes an article uncovering what really happened the night of her party, she readily agrees. To write her piece, Harriet will need Nic’s full cooperation, and if Nic wants to clear his sister’s name, he’ll need Harriet’s investigative skills. But working together? That’s less than ideal.

As the two team up to find the real killer, they’ll discover the dark underbelly of their seemingly perfect hometown, uncover long buried feelings, and maybe, just maybe, realize that they might work well together after all.

“[A] delightful blend of romance and cozy mystery… fans of both genres will enjoy this ride.” – Susan Maguire, Booklist

“Lawson combines enemies-to-lovers second-chance romance, and a murder mystery in a fun novel that will engage both romance and cozy mystery readers.” – Lynnanne Pearson, Library Journal

“Lawson has a knack for mystery… she does an excellent job of putting in pieces of the puzzle for you to latch onto and work out… It Happened One Murder takes us on a twisty journey that is a lot of fun at the same time. It doesnโ€™t get too dark, making it the perfect summer murder mystery read… perfect for those who love the quirkiness and lightness of Only Murders in the Building.” – Alexandria Ingham, Parade

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The Land and Its People: Essays by David Sedaris โ˜…

nonfiction / essays / memoir / comedy.

Book cover of 'The Land and Its People' by David Sedaris, featuring a vintage black and white photo of a couple in a sandy beach setting, with a bold orange and black title design.

In The Land and Its People, Sedaris investigates what it means to be a traveler, a brother, a lifelong friend. Trying on the role of caretaker after his boyfriend Hughโ€™s hip-replacement surgery, he both succeeds and fails. He covers ground with his friend Dawn and challenges her to eat a truck tire. An ambivalent Duolingo bot becomes his unlikely confidante as he attempts to describe his family in a foreign language. Ever adding to his list of โ€œCountries I Have Been To,โ€ he rides a horse named Tequila in Guatemala, buys a bespoke priestโ€™s cassock in Vatican City, and goes on safari in Kenya without taking a single photo.

Time takes its toll: scrolling through his address book, he counts those he couldnโ€™t bear to outlive, and realizes how many are already gone. He is bitten by a dog and insulted by a wee train passenger. A woman on the street late at night either sexually harasses him or doesnโ€™t. Itโ€™s easy to agree with the lady waving a sign that reads, โ€œEnough Is Enough.โ€ And yet, life holds much to delight in: the massive testicles of a ram, a trip abroad with his sisters, a really excellent reptile video, a pair of well-made cotton underpants.

Throughout these essaysโ€”at once acerbic and tender, playful and profoundโ€”Sedaris shows how much there is to marvel at when you keep your head up and your eyes open, observing with warmth and curiosity our fascinating human species and the lands we inhabit.

“Sedaris remains a national treasure.” – Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW

โ€œ…dry, sharp, and delightfully observantโ€ฆ Itโ€™s already on my list of books I suspect Iโ€™ll read more than once.โ€ – Emily Daily, Garden & Gun

“In his thirteenth collection, Americaโ€™s reigning king of the bratty comic essay proves heโ€™s at the top of his game. Whether heโ€™s harassing the teenage Duolingo language bot or meeting the pope, Sedaris manages to sprinkle in the sort of uncannily accurate comparisons (Queen Elizabethโ€™s feet to hot dog buns) and cutting observations (a friendโ€™s home-made non-dairy ice cream tasting ‘like fallen leaves’โ€’) that remind us why we fell so hard for him in the first place. In classic Sedaris fashion, these essays will have you laughing with your head back, then go for the unprotected jugular with a sharp shard of wisdom, earnestness, or grace.” – Charley Burlock, Oprah Daily

“Throughout, Sedarisโ€™s wit and keen awareness of lifeโ€™s absurdities are on full display. These essays are among the best of his career.” – Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW

“What makes Sedaris so engaging as an essayist is his elevation of the commonplace to a state of exoticism. With his laconic delivery, Sedaris lures the reader into believing that the topic under discussion might be unremarkable, a you-and-me-in-this-together moment. But then, given Sedarisโ€™ worldview and world weariness, eventually a knotty twist or spicy dash is delivered with the realization that Sedarisโ€™ land is unparalleled, and its people are peerless.” – Carol Haggas, Booklist

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Marilyn and Her Books: The Literary Life of Marilyn Monroe by Gail Crowther

nonfiction / history / biography / books.

Cover of 'Marilyn and Her Books' by Gail Crowther, featuring a black and white image of a woman reading in a relaxed pose on a bed.

Far from the spotlights of the Hollywood film sets and the flashbulbs of the press, Marilyn Monroe was a great reader and lover of books. Her association with writers did not stop at reading their words on the page. She was, of course, briefly married to one of Americaโ€™s best-known playwrights, Arthur Miller, and met a number of other writers who moved in his literary world. But she also met authors independently of Miller, many of whom were fans of her films and keen to meet her.

Through her deep research, Gail Crowther delves into Marilynโ€™s personal book collection and recounts some of these meetings, like when she shared an apartment with Shelley Winters in West Hollywood, where they entertained Dylan Thomas and Christopher Isherwood for drinks (probably several drinks), after which Monroe arranged for Thomas to meet his childhood hero, Charlie Chaplin. Or when Life magazine arranged for Monroe to be interviewed by Dame Edith Sitwell at the Sunset Tower Hotel, and Sitwell was both charmed and blown away by Monroeโ€™s intelligence.

Marilyn And Her Books: The Literary Life of Marilyn Monroe charts the intellectual life of a screen legend, revealing how Monroe, who left high school before graduation, embarked on an impressive and progressive program of self-education, hungry for knowledge and devouring books as an active and engaged reader. Her personal library reflects this inquiring mind.

In 2026, for her centenary, this book showcases Marilyn Monroe the reader. Because, at the end of her life, it was not her jewels or her furs, shoes, or dresses that she cared about. It was her books.

“[An] enlightening study of a misunderstood icon.” – Publishers Weekly

“Episodes involving Dylan Thomas, Christopher Isherwood, Edith Sitwell, and more help illustrate the literary leanings of the blonde bombshell and make clear: Monroe might have been harder to read herself than anyone truly appreciated.” – Town & Country

“…it is the persistent skepticism about Monroeโ€™s intelligence that fascinates Crowther, and while trying to understand the ‘why’ of it all, she explores the nature of reading itself. Monroe read for the very reasons all readers do: to escape, to learn, to be entertained. In coming to know Monroe as an avid literature lover, Crowthersโ€™ readers will also gain insights into their own bookish lives.” – Carol Haggas, Booklist, STARRED REVIEW

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The Midnight Train by Matt Haig โ˜…

fiction / fantasy / romance.

Book cover of 'The Midnight Train' by Matt Haig featuring a silhouette of a train and a whimsical design with smoke and trees.

When your life flashes before your eyes, where would you stop?

No one can change the past, but the Midnight Train can take you there.
The chance to re-live the moments that meant most.
To see what kind of person you really were.

For Wilbur his best days were with Maggie, the love of his life. On his honeymoon in Venice.

Before he gave it all away.

He wishes he could go back and live differently. But to do so risks everything…

A magical, time-travelling love story, from the world of The Midnight Library.

“Matt Haig expands the magic realism universe of The Midnight Library with this equally compelling follow-up… a gentle, sweet-natured romantic fantasy thatโ€™s almost impossible not to lose yourself in.” – Apple Books Review

“…touching… [Haig] authentically evokes Wilburโ€™s fears and regrets over the course of a life marked by sacrifice. This will please the authorโ€™s fans.” – Publishers Weekly

“…heartwarming… [it] will have you think about much in your own life.” – Heather Caliendo, Book Club Chat

“…I realise I put myself at risk of sounding vacuous or easily impressed by someoneโ€™s profundity, when I say his fiction seems effortlessly insightful. I donโ€™t think Iโ€™m that gullible (or devoid of insight myself) but Haigโ€™s an author that seems to just plant phrases, sentences and paragraphs that give me pause… I enjoyed this. Obviously Haigโ€™s eloquence but also the reminders Wilburโ€™s regrets offer us. Iโ€™m not likely to make healthier choices or leave my way-too-stressful job as a result, but hopefully somethingโ€™s implanted into my brain as I make MY future choices.” – Debbish

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Ode to the Half-Broken by Suzanne Palmer

fiction / science fiction / fantasy.

Book cover for 'Ode to the Half-Broken' by Suzanne Palmer, featuring a colorful illustration of a futuristic alleyway with greenery and a robotic figure.

Thirty years ago the world nearly ended.

Be was there, but the old robot has since settled into a life of isolation in the abandoned New York Botanical Gardens, determined to forget their role in that cataclysmic conflict.

But then they wake up in a bathtub. And their leg is missing. And the only one to ask for help is a very chatty cyborg dog. Be may want to forget the world, but it seems the world hasnโ€™t forgotten them.

Forced out of solitude, Be embarks on a quest to reclaim their leg, accompanied by that talkative (read: smart-ass) dog and a human mechanic with nightmares of her own. Their motley crew soon discovers that recovery from the war is uneven and faltering, and Be begins to suspect a malicious hand trying to rekindle old conflicts. In order to stop them, Be needs to come to terms with both their own past and who they have become. Being left alone is no longer an option, and peace may be impossible.

A tale of resilience and hope, this is an ode to those struggling to become whole in a world half-broken.

“This lovely near-future foray from Hugo Award winner Palmer skillfully brings hope and humor to a complex postapocalyptic world… Palmerโ€™s vision for how society might reshape itself after massive conflict is inventive, but where the tale truly shines is its captivating characters and the ways in which theyโ€™re willing to work together. The result is a refreshing ray of hope in the darkness.” – Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW

“Readers will quickly get pulled into the setting, love the characters, and root for the good guys. Fans of dystopian sf will find something to enjoy in this book.” – Emily Whitmore, Booklist

“[It] will keep readers riveted… highly recommended for lovers of robot/mech/AI stories, as it combines the journey and perspective of Adrian Tchaikovskyโ€™s Service Model with the hybrid human/AI dystopia of Faith Hunterโ€™s Junkyard Cats and the interspecies cooperation of Annalee Newitzโ€™s Automatic Noodle. All the while, the story reaches for a brighter future, recalling Becky Chambersโ€™s A Psalm for the Wild-Built.” – Marlene Harris, Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW

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Phoebe Berman’s Gonna Lose It by Brooke Averick

fiction / romance / comedy.

Book cover of 'Phoebe Berman's Gonna Lose It' by Brooke Averick, featuring a pink background, playful typography, and illustrations of cherries.

Is it possible to find true love when going on a date makes you want to throw up?

Phoebe Berman fears the one thing she wants the most: love. Thanks to an extremely unfortunate first kiss attempt, crippling intimacy anxiety has plagued her since she was a teen.

Phoebe has so much going for her: a dream teaching job, a supportive and hilarious group of best friends, and all the romance novels a girl could want at her fingertipsโ€”but she canโ€™t help but beat herself up over the one thing she canโ€™t quite seem to figure out. Determined to change this, she drafts up the ultimate โ€œGuide to Losing My Virginityโ€ checklist with the hope of finally getting laid.

Suddenly, she goes from a relatively boring (basically non-existent) dating life to juggling three romantic prospects at once. Thereโ€™s the gorgeous new fourth grade teacher at her school, a former high school classmate that resurfaces through Words with Friends, and there will always be her roommate, who might just be the best friends-to-lovers situation of her dreams.

Phoebe Bermanโ€™s Gonna Lose It is a brutally honest and completely relatable story for anyone whoโ€™s ever felt stuck between coming of age and coming apart.

“An affirming novel catering to all the anxious romantics out there.” – Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW

โ€œ[Comedian Brooke] Averick is bringing her signature wit to a new format… The charming read is sure to be on every rom-com fanโ€™s TBR listโ€”and one of the most highly anticipated books of the spring.โ€ – Marie Claire

“Anxious, funny, and unexpectedly tender… the novel balances laugh-out-loud moments with honest portrayals of intimacy, anxiety, and self-doubt. Averick gives Phoebe a full inner life beyond romance, allowing her growth to feel earned. With sharp humor, surprising turns, and a deeply empathetic heroine, Phoebe Bermanโ€™s Gonna Lose It updates the spirit of classic rom-coms while centering vulnerability, mental health, and friendship.” – Brittney Cray, Booklist

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