“Never be so focused on what you’re looking for that you overlook the thing you actually find.” – Ann Patchett, State of Wonder
Checkmate: Genius, Lies, Ambition, and the Biggest Scandal in Chess by Ben Mezrich
nonfiction / history / sports.
In September 2022, the unthinkable happened: nineteen-year-old American chess prodigy Hans Niemann defeated world champion Magnus Carlsen in a stunning face-to-face match. Within days, Carlsen accused Niemann of cheating—a bombshell allegation that rocked the chess world. As the scandal spiraled, Chess.com—the dominant force in online chess—launched a high-stakes investigation igniting a global media firestorm.
But Checkmate is about more than a cheating scandal. It’s the story of a teenager willing to risk everything to rise to the top; a reclusive genius suddenly fighting to protect his legacy; and a centuries-old game transforming into a billion-dollar industry fueled by streaming, sponsorships, and Silicon Valley power players.
With exclusive access to the central figures, Ben Mezrich takes readers deep inside the weird, wild, and cutthroat world of competitive chess—where genius meets ambition, and every move could be your last.
“…gripping… an epic, swirling melodrama of hubris, money, and tech.” – Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW
“Mezrich’s fast-paced, riveting style makes the text speed by like a book form of the Fast & Furious movies.” – Brett Rohlwing, Library Journal
“Mezrich pieces together interviews and extensive research with cinematic flair to create an enticing and entertaining story of burgeoning egos fighting for supremacy and legitimacy in a game that has fascinated players and enthusiasts for over 1,500 years.” – Craig Clark, Booklist
The Children by Melissa Albert ★
fiction / fantasy / horror / mystery / suspense.
Guinevere Sharpe has two childhoods.
In one, she and her brother, Ennis, live in the wooded shadow of their family’s isolated Vermont farmhouse; in the other, the pages of their mother’s world-famous Ninth City books, where their magical adventures have made them household names. In reality, Guinevere’s childhood isn’t the enchanted idyll her mother’s readers imagine: she and Ennis are growing up near-feral, unwashed and underfed, escaping each day to the wild woods they’ve made their playland. As Edith Sharpe’s books explode into epic popularity, the threats of a rural childhood give way to the escalating perils of fame—until the night it all goes up in flames, leaving Edith’s series unfinished and her children the sole survivors.
Now an adult coasting on her mother’s name, Guinevere is mid-promotion for a ghostwritten memoir when her estranged brother, an artist who has until now spurned his family’s legacy, announces an upcoming installation titled, simply, Mother. As rumors swirl around a death connected to his last show, unsettling recollections from Guinevere’s childhood begin to surface. Her public facade starts to crack, forcing her to confront the questions she’s spent the last twenty years running from: What really happened the night of the fire? And what dark history lies behind their mother’s fantasy world?
The Children is wise to the mythic weight childhood memories gather over time, and the way our most beloved stories grow up with us. It’s for anyone who’s ever revisited an old favorite and found its pages cast in a darker light, the line separating magic from reality blurring as we discover the books that once comforted us carry shadows of their own.
“If you are the kind of person who grew up reading late into the night, flashlight under the covers, wishing that the worlds in your books were real, you are very likely to fall under the spell of The Children…” – Emily Temple, Literary Hub
“This sensuously written adult debut by a bestselling YA author layers gothic horror over a taught family drama that forces us to confront the line between artistic inspiration and human exploitation.” – Charley Burlock, Oprah Daily
“Alternating between the otherworldliness of a gothic children’s story and a deceptively mundane narrative, Albert expertly weaves two timelines into a thoroughly creepy tale that teases like a cold breath on the back of your neck.” – Heather Herbaugh, The Indie Next List
“[A] novel that explores grief, legacy, and the complicated inheritance of art, asking what it means to belong to a story that has shaped countless lives. Using glimpses of the past intermingled with the present-day narrative, Albert, in her adult debut, creates a haunting, dream-like story that pulls readers through open doorways and past dark rooms into the glittering Ninth City. For fans of Alix E. Harrow, Erin Morgenstern, and Naomi Novik.” – Raychel Bennet, Booklist, STARRED REVIEW
The Disaster Gay Detective Agency by Lev A.C. Rosen
fiction / mystery / comedy.
Brandon is a hopeless romantic. So when a handsome stranger named Jon checks in at the hotel he works at and invites Brandon to his room, Brandon ignores the advice of his crew―a group of loveable and messy queer twenty-somethings―and accepts. What follows is a tale as old as time: they hook up, Jon promises to text, Brandon falls in love, and Jon ghosts. Case closed―or is it?
When Jon checks out early, leaving behind a bag of belongings and his cellphone, Brandon takes the phone and sets out to find him, thinking that this must at last be his Cinderella story.
But he gets more than he bargained for when he witnesses a murder―and sees Jon fleeing the scene.
Determined (and not in over their heads whatsoever), Brandon, Ollie, Nicole, and Ian decide to solve the mystery of the murder and uncover Jon’s true identity…they just have to figure it out before a target falls on their own backs.
“Rosen’s characters are always believably flawed but still endearing and fun, and we get them in all their glory in this satisfyingly zany caper. The shifting viewpoints keep the tension high, making it hard to know how reliable any of the narrators are.” – Julie Schultz, The Indie Next List
“[A] light hearted wild goose chase with spying dog walkers, tattooed assassins, and a lovelorn desk clerk certain that his one night stand was anything but.” – Kimberly McGee, Library Reads
“Rosen brings heaps of playful energy to his leads’ dynamics… readers seeking relatable queer characters first and mystery second will love Rosen’s cast of bumbling young adults trying their best to support one another. It’s a charmer.” – Publishers Weekly
Down with the Shipmans by Meg Mitchell Moore
fiction.
It’s the week after Fourth of July, and the Shipman sisters are returning to their picturesque summer home on the New Hampshire coast for what they believe is a family reunion, the first without their late mother. However, their tranquil setting quickly becomes a stage for drama when their father, Calvin, drops the bombshell news that he plans to sell the cherished beach house.
Mae, the youngest daughter, who has a newfound penchant for attracting trouble, is distraught, already dealing with her own emotional scars and a problematic rescue dog. Natalie, the middle sister and social media darling known for her seemingly idyllic life as a tradwife, is equally anxious, especially since her flawless public image is on the verge of imploding. Meanwhile, Jordan, the eldest, a high-powered crisis communications expert, is ready to be rid of the house so she can tend to her own professional disaster.
As old memories are stirred up and the sisters navigate both the packing of the house and their personal crises, the arrival of Calvin’s new wife pushes Jordan, Natalie, and Mae to decide how far they’re willing to go to preserve the Shipman bond.
“Family drama is front and center in this beach read set in a glorious summer home on the New Hampshire coast… Beachy and beautifully written, you’ll laugh, cry, and root for these characters.” – Kristyn Kusek Lewis, Real Simple
“With sharp, honest dialog and a beach-read pace that belies its emotional rigor, the novel thoughtfully insists belonging is complicated, exhausting, and indispensable.” – Alicia Rogers, Library Journal
“Alternating between the perspectives of each of the the Shipman girls, Moore’s novel presents a nuanced, dryly funny look at sisterhood and grief in a humbly aspirational setting.” – Susan Maguire, Booklist
Father Material by Alexis Hall
fiction / romance / comedy.
Luc and Oliver have been through it all: fake dating to save Luc’s career, I-guess-this-is-actually-for-real dating when all of that blew up spectacularly, (briefly) breaking up over irreconcilable differences, (definitively) getting back together over perfectly reconcilable everything else, (almost) getting married, (finally) moving in together, and ultimately celebrating years of perfect domestic bliss.
But as all their very grown-up-now friends begin reaching new life milestones, advancing careers and having babies, Luc and Oliver decide it’s time to open their hearts and lives to something new: a tiny, squirming, adorable bundle of furry joy named Spud.
And maybe now that hearts-and-lives are already open, there’s room for someone else. Something more. Something that may require them to find in themselves a little father material.
“[A] love story that shows how friendships evolve and change as we grow older and face new life challenges. Luc tells the story in his own endearing, witty, and self-deprecating way in this rom-com with special appeal for Anglophiles.” – C.L. Quillen, Booklist
The Heirs by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
fiction / young adult / mystery / suspense.
Five prodigies, one dead father, a mansion full of suspects…
Octavius the Maestro.
Fola the Brain.
Bilal the Olympian.
Perdita the Artist.
Romeo the Failure.
These are the five heirs of the illustrious billionaire Leontes Button. Adopted and viciously trained with their father’s infamous “Button Method” to prove his hypothesis for creating prodigies―child geniuses―the Button siblings have had no choice but to be brilliant according to their father’s impossibly high standards.
Until he is murdered at his annual Prodigy Ball.
Now, all who attended the ball are required to stay in the Button Manor while the police investigate. But the officers have their work cut out for them―each of the Button siblings has something to hide, but The Heirs aren’t the only ones with secrets. After all, Leontes Button was especially good at making enemies…
“Àbíké-Íyímídé delivers a gripping, emotional, slow-burn family drama that is also a masterful mystery… fans of The Inheritance Games, The Umbrella Academy, or Knives Out should revel in this exhilarating mystery held in the halls of wealth and prestige.” – Natasha Harris, Shelf Awareness
“The author truly delivers on the intrigue, mystery, and drama in this well-written and highly engaging story, all while sharing a poignant message on the effects of extreme parental pressure… a solid choice for fans of the genre, especially for those who loved Karen McManus’s One of Us Is Lying or Jennifer Lynn Barnes’s The Inheritance Games.” – Jennifer Taylor, School Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW
“Employing an interesting mix of perspectives and a timeline that cleverly reframes key moments while tipping expectations on their heads, this presents a roller coaster examining nature versus nurture, wealth, and what it means to be siblings.” – Abby Hargreaves, Booklist
The Kennedys and the Windsors: The Story of Two Dynasties, One Born, One Made by Caroline Hallemann
nonfiction / history / biography / politics.
For nearly a century, two families an ocean apart have captured the world’s collective imagination: the British Windsors and the American Kennedys. Much ink has been spilled on their individual trysts, tragedies, and triumphs over the years, but no one has examined their powerful and intertwined legacies. Until now.
In The Kennedys and the Windsors, acclaimed journalist Caroline Hallemann unearths the story of two iconic families whose lives, ambitions, and respective reigns have mirrored each other in surprising ways. Through rich archival research and fresh interviews from insiders on both sides of the Atlantic, Hallemann reveals how an upstart Irish Catholic family with little access into elite New England society came to host dinner parties for a King and Queen, and forge an eventual path to the White House. In the process, she draws out some startling parallels between the two families: the style icons Princess Diana and Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy (both tragically gone too soon), the frustrated “second sisters” Princess Margaret and Lee Radziwill, the scandal-plagued next generation of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the man formerly known as Prince Andrew, and the current generation’s shared struggle to figure out what a monarchy (actual or imagined) means in the twenty-first century.
From Queen Elizabeth’s coronation to President Kennedy’s historic London visit, from JFK Jr.’s shocking death to Prince Harry’s decisive break with his family, Hallemann traces the key moments in the lives of these two dynasties through a fresh and fascinating lens, showing how they have intersected over the generations in ways that not only shaped their images and legacies, but history itself.
“Culture observer Halleman does a masterful job of weaving [these] discrete stories into a unified historical tapestry.” – Carol Haggas, Booklist, STARRED REVIEW
“…fantastic… [Hallemann] connects and uncovers juicy new details and stories about these two historic families. I highly recommend it to all history lovers and those interested in the monarchy or America’s royal family alike!” – Maggie Maloney, Oprah Daily
“Hallemann’s deeply researched and engaging debut book intertwines the histories of the iconic Kennedy and Windsor dynasties and captivates with its literary quality… Her writing is lively, accessible, and sharp, melding scholarly insight with storytelling flair and sidestepping dry jargon to draw in historians, history buffs, and casual readers alike.” – Lawrence Mello, Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW
Land by Maggie O’Farrell ★
fiction / historical fiction.
On a windswept peninsula stretching out into the Atlantic, Tomás and his reluctant son, Liam, are working for the great Ordnance Survey project to map the whole of Ireland. The year is 1865, and in a country not long since ravaged and emptied by the Great Hunger, the task is not an easy one. Tomás, however, is determined that his maps will be a record of the disaster.
The British soldiers in charge are due to arrive any day, expecting the work to be completed, but Tomás is unexpectedly sent off course by an unsettling encounter in a copse. His life, and the lives of those of his family, will never be the same again. Liam is terrified by the sudden change in his taciturn father. What was it that caused such cracks to open in Tomás, and how is Liam, aged only ten, going to finish the mapping and get them both home?
Land is a novel about separation and reunion, tragedy and recovery, colonization and rebellion. It is a story of buried treasure, overlapping lives, ancient woodland, persistent ghosts, a particularly loyal dog, and how, when it comes to both land and history, nothing ever goes away. As spellbinding and varied as the landscape that inspired it, Land is, above all, a story of survival, for our times and for all time.
“[A] soaring, visionary narrative that connects the known world to the misty realms of Celtic legend.” – Anna Mundow, Wall Street Journal
“[A] stunning and gorgeous epic.” – Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW
“…transfixing… [a] wonderfully expansive yet intimate saga… As relayed through beautiful passages about nature, the land abides as its occupants change, and the descriptions of music and its emotional impact soar. Readers will gain a whole new perspective on mapmaking with ‘“’its peculiar mix of science and storytelling, mathematics and artistry.’” – Sarah Johnson, Booklist, STARRED REVIEW
“Through its characters, the book stages an argument about the virtues of various types of maps—those that are measured, those that are recollected, those that are dreamed. Some of these approaches require meticulous scholarship and technical proficiency; others, an attunement to the invisible realms of feeling and folklore. The characters’ distinct perspectives overlap to build the world that is the novel. All are useful, all are partial, and none reverse the country’s losses. Rather, the facts ground the fiction, the fiction enlivens the facts, and both work together to suggest that the pursuit of resurrecting the past and the pursuit of telling a good story can, in some cases, be one and the same.” – Katy Waldman, The New Yorker
The Last Time We Drowned by Saratoga Schaefer
fiction / suspense / mystery.
Charlie Engels is broke and desperate when her bookstagram account lands her the offer of a lifetime: join Empress, a state-of-the-art yacht houseboat off the Florida Keys turned influencer paradise. Lucrative brand deals and a ready-made “sisterhood” of internet stars―it may not be Charlie’s dream job, but she knows she’d be a fool to turn it down.
It’s also the perfect distraction; Charlie’s eager to outrun her past and a staggering betrayal by her former best friend. Now, aboard Empress, Charlie is surrounded by dazzling women with their own baggage: the magnetic but ruthless leader, the spiraling fashion queen, the inseparable twins, the peacemaker with cracks in her confidence, and the memory of the influencer who Charlie is replacing. The same influencer who Charlie keeps seeing on board, even though the others insist she quit.
But when a hurricane traps the group at sea with their billionaire boss, the dream turns claustrophobic. Communications cut. Supplies dwindling. Old betrayals bubbling to the surface. Then the first body drops.
As paranoia mounts and alliances splinter, Charlie realizes the real danger isn’t the storm outside―it’s the deadly games being played below deck. And if she can’t outwit a killer, her past won’t be the only ghost that comes back to drown her.
“[A] must-read… unique and gripping… Schaefer took chances, made satisfying decisions, and crafted a story that sets itself apart from the crowd.” – Justin Soderberg, Capes & Tights
“[An] addictive, page-turning thriller with snappy dialogue, biting prose, a deeply felt sense of place, and an incredibly complicated, flawed protagonist with a big heart.” – Lily Hunter, Booklist
“Their debut thriller, Serial Killer Support Group, kept us on the edge of our seats… [Now] they dial it all the way up in a way that will leave you breathless… an incredible, one-of-a-kind psychological thriller that you won’t be able to put down until the very last page.” – Tamara Fuentes, Cosmopolitan
Meeting New People by Daniel M. Lavery
fiction.
Fiftysomething, twice-divorced Barbara is at a crossroads. In the midst of her emotional uncertainty, she looks back on the dissolution of the nine best friendships of her life, in hopes of figuring out how to optimize finding her tenth, and hopefully last, best friend. Barbara is acerbic, opinionated, and wrong about many things, but she also doesn’t shy away when she’s at fault. The turning point of her predicament comes from Barbara’s choice, in friends, between (too-young) Caitlyn and the (unsuitable) Other Barbara. Will she repeat the exciting mistakes of the past, or will she try a new kind of mistake for a change? She feels like an out-of-season Scrooge who is unexpectedly, and all at once, surprised and entirely transformed by the possibility of joy.
For readers who loved Bobby Finger’s The Old Place and Elif Batuman’s Either/Or, Meeting New People will feel like a long-lost companion—Lavery at the height of his storytelling powers. It is an unforgettable novel from one of our most inventive and brilliant writers.
“Lavery is one of my favorite writers and one of the funniest prose stylists of his generation…” – James Folta, Literary Hub
“Utterly human: funny, sad, happy, questioning.” – Kirkus Reviews
“[A] sensitive and funny look at a demographic that is often ignored… Readers will cheer for Barbara as she tries to be a better, more open person while still remaining true to herself.” – Lynnanne Pearson, Booklist
The Nazi Ghost Train: Evasion, Betrayal, and Escape During World War II by Greg Lewis
nonfiction / history.
In the final hours before the liberation of Brussels in 1944, the Germans loaded more than 1,400 members of the Resistance, SOE agents, and Allied airmen onto a train bound for the Neuengamme concentration camp. What happened next came to be known as the miracle of “The Ghost Train,” as members of the Resistance rose up to delay, divert, and eventually derail the train and save the lives of all of those on board.
The book shines a light on everyday heroes who have been lost to history: such as New Yorker Ted Kleinman, a Jew who risked his life to carry out sabotage behind the lines; young Resistance heroines such as Michou Dumon, who ordered an attempt to kill one traitor and escaped to London to expose another to British intelligence; and Belgian businessman Gaston Masereel, who planned to parachute into his homeland as an SOE agent. Badly hurt when his plane was attacked, he killed all four German soldiers who came to arrest him.
As well as the heroes, there is a villain every bit as keenly drawn and despicable as any in a spy thriller: the most heartless double agent of all—Prosper Dezitter—a traitor of such cunning that he came to be seen as an almost mythical bogey man. A convicted rapist and swindler, he enlisted the aid of his Spanish-born mistress to create a false network of helpers to ensnare airmen and résistants. It was a process which made Dezitter a millionaire.
Investigative journalist Greg Lewis draws upon a wealth of primary sources and his own extensive interviews to bring to life a cast of unforgettable characters, as The Nazi Ghost Train unfolds in a tense and pacy narrative, describing the feeling of terror after being shot down on bombing missions, the fight to stay alive with the Gestapo on your trail, and the gut-wrenching horror of betrayal.
“A new account as thrilling as any novel…” – Greg Lewis, Express
“An expert account of heroic Belgian resistance.” – Kirkus Reviews
“Journalist Lewis offers a by turns hair-raising and humane saga of resistance against the Third Reich… riveting. WWII history buffs will relish this.” – Publishers Weekly
No Dumb Questions by Jason & Travis Kelce
nonfiction / sports / comedy.
Brothers, Super Bowl Champions, and now, published authors. That’s right, authors. Look, we’re as surprised as you.
New Heights hosts Jason and Travis Kelce attempt to tackle some of life’s dumbest questions from the 92%ers. Join us on this discovery of knowledge as we cover topics like sports, relationships, parenting, gorilla fights, and many more quandaries that man has pondered since he first gazed upon the stars.
FOOTBALL: Why don’t players squirt their own water?
CUISINE: Do you pour the cereal first or the milk?
SCIENCE: If you could make one of your body parts detachable, which would you choose?
When you think philosophy, you’ll probably think of names like Socrates, Plato, or Aristotle. But none of those men have won a single Super Bowl, so what do they know? No Dumb Questions is a collection of Jason and Travis’s wisest, funniest, and most electric debates that could only come from the collected wisdom of a combined twenty-seven seasons in the NFL.
“…the brothers’ teasing relationship does shine through, and there are some genuinely funny moments… Entertaining (if not-so-deep) thoughts from two gridiron greats.” – Kirkus Reviews
“OK, yeah, they’re just a couple of jamokes, if not jabronis—Travis pleads guilty to being both… But they’re also loosey-goosey entertaining. At times, they’re even disarmingly, wonderfully touched by grace…” – Alan Moores, Booklist
Over/Under: An Unexpected History of Sports Betting by David Bockino
nonfiction / history / sports.
Taking readers on a rollicking journey through the history of American sports betting, Over/Under proposes a fascinating and unexpected theory: What if sports betting isn’t just a result of the multibillion-dollar American sports industry, but rather the primary reason for it? An essential catalyst for nearly two hundred years of sports fandom and obsession?
The narrative starts in mid-nineteenth-century New York City, as a new sport called baseball lures bettors out of shadowy gambling halls and into the fresh air. The story then heads to Churchill Downs and Augusta National Golf Club where sports betting dresses up in fancy outfits, to Chicago and Minneapolis where sports betting meets the Mafia and gets some structure, and to Las Vegas and the Caribbean where sports betting makes some people very rich.
Along the way, the story rolls out a cast of colorful characters: hustlers, wise guys, moguls, opportunists, grifters, touts. A parade of personalities, year after year, all trying to make a quick buck. Because isn’t that the whole point?
Written for those eager to explore the history of a recently-legalized industry—one that’s been described both as a financial bonanza and an impending disaster—Over/Under is poised to become the definitive history of a controversial industry in the midst of incredible, yet uncertain, growth.
“After digging into decades of data, and following fans, speculators and grifters across the country, Bockino makes the case that gambling isn’t just entangled with the history of American sports culture — it’s practically responsible for it.” – Miguel Salazar & Laura Thompson, New York Times
“Over/Under is an extensive and fascinating archive of the intertwined relationship between pro sports and gambling. Bockino has penned a thoroughly researched, stimulating, and informative book replete with colorful characters who have shaped the evolution of sports gambling over the last century. This book will make a splash with sports fans and gamblers alike.” – Philip Zozzaro, Booklist
A Pair of Aces by Marie Benedict & Victoria Christopher Murray ★
fiction / historical fiction / mystery.
Eunice Carter, assistant district attorney for the City of New York and Manhattan’s first Black female prosecutor, has her sights set on the one and only Lucky Luciano, head of New York City’s five largest organized crime families. Other prosectors have tried to bring down Lucky, but they’ve all focused on the crime syndicate’s traditional businesses—bootlegging, gambling, loan sharking, and drug dealing—or tax evasion. No one has thought to approach the mob through its role in prostitution. Until Eunice. But she can’t get Luciano alone.
Polly Adler has worked long and hard to build up her high-class brothel business. Her client list is filled with well-known names, both the famous and the infamous, who all know her booze is top-notch, her music first-rate, her food exquisite, and her girls the best. But Lucky has gone too far, putting her girls in danger, and Polly finally sees the chance to end his reign once and for all.
Together, Eunice and Polly fashion a case utilizing a network of women. Bridging the enormous divide between them and risking their own lives, they assemble evidence bit by bit, under the nose of the man they’re trying to convict. It is this very alliance—of two women from vastly different worlds—that launches the most sensational trial New York City has ever seen.
“…the plot is engaging, the main characters are brave and relatable, and the pacing is brisk.” – Marcia Welsh, Library Journal
“A gripping novel about two trailblazing women on opposite sides of the law…” – Elise Dumpleton, The Nerd Daily
“[A] detailed and dazzling exploration of an unlikely alliance between two women often overlooked by history… lively and lasting portraits of two heroic women.” – Carol Haggas, Booklist
“Historical fiction fans rejoice!… beautifully written… It was a joy to read about these intelligent, courageous, and enterprising women.” – Kristin Kurek, The Gloss
Puck by Samantha Allen
fiction / romance / comedy.
Meet Puck: the nonbinary, thirty-year-old mastermind behind Homewreckers, a dating show that puts troubled couples through hell—with a little help from their exes. Used to being the one pulling the strings, it shocks Puck when their life undergoes a plot twist of its own and their college roommate Mia announces her engagement to her ex’s best friend, Damon. Having only recently broken up with longtime-boyfriend Zander, and never having had much in common with Damon (who lovesick Lena has always pined after), Mia’s news leaves her friend group reeling—and Puck’s mind whirling.
When they arrive for a week of wedding festivities at an upscale resort in the Appalachian forest, Puck immediately sees that Mia’s marriage will lead to misery, and takes it upon themself to save their friends by rearranging the couples—without anyone finding out. But as Puck comes up against a type-A maid of honor hell-bent on making this wedding happen, it becomes clear that they will have to deliver the greatest stunt of their career. If only they can take their eyes off the bridesmaid. After all, the course of true love never did run smooth…
Written with Samantha Allen’s signature charm, wit, and an irresistible dose of Shakespearian mischief, Puck is the ultimate romcom for our chaotic era, and a celebration of the friendships that carry us through it all.
“[A] cheeky riff on A Midsummer Night’s Dream… Bursting with humor, interpersonal drama, and badly timed desire, this equally smart and playful narrative has a point to make: that control is antithetical to intimacy and the course of true love, whether queer or straight, resists both scripting and stage management. It’s a delight.” – Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW
“…filled with delightful chaos, sizzling spice, and the best personal growth readers can ask for… a superb example of a classics-inspired reimagining; Midsummer devotees will be pleased by the Shakespearean allusions throughout, while Shakespeare haters can enjoy excellent writing without fear of looming iambic pentameter. Allen has masterfully pulled the strings of the romance genre to engineer this lightning-fast, laugh-out-loud romance that all can enjoy.” – Maren Flessen, Booklist, STARRED REVIEW
“Allen deftly navigates between rom-com hijinks and Puck’s complicated thoughts about the wedding, their friend group, and their future. While it’s full of frothy fun, the story is also earnest and emotionally grounded when it needs to be. An excellent romantic comedy with both style and substance.” – Jenny Kobiela-Mondor, Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW
Road Trip by Mary Kay Andrews
fiction / romance / mystery.
Maeve and Therese Dunigan haven’t spoken in years. Raised under the same roof in Savannah, the two sisters could not be more opposite―Maeve the rule follower, Therese the unapologetic rebel. But when their mother’s death pulls them back together, they inherit more than just grief: a mysterious painting that may be worth millions… if it’s real.
Determined to uncover the truth―and desperately in need of the money―the sisters set out on a journey to Ireland, tracing their family’s roots and the origins of the portrait. What begins as a search for answers soon becomes something deeper―a reckoning with the past, as they uncover secrets that span generations and reshape everything they thought they knew about their family.
With tensions simmering, the two hit the road and find themselves on twisty lanes, in colorful villages, at local pubs, and with handsome men whose gift of the gab is surpassed only by their charm.
Can Maeve and Therese actually survive the journey without killing each other? Join Mary Kay Andrews on a road trip that will entertain you for miles.
“A delightful tale with vivid characters.” – Kirkus Reviews
“With well-developed characters, a taut plot, and a keen sense of place, this lively tale is perfect for the beach bag.” – Publishers Weekly
“The pacing is consistent throughout the entire story, making the entire reading experience enjoyable. These characters shine under Andrews’s established hand, and their story arc is very satisfying.” – Tina Panik, Library Journal
Shakespeare’s Margaret: The Dramatic Life of a Warrior Queen by Charles O’Malley & Scott W. Stern
nonfiction / history / literature / theater.
She is more violent than Lady Macbeth, more complex than Ophelia, more strategic than King Lear’s daughters. She is the only Shakespearean character, male or female, whose entire life―from youth to old age―appears on stage. She is a wealth of insight into Shakespeare’s understanding of, and influence on, ideas of gender and sexuality, and she speaks by far the most lines of any of his female characters. She has allowed the likes of Peggy Ashcroft, Helen Mirren, and Sophie Okonedo full range for their stunning talents. Yet today, most audiences have still never heard of Margaret of Anjou.
But who was Margaret? In the fifteenth century, she was a fourteen-year-old French princess married to an English king, soon thrust into command amid a bloody civil war. A hundred and fifty years later, she was resurrected on the Elizabethan stage in four of Shakespeare’s earliest plays, Henry VI, Parts 1, 2, and 3 and Richard III.
And in every era since the Bard’s, actors, directors, and producers have recast their own Margaret, slicing, dicing, and rearranging the original Shakespeare to highlight or diminish Margaret’s role depending on the sensibilities of the time. It is this evolution of Margaret’s portrayal that Charles O’Malley and Scott W. Stern track in Shakespeare’s Margaret, from Elizabethan boy-actors in wigs enacting misogynist fears of witchy women to feminist celebrations of Margaret’s uninhibited grasp of power and clever commentaries on global politics and world leaders such as Margaret Thatcher. Her story, as it has changed over the centuries across the page and on the stage, brings to life the evolution of theatre and shows how Shakespeare’s plays have always been living collaborations among actors, directors, writers, critics, and history itself, still unfolding.
“An insightful study of Shakespeare’s first great female character.” – Kirkus Reviews
“Complex, even villainous, Margaret reveals how attitudes toward women in power have evolved from Shakespeare’s time as her story illuminated and opposed society’s expectations.” – Bridget Thoreson, Booklist
“…enthralling… a fascinating biography of a singular character and a revealing commentary on theater’s power to evolve with the times.” – Publishers Weekly
Sublimation by Isabel J. Kim ★
fiction / science fiction / horror / fantasy.
When you immigrate, you leave a copy of yourself behind, an instance. One person enters their new country; the other stays trapped at home.
Some instances keep in touch, call each other daily, keep their lives and minds in sync in the hopes of reintegrating and resuming a life as one person. Others, like Soyoung Rose Kang, leave home at ten years old and never speak to their other selves again. Rose, in America, never imagined going back to Korea until her grandfather died and her Korean instance called her home for the funeral.
She doesn’t know that Soyoung plans to steal her body and her life.
How far would you go to live the choice you didn’t make?
“Fans of Severance or Jordan Peele’s Us shouldn’t miss this provocatively themed novel…” – Tasha Robinson, Polygon
“The best science fiction draws us in, questioning what it means to be human, what life may look like in unrecognizable settings, and how we should treat others. Often, too, it offers warnings. Sublimation is a warning against being asleep inside the miracle of life―and it left me hoping we will soon wake up.” – Haley Byrd Wilt, Christianity Today
“[A] remarkable debut… Kim performs this high-wire act with preternatural storytelling skill… Anyone who has witnessed such fateful divergences will see themselves in Sublimation: staring across a chasm at one’s double, uncannily alike and irreversibly transformed.” – Daniel Nieh, New York Times
“[A] strikingly original work of speculative fiction that brilliantly uses an audacious conceit… The gorgeously rendered and deeply unsettling second-person narration enhances the intense and emotional reading experience. The result is a sharp, deeply felt first outing from a writer already at the top of her game.” – Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW
The Typing Lady: And Other Fictions by Ruth Ozeki
fiction / short stories.
In this spirited and emotionally resonant collection, award-winning novelist Ruth Ozeki turns her singular gaze to the short story, exploring childhood ambition, youthful desire, midlife reinvention, and the unsparing clarity of old age. With her distinctive blend of wit, warmth, and deep humanity, she brings us eleven richly imagined stories of characters standing at life’s thresholds—grappling with faded ideals, evolving identities, and the inevitable compromises that shape a life.
A college student falls for her professor and learns to transmute longing into language. A disquieted husband watches with tenderness and unease as the ghost of his wife’s ambition roams the woods outside their home. A long-deceased Beat poet hijacks the mind of a young publishing assistant during a sales meeting, railing against the state of modern literature. A curious grandmother creates a fake online dating profile to spy on her granddaughter’s romantic life—and sets in motion a deception she can’t control.
Spanning eras and geographies—from a New England college town in the 1970s to downtown Manhattan in the 1990s to a moss-covered Pacific Northwest island during the early pandemic—The Typing Lady is an electrifying meditation on the stories we tell ourselves, the stories we abandon, and the stories we become. Threaded with the tactile ephemera of writing—typewriters, letters, manuscripts, and disappearing ink—the book reveals how we record ourselves in language, and how language, over time, records us in return.
“Tender, mysterious, and moving.” – Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW
“Ozeki’s atmospheric tales radiate with intelligence and wit.” – Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW
“…superb… The act of writing—on keyboards, in letters, even with disappearing ink—connects Ozeki’s tales as bearing witness to lives lived and as records for readers now and to come.” – Terry Hong, Booklist, STARRED REVIEW
The Unicorn Hunters by Katherine Arden ★
fiction / fantasy / historical fiction / romance.
Anne of Brittany was a child when France invaded and drove her royal father to his death. Now she is a young woman, sovereign duchess of an occupied realm, and France means to crown their conquest by marrying her to their king. Such an alliance would put her title, her lands, and her body forever in the hands of her enemies.
But Anne refuses to be the last duchess of Brittany.
Her only hope of resisting conquest is another alliance sealed with marriage, so Anne arranges a daring last gambit: a secret betrothal to Charles of France’s greatest rival. But secrets are hard to keep in a world where rival courts spy on each other with diviners.
The forest of Brocéliande was once the haunt of Merlin the Enchanter and the long-lost faerie queen. But magic is long gone from Broceliande, except for the occasional sight of a unicorn and one critical quirk: This ancient forest is completely hostile to divination.
While pretending compliance with France, Anne plans a unicorn hunt in Brocéliande. A bit of pointless pageantry. A diversion so she can wed in secret.
Or so she thinks.
In this rich and epic novel, the author of the acclaimed Winternight trilogy turns the real history of a remarkable woman into an unforgettable tale of mystery, enchantment, and the price of power.
“[A] riveting blend of history and folklore…” – Natalie Zutter, Literary Hub
“A clever and inspiring reimagining of a little-remembered time and place.” – Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW
“The lush historical details, descriptive language, and intriguing relationships will draw readers into this world of mystery, deception, danger, and fantasy.” – Lucy Lockley, Booklist, STARRED REVIEW
“[A] historical fantasy in a literary style, weaving both romantic and supernatural elements into the life of a real person… a tantalizing might-have-been… From its first sentence, The Unicorn Hunters pulls us inexorably into [its] world… With her deft and deliberate use of archaisms alongside modern descriptive virtuosity, Arden casts a spell that reminded me of John Keats’ medieval throwback The Eve of St. Agnes. The novel charms us precisely because we’re never allowed to forget that it takes place ‘ages long ago’ (in Keats’ phrase), in a world so distant from us that unicorns and fairies could have meddled in its affairs of state.” – Margot Harrison, Seven Days
View from the East Wing: A Memoir by Jill Biden
nonfiction / memoir / politics.
A novelist once wrote, “There are stories one must tell, and years when one must tell them.” Jill Biden’s time to discuss her four years in the White House is now.
Jill Biden became First Lady at a complicated moment in US history, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and in the shadow of the January 6 insurrection. These were the circumstances under which she set up office in the East Wing, where she hit the ground running. Throughout her husband’s presidency, Jill remained a tireless advocate for her causes, including women’s health, military families, vaccine awareness, cancer initiatives, and education. She made history as the first-ever First Lady to hold an outside job while her husband was in office, continuing to work as a professor at a nearby community college. Yet all the while, she saw herself as an ordinary woman living an extraordinary life.
In View from the East Wing, Jill shares her White House experiences for the first time, in her own words. She reflects on the Biden presidency and its impact on her family. She brings you behind the scenes, from Camp David to Air Force One, from grading papers in the Rose Garden to witnessing the abrupt end of her husband’s bid for reelection. This is the story of a woman dedicated to her roles as a wife, mother, grandmother, teacher—and First Lady of the United States.
“So trim, toned and beatific that it seems to have emerged from her favorite morning SoulCycle class, Jill Biden’s second memoir, View from the East Wing, rests on simple details… the author the book recalled most vividly to me, in its careful catalog of small details, was William Carlos Williams, who in his epic poem ‘Paterson’ wrote ‘“’no ideas but in things.’” – Alexandra Jacobs, New York Times
Whistler by Ann Patchett ★
fiction.
When Daphne Fuller and her husband Jonathan visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art, they notice an older, white-haired gentleman following them. The man turns out to be Eddie Triplett, her former stepfather, who had been married to her mother for a little more than a year when Daphne was nine. Now fifty-three, Daphne hasn’t seen Eddie for many years, not since the fateful event that changed the direction of both their lives. Meeting again, time falls away; while their relationship was brief, it had a profound impact on them both, and now that they are reunited, they have no intention of ever being separated again.
Whistler is a story about two adults looking back over the choices they made, and the choices that were made for them. It’s a story about bravery, memory, the often small yet consequential moments that define our lives, and the endless stream of loss that in time comes for us all. Beautiful in its simplicity, it is ultimately about how love endures, and how the feeling of being known by one other person, even for a short period of time, can change everything.
“Is there a place in serious literature for kind, happy characters and kind, happy stories? This intimate and entertaining novel makes the strong case that there is; as demonstrated across her work, such sturdiness of spirit is part of Patchett’s generous worldview.” – Helen Schulman, New York Times
“Patchett follows 2023’s Tom Lake with another perfectly executed and quietly profound family drama… Like many of Patchett’s works, this beautiful and generous novel feels effortless, never straining for effect. It’s one of her best.” – Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW
“Salvation in various modes propels this resplendent novel rich in hilarious and poignant dialogue, cascading realizations, and profound and surprising moments of kindness, forgiveness, and love.” – Donna Seaman, Booklist, STARRED REVIEW
“An evocative and moving tribute to the death-defying, heart-opening, infinitely redemptive power of storytelling.” – Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW
The Wreck of the Mentor: A True Story of Death, Despair, and Deliverance in the Age of Sail by Eric Jay Dolin ★
nonfiction / history.
From the best–selling author of Black Flags, Blue Waters comes the story of the American whaleship Mentor, wrecked in 1832 on a remote reef in the western Pacific. With supplies dwindling, the eleven surviving crewmen face not only the miseries of shipwreck in unfamiliar territory but also the profound uncertainty of contact with the Indigenous people of the Micronesian archipelago of Palau, who within days approach the deserted men brandishing axes, clubs, and spears. In this gripping saga of cultural collision, tribal wars, and dashed hopes, award–winning historian Eric Jay Dolin vividly reconstructs the Mentor’s doomed voyage, the years of perilous captivity, and the delicate negotiations and fraught naval rescue mission that followed.
Illustrated by more than 100 images and maps, The Wreck of the Mentor is at once a powerful story of survival and a revealing window into the great Age of Sail a time when maritime ambition collided with local sovereignty, and when the outcome of one voyage rippled across oceans and empires.
“High-seas adventures that’ll keep readers hungrily turning the pages.” – Kirkus Reviews
“Eric Jay Dolin’s The Wreck of the Mentor is the story of one ship’s end that is also a fine introduction to maritime life of the early to mid-19th century. With its backdrop of berths and hulls, rudders, staysails, and waistboats, Dolin’s book fits right in with the other recent chronicles of watery disasters, from David Grann’s The Wager to Hampton Sides’ The Wide Wide Sea.” – Eliza McGraw, American Heritage
“I have read a lot of books on nautical history over the past 20 years, and one thing I can always count on — if it’s written by Eric Jay Dolin, it’s going to be good… a thorough — and thoroughly enjoyable — recounting of the fates of the captain and crew of the Mentor… Dolin has a gift for transforming the nuts and bolts of our nautical past into thrilling adventure, and he doesn’t disappoint here… It’s unlikely you’ll finish The Wreck of the Mentor with very many questions… except possibly, ‘When does Dolin’s next book come out?'” – Tom Knapp, Rambles
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