“My definition of an adult is someone who lives their life aware they are sharing the world with others.” – Robert Jackson Bennett, City of Miracles
Adversary to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer
fiction / fantasy / romance / comedy.
Evie has always tried to be helpful, loyal, and only mildly involved in treason. But with a dangerous prophecy threatening the very magic of Rennedawn―not to mention the race to claim its necessary artifacts before King Benedict does―things are starting to feel… less like a career path and more like a serious problem.
The prophecy won’t stop pointing in Evie’s direction. The Villain’s magic keeps choosing her. And honestly, if you’re going to be accused of evil anyway, you might as well commit.
Unfortunately, the more Evie leans into her alleged villain era, the more her boss starts acting like the hero of a completely different story. Trystan is getting closer―closer than is wise, advisable, or even remotely professional―and looking at her like she’s already chosen a side. His.
Which is deeply inconvenient, because if Evie can’t save the kingdom’s magic, she might just become its greatest threat.
“Prepare for more magical mayhem… another deliciously chaotic adventure.” – Margarita Polkowska, B&N Reads
All We Hide by Robyn Gigl
fiction / mystery / suspense.
When Lieutenant Lauren Kelly is exiled to the Homicide Cold Case Unit at the DA’s office, she knows her superiors are sticking her there as punishment until she can quietly retire. That way, no one can claim they discriminated against the only trans detective in Donn County.
Even though Lauren has enough on her plate already—a teenage daughter struggling with Lauren’s recent transition, an ex-wife Lauren hasn’t gotten over, a former detective father with Alzheimer’s—she starts looking into the murder of Sherry Darling, a trans sex worker and Lauren’s former high school classmate. As Lauren looks deeper into Sherry’s case, she finds evidence of a cover-up with far-reaching implications that may or may not be tied to the reason her mother left decades earlier.
Entertaining and deeply human, All We Hide is a compelling, page-turning mystery that will resonate in the hearts and minds of readers long after the final twist.
“Brilliant. Groundbreaking. Emotionally intense… this book is an excellent choice for a reading group that would appreciate its rapid pace and treatment of many of the characters.” – Brian Kenney, First Clue
“[A] searing police procedural… Lauren narrates, layering her struggles with family, the system, and casual transphobia with outrage and wry humor. Not to be missed.” – Connie Fletcher, Booklist, STARRED REVIEW
“While All We Hide addresses prejudice and violence facing a minority community, it is primarily a well-plotted mystery with enough twists and turns and character development to please any reader who is open to a story with a protagonist whose lived experience may be a little bit different from their own – and a lot alike.” – Barbara Fister, Crime Fiction Review
The Amateur by Chris Bohjalian ★
fiction / suspense / mystery / historical fiction.
1978: It is the first Thursday in August and temperatures are flirting with ninety when Mira Winston, eighteen years old, drives a golf ball from her tee toward the practice net near the clubhouse and caddy shack. The golf ball, weighing 1.6 ounces, tears through the net, traveling 150 miles per hour, and slams, with sickening force, into the temple of a high school junior named Kenny Foster, rupturing an artery and unleashing a torrent of blood. Kenny brings his hand to the side of his head, then topples onto his side. He’s dead before the ambulance even arrives.
In the wake of this terrible accident—and everyone, at first, agrees it was an accident—Mira looks for comfort in all the wrong places: In her lover, Theo Catton, a married man three decades her senior. In her mother, a well-kept woman with secrets of her own. In the dead caddy’s little sisters, girls bewildered by grief. But when the investigators look more closely at the torn net, when a detective recalls Mira’s history of recklessness, and when Kenny’s father spies Mira with her married lover, the affluent and mannered community turns on this once-promising young woman. A gripping story that takes the reader from the sun-soaked greens of a tony Westchester country club to the fluorescent-lit stand of a county courtroom, The Amateur asks: What happens when one small moment—a swing, a ball, a piece of string—changes the course of an entire life?
“…powerful… Bohjalian’s latest dazzles as it devastates… a masterpiece.” – Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW
“Chris Bohjalian’s latest is, quite simply, a masterpiece. I cannot praise this novel enough. It’s delicate, haunting, complex, and startling… a prescient reminder that those who feel most inclined towards guilt are often the least deserving of blame. The Amateur is a standout stunner of a story, and the perfect gateway into Bohjalian’s substantial literary oeuvre.” – Molly Odintz, CrimeReads
“Bohjalian’s wonderful book is a morality tale, a snapshot of a strange, careless time in a particular slice of America, a psychological exploration of guilt and its repercussions, a portrait of a girl going off the rails — and then, because of an exciting plot twist, a courtroom drama.” – Sarah Lyall, New York Times
“…unputdownable… The 26th page-turner from Chris Bohjalian, like many of its predecessors, gets part of its narrative pizzazz from a brilliantly-evoked time and place… Bohjalianites will be expecting late-breaking reveals and a big, juicy 11th-hour plot twist…. masterful.” – Marion Winik, Boston Globe
Appraisals by Claire Boyles
fiction.
Maggie Brandt, a third-generation farmer, is cultivating a few acres of organic vegetables in rural Colorado―a place where industrial farming reigns supreme―when the Great Recession hits. After months of unemployment, her husband, Fish, takes a job with an oil and gas company, a decision that threatens their once happy marriage and alienates their teenage daughter, Ozzie, a budding environmental crusader.
As the wider community organizes against a billionaire outsider who is buying farmland and, more worryingly, water rights in the moisture-starved county, Maggie’s grandmother Flora grapples with the painful echoes of her own past. Flora and Ozzie’s already close bond deepens as they join a local activist group, but Fish and Maggie’s conflicting approaches to surviving circumstances that are out of their control drive them further apart. Faced with intolerable layers of loss, each member of the family is forced to consider what they are willing to compromise and what they are, or are not, able to forgive.
At once tender and urgent, Appraisals is a moving portrayal of ecological and financial catastrophe, the powerful generational bonds between women, and the fierce impulse to protect the places we love.
“Appraisals is a haunting novel of the very American struggle to remain true to oneself through the soul-chilling toll of getting by on minimal margins.” – Freya Sachs, BookPage, STARRED REVIEW
“An achingly beautiful testament to human bonds with the environment and with each other.” – Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW
“Appraisals is a fierce, elegiac portrait of people trying to remain morally intact while the world they love is being depleted.” – Bill Kelly, Booklist
Etna by Paul Yoon ★
fiction.
Set in a fictional country in the present day, this is a story told through the eyes of an ex-military dog, Etna. After surviving years of a devastating war, Etna decides one night to leave the men he has fought alongside for years and return home—to the place where he was taken from when he was young, in the thin but persistent hope that if a home exists for him, it might be there.
Thus begins an exhilarating odyssey told through the eyes of a dog as he traverses across ruined landscapes and fights to survive in a world that, even in peacetime, proves to be just as precarious. Along the way, he encounters other animals and humans who are attempting to figure out how to start again. What makes a life when there is no home to go back to? How do we begin to trust each other again after such profound loss?
This is a novel about the power of an idea, about never giving up, and ultimately a novel about finding hope in the most dire of times.
“Yoon’s Homeric parable punches above its weight, minimalism deftly crafted for maximalist impact.” – Hamilton Cain, Boston Globe
“Simply put, I’ve never read a book like this. Yoon’s novel is concise and unique and just sticks with you after reading.” – Katie McPherson, Scary Mommy
“…magnificent… Not only does Yoon pull off a fresh take on well-worn Homeric themes and convincingly capture a dog’s perspective, but he offers subtle and resonant insights on the nature of faith, which might not always provide salvation but can be enough to keep people (and dogs) going. The author has outdone himself.” – Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW
“Yoon crafts yet another literary miracle, gorgeous in spare prose and dense with wrenching empathy on pages that may become saturated with tears. Amid today’s exhausted desensitization, Yoon gives readers an antidote of pure emotion.” – Terry Hong, Booklist, STARRED REVIEW
Freyja by Margrét Ann Thors ★
fiction / mystery / suspense / horror.
Unnur has secrets. A single mother to a beloved daughter, she lives a deliberately quiet life in Reykjavík, where she works at a bakery under an assumed last name. She has spent years pushing away haunting half remembrances of the last summer of her childhood, when her otherworldly friend Freyja disappeared from a black-sand beach in the remote Dark Valley. Unnur’s safety—and her daughter’s—now hinges on discretion. Yet when her ex-husband returns to Iceland and brings with him a new girlfriend who seems to know more about Unnur than she’s letting on, Unnur may finally have to face the chilling possibility that she is responsible for her friend’s presumed death.
As a cold case investigation reopens and the intricate threads of past and present begin to tangle, Unnur must race to recover the broken memory of what happened all those years ago, or risk losing her daughter. Steeped in Icelandic folklore and myth, Freyja is at once a gripping story of a child’s disappearance, a testament to the power of a mother’s love, and an enthralling tale of redemption and forgiveness from a gifted new voice.
“…eerie and beguiling… Thors brilliantly rides the line between realism and myth… This will stay with readers.” – Publishers Weekly
“Freyja has [a] haunting sense of place… [it deals] powerfully with memory, grief, and guilt… There is a strong undercurrent of fear and vulnerability throughout, but also resilience… [It] has literary depth but also the propulsion of a mystery.” – Mystery Center
“Melding past and present, Thors effectively toys with the impulsive Unnur’s own dark secrets and reliability as a narrator… the threatened mother’s raw emotion and the book’s atmospheric pull are difficult to resist.” – Kirkus Reviews
“Freyja is a spellbinding novel, a deep portrayal of families, myths and memory; of the lengths to which a mother must go to protect those she loves — a story at once otherworldly and very much rooted in flesh and blood.” – Neil Nyren, BookTrib.
Fruit Fly by Josh Silver
fiction / suspense / comedy.
Mallory Maddox is buried under seven years of writer’s block. With her status as a literary sensation fizzling, she’ll do anything she can to resurrect her career. Inspiration needs to strike—and fast.
Enter Leo. He’s a struggling addict sleeping under bridges and trading sex for survival. He’s vulnerable. He’s enigmatic. He’s exactly what Mallory has been looking for.
Mallory needs Leo if she wants another bestseller. The world needs Leo’s story right now, and Mallory believes she deserves to tell it. Really, it’s her story—she’s the one who wrote it, after all.
But as secrets threaten to unravel more than just her career, Mallory must decide how far she will go to pen the perfect story.
A razor-sharp satirical thriller, Fruit Fly will appeal to fans of R. F. Kuang’s Yellowface and Yomi Adegoke’s The List.
“[A] funny and nasty novel about appropriation…” – Aaron Hicklin, New York Times
“Excellent writing and explosive characters make for a uniquely powerful read.” – Brian Kenney, First Clue
“…jaw-dropping… By turns suspenseful, provocative, and touching, this bold thriller burrows under the skin.” – Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW
How to Find Love in the Cereal Aisle by Alissa DeRogatis
fiction / romance / comedy.
Ainsley Green writes happily-ever-afters for a rabid fanbase of hopeless romantics. In real life? Her boyfriend just broke up with her, her editor wanted a new book yesterday and she’s starting to wonder if love actually exists beyond the pages of her favorite novels.
So when Lucas, Ainsley’s best friend and biggest cheerleader, insists the best cure for writer’s block is real-life inspiration, she’s ready to try anything. Enter: the meet-cute plan, a mission to take her head out of her heartbreak and force meet-cutes IRL to spark some new ideas. But as failed missions bumping into strangers at the airport and spilling coffee on men at the cafe result in nothing but embarrassment and stained clothing, Ainsley begins to wonder if maybe the romance she’s been chasing already has a leading man.
Because the truth about falling in love? It never goes according to plan.
Equal parts heartbreak, humor, and hope, How to Find Love in the Cereal Aisle is a fresh, flirty send up of dating in the modern age and a reminder that love finds us when we stop performing and start living.
“DeRogatis’s hijinks-filled rom-com is perfect for readers looking for a little less romance and a little more emphasis on finding oneself.” – Rachel Hedderman, Library Journal
“…wildly entertaining, poignantly heartfelt, and deeply relatable to anyone navigating dating in the 21st century.” – Cosmopolitan
“[This] book has all the elements that will make readers of the rom-com genre fall head over heels with it… Wise, honest and genuinely funny, How to Find Love in the Cereal Aisle is a raw and vulnerable commentary on modern dating and relationships… Relatable, funny and tender, this is truly a wonderful romantic comedy. I have a feeling that DeRogatis will become a voice of a generation, with her warmth, emotional depth and deeply human writing.” – Joshua Hortinela, Good Reading
Kitten by Stacey Yu ★
fiction.
Katie is far from home, fresh out of college, and desperate to skirt the demands of adult life. It doesn’t help that she’s no longer speaking to her mother. Or that she owes her roommate and closest friend months of rent money. Luckily, her self-assured, generous boyfriend James seems happy to make decisions for them both. When James takes Katie on vacation to his family’s seaside house, he brings Silver, his childhood cat, and Katie discovers a sudden, strange, and giddy connection.
Silver doesn’t mind that Katie can’t seem to get a job, hold her own at dinner parties, or make amends with her mother. Silver, who gets to lie around all day, misbehave spectacularly, act cute, be gross, and still get fed, seems to have the life Katie increasingly longs for. Soon enough, they’re inseparable, and something inside Katie begins to crack open… or maybe just crack.
Because if Katie has learned anything from her mother, it’s that devotion comes at a price. As Katie’s affection for Silver deepens, her other relationships begin to falter, until she’s forced to confront what she really desires from life—and what she might have to risk to get it.
Darkly playful, wryly observant, and unexpectedly heartfelt, this debut from an irresistible new voice in fiction is a timeless reckoning with the uncertainty of becoming a person in an age that is as disorienting and lonely as it is full of hope and promise.
“Yu’s debut is a weird book (that’s a compliment).” – Lily Hunter, Booklist
“Yu’s novel is both a kind of Gen Z parable of existential nihilism and a psychologically deft portrait of mother-daughter trauma… Weird girl lit is having a moment, but this spiky debut refuses to be boxed in.” – Kirkus Reviews
“[A] deeply felt debut… There’s much to admire in this offbeat tale.” – Publishers Weekly
Meet Me in the Garden by Nina LaCour ★
fiction / historical fiction / romance.
New Orleans, 1944. Odette has always been one of the Honore sisters, glamorous and admired in their Creole community. But while Odette’s older sisters are content to be wives and mothers, Odette has always wanted something else. It is only with her beloved cousin, Delphine, that Odette can tell her secret: she is in love with a woman, and she longs to be an artist. Delphine has a secret lover, too, a white man. In the hidden garden they’ve discovered, Odette and Delphine can dream of futures full of passion and freedom.
But five years later, Odette’s life is nothing like what she’d planned. She’s a widowed mother, living in Los Angeles, and she and Delphine, who is passing as white, have spiraled away from each other. When Delphine reaches a breaking point, Odette must make a shattering choice to try to hold her family together.
Profound and expansive, a story of love and longing, art and motherhood, friendship and desire, Meet Me in the Garden is a decades-spanning tour de force, inspired by the author’s family and tracing the history of the Great Migration.
“Sweeping and profound.” – People
“[A] masterpiece that stands as an exceptional work of historical fiction… Full of the grief of losing a father and the joy of creative awakening, this character-driven beauty is an immersive, heartfelt triumph. It is a fantastic must-read that will resonate deeply with fans of Alice Walker and Brit Bennett.” – Cassandra Smith, Booklist, STARRED REVIEW
“LaCour spins a gorgeous family saga that dares much and delivers on its promise… LaCour’s sensuous novel is steeped in rich details of jazz, Creole cooking, and California glamour, and the characters are pitch-perfect. This satisfies.” – Publishers Weekly
“The writing in this story feels like a series of elegant, measured brushstrokes, with sentences just as lush and vividly detailed as the paintings the protagonist creates.” – Book of the Month
Murder at the End of the World by Akane Araki
fiction / mystery / science fiction / suspense / comedy.
A meteor is on a collision course with Earth. The entire human race has 3 months to live. Uncontrollable panic has set in across the globe, but 23-year-old Haru is still determined to finally get her driver’s license.
When Haru and her ex-cop driving instructor Isagawa open their car trunk one day to find the corpse of a murder victim inside, they feel duty-bound to investigate. Together, they set off on a road trip through the crumbling landscape around them to hunt for the killer. As more bodies start appearing, more questions surge. Why would a serial killer begin work 3 months before the end of the world? And does justice lose its meaning with humanity on the brink of extinction?
Quirky, fast-paced, and packed full of surprising heart, Murder at the End of the World will delight fans of Stuart Turton’s audacious plots and the humorous, life-affirming bent of dystopian favorites like Zombieland and Shaun of the Dead.
“A refreshing Japanese whodunit with a charming detective duo.” – Kirkus Reviews
“[The] instructor-student relationship blossoms into a delightful odd-couple friendship as they negotiate the chaos in this entertaining and thought-provoking mystery.” – Laura Wilson, The Guardian
“The Murder at the End of the World is a unique combination of whodunnit, road trip buddy novel and apocalyptic tale. Despite its dark themes and slightly macabre nature, it’s quirky and fast-paced rather than heavy and depressing.” – Sonja van der Westhuizen, Crime Fiction Lover
The People’s Historian: The Outsized Life of Howard Zinn by Dave Zirin
nonfiction / biography / history.
From The Nation magazine columnist and New York Times bestselling author Dave Zirin, The People’s Historian is a deeply researched biography of Howard Zinn, the beloved author of the classic national bestseller with more than four million copies sold, A People’s History of the United States.
The People’s Historian shows Zinn’s presence on the great canvases of the 20th century: from the Depression to World War II to the Civil Rights Movement to the war in Vietnam all the way until his death in 2010. With intimately researched stories from Zinn’s life and career, such as the way Atlanta’s small Spelman College, where Zinn taught as a young professor, helped launch the Civil Rights Movement, Zinn’s work traveling to Hanoi to engineer the release of POWs, and his continuing influence in the emerging Democratic Socialist movement, The People’s Historian explores Zinn’s past while also demonstrating how his 75 years of political engagement with the social struggles of his time informs our perilous present.
With input from family and access to Zinn’s personal papers, The People’s Historian paints a picture of the man behind A People’s History, examining his work and legacy in the broader context of the United States.
“[A] wonderful portrait of a historian who reshaped America’s understanding of its potential for change.” – Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW
“A welcome exploration of the man behind a classic book, one who never minded irking the opposition.” – Kirkus Reviews
“At a time when the teaching of history has become a flashpoint — with books banned, educators targeted, and honest accounts of power and resistance under attack — The People’s Historian offers a timely and deeply human portrait of a scholar who understood that making sense of the past was inseparable from the struggle to build a more just future.” – Media Education Foundation
Probable Caws by Donna Andrews
fiction / mystery / comedy.
Meg has finally found time to get some blacksmithing done when a call from her dad interrupts her–can she come out to Ragnar’s right away to help with the horses? Their friend Ragnar Ragnarsen, who is gradually turning the enormous house on his nearby estate into an authentic moated castle, has agreed to shelter nearly fifty horses for Hoof and Hearth, an equine rescue organization that has lost access to the farm where the horses have been living. The owner of the farm recently died without leaving a will, and while his older son Abel would be happy to let the horses stay, younger brother George wants to sell to a developer… and is suspected of sending a thug to harm the horses as part of his efforts to evict Hoof and Hearth.
That night, while Meg and her family are camping at one of Ragnar’s barns, to keep an eye on the horses, they discover that the thug has been murdered. Unfortunately George is alibied… but his horse-loving brother Abel is not. Neither are the hot-tempered founder of Hoof and Hearth or the passionately protective ex-jockey who serves as its stablemaster. Meg juggles helping keep the horses safe and doing what she can to help the chief solve the thug’s murder… all the while hoping that the killer won’t turn out to be one of the dedicated horse rescuers she has come to like and respect.
“Humor and well-developed characters, including the horses, add to this satisfying cozy in the popular, long-running series.” – Sue O’Brien, Booklist
“[Andrews] consistently turns out funny, thoughtful cozies, and Probable Caws is no exception… Although the author has written almost 40 Meg Langslow mysteries, the series never grows stale, as her loyal readers will attest.” – Sally Rosenthal, Best Friends Animal Society
Sunlight Finds You by Laura Moriarty
fiction / historical fiction / romance.
It’s 1949, early in the Cold War, but St. Petersburg, Florida is warm, lush, and booming with newcomers seeking sunshine and opportunity. For seventeen-year-old Nora, St. Pete feels like paradise, especially after she meets and wins over Leonard, the shy, brilliant son of transplanted New Yorkers. Nora and Leonard are soon spending balmy days and evenings together, and in her adoring, encouraging company, he grows more confident, even as he remains tender and caring. Leonard’s sophisticated mother welcomes Nora into their lives, but his father distrusts her motives.
When his suspicions are seemingly confirmed, Nora is forced to cut contact. In her longing and fear, she takes a chance that changes her life, exiling her from the family she loves and setting off a chain of secrets and betrayals that will follow her into adulthood. It is a mature Nora who tells the story of her turbulent past. Wiser and more worldly, she commits to an honest but compassionate account, and to a future based on trusting, first and foremost, herself.
Sunlight Finds You is, ultimately, a love story set in the past that has much to say about our present. Richly layered and propulsive, it’s a book about extending forgiveness—for ourselves, and for others—and about refusing to settle for a life that is less than full.
“A rich, rewarding slice of history that should remind us how important it is for women to have choices of all kinds.” – Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW
“Readers will fall for the delightful and well-rounded Nora and Leonard as much as they do for each other.” – Publishers Weekly
“Only Moriarty’s second adult novel, this book’s poignantly written characters and deep discussion points make it a must-purchase.” – Brittany Burchett, Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW
Take What You Can by Naima Coster ★
fiction.
Val and Milly fell in love with France at the same time they fell in love with each other and became immediate best friends. Then, they bonded as the only Black students on a study-abroad trip. Now they are in their thirties, each married and with a baby girl on the way. When Milly suggests Val move to New York so they can raise their daughters together after a decade apart, it’s a resounding yes.
Despite their excitement, the pair secretly wonders if their friendship has always worked best as a trio. On that first trip to France, these two motherless daughters were taken under the wing of an older woman named Helene. She showered them with money, love, and attention and showed them the possibilities of an independent and abundant future. But now, without Helene and her guidance, who are Milly and Val?
Milly, a successful influencer married to restaurant royalty, is occupied with her desire for freedom. Val, a brilliant journalist, is unsure whether she fits into Milly’s new world. The realities of class and social capital, of strained marriages and the demands of motherhood, serve as constant reminders of how far apart they’ve grown. And no matter how much they try to avoid it, everything comes back to the rift that began all those years ago in France. What they’ve long tried to bury may finally destroy their sisterhood.
Weaving between Brooklyn brownstones and the glittering beaches of southern France, Take What You Can is a dazzling novel exploring what it means to be a mother when you have none, a sister without blood ties, and a woman in pursuit of the life she wants. With her signature sharply observed prose, Naima Coster illustrates how to be—and to stay—someone’s person through all phases of life.
“[A] touching story…” – Theara Coleman, The Week
“Provocative and beautifully crafted, with so much to ponder and discuss.” – Modern Mrs. Darcy
“An intimate, immersive paean to the redemptive power of found families and the pleasure of choosing whom and how to love.” – Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW
“[A] beautiful, honest reflection of modern American life… In the spirit of Tayari Jones’ Kin and Fredrik Backman’s My Friends, Take What You Can reminds us that there is so much in the world to love. This is a book to cry over and hold close.” – Sydney Hankin, BookPage
Three Rivers: The Extraordinary Waterways that Created Europe by Robert Winder
nonfiction / history / geography / nature.
Three of Europe’s greatest rivers share the same geological cradle: one fertile patch of Alpine ice in the jagged heights of central Switzerland. Coursing down through the peaks, the Rhine, the Rhone, and the Po gave birth to three different European cultures—German, French, and Italian—as they flowed across the continent.
From this shared geological cradle, these waterways have shaped the landscape, influenced the pattern of towns and cities, laid the foundation for economies and created an intricate network of transport, trade, and agriculture. From the Romanesque buttresses and vines of Provence to the Wagnerian music of the Rhine and the artistic miracles of Lombardy, the heart of Western Europe—its languages, religion, philosophy, science, politics, and art—has been nourished by these waters.
Setting off in the dramatic mountain landscape where this story begins, acclaimed historian Robert Winder traces the rivers’ journeys from their increasingly fragile glacial sources, revealing in shimmering detail their impact on Europe’s rich history as they flow toward the sea.
“An enjoyable grand tour of western European history. Full of flavor and sparkle.” – The Times
“Engrossing detail meets irresistible style in popular history at its best.” – Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW
“Winder is an engaging author who casts a wide net, covering history, geography, agriculture, environmentalism, viticulture, and more. He holds the disparate threads of the book together, and his belief that the three rivers can continue to provide the continent with unity and purpose ends the book on a positive note.” – Kirk Johnson, Booklist, STARRED REVIEW
A Trade of Blood by Robert Jackson Bennett ★
fiction / fantasy / mystery / suspense.
The heir to one of the Empire’s most powerful families sits in jail, accused of murder. His hands are covered in the victim’s blood, and he can neither deny his guilt nor explain his actions.
But if the great detective Ana Dolabra cannot save him from the noose, the farming canton of Sapirdad will explode into war, threatening to plunge the whole Empire into starvation and chaos.
As Ana investigates—her assistant Dinios Kol, as ever, acting as her eyes and ears—she fears her task is even more daunting than it seemed. For this murder is just the latest in a deeper, subtler web of death, woven by a mastermind with an ancient weapon at his disposal.
With their customary skill, Ana and Din pursue their adversary through the canton’s wild ranges, sprawling ranches, and reeking slaughterhouses. Yet even they are not prepared to learn the horrifying secret behind their opponent’s powers.
“…brilliant from top to bottom… Read this one by a smoky campfire, right as dusk takes over the summer sky—the perfect atmosphere for inhaling a good murder mystery.” – Aardvark Book Club
“Bennett continues to make genre-blending appear effortless in his stellar third Ana and Din novel, a suspenseful whodunit set in an immersive and imaginative alternate world… The case is as clever and fairly clued as ever, and it’s a pleasure to revisit these sharply drawn characters. This series shows no signs of slowing down.” – Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW
“Another highly recommended entry in the [series]… Will also appeal to those who are looking for new, different, and fascinating recreations of the greatest detectives and epic fantasy readers craving a dangerous world to plumb to its depths.” – Marlene Harris, Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW
“Series fans will be delighted with the Romeo and Juliet–inspired plotline involving a complex mystery that astounds even the peevish detective. The introduction of a member of Din’s family plus new hints about Ana’s history will have readers eager for their next adventure.” – Lucy Lockley, Booklist, STARRED REVIEW
The Unknown by Riley Sager ★
fiction / suspense / horror / mystery.
Struggling actress Marin Keane is shocked when she lands a role in a major motion picture about the unsolved mystery of New Avalon, an island on sprawling Lake Faraday in Vermont. She’s even more surprised when she learns that the role requires a weeklong research trip to that very spot.
Because New Avalon isn’t your ordinary island. A century ago, it was a commune for spiritual mediums—until they all vanished in 1926. The only trace of them was five dresses hanging from the branches of an old oak tree in the middle of the island, one for each missing woman. Some locals say they simply left. Others think they were murdered. But the prevailing opinion, thanks to a diary left behind by one of the vanished, a young woman named Daisy Rue, is that a séance gone wrong conjured something supernatural that took them all one by one.
Not long after arriving, Marin and her castmates, including legendary actress Violet Wright and white-hot director Ronan Peters, begin to realize all is not right with New Avalon. They hear strange noises in the night and notice mysterious symbols left behind by the island’s previous occupants. And after a sudden health emergency leaves Marin, Ronan, and the other actors stranded on the island, the disappearances begin again.
Is it the work of someone trying to derail the movie? Or is the island’s alleged supernatural past catching up with the present? As fear and suspicion mount, Marin turns to Daisy’s diary, hoping it holds the key to figuring out what really happened to the women of New Avalon—and how to keep the island’s terrible history from repeating itself.
“Sager offers a canny take on the closed-circle whodunit in this suspenseful tale of mysterious disappearances… Sager spruces up well-worn genre tropes with aplomb… [his] many fans will walk away satisfied.” – Publishers Weekly
“Sager’s new Gothic-tinted mystery is guaranteed to please not only his fans but anyone who enjoys an atmospheric, claustrophobic story that never quite goes where the reader expects it to. A story like this one depends on the strength of its characters, and Sager has created some of his most interesting ones so far… Another winner from a master of the genre.” – David Pitt, Booklist
“The Unknown executes a fun concept well… irresistibly creepy… Bring this one to any lake house or cabin and read under the covers long after everyone else has gone to sleep.” – Sarah Reida, Crimespree Magazine
“Sager has always understood how to use a confined space as both stage and trap, and here the island is the most disciplined character in the book. Every creaking floorboard pays off later. Every drawer that doesn’t quite close becomes a problem in chapter twenty… a confident, satisfying thriller from a writer doing what he does best… Read it during a thunderstorm, ideally near a lake, ideally not alone.” – Bookclb.com
When Lemons Give You Life by Anna Johnston
fiction.
Retired Michelin-star chef Griff Barlow has lost his appetite. He’s done with grief, guilt, and the beige slop they call food at Sunny Glen Aged Care Facility, where he resides. Six decades of life have handed him all the lemons he can handle, so he breaks into the nursing home kitchen to bake one last tart as his final meal. But the act of cooking stirs a dormant joy, and soon he’s sneaking in after dark to serve up flavor and comfort to fellow residents, who come alive with each bite—all while hiding a lie big enough to destroy the one thing he has left to protect.
Lisa, Griff’s younger sister and sole visitor, is navigating a midlife ADHD diagnosis, a new romance, and unexpected news that could change everything. Despite their fractured relationship, she keeps showing up, even with hope for reconciliation long buried in the silence between them. But the truth has a way of boiling over, and when secrets, soufflés, and second chances collide, Griff and Lisa may discover a recipe for forgiveness.
Heartfelt and inspiring, When Lemons Give You Life is a deeply human novel about love, forgiveness, redemption, and rediscovering joy when life has lost its flavor.
“Johnston thoughtfully explores grief, loneliness, aging, and sibling relationships while leavening with warmth and humor. Readers who enjoy emotionally driven fiction with memorable characters and layered family dynamics will find much to appreciate in this tender and engaging novel.” – Sarah Myers, Booklist
“[A] tender, heartwarming read… This story acknowledges hard realities about Alzheimer’s and senior care, lovingly blending the sweet and cozy with the serious and sour, much like a lemon tart.” – Stephanie Larkins, Library Reads
“There’s family drama, old and new relationships, and a rewarding arc for our main character. Anyone who enjoyed The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife will certainly enjoy this one as well, and I think you’ll find yourself pleasantly rewarded by Johnston’s growth as a writer.” – Greg Barlin, Barlin’s Books
The Wild Beneath by Kelly Anderson
fiction / romance / fantasy.
Annie MacLeod always knew she was different, growing up on a sailboat in the Pacific Northwest, navigating by stars and swimming with sea creatures alongside her parents and best friend Evan. But when a tsunami shatters her world, Annie is stranded on land and forced to confront how eccentric she is. In the wreckage, she rescues a wordless man named Walker, who emits a hum only she can hear.
Their connection is instant, electric. Walker’s touch gives Annie visions of the ocean’s hidden world, a life she’s never known but feels inexplicably drawn to. Yet even as she is pulled toward him, Evan—the steadfast love who has always been there—remains on dry land, offering the stability she may have to leave behind. Annie is torn between Evan’s grounding presence and Walker’s magnetic secrets. But then, Walker vanishes, along with the answers she needs about who she really is.
Six years later, Annie has left the sea and buried the past—until Walker’s otherworldly sound returns, pulling her back toward the ocean and the life she abandoned. The truth under the water is more ancient than she ever could have known, and Annie must confront a choice that will test her heart and determine her future.
“Anderson’s lyrical and ethereal first novel connects readers to the mystery and vitality of the natural world and our relationship to it. A perfect match for readers of Charlotte McConaghy, Richard Powers, and Shelby van Pelt.” – Patricia Smith, Booklist, STARRED REVIEW
“When I was done reading this I had sand under my fingernails, pockets full of seashells, salt water in my hair, and a story to tell.” – Jackie Jones, The Indie Next List
“[An] astonishing act of imagination… Ever surprising, this spellbinding story holds both science and wonder, always in close touch with the natural world… The Wild Beneath asks wise, subtle questions about the line between science and magic, and suggests that both are found in the natural world. Annie’s struggles with grief, with coming of age, with tough choices, and with a sense of being pulled in two conflicting directions at once, are both universally recognizable and shockingly unique. Her story is haunting and unforgettable.” – Julia Kastner, Shelf Awareness
The Women in White by Sarah Pekkanen ★
fiction / suspense / mystery / historical fiction.
In 1964, four remarkable young women at a prestigious university became the subjects of parapsychology experiments by a visionary scientist. On the cusp of a historic breakthrough, the women mysteriously vanished and the program was erased from history.
Decades later, Riley Bell, newly divorced and desperate for a fresh start, accepts a caretaker job for an elderly widow named Betty. Riley steps into a home that is frozen in another era – no microwave, television, or cell phones, and Betty has never heard of the internet.
Why has Betty lived in such profound isolation for so many years, and why does she need Riley now? As the story unfolds across two timelines – Betty’s 1960s era of 5 o’clock martinis and high-stakes experiments, and Riley’s quest to uncover the truth about the missing women – old secrets rise to the surface. And the only way to survive is to confront the mystery that has lingered for sixty years.
“Pekkanen’s latest is a tour de force: a thriller, an investigation into universities’ past abuse of young women in psych labs, and a nicely creepy evocation of Wilkie Collins’ famous, similarly named Gothic novel… both entertaining and wrenching.” – Connie Fletcher, Booklist, STARRED REVIEW
“…unsettlingly plausible… Give me strong mysterious women, questionable science, and buried secrets any day. This one absolutely delivered.” – Teresa Brock, The Best Thriller Books
“…intriguing and tense.” – Lisa Harvey, Blue Stocking Reviews
“This historical fiction-thriller hybrid offers a dual timeline page-turner, a gripping extra-sensory mystery, and a well-preserved time capsule with some retro glamour.” – Aardvark Book Club
You’ll Be Sorry by Lisa Gardner
fiction / suspense / mystery / horror.
For Raquel and Theo Collins, it appeared to be love at first sight. Raquel, a renowned interior designer, and Theo, a brash financial wizard met and married in a matter of months, only to confront a terrible tragedy. Now, unbearably aware of the distance between them, they’ve come to a remote town in New Hampshire to begin anew.
Perched on a ledge with stunning views, the Dixon’s family lodge was once a crown jewel of the mountains. Until late one August night, when both parents and their four children vanished, leaving behind a trail of bloody footprints, and a mystery that has endured for thirty years. Now, its latest occupants, the Collinses, are arriving, and the former grand lodge is once more stirring to life.
For Amanda Grady, following in her father’s footsteps as the recently appointed Shereford police chief, it’s good to see a fresh start for the derelict Dixon place. However, not everyone is happy about a new family in the old home and its hidden past may have returned with a vengeance.
When a stray dog leads to the discovery of a skeleton on the property, Raquel and Theo face a daunting choice of what to believe, who to trust, and how to survive. Because in the tiny village of Shereford the time has come. The local residents, the new neighbors, and the fledgling police chief must work together to unravel the terrifying events that happened one night thirty years ago, or…
You’ll be sorry.
“A gripping, character-driven mystery…” – Christine Tran, Booklist
“Gardner deftly juggles a number of characters, plot threads, secrets, time periods, and motives, delivering a satisfyingly layered novel that interrogates the insular lives and histories of small towns. Admirably ambitious in scope and mystery.” – Kirkus Reviews
“[A] page-turning thriller, right from the first page, with twists and turns you don’t see coming. A perfect late-summer read.” – Red Carpet Crash
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