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All in Recommendations
Holler, Child was exactly the kind of short story collection I’m always hoping every single one will be: emotional, hard-hitting, with excellent characters you root for despite their flaws.
Sensory and immersive, brutal and beautiful, Let Us Descend is another masterpiece from our queen Jesmyn Ward.
It baffles me that SJM can write so many series with terrible first books that turn into my favorite series of all time. Believe the hype (and stick with it until it gets good, because it gets SO GOOD).
The Daughter of Doctor Moreau is a smart, atmospheric, anticolonial / feminist reimagining of an HG Wells classic. It’s not the fastest paced, but it is very good.
Starling House is another top-notch novel from Alix E. Harrow. It was perfect for fall, exactly the plunge into plot that I needed, with lovable characters to boot.
Layered, ambitious, and gripping, The Bee Sting is 500 pages of family saga followed by 150 pages of literary thriller that we absolutely need. I hope it wins the Booker!
The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store is absolutely going to be one of my favorite reads of the year. Somehow, It’s both heavy and feels like a big literary hug at the same time. McBride, I’m coming for your backlist!
Godkiller is a well-written, well-built start of a new fantasy series with characters you’ll love and worldbuilding you’ll swoon over. I definitely recommend it!
Shy is a tiny book that packs a gigantic punch like only Max Porter can. Dark but emotionally poignant, this book will break your heart in the best way. I loved it.
Spear is a gender-bent, queer, Arthurian/Percival retelling that’s rich, stunning, and timely. It’s especially good on audio. I’m so glad I read it!
Legends & Lattes is a warm and fuzzy book about the healing power of friendship and found family that pulls on the heart strings and offers a respite from the real world. I loved it.
Red, White & Royal Blue is a feel-good story with left-wing political fanfiction, lots of spice, and a rare and deep emotional punch. I loved it.
Fourth Wing doesn’t do much that’s new — it’s a tropey hero’s journey — but it was super bingeable and a hell of a fun time. Can’t wait for book two.
The Vaster Wilds is another work of genius from Groff, intimate and visceral. You have to be in the mood for a book like this (it has almost no dialogue), but if you are, I think you’ll love it.
The Fragile Threads of Power is everything I hoped it would be. V.E. Schwab is a master plotter, a master of the details, a master of sentences — just a master of everything
Part memoir, part manifesto, Good for a Girl is perspective-shifting and deeply important, all while deftly carrying the narrative of Fleshman’s memoir. I loved it.
Like, Literally, Dude is a joyfully fun, delightfully nerdy book that I absolutely loved. In the running for a top nonfiction of the year for sure!
Good Strategy/Bad Strategy is the first business book I’ve read in years that didn’t feel like it should have been a TED Talk instead. It really lit my brain up and energized me — highly recommend!
Written by the first American woman to win the Boston Marathon in 33 years, Choosing to Run is exactly what I love in a memoir. It was engaging, taught me something new, and made my world a little bigger.
Black Butterflies is a well-researched, captivating, deeply moving novel about war and art set during the siege of Sarajevo. I couldn’t put it down and ultimately loved it.
