The book: Rejection by Tony Tulathimutte
Our reviewer says: "Tulathimutte offers a shrewd novel in stories populated by characters longing for IRL connections."
Alta Journal’s California Book Club
The book: This Boy's Life by Tobias Wolff
Our reviewer says: "In PEN/Faulkner Award-winner Wolff's fourth book, he recounts his coming-of-age with customary skill and self-assurance." Read more.
The book: We're Alone by Edwidge Danticat
Our reviewer says: "Novelist and essayist Danticat delivers a collection of piercing reflections on her native Haiti.... Danticat remains at the height of her considerable talents." Read more.
Barnes & Noble Book Club and Read with Jenna
The book: The Mighty Red by Louise Erdrich
Our reviewer says: "Pulitzer winner Erdrich follows the folks of the Red River Valley of North Dakota—the original home to the Ojibwe, the Dakota, and the Metis—in a captivating tale of love and everyday life amid environmental upheaval and the 2008 financial crisis." Read more.
The book: The Coming by Daniel Black
The book: Intermezzo by Sally Rooney
Our reviewer says: "Bestseller Rooney returns with a boldly experimental and emotionally devastating story of estrangement.... Even the author’s skeptics are liable to be swept away by this novel’s forceful currents of feeling." Read more.
The book: Once More from the Top by Emily Layden
Our reviewer says: "A Taylor Swift–esque pop star is blindsided by the discovery of her high school best friend’s corpse in this powerhouse sophomore effort from Layden.... Megan Abbott fans will devour this." Read more.
The book: Trouble in Queenstown by Delia Pitts
Our reviewer says: "With an indelible lead and a richly rendered setting, Pitts sets this series up for success. Readers will clamor for the next installment." Read more.
The book: Shred Sisters by Betsy Lerner
Our reviewer says: "Literary agent Lerner traces the impact of mental illness on a pair of sisters in her moving debut novel.... The result is a quietly lovely and ultimately hopeful chronicle of a complicated family." Read more.
Good Morning America Book Club
The book: A Song to Drown Rivers by Ann Liang
Our reviewer says: "Liang’s propulsive adult debut offers a straightforward retelling of the life of one of ancient China’s fabled Four Beauties.... Fans of plot-driven historical fantasy should take note." Read more.
Good Morning America YA Book Club
The book: Heir by Sabaa Tahir
Our reviewer says: "Set 20 years after the events of the Ember in the Ashes series, this propulsive, action-packed duology launch by Tahir finds the world once again in danger from both human and supernatural forces." Read more.
The book: I Am Alien to Life by Djuna Barnes
Our reviewer says: "This supple collection from Barnes (1892–1982) shaves the themes of lost innocence, unrequited love, and death of her modernist masterwork, Nightwood, into febrile confessions.... These memorable sketches unfurl a barbed wisdom of the grave." Read more.
Jewish Book Council Book Club (fiction)
The book: In Sickness and in Health / Yom Kippur in a Gym by Nora Gold
Jewish Book Council Book Club (nonfiction)
The book: The Madwoman in the Rabbi's Attic by Gila Fine
The book: NOS4A2 by Joe Hill
Our reviewer says: "Horror is too simplistic a word for Joe Hill’s new novel, but there’s no denying it makes the skin crawl like a worm on a hot rock.... With this novel, riveting from beginning to end, Hill has become a master of his craft." Read more.
The book: Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby
Our reviewer says: "In this strong crime novel from Thriller Award finalist Cosby, the double murder of married couple Isiah Randolph and Derek Jenkins... in Richmond, Va., drives African American Ike Randolph and self-proclaimed redneck Buddy Lee Jenkins, both hardened ex-cons, to track down their sons’ killers." Read more.
The book: Creation Lake by Rachel Kushner
Our reviewer says: "An undercover agent embeds with radical French environmentalists in this scintillating story of activism and espionage from Kushner.... Readers will be captivated." Read more.
The book: Parable of the Talents by Octavia Butler
Our reviewer says: "Though not for the faint-hearted, this work stands out as a testament to the author's enormous talent, and to the human spirit." Read more.
The book: Flamer by Mike Curato
Our reviewer says: "Before transitioning from a private Catholic middle school to a public high school, Aiden Navarro, 14, wants to enjoy Boy Scout summer camp.... Emotional and raw, Curato’s story plummets Aiden deep into despair, including suicidal ideation, juxtaposing powerful moments of burning, fiery hope." Read more.
The book: From Here to the Great Unknown by Lisa Marie Presley and Riley Keough
Our reviewer says:
The book: The Marlow Murder Club by Robert Thorogood
Our reviewer says: "Lauren Olamina, a black teenager, grew up in a 21st-century America that was tearing itself apart.... The way the characters evolve as their relationships grow sets this light mystery above the pack." Read more.
The book: Society of Lies by Lauren Ling Brown
Our reviewer says: "Brown has a knack for atmosphere, but her pacing drags, and it’s difficult to differentiate between the voices of her protagonists. This struggles to stand out from the pack of campus thrillers." Read more.
The book: Chlorine by Jade Song
Our reviewer says: "In Song’s disturbing and visionary debut, a child pushed too hard to succeed becomes a monster of her own making.... It’s a singular coming-of-age." Read more.
The book: The Last One at the Wedding by Jason Rekulak
Our reviewer says: "Rekulak impresses with this engrossing tale of a widowed father who starts to sense darkness beneath his daughter’s impending marriage.... This should please the author’s existing fans and win him new ones." Read more.
The book: The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead
Our reviewer says: "Inspired by horrific events that transpired at the real-life Dozier School for Boys, Whitehead’s brilliant examination of America’s history of violence is a stunning novel of impeccable language and startling insight." Read more.
The book: Hamra and the Jungle of Memories by Hanna Alkaf
Our reviewer says: "During the Covid pandemic, 13-year-old Hamra contends with perilous fantastical situations and internal struggles stemming from familial concerns in this riveting jungle adventure by Alkaf, a “Little Red Riding Hood”–inspired Malaysian fantasy." Read more.
The book: What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez by Claire Jiménez
Our reviewer says: "A Staten Island Puerto Rican family reckons with the disappearance of a 13-year-old girl in Jiménez’s brilliant debut.... This is a knockout." Read more.
The book: Model Home by Rivers Solomon
Our reviewer says: "[T]he dazzling atmospherics and sharp-toothed point about race in America will draw readers in." Read more.
