Alta Journal’s California Book Club
The book: Mumbo Jumbo by Ishmael Reed
The book: The Dream Hotel by Laila Lalami
Our reviewer says: "Lalami (The Other Americans) delivers a stirring dystopian tale of dwindling privacy and freedom in the digital age.... This surreal story feels all too plausible." Read more.
The book: How Women Made Music, edited by Alison Fensterstock
Our reviewer says: "It’s a buoyant, welcome ode to some of the most influential songstresses of the 20th and 21st centuries." Read more.
The book: Rabbit Moon by Jennifer Haigh
Our reviewer says: "A young American woman in Shanghai ends up in a coma after a hit-and-run in Haigh’s engrossing latest.... Readers will be transported." Read more.
The book: The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali
Our reviewer says: "The insightful latest from Kamali chronicles the decades-long friendship of two Iranian women whose lives are upended by their country’s political upheaval.... This will resonate with fans of women’s fiction." Read more.
The book: Searches by Vauhini Vara
Our reviewer says: "In this singular inquiry, journalist and novelist Vara reflects on humanity’s relationship with technology.... Readers will be profoundly moved by this remarkable meditation." Read more.
The book: Colored Television by Danzy Senna
Our reviewer says: "A struggling Los Angeles novelist succumbs to Hollywood’s siren call in the mordant latest from Senna.... [A] complex and satisfying portrait of a woman at odds with the categories that define her." Read more.
The book: Fun for the Whole Family by Jennifer E. Smith
Good Morning America Book Club
The book: The Sirens by Emilia Hart
Our reviewer says: "Hart delivers a high-voltage tale of family secrets, fantastical occurrences, and Australian history.... [T]here’s fun to be had with this spooky page-turner." Read more.
Jewish Book Council Book Club (fiction)
The book: Sons and Daughters by Chaim Grade
Our reviewer says: "This magisterial family saga by Grade, which was originally serialized in the 1960s and ’70s in New York City’s Yiddish newspapers, chronicles the erosion of a small Polish village shortly before the outbreak of WWII.... [A]n enormous achievement." Read more.
Jewish Book Council Book Club (nonfiction)
The book: How to Share an Egg by Bonny Reichert
Our reviewer says: "Journalist and chef Reichert debuts with a mesmerizing memoir about grappling with depression and growing up as the daughter of a Holocaust survivor.... Nimble and nourishing, this is not to be missed." Read more.
The book: Jade City by Fonda Lee
Our reviewer says: "In this intrigue-packed adventure, first in a trilogy set in an Asia-inspired, alternate-world modern city (and the first book for adults from YA author Lee), warring clans battle for control of their island nation and the jade that empowers them to perform superhuman feats." Read more.
The book: Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor
Our reviewer says: "The astonishing latest from Hugo and Nebula award winner Okorafor explores what it means to be human through the lens of artistic creation.... [A]n impressive feat of Africanfuturism." Read more.
The book: Audition by Katie Kitamura
Our reviewer says: "Kitamura serves up a taut and alluring novel about a mysterious relationship between a middle-aged woman and a young man.... Readers won’t be able to put this down." Read more.
The book: A Small Place by Jamaica Kincaid
The book: Go with the Flow by Lily Williams and Karen Schneemann
Our reviewer says: “In a graphic novel about periods that is charming if a bit risk averse, Williams and Schneemann suggest that the best antidote to high school humiliation is friendship.” Read more.
The book: The Tell by Amy Griffin
The book: Miss Austen by Gill Hornby
Our reviewer says: "The third novel from Hornby strikes gold in the much-mined terrain of Jane Austen–inspired fiction.... [A] vivid homage to the Austens and their world." Read more.
The book: The 10 by E.A. Hanks
Our reviewer says: "Former Vanity Fair writer Hanks—the daughter of Tom Hanks and his late first wife, Susan Dillingham—shines in this affecting debut chronicle of her turbulent relationship with her mother.... [A] forthright and moving account." Read more.
The book: Heartwood by Amity Gaige
Our reviewer says: "A woman vanishes near Maine’s 100-Mile Wilderness in this uneven literary thriller from Gaige.... It's a mixed bag." Read more.
The book: All That Life Can Afford by Emily Everett
Our reviewer says: "Everett debuts with an exquisite retelling of Pride and Prejudice, about an American tutor in contemporary Europe.... This erudite romance is deeply satisfying." Read more.
Reese's Book Club (YA)
The book: Heiress Takes All by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka
Our reviewer says: "In this quickly moving story of self-discovery and high-stakes revenge schemes, married creators Wibberly and Siegemund-Broka employ [a] sardonic first-person voice to construct a serpentine plot that’s equal parts intense action and organic teenage interactions." Read more.
The book: Killer Potential by Hannah Deitch
Our reviewer says: "A 29-year-old SAT tutor turned murder suspect goes on the lam in Deitch’s stylish debut.... Neo-noir fans will get a kick out of this." Read more.
The book: The Griffin Sisters' Greatest Hits by Jennifer Weiner
Our reviewer says: "The irresistible latest from Weiner chronicles a pop group’s brief career and their impact on a new generation.... Weiner’s fans will be delighted." Read more.
The book: Blessing the Boats by Lucille Clifton
Our reviewer says: "Culling from her last four books and including 19 new poems, Clifton's latest offers few surprises, but all of the joys and straight-talk readers have come to expect over 40 or so years of work." Read more.
The book: Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar
Our reviewer says: "Poet Akbar explores the allure of martyrdom in this electrifying story of a Midwestern poet struggling with addiction and grief.... This wondrous novel will linger in readers’ minds long after the final page." Read more.
The book: The Matchmaker by Aisha Saeed
Our reviewer says: "Children’s author Saeed (Omar Rising) makes her adult debut with a bumpy romantic mystery centered on Nura Khan, who runs a thriving matchmaking service among Atlanta’s Pakistani community.... Despite some promising elements, this never quite takes flight." Read more.
The book: The Antidote by Karen Russell
Our reviewer says: "The spellbinding latest from Russell (Swamplandia!) infuses a Dust Bowl epic with gothic melodrama.... [A]n inspired and unforgettable fusion of the gritty and the fantastic." Read more.
