Cleaning House
Shari Franke’s mother, former 8 Passengers vlogger Ruby Franke, was convicted in 2024 on felony child abuse charges. She details the trauma she and her six siblings suffered and speaks out against momfluencer culture in The House of My Mother. In a recent Instagram post, the author wrote that while she’ll continue to advocate for children, “This is the end of me sharing my private life. I’ve had my voice and agency taken for so long, and now, I’m putting my foot down.”
In Clubland
The Read with Jenna selection for January, Emma Knight’s The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus, lands at #12 on our hardcover fiction list. “Cookbook author Knight makes her fiction debut with a touching tale of a student’s romantic entanglements and family secrets,” according to our review. “Though the cast is a bit too crowded, making the story hard to follow, [the main character’s] intelligence and charm carry the reader along. The result is a satisfying coming-of-age story.”
Girl Talk
Amanda Gorman (l.) shot to fame in 2021 when she read her poem “The Hill We Climb” at President Biden’s inauguration. Gorman and illustrator Loveis Wise collaborated on Girls on the Rise, #5 on our children’s picture book list. In an interview with NPR, Gorman praised Wise’s work and discussed the importance of depicting inclusivity. “Talking about gender, talking about sexism can be incredibly challenging,” she said. “I knew the pages had to create this very vivid, safe space in which all gender identities could feel that they were involved in this conversation of what it means to be a young person who identifies as a girl.”
Stolen Hearts
Sarah Adams debuts at #3 on our trade paperback list with Beg, Borrow, or Steal, her third contemporary rom-com set in Rome, Ky. “Feuding second grade teachers learn they make a great team in this cute rivals-to-lovers romance,” per our review. “Folksy locals and plenty of comic misunderstandings add to the fun.”
