The U.S. is a cobbled-together assortment of nations with radically different cultural values, according to this sweeping follow-up to journalist Woodard’s American Nations. Updating the thesis of that book, Woodard posits a total of nine American subnations that diverge sharply, particularly over individual liberty vs. collective responsibility. They include Yankeedom, stretching from New England to Minnesota, whose Puritan roots bequeathed a sense of communitarian social discipline; the Deep South, whose origins in plantation slavery imprinted it with a hierarchical social order; and Greater Appalachia, a land of rebellious individualism. Drawing on polling stats and maps of county-level data on everything from election results to life expectancy, Woodard applies the nations framework to explain differing regional attitudes on issues like gun control (the violent honor cultures of the South and Appalachia detest it), migration (Appalachian xenophobia runs deep), and action on climate change (it’s actually popular in all the nations, he notes). A Maine native, Woodard wears his Yankee progressivism on his sleeve, frequently suggesting ways to nudge the other regions leftward. At times, his approach can seem unnuanced, as he ascribes so much of politics to tradition, but at other times readers will find themselves nodding along. It’s a thought-provoking reflection on the deep roots of America’s divisions. (Nov.)

Reviewed on 01/02/2026 | Details & Permalink

Goncourt Prize winner Le Tellier (The Anomaly) blends autobiography, biography, and fiction in this intriguing story of a French Resistance fighter. In March 2020, Le Tellier retreats from Paris for the small Provencal town of La Paillette, where he recently bought a house with the intention to “invent some roots for myself.” After noticing the name André Chaix carved into the facade, he finds the same name, with the dates 1924–1944, on a war monument in the village square. From there, the narrative comprises Le Tellier’s reconstruction of André’s brief life. With the help of a small box of André’s belongings, given to him by local historians, the author pieces together what André might have been like. The portrait that emerges includes André’s sweet love letters to his fiancée, Simone Reynier, and historical data concerning the Resistance group he joined. Le Tellier also speculates about films André and Simone might have seen, and muses about the insidious political collaboration with the Nazis that stained daily life in that part of Vichy France. Le Tellier crafts a lifelike world around his central character, complete with striking photographs of André with his brother and with Simone, alongside scans of André’s ID card and letters. It’s an arresting testament to courage and humanity in the face of unspeakable evil. (Nov.)

Reviewed on 01/02/2026 | Details & Permalink

Mak, cofounder of ClearLife Reset, a program that aims to help people reduce or quit their use of alcohol, debuts with a lucid guide to defeating destructive habits. Drawing from her own life, the author describes how she began drinking to fit in as a teen and continued to rely on alcohol to blunt feelings of dissatisfaction as a adult. After kicking the habit in the midst of getting divorced, she was able to start “making decisions from a clearer and more confident place.” Mak explains how readers can break free from their own “dimming habits,” like binge-eating or overworking, which minimize difficult feelings but make it harder to live intentionally and to fully connect with others. Readers can do so by recognizing and acting on eight core truths, among them the notions that life is better “clear” and that one’s trauma isn’t their identity. (Overidentifying with the pain and fear that drives one’s coping mechanisms can perpetuate self-defeating narratives, according to Mak.) Readers will appreciate Mak’s refreshingly candid exploration of her attempts to live more authentically, and her flexible, middle-of-the-road approach wisely leaves room for cutting back on or reframing harmful habits rather than abstaining from them entirely. Readers looking to make major life changes will be informed and inspired. (Jan.)

Reviewed on 01/02/2026 | Details & Permalink

Investigative reporter Tulsky debuts with a harrowing true crime narrative about 17-year-old Lamonte McIntyre, who was unjustly convicted of murder by a dirty cop, an unethical DA, and a judge who had a secret past relationship with the prosecutor. In the 1990s, Kansas City suffered from government corruption, a decaying downtown, and a high crime rate. When two Black Kansas City men were executed in broad daylight in 1994, the cops and city hall wanted the case wrapped up quickly to avoid further damage to the city’s reputation. They pinned the crime on McIntyre, a poor Black teenager with a drug record, who was swiftly convicted despite a lack of evidence and a solid alibi. McIntyre languished in prison until 2019, when Centurion Ministries, an Innocence Project–style nonprofit, took on his case. With the help of attorney Cheryl Pilate, McIntyre was freed in 2017 and awarded millions in damages from the city and state. Tulsky meticulously traces the perfect storm of prejudice and corruption that left McIntyre vulnerable, and wrenchingly describes his unsteady efforts to rejoin society as an adult. This horrifying account of injustice and new beginnings leaves a mark. Agent: Michael Carlisle, InkWell Management. (Feb.)

Reviewed on 01/02/2026 | Details & Permalink

Hannon (Over the Edge) wraps up the Undaunted Courage series with this pulse-pounding contemporary. Anthropologist Cara Tucker is taking a sabbatical in rural Missouri, where she’s helping Natalie Boyer, a local woman, translate family journals written in Paw Paw French, a nearly extinct dialect once spoken by French settlers in the region. Natalie hopes the journals will shed light on her thorny family history, including the suspicious circumstances surrounding a relative’s death in the 1930s. But a series of too-coincidental disasters—a fire set on Natalie’s property, her handyman’s mysterious death—soon has both women wondering if someone might be determined to keep the journals’ secrets buried. After local sheriff Brad Adams gets involved in the case and seeks Cara’s help extracting clues from the diaries, he begins to suspect the real culprit might be closer to home, even if he can’t yet discern their motive. Hannon keeps the tension high as Brad and Cara harness their faith to unravel a mystery that’s rooted in an intricate web of long-ago affairs, contested inheritances, and buried jealousies. Readers will be on the edge of their seats until the very end. (Oct.)

Reviewed on 01/02/2026 | Details & Permalink

In Langsfeld’s elegiac debut, a lifetime of abuse and emotional neglect drives Tom Horak to kill his former childhood friend, Rust Hawkins. After the murder, Tom retreats from his small Colorado town to a cabin in the Rocky Mountains, where he endures a harsh winter with nothing but memories of his painful past and the moose meat he manages to hunt. Tom grew up in a house dominated by his alcoholic father, whose explosive rage and rigid ideas of masculinity prevented him from expressing his love in a healthy way. As a young adult, Tom entered a passionate, on-off relationship with the free-spirited Rose, who eventually married Rust and had his son, Gus, widening the divide between the two friends. Following Rust’s death, Gus, long abandoned by Rose, is taken in by Morris Green, a lonely Lutheran pastor grappling with his own existential doubts. Meanwhile, peace officer Marshal Tomlinson reluctantly pursues Tom, aware that the trauma of his childhood makes any hope of justice or closure an illusion. Like the novels of Tom Franklin and Willy Vlautin, Langsfeld’s meditative noir sanctifies lives steeped in pain and regret, yet still lit by the faint possibility of a brighter tomorrow. It’s an auspicious first outing. (Feb.)

Reviewed on 01/02/2026 | Details & Permalink

Moffet writes about fatherhood and the bittersweet passage of time in his quietly beautiful debut novel (after the story collection Further Interpretations of Real-Life Events). After the unnamed narrator loses his dad at the age of nine, his paternal grandmother hauls away his father’s possessions. Like the marks left on the carpet by his dad’s now absent recliner, the boy’s memories of his father fade over time. A desultory childhood in a 1980s Florida suburb follows, during which the narrator watches so much TV that “it feels like a punishment.” He attends karate classes, where he sits through lectures from a sensei who sees himself as a role model for at-risk boys. The only real kindness he remembers comes from a neighborhood boy who had lost his father to prison. From there, the novel jumps forward 25 years. The narrator has become a writing professor outside of Los Angeles and father to a son. He feels just as rudderless as a parent as he did as a fatherless son. “I wish I’d inherited some traditions from my father,” he thinks. “I’m mostly trying to be present... and known.” He ruefully notes how his son transforms from a boy who runs to his parents with all his questions and fears into a sullen teenager, now impenetrable behind his earbuds. Along the way, Moffet keenly traces the grace attained through the long arc of acceptance. Readers will be moved. (Nov.)

Reviewed on 01/02/2026 | Details & Permalink

The moving and well-rounded latest from Packer (after The Children’s Crusade) finds a terminally ill woman pushing her husband away and choosing to spend her last days with her two best friends. Eliot has stood by Claire since her breast cancer was first discovered eight years earlier. After Claire’s treatment ends and they prepare for in-home hospice care, she tells Eliot she’d like her childhood friend Holly and college roommate Michelle to stay with her, and he’s stunned to realize that she wants him to leave. Feeling stymied, he moves temporarily to Holly’s nearby house. Throughout, Packer explores the foundations of her central couple’s nearly 40-year marriage: the bonds, the inevitable ups and downs, the raising of their now grown children Josh, who’s still grappling with his music career, and Abby, a pediatrician who is married with two children. Though Eliot wants to continue being the attentive and understanding husband who accedes to his wife’s desires, he’s hurt and resentful about her decision, and feels supplanted by Holly and Michelle, who easily usurp his position as caregiver. Packer keeps the reader invested in her thought-provoking exploration of a marriage, as Eliot wonders why Claire doesn’t want him the most as the end of her life draws near. The author’s fans will relish this poignant novel. Agent: Sarah Bowlin, Aevitas Creative Management. (Nov.)

Reviewed on 01/02/2026 | Details & Permalink

Van de Sandt debuts with a vivid portrait of a woman’s trauma and recovery. The narrative unfolds as a therapy exercise written by Franca, a 27-year-old struggling writer from the Netherlands who has spent four years in the U.K. after abandoning her comp lit degree in Utrecht to live with her wealthy English fiancé, Andrew. Following his lucrative sale of an app, Franca has become fully dependent on Andrew, giving up on job-hunting and numbing her unhappiness with drinking and TV. She’s tasked with cooking dinner for Andrew and his colleagues to celebrate the team’s latest venture, but the evening begins with him raping her in the kitchen shortly before their guests arrive, leaving her reeling and trying to make sense of what just happened. The night takes another turn with the unexpected arrival of Franca’s former best friend Harry, whose abrupt departure from Utrecht ended their relationship years ago. As alcohol flows and tensions rise, Franca’s mental state unravels, and the narrative reaches a devastating climax. Van de Sandt weaves together Franca’s fragmented, often gruesome memories with a nuanced exploration of sexual violence within intimate relationships. This leaves readers with much to chew on. Agent: Millie Hoskins, United Agents. (Nov.)

Reviewed on 01/02/2026 | Details & Permalink

Journalist Sherman (The Loudest Voice in the Room) delves in this juicy melodrama into the caustic, decades-long family feud over the inheritance of Rupert Murdoch’s media empire. The account opens with Rupert’s son Lachlan’s 2023 move to oust his siblings—James, Liz, and their older half sister Prudence—from the family trust. Backtracking from there, Sherman traces Murdoch’s rise, from the inheritance of his own father’s Australian newspaper business through his slew of tabloid purchases in Britain and America. Murdoch’s success, the author shows, is owed to both a taste for sensationalism and a cold-blooded ruthlessness, the latter of which bleeds into his personal life, particularly via his transactional bond with his children, whom he “pit[s]... against one another” and for whom deal-making is the only way to gain their father’s attention. Indeed, the dizzying amount of sales and acquisitions can bog down the narrative’s pace, though it serves well to express the extent to which Murdoch manipulates his children for his own gain, including telling Liz that she was “his preferred successor” during his purchase of her successful TV production company only to stop talking to her once the paperwork was signed. The saga reads like a real-life Succession, a comparison even the family can see, as evidenced by their paranoia about possible leaks to the show’s writers. Readers will be riveted by this merciless battle for dynastic dominance. (Feb.)

Reviewed on 01/02/2026 | Details & Permalink