Book News – Book and Author News

Our Most Anticipated Books for 2026 (July–December)

Tony Ramos — Wed, 08 Jul 2026 06:55:51 +0000

It’s that time again. That time when we bring you a glimpse into the books we’re most excited about for the rest of the year, starting with the first ones publishing in July and looking ahead to December. 2026 has already been exciting for books, and the second half is looking especially enticing. Below we have a wide range of contemporary and historical fiction, mysteries and thrillers to keep you up at night, speculative works that reckon with past, future, and parallel worlds, and nonfiction to reckon with the current one. Watch out for these books in our upcoming e-zines, and in our First Impressions program and book club discussions.

Most Anticipated Contemporary Fiction

A Real Animal: A Novel
by Emeline Atwood

Jul 2026. 368 pages
Published by Catapult

In this unforgettable debut, a moment of metaphysical transformation launches a woman’s beautiful and terrifying journey through her twenties, through loneliness and complicated love that takes her from the depths of the Pacific Ocean to the plains of Texas.

Why we’re looking forward to it: This coming-of-age story exploring the intensity of the human experience feels like a perfect read for the middle of summer.

The Great Wherever: A Novel
by Shannon Sanders

Jul 2026. 416 pages
Published by Henry Holt and Company

The dead are relentless gossips, or at least these dead are.

An impulsive and heartbroken woman inherits her father’s share of a Tennessee farm that is rich in family secrets and occupied with busybody ghosts in this sweeping family portrait.

Why we’re looking forward to it: This cleverly narrated story held together by ghosts is a brilliant exploration of family history and narrative itself.

Country People: A Novel
by Daniel Mason

Jul 2026. 336 pages
Published by Random House

A year in the life of a family as they strike out into the unknown (aka Vermont), leaving all the comforts of home behind—a rollicking, lyrical novel from Pulitzer Prize finalist Daniel Mason, the bestselling author of North Woods and one of America’s greatest living writers.

Why we’re looking forward to it: Mason’s North Woods was a BookBrowse favorite. Now, here comes the whimsical story of a family who relocates from California to Vermont and the eccentric world they find there.

Cool Machine: The Harlem Trilogy #3
by Colson Whitehead

Jul 21, 2026. 368 pages
Published by Doubleday

From #1 New York Times bestselling author and two-time Pulitzer winner Colson Whitehead, an exuberantly entertaining novel that brings to life 1980s New York in the magnificent final volume of his Harlem Trilogy.

Why we’re looking forward to it: Ray Carney, who thinks it’s harder to find a good coffee table than fall in love, proves to be a compelling character from the start in Whitehead’s latest.

Beginning Middle End: A Novel
by Valeria Luiselli

Jul 28, 2026. 368 pages
Published by Knopf

From the beloved, award-winning author of the culture-changing hits Lost Children Archive and Tell Me How It Ends comes her most powerful and page-turning novel yet: the tale of a mother and daughter traveling together after the collapse of a marriage and the dissolution of their traditional family structure.

Why we’re looking forward to it: The story of a mother and daughter traveling through Sicily and an examination of both beginnings and endings, this book shows similarities to Lost Children Archive and promises to be as impressive.

Triage
by Claudia Rankine

Aug 4, 2026. 136 pages
Published by Graywolf Press

A groundbreaking new direction for Claudia Rankine, the best-selling author of Citizen and Just Us.

Why we’re looking forward to it: A new work from Claudia Rankine is always exciting, and we can’t wait to see where this portrayal of a complicated friendship takes us.

The Seekers of Deer Creek: A Novel
by Thao Thai

Aug 4, 2026. 320 pages
Published by Mariner Books

From the national bestselling author of Banyan Moon, a captivating, evocative story of two estranged sisters on a quest to find a painting by a forgotten Vietnamese artist that holds the truth of their family’s fractured past.

Why we’re looking forward to it: Another enticing-looking offering from the author of Banyan Moon. And who doesn’t love a good art mystery?

Soft Spots: A Novel
by Leila Renee

Aug 4, 2026. 352 pages
Published by Amistad

Raven Leilani’s Luster meets Halle Butler’s The New Me, Soft Spots is a darkly funny and off-kilter coming-of-age novel following recent college graduate Robin Clarke after she runs away from her family, only to be forced to confront whether she should reconcile with her father when his health takes a sudden turn for the worst.

Why we’re looking forward to it: This sounds like the best kind of charmingly weird coming-of-age story.

Etna: A Novel
by Paul Yoon

Aug 4, 2026. 208 pages
Published by Scribner

Beloved author and winner of The Story Prize, Paul Yoon, is back with the unforgettable story of a working dog, Etna, who, after a devastating war, embarks on an odyssey in the hopes of returning home.

Why we’re looking forward to it: “Not only does Yoon pull off a fresh take on well-worn Homeric themes and convincingly capture a dog’s perspective,” says Publishers Weekly, “but he offers subtle and resonant insights on the nature of faith, which might not always provide salvation but can be enough to keep people (and dogs) going.”

Sunrise: A Novel
by Téa Obreht

Aug 11, 2026. 336 pages
Published by Random House

Three lives, one hundred years, one ghost town: an explosive novel about a mysterious place called Sunrise, where the secrets of the past refuse to stay buried, from the New York Times bestselling author of The Tiger’s Wife.

Why we’re looking forward to it: A mysterious Old West town and buried historical secrets beckon.

Under the Falls: A Novel
by Richard Russo

Aug 11, 2026. 256 pages
Published by Knopf

The Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Empire Falls returns with his first stand-alone novel since Chances Are … —a spellbinding page-turner about a crime in a small town that exposes long-held secrets and betrayals among a group of lifelong friends.

Why we’re looking forward to it: Library Journal calls it “another winner from an author who seemingly cannot write a bad sentence.”

Unprecedented Times: A Novel
by Malavika Kannan

Aug 18, 2026. 352 pages
Published by Henry Holt and Company

Malavika Kannan establishes herself as an inimitable voice of Gen Z in this piercing coming-of-age debut novel.

Why we’re looking forward to it: This bold debut takes on the fraught and necessary topic of coming of age in the age of Covid. Booklist writes, “A sparkling work of fiction, this story feels like pages ripped straight from your funniest friend’s diary.”

The Book of Chuck: A Novel
by LaToya Watkins

Aug 18, 2026. 304 pages
Published by Tiny Reparations

An extraordinary new novel about family, legacy, and an inherited curse, from National Book Award–nominated author LaToya Watkins.

Why we’re looking forward to it: Another sprawling family saga from LaToya Watkins, another surefire stunner from Tiny Reparations.

Crocodilopolis: A Novel
by John Manuel Arias

Aug 25, 2026. 320 pages
Published by Bloomsbury Publishing

From the author of national bestseller Where There Was Fire comes a gripping tale of sibling rivalry, family secrets, and the fate of a nation.

Why we’re looking forward to it: Sibling rivalry? A powerful political family? We hope the screen adaptation is already underway.

Life of M: A Novel
by Rachel Cusk

Aug 25, 2026. 192 pages
Published by Farrar, Straus & Giroux

From the critically acclaimed author of the Outline trilogy, an irresistible novel of fame, power, beauty, and truth―and a blazing renovation of the form.

Why we’re looking forward to it: An author whose works are now always anticipated, Cusk ponders fame, identity, and the modern world here.

Dèy: A Novel
by Edwidge Danticat

Aug 25, 2026. 256 pages
Published by Knopf

From the bestselling author of Everything Inside comes a vivid, timely story, moving from Haiti to Brooklyn to Miami, of a woman whose sense of self and family are called into question when she gets caught in a random act of violence one sunny Florida day.

Why we’re looking forward to it: Publishers Weekly writes of the latest venture from this celebrated writer, “Danticat delivers a resounding testament to the strength gained by sharing, whether in celebration, fear, grief, or family memories.”

The Disappearers: A Novel
by Marlon James

Sep 1, 2026. 640 pages
Published by Riverhead Books

From Marlon James, author of the Booker Prize–winning A Brief History of Seven Killings: a propulsive novel about the murder of a gay man in 1980s Jamaica and its tragic consequences.

Why we’re looking forward to it: The latest novel from Marlon James brings modern history to life, and Kirkus observes the “same affinity for Dickensian storytelling he’s shown in his sword-and-sorcery epics.”

The Radiance: A Novel
by Ayad Akhtar

Sep 29, 2026. 304 pages
Published by Summit Books

A mysterious accident along a country road sparks an awakening and an investigation in Pulitzer Prize–winning playwright and acclaimed novelist Ayad Akhtar’s most daring work yet—a visionary novel of spiritual transformation in an age of fracture—”bordering at times on the ineffable” (Mary Gaitskill, bestselling author of Bad Behavior).

Why we’re looking forward to it: Publishers Weekly calls this novel from Akhtar, author of Homeland Elegies, Disgraced, and American Dervish, “an intense and transcendent philosophical novel about the limits of words.”

American Hagwon
by Min Jin Lee

Sep 29, 2026. 656 pages
Published by Cardinal

At last, the National Book Award finalist and NYT bestselling author of Pachinko returns with a breathtaking contemporary epic: Min Jin Lee has written a masterpiece by turns sweeping and intimate, one that reckons with ambition and moderation, lust and loyalty, personal dreams and familial duty.

Why we’re looking forward to it: After the popularity of Pachinko, readers and book clubs will be itching to get their hands on this family saga from Lee, which follows a couple and their children from Seoul to Sydney to Southern California after the Asian financial crisis.

The True Confessions of First Lady Freeman: A Novel – A Sharp Satirical Drama of Megachurch Scandal, Shame, and Freedom
by Deesha Philyaw

Sep 29, 2026. 432 pages
Published by Mariner Books

The wife of a popular and powerful megachurch pastor upends her charmed “rags-to-Rolex” life when her secret past comes roaring into the spotlight—in this “funny and juicy and sexy and delicious peek behind the pulpit” (Samantha Irby) from the acclaimed and beloved author of The Secret Lives of Church Ladies.

Why we’re looking forward to it: Philyaw’s fantastic, multi-award-winning debut short story collection The Secret Lives of Church Ladies has made her first novel almost impossible to wait for.

Partita: A Novel
by Barbara Kingsolver

Oct 6, 2026. 352 pages
Published by Harper

A deeply moving new novel about life and art from one of America’s greatest writers.

Why we’re looking forward to it: This story of a former pianist who finds herself back in contact with an old lover promises to be trademark Kingsolver and a fast reader favorite.

Peck & Peck: A Novel
by Bonnie Garmus

Oct 13, 2026. 432 pages
Published by Scribner

The number one bestselling author of global sensation Lessons in Chemistry returns with an irresistible, delightful, and tender story about a young man whose life turns upside down when he is hired by the most prestigious, secretive, and dysfunctional poetry journal in the world: the renowned Peck & Peck of New York City.

Why we’re looking forward to it: “There’s a lot of crazy stuff going on,” Garmus has said, according to People magazine, of her latest novel, about a young man who goes to work for strange-sounding poetry journal. First of all, it’s Bonnie Garmus, and second of all, we really have to find out exactly what is going on here.

Don’t Stop Snowing
by Gabriel Bump

Nov 10, 2026. 240 pages
Published by Algonquin Books

A deeply personal and funny novel from the winner of the Ernest J. Gaines Award, about embracing one’s own troubled self, demons and all, for readers of Percival Everett, Kevin Wilson, and Brandon Taylor’s The Late Americans.

Why we’re looking forward to it: “This novel is quieter, more introspective, than my previous books. Like a long winter walk through six inches of fresh snow,” Bump told the Chicago Review of Books. Certainly an appropriate read for November.

The Ruiners: A Novel
by Ellena Savage

Dec 1, 2026. 288 pages
Published by Catapult

A sexy, cerebral eco-thriller following a young couple who purchase a decrepit house on an environmentally ravaged Greek island, to disastrous personal and political consequences.

Why we’re looking forward to it: An eco-thriller set on a Greek island, no matter how rough the surroundings, will probably seem pretty nice come December, and this debut sounds quirky in a good way.

The Bridge
by Colm Toibin

Dec 1, 2026. 160 pages
Published by Scribner

A brand-new, long story from Tóibín that picks up where A Long Winter ends, with an afterword by the author on the enduring presence of the characters in these stories—in a beautiful stand-alone edition.

Why we’re looking forward to it: This new story from Tóibín, set in the Catalan Pyrenees, should make a wonderful holiday gift for any serious readers in one’s life.

The Half Life: A Novel
by Rachel Beanland

Jul 14, 2026. 480 pages
Published by Simon & Schuster

From the author of Florence Adler Swims Forever and The House Is on Fire, a novel set on a remote Italian island about a navy wife’s reckoning with power, love, and the price of staying silent in the Atomic Age.

Why we’re looking forward to it: Beanland’s latest historical novel explores America’s military past and the moral struggles of a U.S. Navy wife in a story that sounds both timely and informative for curious readers.

The Amateur: A Novel
by Chris Bohjalian

Aug 4, 2026. 336 pages
Published by Doubleday

When a young woman, a golf prodigy, kills a caddy with a stray ball at the country club, the investigation of this freak accident reveals a dark and shocking tale of secret affairs and predatory men, and suddenly a teenager is on trial in this spellbinding novel from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Midwives and The Flight Attendant.

Why we’re looking forward to it: Chris Bohjalian is a favorite author of the BookBrowse community, and this seems like a truly absorbing page-turner.

The Responsible Party: A Novel
by Claire Carusillo

Aug 11, 2026. 336 pages
Published by Henry Holt and Company

Geek Love meets Sam Lipsyte in this rollicking, hilarious debut novel about a family of unforgettable women obsessed with securing their legacy.

Why we’re looking forward to it: A uniquely humorous multi-generational and multi-timeline story, this seems like it will just be a whole lot of fun.

A Tender Age: A Novel
by Chang-rae Lee

Aug 11, 2026. 368 pages
Published by Riverhead Books

From the Pulitzer Prize finalist, a story of guilt, innocence, and a boy on the cusp of adolescence.

Why we’re looking forward to it: This coming-of-age novel from ambitious, seasoned novelist Chang-rae Lee, already well-reviewed, is likely to be a big hit.

The Pirate Queen
by Ariel Lawhon

Sep 8, 2026. 336 pages
Published by Doubleday

A sweeping historical adventure inspired by the life of Grace O’Malley, the legendary Irish folk heroine who risked everything to defend her people. Venture onto the high seas with the thrilling latest from the New York Times bestselling author of The Frozen River and I Was Anastasia.

Why we’re looking forward to it: Lawhon is the author of one of the most popular historical novels we’ve featured in recent years (The Frozen River), and we can’t imagine that readers won’t fall for a new book of hers about “the Pirate Queen of Ireland.”

Our Noble Selves: A Novel
by Kate Atkinson

Sep 15, 2026. 352 pages
Published by Doubleday

A thrilling tale of post–World War II London, where the peace proves as tricky to navigate as the past, from the #1 international bestselling author of Life After Life.

Why we’re looking forward to it: Post–World War II London. A missing Frenchwoman. A band of misfits. Classic Kate Atkinson.

Mazywood
by Tananarive Due

Sep 22, 2026. 512 pages
Published by Saga Press

S. A. Cosby’s All the Sinners Bleed meets Percival Everett’s Erasure in this literary thriller following the grandson of a famous Black actress from the 1920s to the 1940s, now a filmmaker himself, who returns to his grandmother’s cabin retreat in the California mountains only to encounter the legacy of her rage born in Old Hollywood.

Why we’re looking forward to it: From the author of The Reformatory comes a doorstopper that looks to be an incredible historical thriller.

Dodge City: A Novel
by Patrick deWitt

Sep 29, 2026. 256 pages
Published by Ecco

From bestselling author Patrick deWitt comes Dodge City, a rollicking novel about a young man on an amphetamine-fueled cross-country road trip, fleeing the draft for the safe haven of Canada.

Why we’re looking forward to it: Who doesn’t want to read a witty story about a Vietnam War draft dodger from the author of The Librarianist?

The Four Wives and Five Deaths of Richard Milford: A Novel
by Nafissa Thompson-Spires

Oct 13, 2026. 176 pages
Published by Scribner

From the author of the multi-award-winning, National Book Award–longlisted, “vivid, fast, funny, way-smart, and verbally inventive” (George Saunders) story collection Heads of the Colored People, comes a sly, spry, tall tale of a debut novel about the murder of an infamous moonshiner and the cacophony of true stories a small town can tell about itself.

Rich Milford is dead. At last.

Why we’re looking forward to it: Nafissa Thompson-Spires’ debut collection Heads of the Colored People was a literary event in itself, so we won’t be missing her first novel.

Music Against the Night: A Novel (The Nocturne Trilogy)
by Yiyun Li

Oct 13, 2026. 352 pages
Published by Farrar, Straus & Giroux

Figures of the past find new life in Yiyun Li’s thrillingly imagined saga following two musicians as they mature, study, travel, love, grieve, and, above all, chase their ambitions.

Why we’re looking forward to it: Li is one of the great fiction writers of our time, she excels in a historical setting (as with The Book of Goose), and this appears to be the first book in an epic trilogy.

Nightjar: Stories
by Emily Ruskovich

Jul 2026. 272 pages
Published by Random House

From the award-winning author of the national bestseller Idaho comes a stunning collection of stories that explore how unexpected intuitions forever alter the lives of ordinary people.

Why we’re looking forward to it: This Pacific Northwest-set collection of stories has gotten stars from Kirkus and PW and comes recommended from beloved author Kelly Link.

It Will Come Back to You: Collected Stories
by Sigrid Nunez

Jul 14, 2026. 224 pages
Published by Riverhead Books

The first ever collection of short stories from the New York Times bestselling, National Book Award-winning author of The Friend.

Why we’re looking forward to it: It’s always exciting when an acclaimed novelist publishes their first short story collection, and with this one being full of previously published material, we know it’s going to be good.

Black Arts: Stories
by Megan Giddings

Sep 8, 2026. 240 pages
Published by Amistad

The very first story collection from the critically acclaimed, visionary author of the novels Lakewood, The Women Could Fly, and Meet Me at the Crossroads.

Why we’re looking forward to it: Here’s another much-anticipated first story collection, from the much-praised author of Meet Me at the Crossroads and other novels.

Terrestrial
by Cristina Rivera Garza

Sep 15, 2026. 160 pages
Published by Hogarth Books

A fiercely poetic, tenderly observed portrait of young women’s travels on the fringes of Mexico and the United States, by the Pulitzer-Prize winning author of Liliana’s Invincible Summer.

Why we’re looking forward to it: This new set of stories from Garza is sure to showcase her innovative and beguiling touch.

Desperate Bodies
by Lydia Mathis

Sep 15, 2026. 288 pages
Published by Roxane Gay Books

From a ferocious new talent, a debut story collection excavating the desire, humor, and horror in the everyday lives of Black women and girls—for readers of Deesha Philyaw and Kelly Link.

Why we’re looking forward to it: Fresh from Roxane Gay’s imprint at Grove Press, this debut has been getting some online buzz, and the comparisons to Philyaw and Link don’t hurt, either.

Wisdom Corner: A Novel
by David Heska Wanbli Weiden

Jul 2026. 320 pages
Published by Ecco

From the award-winning author of Winter Counts comes a new thriller about life—and death—on the Rosebud Indian Reservation.

Why we’re looking forward to it: Weiden’s latest returns to the character Virgil Wounded Horse and a lovingly crafted fictional world built around issues relevant to contemporary Native life.

The Parisian Heist: A Novel
by Jo Piazza

Jul 14, 2026. 384 pages
Published by Dutton

From the bestselling author of The Sicilian Inheritance and Everyone Is Lying to You comes a propulsive dual-timeline mystery drenched in art-world intrigue and brimming with family secrets, betrayal, and the intoxicating lure of power.

Why we’re looking forward to it: Here’s your dedicated historical art mystery for the summer. Everyone needs one.

The Night Hunter
by Natalie Moss

Jul 28, 2026. 352 pages
Published by Berkley Books

In a remote corner of the South African bush, two sisters reunite to bury a family secret once and for all, but when they’re stranded among the wild animals, they find a predator far more dangerous waiting for them in the shadows…

Why we’re looking forward to it: An upcoming book to be featured in our First Impressions program, this South African-set thriller is getting high marks.

Plant Lady
by Kang Minyoung

Aug 4, 2026. 208 pages
Published by Berkley Books

In the heart of a quiet town, a young woman tends to her plant shop, but beneath the surface of her lush, green sanctuary lies something far darker….

Will you dare to disrespect her plants?

Why we’re looking forward to it: Another First Impressions book many of our readers are enjoying already, this darkly comic tale of gardening and female revenge is one to round out the warmer days and nights.

The Dating Game
by Ally Zetterberg

Sep 8, 2026. 304 pages
Published by Berkley Books

In this clever and surprising thriller about the perils of modern dating and the female rage it sometimes inspires, a board game designer starts playing by her own rules, and losers won’t be tolerated.

Why we’re looking forward to it: In a starred review, Library Journal recommends this thriller to fans of Oyinkan Braithwaite’s My Sister, the Serial Killer, among others.

There Used to Be People Here
by Kennedy Cole

Nov 3, 2026. 368 pages
Published by Berkley Books

In 1970s Mississippi, a Black detective and his temporary partner are assigned to a case that shifts from murder to paranormal conspiracy with life-altering repercussions.

Why we’re looking forward to it: A historical crime story that surfaces the social issues of the day, this looks to be a meaty mystery for book clubs to dig into.

These Walls Remember
by Del Sandeen

Aug 18, 2026. 400 pages
Published by Berkley Books

When two estranged sisters inherit a home possessed by the horrors of its dark past, they must work together to survive in this viscerally chilling Southern gothic novel from the critically acclaimed author of This Cursed House.

Why we’re looking forward to it: Called “an author to watch” by The New York Times, Sandeen is back in time for Halloween this year with this Southern gothic haunted house tale.

Exit Party: A Novel
by Emily St. John Mandel

Sep 15, 2026. 320 pages
Published by Knopf

The award-winning, bestselling author of Station Eleven and Sea of Tranquility returns with a breathtaking novel of doubles, shadow worlds, and fractured timelines as a man disappears from a glittering Los Angeles party, and a woman—a gunrunner, an art collector, an operative of the State—searches for answers.

Why we’re looking forward to it: Mandel excels at creating dystopian future worlds, and we’re eager to see what this one holds.

Ply: A Novel
by Hernan Diaz

Sep 29, 2026. 464 pages
Published by Riverhead Books

The Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Trust turns to the future with a novel that examines the place of technology in the American imagination.

Why we’re looking forward to it: Diaz delved into a layered universe with Trust, and this latest work sounds equally intricate and intriguing.

The Scarlet Ball
by Nghi Vo

Oct 6, 2026. 336 pages
Published by Tor Books

From USA Today bestselling author Nghi Vo, this all-consuming tale of ballrooms and bloodshed weds The Gilded Age with the Gothic vision of Guillermo del Toro.

Why we’re looking forward to it: One of the most prolific (and award-winning) authors working in speculative fiction today, Vo apparently just can’t be stopped.

A Wall Is Also a Road
by Annalee Newitz

Oct 6, 2026. 304 pages
Published by Tor Books

From bestselling author Annalee Newitz, A Wall Is Also a Road is a thought-provoking science fiction adventure about the meaning of life and love, seen through the many eyes of an alien grad student studying a familiar backwater planet. Perfect for fans of Becky Chambers, Ryka Aoki, and Martha Wells.

Why we’re looking forward to it: Newitz is a deeply imaginative writer, and this latest book, which follows a grad student named Gardenpath who discovers animals on a remote planet with their own language and culture…well, that’s already a fascinating premise.

Victorious (Villains, 3)
by V. E. Schwab

Oct 6, 2026. 592 pages
Published by Tor Books

The triumphant conclusion to the Villains series from V.E. Schwab, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue and Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil.

Why we’re looking forward to it: Because it’s the third installment of Schwab’s Villains series, and because it looks absolutely riveting.

Monsters of Ohio
by John Scalzi

Nov 3, 2026. 272 pages
Published by Tor Books

Monsters of Ohio is a heartfelt exploration of a tentacular solution to the struggles of the modern world from the New York Times bestselling author of Starter Villain.

Why we’re looking forward to it: Ohio doesn’t necessarily come to mind as a great setting for speculative fiction, but John Scalzi isn’t your typical speculative writer, and we’re more than happy to be along for the ride.

Primeval and Other Times
by Olga Tokarczuk

Jan 2010. 248 pages
Published by Twisted Spoon Press

The Nobel Prize winner at her earthiest and most ethereal, in a fictional journey through three generations in the life of a mythical Polish village.

Why we’re looking forward to it: As publishers continue upgrading the visibility of Tokarczuk’s catalog in English, we’ll continue following along.

Adam, Mine.
by K. Ancrum

Sep 8, 2026. 384 pages
Published by HarperCollins Publishers

From acclaimed author K. Ancrum, on the National Book Award longlist for The Corruption of Hollis Brown, and Lambda Literary Award winner for Icarus, comes a queer romantic horror thriller that is a love letter to Frankenstein about the consequences of our decisions, the legacy of family, and the depths we’ll go to be forgiven.

Why we’re looking forward to it: Ancrum is one of the most original writers working in contemporary YA. So yes, of course we’ll read her Frankenstein adaptation.

Espíritu: Cemetery Boys #2
by Aiden Thomas

Sep 8, 2026. 432 pages
Published by Feiwel & Friends

New York Times-bestselling author Aiden Thomas returns to the beloved world of Cemetery Boys, this time following Julian―chaos magnet extraordinaire. With restless spirits vanishing and a dark demon from their past emerging, he and Yadriel might be the only ones reckless enough to stop a threat that could tear their world apart.

Why we’re looking forward to it: The sequel to Thomas’s beloved Cemetery Boys is not to be missed.

The House of Gardenias
by Isabel Cañas

Sep 29, 2026. 288 pages
Published by Dutton for Young Readers

A stunning YA debut from gothic master Isabel Cañas, bestselling author of The Hacienda, Vampires of El Norte, and The Possession of Alba Díaz.

Why we’re looking forward to it: This upcoming YA debut from established adult fiction author Cañas is already getting great reviews, and it’s giving off strong, dramatic, gothic vibes.

Sisters of the Midnight Sun: A Murder in Arctic Alaska
by Rebecca Wright Stevens

Jul 14, 2026. 304 pages
Published by Counterpoint Press

The stunning true story of a double homicide in the vibrant native Alaskan Iñupiat community at the arctic edge of the United States—written by the public defender at its center.

Why we’re looking forward to it: A glowing Kirkus review of this work of true crime states, “Stevens studied English before devoting herself to the law, and her talents as a writer shine through in scene after memorable scene that evoke Scandinavian noir.”

Ungrounding: The Architecture of Genocide
by Eyal Weizman

Jul 14, 2026. 416 pages
Published by Penguin Press

From an acclaimed architect and investigator, a devastating, meticulous accounting of Israel’s destruction of Gaza and crimes against its people.

Why we’re looking forward to it: Author and architect Weizman is an expert in the ways war and oppression unfold in physical environments, a subject into which he offers harrowing insights.

Unsayable: A Life in Writing
by Michael Cunningham

Jul 21, 2026. 256 pages
Published by Random House

An intimate memoir portraying a life spent trying to describe the indescribable—from the Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist of The Hours and Day.

Why we’re looking forward to it: Reading about a writer’s writerly mind can be its own special pleasure, and here we have reflections on language, memory, and craft from the author of The Hours.

Mothers of Invention: A History of Creativity from the Greek Muses
by Moiya McTier

Aug 18, 2026. 288 pages
Published by Grand Central Publishing

A rollicking, enlightening examination of humanity’s changing relationship to creativity, written from the perspectives of the Greek Muses.

Why we’re looking forward to it: This amusing and informative ode to creativity sounds delightful.

Changing Gender
by Susan Stryker

Aug 25, 2026. 384 pages
Published by Farrar, Straus & Giroux

From the groundbreaking trans scholar Susan Stryker, a provocative, genre-bending call to reconsider the story we tell about gender itself.

Why we’re looking forward to it: Stryker, whose work has been instrumental in the field of transgender studies, contextualizes the ways gender has come to be represented in our current moment.

End Times Fascism: And the Fight for the Living World
by Naomi Klein, Astra Taylor

Sep 15, 2026. 384 pages
Published by Farrar, Straus & Giroux

A scathing investigation into the apocalyptic thinking of the Christian nationalists, tech-bro reactionaries, and populist survivalists who increasingly define the contemporary right―and a recipe for how to fight them.

Why we’re looking forward to it: Here, the author of This Changes Everything takes on another subject on the minds of many, exploring the contemporary far-right and its damaging new nihilism.

Fugitive Archives: My Family and the American Myth of Belonging
by Asale Angel-Ajani

Oct 6, 2026. 288 pages
Published by Algonquin Books

An incisive, lyrical exploration of her family’s history radically overturns American myths about race, violence, and belonging.

Why we’re looking forward to it: After Angel-Ajani’s sharp and tragic family tale in A Country You Can Leave, this uncovering of her own family history is sure to catch readers’ interest.

We Radiant Things: Notes on Being Alien and Becoming Cyborg
by Franny Choi

Oct 6, 2026. 192 pages
Published by Ecco

Blending lyric memoir and cultural criticism, acclaimed poet Franny Choi’s debut essay collection explores our obsession with cyborgs and what sci-fi representations of Asian femmes reveal about race, gender, sexuality, disability, labor, technology, and language.

Why we’re looking forward to it: We aren’t about to miss Franny Choi’s first essay collection.

Our Arab: On Longing, Belonging, and Hope
by Zaina Arafat

Oct 20, 2026. 224 pages
Published by Little Brown & Company

A poignant, moving essay collection on the longing and hope of living in diaspora and what it means to be Palestinian today, from the Lambda Literary Award-winning author of You Exist Too Much.

Why we’re looking forward to it: This is an “outstanding portrait-in-essays of the Palestinian diaspora,” according to Publishers Weekly.

Take My Word for It: A Memoir
by LeVar Burton

Nov 10, 2026. 352 pages
Published by Random House

The legendary actor behind Roots, Star Trek: The Next Generation, and Reading Rainbow shares never-before-told stories from a life that has shaped generations—told at last on his own terms.

Why we’re looking forward to it: Not just your average celebrity memoir, this book from Roots, Star Trek, and Reading Rainbow star Burton will be of interest to a wide range of readers who lived through the times in which he made an indelible mark on reading culture, pop culture, and culture in general.

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Well-Read Black Girl Books & More: Diversity Projects in Publishing

Tony Ramos — Tue, 26 May 2026 02:18:54 +0000

Yrsa Daley-Ward’s The Catch (2025), recently released in paperback, has a bizarre and intriguing premise: twin sisters who were separated at a young age, adopted into different families after their mother’s death, diverge in their reactions when one of them spots a woman who looks exactly like their mother on the streets of London, seemingly not aged at all and living as she might have had they never been born.

Upon the book’s initial release last year, Danez Smith wrote for The New York Times, “Daley-Ward has penned a metaphysical experiment on grief, trauma, family and longing that holds all the excitement of a big summer read.” The Catch is the first novel from Daley-Ward, who has also published poetry, short fiction, and nonfiction, including PEN Ackerley Prize winner The Terrible: A Storyteller’s Memoir, and co-written Black Is King, Beyoncé’s 2020 musical film.

The Catch is also the first title in the Well-Read Black Girl Books series under W.W. Norton’s Liveright imprint.

The series came about as a collaboration between Liveright and Glory Edim, founder of the Well-Read Black Girl community, which began in 2015 as an online platform and book club and has since grown into a nonprofit organization and recognized name in the literary world. WRBG’s stated goal is “to introduce a cohort of diverse writers to future generations—contemporary authors who are non-binary, queer, trans, and disabled. To address inequalities and improve communities through reading and reflecting on the works of Black women.”

Edim said of the collaboration with Liveright, “Our new literary series is determined to introduce narratives that are innovative and beguilingly genuine. Daley-Ward’s writing fits the bill; the voices in her manuscript hovered over my head for days.” More recently, the series has seen the hardcover publication of I Hope You Find What You’re Looking For (2026) by Bsrat Mezghebe, set in Washington, DC’s Eritrean community as Eritrea is on the cusp of independence from Ethiopian rule in 1991.

The WRBG/Liveright project is one of many organized efforts in recent years to highlight and uplift underrepresented authors, during a time when book bans, which disproportionately affect queer, trans, and racially marginalized authors, have been on the rise.

A similar initiative is Tiny Reparations, founded in 2020 by comedian, writer, producer, and actor Phoebe Robinson in partnership with Penguin Random House’s Plume. Tiny Reparations has brought us LaToya Watkins’ family drama Perish (2022) and short story collection Holler, Child (2023), longlisted for the National Book Award; Vanessa Angélica Villarreal’s essay collection Magical/Realism (2024), longlisted for the National Book Award and National Book Critics Circle Award; and the novel Fundamentally (2025) by Nussaibah Younis, an international bestseller shortlisted for the Women’s Prize—among other titles.

Projects like this are an opportunity to shape the publishing landscape according to a particular vision. They are also an opportunity for publishers to grow and diversify their catalogs. As Robinson put it while launching her imprint, “We all know there is a lack of diversity in publishing. Tiny Reparations Books recognizes that the publishing landscape isn’t going to change until the actual work starts behind the scenes. I am thrilled to partner with Plume to help take this important step. And I look forward to bringing a wide range of voices to Plume and helping to push the boundaries of publishing.”

While the WRBG series and Tiny Reparations are newer developments, they are preceded by others with similar missions who have laid major groundwork in American publishing, such as HarperCollins’ 40-year-old Amistad imprint, “devoted to honoring the legacy of Black literature, amplifying the bold and unapologetic voices of today’s storytellers, and paving the way for inspiring Black-centered stories of the diaspora.” Amistad is the current publisher of Zora Neale Hurston’s classic Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937), which fell out of print before becoming the household name it is today, and is also responsible for Pulitzer winner The Known World (2003) by Edward P. Jones and National Book Award finalist Another Brooklyn (2016) by Jacqueline Woodson.

Many readers of these and other well-known books may be unaware of the careful curation and intentional work that have made them possible or kept them in print. Seeing how imprints and smaller publishing projects operate within the larger publishing scene can foster appreciation for those who help titles reach their audiences, and following diversity-focused initiatives is a meaningful way to structure personal reading and book club discussions, all while supporting authors and staff.

Readers and book groups interested in keeping up with Well-Read Black Girl Books and related projects can follow Glory Edim’s newsletter. Amistad offers their own newsletter, and Tiny Reparations advertises new and upcoming titles on the PRH website. Other examples of publishing spaces that prioritize underrepresented writers are Random House’s One World, Hachette Book Group’s Legacy Lit, and Roxane Gay’s imprint at Grove Atlantic.

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26 Books for Reading US History in 2026

Tony Ramos — Sat, 14 Feb 2026 05:06:10 +0000

This year, 2026, marks the 250th anniversary of the United States—in other words, 250 years of American history. In case you hadn’t noticed, at BookBrowse, we love historical fiction, and historical nonfiction, too. So here we present a challenge of sorts: read 26 books this year, each providing a glimpse into life in a different decade of the past two and a half centuries—using our list below as is, or swapping out for your own picks. These titles are all ones we’ve recommended and featured, and you can supplement your reading and book club discussions with our reviews, “beyond the book” articles, reading guides, and other content.

We acknowledge that it is a difficult time for many to engage with American history, and many readers, writers, and book groups approach the concept of America critically as a matter of course. The United States occupies unceded Indigenous territories and carries a legacy of displacement, enslavement, and exclusion that continues to affect a large portion of the population today. This list is meant to reflect those past and current realities, and also the rich, creative array of contemporary writing that engages with it, sometimes directly and sometimes inventively, sometimes with gravity and sometimes irreverently. The selections below range not only across time, but across regional and sub-regional landscapes that represent places within a place, capturing influential figures, key events, and ordinary lives. We hope you enjoy exploring this list and the history it contains.

1770s — Of Arms and Artists: The American Revolution Through Painters’ Eyes
by Paul Staiti

Paperback Sep 2017. 400 pages
Published by Bloomsbury Press

Paul Staiti has written about, discussed, and co-curated exhibits devoted to the topic of American artists. In Of Arms and Artists, he presents a compelling look at the lives and work of five gifted artists of the American Revolution: Charles Willson Peale, John Singleton Copley, Benjamin West, John Trumbull, and Gilbert Stuart. Staiti pays particular attention to these subjects because their work was more than just a recording of key battles of the revolution. The portraits they painted were classic tools of propaganda, with subtle keys and images hidden in various parts of the painting. (Emily-Jane Hills Orford)

1780s — The Frozen River: A Novel
by Ariel Lawhon

Paperback Nov 2024. 448 pages
Published by Vintage

Although The Frozen River is a novel, the protagonist is a fictionalized version of the real-life Martha Ballard whose diary informs the Pulitzer Prize-winning biography A Midwife’s Tale by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich (1990). It opens with a shocking discovery: a corpse beneath the ice of the frozen-solid Kennebec River, running beside the small town of Hallowell, Maine, in November 1789. As if that chilling event isn’t enough, the identity of the corpse—Captain Joshua Burgess—adds another layer of drama. Just a few months before The Frozen River begins, Burgess was accused of rape by the preacher’s wife, Rebecca Foster, whose bravery in coming forward about this violent crime has resulted in her ostracization. Many have the motive to kill Burgess: the preacher himself, for example, or Judge Joseph North, an elite member of Hallowell who also stands accused of assaulting Rebecca. As a midwife—and thus an expert both in bringing life into the world and in seeing the tragic ends of mothers and their children—Martha is summoned to the scene. (Maria Katsulos)

1790s — Abigail Adams
by Woody Holton

Paperback Jun 2010. 512 pages
Published by Free Press

Biographer Woody Holton brings this remarkable woman to life in a delightful portrait of “the woman behind the man.” Holton reminds us of a time when women essentially had no legal rights or identity, going from the jurisdiction of their fathers to that of their husbands, with no control over their earnings, property, or inheritance. Woody Holton artfully shapes vast archives of documents and correspondence into an intimate portrait of a freethinking, clever, and articulate visionary navigating the narrow perimeters of her time. (BJ Nathan Hegedus)

1800s — The Grimkes: The Legacy of Slavery in an American Family
by Kerri K. Greenidge

Paperback Feb 2024. 432 pages
Published by Liveright/W.W. Norton

Many people familiar with antebellum American history are acquainted with the white Grimke sisters, Sarah and Angelina, famous for leaving behind their privileged southern plantation lives to become fierce abolitionist activists in the North. Odds are, not as many know about the Black Grimkes and their outsized contributions to achieving racial and gender equality in the latter nineteenth century and early twentieth. Historian Kerri K. Greenidge’s meticulously researched The Grimkes: The Legacy of Slavery in an American Family offers the full poignant story, revealing a complex picture of the Grimke clan and their often-fraught relationships with each other. The focus of the book falls primarily on the white Grimke sisters (Sarah Grimke and Angelina Grimke Weld); their Black nephews (Archibald [Archie], Francis [Frank], and John Grimke); Frank’s wife Charlotte Forten Grimke; and Archie’s daughter, Angelina Weld Grimke, a poet and playwright of the Harlem Renaissance. Through these Black Grimkes (and their white and Black contemporaries) Greenidge seeks to recount “the stories that families tell themselves about the racial trauma in their past.” (Peggy Kurkowski)

1810s — The House Is on Fire
by Rachel Beanland

Paperback Apr 2024. 384 pages
Published by Simon & Schuster

On the night of December 26, 1811, residents of Richmond, Virginia crowded into the local playhouse, not knowing that in a few hours, 72 of them would be burned to death. In Rachel Beanland’s The House Is on Fire, we meet four characters who experience that night and its aftermath in deeply personal ways. In a time and place in history from which the voices of powerful white men are almost all that have been preserved, Beanland chooses to center these characters, who live outside power and influence, to explore the dichotomy between the experiences of Black and white residents as well as the experiences of women and men. One striking disconnect is the lack of heroism displayed by men trying to escape the fire—at the cost of the lives of the women their cultural norms require them to protect—and the fawning praise heaped upon them in the media. (Kathleen Basi)

1820s — Booth
by Karen Joy Fowler

Paperback Feb 2023. 480 pages
Published by G.P. Putnam’s Sons

John Wilkes Booth is remembered as the actor who assassinated President Abraham Lincoln at Ford’s Theatre on April 14, 1865. But his family may just be of greater interest. In an epic fictional sweep from 1822 to nearly the close of the century, Karen Joy Fowler surveys the Booth family’s triumphs and tragedies. Patriarch Junius Brutus Booth is a melodramatic Shakespearean actor, often away on tour. He vociferously defends his beliefs in equality and vegetarianism, yet leases slave labor on his family farm near present-day Bel Air, Maryland. Mother is frequently pregnant and eventually there are 10 children, four of whom die young. These lost children linger in the household as ghostly reminders of failure and the hand of fate. Truth is stranger than fiction, the old saying goes. That’s the case with the Booth family for sure. (Rebecca Foster)

1830s — The Parting Glass
by Gina Marie Guadagnino

Paperback Apr 2020. 288 pages
Published by Atria Books

It is 1837 and Mary Ballard has recently come to America from Ireland and entered the employ of Charlotte Walden, one of New York City’s most desired eligible young ladies. Mary came over with her twin brother Seanin, and both siblings disguise their heritage amid the rampant anti-Irish sentiment of the times. Being a lady’s maid is a step up for Mary, but she begins to find the position untenable when her mistress enters into an illicit affair with Seanin who works in the estate’s stables. The problem is that Mary, herself, is in love with Charlotte and cannot bear to see her with someone else. The situation is further complicated by Seanin’s involvement with the Order, a secret society of Irishmen in a gang war with New York’s nativists. The Parting Glass explores at length what it’s like to fall in love with the wrong person and how such an attraction can derail someone’s entire life. There are plenty of historical details that will satisfy fans of the upstairs/downstairs genre. There are also multiple references to New York’s Tammany Hall political conglomerate and a fictionalized version of the Irish gangs prevalent in the city in the mid-19th century. (Lisa Butts)

1840s — A Mystery of Mysteries: The Death and Life of Edgar Allan Poe
by Mark Dawidziak

Paperback Feb 2024. 304 pages
Published by St. Martin’s Griffin

Though Dawidziak arranges Poe’s life into a gripping story, he emphasizes objectivity and research. At the very beginning, he disabuses the reader of the notion that any serious biographer knows how Poe died with complete certainty. A supposed quest for his cause of death is valuable only insofar as it turns the reader’s attention to the underappreciated “knowns” of his life, many of which inspire even more unanswerable questions. A Mystery of Mysteries is a fine entry point into the reality of a legendary figure that will get you puzzling out the ambiguities of existence in the same half-skeptical, half-awestruck frame of mind as America’s foremost mystery writer. Death is unresolvable, but it’s pleasant to marvel at the complex ways mortals have attempted to cheat that fact, to give death a face and a meaning, however frightful. Few have tried as craftily as Edgar Allan Poe. (Jacob Lenz-Avila)

1850s — All That She Carried: The Journey of Ashley’s Sack, a Black Family Keepsake
by Tiya Miles

Paperback Feb 2022. 416 pages
Published by Random House

When it turned out that Ashley, Rose’s beloved nine-year-old daughter and only child, was about to be sold, Rose went to work quickly. She assembled items for Ashley’s relocation, laying them inside a cotton sack. The battered bag would be the last thing Rose touched that her daughter would know. It would change hands for the following 90 years, an inheritance from one generation to the next, a symbol of love and survivorship, slavery, and family separation. Rose was a tender mother, and that is at the heart of Miles’ story, which is enormous not because of its 400+ pages but because of its artifacts, tales, tragedy and atrocities. Peeling back the racial onion is a sacred act of resistance. A liberation document incredibly researched, Miles bestows upon black women an honor that society has often neglected: the impact of motherhood, daughtering, and migration. She layers the experience by embracing the enslaved who continued to love the unseen, the gone, the sold, and the missing, years after their departure. (Valerie Morales)

1860s — How to Dodge a Cannonball: A Novel
by Dennard Dayle

Hardcover Jun 2025. 336 pages
Published by Henry Holt and Company

How to Dodge a Cannonball tells the story of Anders, a poor white boy from Illinois who, like his family members before him, twirls flags during war. Naive, garrulous, and focused above all on self-preservation, he deserts from one side of the Civil War to the other and back again. When his involvement in the ill-fated Pickett’s Charge at Gettysburg goes awry, he deserts the Confederacy, takes the uniform of a dead Black Union soldier, and joins an all-Black regiment, passing himself off as an “octoroon.” How to Dodge a Cannonball is seriously, genuinely funny. Dennard Dayle’s Twitter (now X) bio describes him as a “local prankster,” and the book is suffused with a freewheeling sensibility to match. The dialogue hits the same sweet spot as a Coen brothers movie, funny and literary without getting too cute (a representative example: “At least I didn’t run like a scared dog. I ran like a shrewd coyote”). And Dayle’s narration is wry, ironic, and as keenly observant as the best stand-up. (Joe Hoeffner)

1870s — Happy Land
by Dolen Perkins-Valdez

Paperback Mar 3, 2026. 384 pages
Published by Berkley Books

Hidden history is fascinating to me. It’s all those untold and under-told stories I’ve discovered in historical fiction. Happy Land is a perfect example. The author presents the facts of the existence of the Kingdom of Happy Land interwoven in a fictional family history, thus animating what may otherwise have been a mere footnote in post Civil War history (Donna D). Happy Land provides stunning insight into a real group of freedpeople who established their own community. The characters’ connection and linkage to the land was beautifully told and so impactful (Emily B). It is amazing how little we know of the history of certain people and places. I never knew there was a “Kingdom of Happy Land” up in the North Carolina mountains with an honest to goodness King and Queen (Debra F). (First Impressions Reviewers)

1880s — Four Treasures of the Sky: A Novel
by Jenny Tinghui Zhang

Hardcover Apr 2022. 336 pages
Published by Flatiron Books

Despite huge leaps in civil rights and institutional diversity and inclusion, the fact is that many people of Asian descent in America continue to face discrimination and violence, just as Daiyu does in the wake of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. Zhang depicts Daiyu’s time in a San Francisco brothel delicately but forcefully—exactly as Daiyu wields her calligraphy brush. The stories of the young women among whom she lives and works are heartbreaking, and Zhang delivers feelings of real tension and urgency as Daiyu plans her escape. Despite hardship unimaginable to many, the times when Daiyu finds genuine joy in Four Treasures of the Sky filled me with happiness. Her love of storytelling may be the best example of this joy, discovered even in a life marked by tragedy. A deep love of and respect for words is something Zhang shares with her heroine: They are both incredibly gifted wordsmiths who use their multilingualism to craft stories unconstrained by just one language. (Maria Katsulos)

1890s — Outlawed
by Anna North

Paperback Feb 2022. 272 pages
Published by Bloomsbury Publishing

Outlawed is set in 1894 and tells the story of Ada, a young woman expected to follow a specific path by marrying young and, God willing, birthing many healthy children. When Ada struggles to become pregnant, her mother, a midwife to whom she is apprenticed, tells her daughter that she may not be the cause of her own barren state. Ostracized by her husband’s family and called a witch when women in her care start having complications, Ada is soon sent to a convent, and from there she escapes to join the Hole in the Wall Gang, a group about which hushed whispers abound in nearby communities. Outlawed manages not only to flip the script on the masculine hero outlaw archetype, but to do so with biting wit and real purpose. North considers the role of a woman, especially in the world of the Wild West: Her place at the heart of dangerous superstitions, devised by men for maintaining a status quo of which they are afraid to lose control. Her role as a machine for making men happy and producing offspring. The Hole in the Wall Gang represents freedom from that machine life and its dangers, and provides new, more exciting dangers of its own. (Will Heath)

1900s — The Personal Librarian
by Marie Benedict, Victoria Christopher Murray

Paperback Jun 2022. 352 pages
Published by Berkley Books

The fascinating story of Belle da Costa Greene begins for the reader in 1905. She went from working at the library at Princeton University to becoming the personal librarian to J.P. Morgan. Even though her father was the first African American man to graduate from Harvard University, she lived her whole life as a white woman (Elizabeth K). I came to love the heroine’s balance of professional chutzpah and vulnerable heart (Jessamyn R). Belle da Costa Greene was, historically, a very powerful woman and yet has never crossed my radar. The authors describe a woman of great intelligence, style and depth one can never know enough about (Carole A). This portrayal of the diminutive (in stature only) Greene and her ability to navigate a purely (white) man’s world with her wit, tenacity and intelligence is unforgettable (Patricia L). (First Impressions Reviewers)

1910s — This Other Eden: A Novel
by Paul Harding

Paperback Dec 2023. 224 pages
Published by W.W. Norton & Company

Some of the most wrenching novels are based on fact, and so it is here: this novel is inspired by the forced resettlement of the mixed-race population of a small island community in Maine at the start of the 20th century (Jill S). Author Paul Harding is a master of his craft. The writing is simply sublime, even though it is not my typical favorite style. Long paragraphs, little dialogue, much description, and yet, I could not put this short book down. I became invested in the lives of every person living on Apple Island (Laurie M). This remarkable, understated, luminous novel is well worth reading. Given the issues Harding explores, it would make an outstanding book club selection (Eileen C). It touches on many contemporary topics like prejudice, cruelty, interdependence, and family. It has much meat for discussion and examination for book clubs, for families, for those who are wondering how we got where we are and where we might go from here (Susan S). (First Impressions Reviewers)

1920s — Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald
by Therese Anne Fowler

Paperback Mar 2014. 384 pages
Published by St. Martin’s Griffin

I absolutely loved Therese Ann Fowler’s charting of the Fitzgeralds’ relationship—the fairy-tale young love, the giddy first years of marriage, the gradual disillusionments piled richly one on top of the other, and the eventual complete unraveling of the relationship. It’s deeply tragic because both Scott and Zelda are so deeply talented yet so fundamentally flawed. Right until the end, you can sense their deep and abiding love of one another even as they become increasingly toxic for each other. As I was reading Z, I was reminded of my mother-in-law, who after years of catering to her husband’s every whim, said out loud once, “In my next life, I want to be born a man.” Zelda’s marriage is set against the backdrop of the early rise of the women’s rights movement and her struggle between what she is expected to do as a wife and what she must do for her own self is a thing of beauty to behold. (Poornima Apte)

1930s — The Antidote: A Novel
by Karen Russell

Paperback Mar 17, 2026. 432 pages
Published by Vintage

Karen Russell’s new novel, The Antidote, is narrated in turns by four main characters. These characters’ lives are upended on Black Sunday—April 14, 1935—by one of the worst dust storms in American history (“The sun sank into black cloud. Buried alive…by the duster to end all dusters,” Russell writes). What makes The Antidote such a marvel, though, is the depth beneath the compelling plot. Russell explores not only environmental issues, but racism, the displacement of Native Americans by government-sponsored settlers, the perceived role of women in 1930s America, and much more. Above all, the book is a study of memory—what we choose to remember and what we choose to forget—and how cultural amnesia can affect future generations. (Kim Kovacs)

1940s — We Are Not Free
by Traci Chee

Paperback Mar 2022. 400 pages
Published by Houghton Mifflin Books For Younger Readers

In this novel, which begins in 1942, 14 Japanese American teenagers are ripped from their lives in San Francisco and relocated to detention camps scattered across the western United States. Chee draws on the experiences of her own grandparents to recreate events and bring to vivid life characters with a wide range of personalities and versions of the broken American dream. Some novels are plot-driven, others character-driven; We Are Not Free is situation-driven. For teen readers already familiar with Farewell to Manzanar, They Called Us Enemy, and Baseball Saved Us, Traci Chee offers a wider, multifaceted picture of this shameful episode in America’s past with a more individual focus. (Catherine M Andronik)

1950s — The Most
by Jessica Anthony

Paperback Jul 2024. 144 pages
Published by Little Brown & Company

The Most is a novel about unhappiness in marriage in the vein of Raymond Chandler, John Updike, or Alice Munro. But the most obvious comparison is that it feels like a lost season of the television show Mad Men in its representation of how the strains of marriage, or monogamy really, can pull two people apart, especially when they are living in the pressure cooker of traditional gender values imposed and strictly enforced by mid-century America. It is more engaging than Mad Men in that it focuses more centrally on a repressed housewife who is both vibrantly compelling and unfailingly sympathetic (even when her actions are inscrutable) but less so in that the husband is as handsome as Don Draper but without the intelligence or charm. Jessica Anthony brings him to life, and takes him apart, with a deft and often excoriating touch. (Lisa Butts)

1960s — Neighbors and Other Stories
by Diane Oliver

Paperback Feb 2025. 320 pages
Published by Grove Press

The history of American segregation, along with changes to it in the 1960s, is sometimes taught and discussed today in a way that is very textbook. This is a great disservice to younger people, as it fails to humanize for them the everyday experiences of those who lived during the period. Some younger people may have never thought, for example, about what a day in the life of students in college dorms looked like during the horrific growing pains of desegregation. Or about how Black students navigated studying abroad at the time. Or, more broadly, about how Black people maneuvered in interracial relationships—romantic and otherwise. Diane Oliver’s Neighbors and Other Stories spotlights these perspectives and challenged my own understanding of America, during and after de facto segregation. Each short story is an observation of individual lives. It is a unique peek into the past, and, in many ways, a soothsaying of the future we’re living in. (Lisa Ahima)

1970s — Remember Us
by Jacqueline Woodson

Paperback May 2025. 192 pages
Published by Nancy Paulsen Books

Winner: BookBrowse YA Book Award 2023

Remember Us is set largely across a single hazy summer of the 1970s in Bushwick, New York. With the neighborhood nicknamed “The Matchbox” by the press due to an ongoing spate of deadly housefires, 12-year-old Sage has grown up against a backdrop of sirens, ash, and dread over whose home will be next to burn. Basketball is her escape from the anxiety, and despite being the only girl on the local courts, she dreams of pursuing a future in professional sports. That is, until an encounter with a bully and the echo of his words—”What kind of girl are you, anyway?”—leaves her shaken. Bushwick is easy for outsiders to write off as condemned, but author Jacqueline Woodson shows that many moments of beauty and joy can make up childhoods even in troubled areas. Though relatively slight and easy to devour in a single sitting, Woodson’s novel rarely feels rushed. It captures the mood of a very specific time and place by maintaining a focus on character over action. Understated and ruminative, Remember Us is the kind of book that leaves its mark on you subtly, over time. (Callum McLaughlin)

1980s — Atmosphere: A Love Story
by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Hardcover Jun 2025. 352 pages
Published by Ballantine Books

Atmosphere opens with a bang—literally. It’s 1984, and astronaut Joan Goodwin is acting as NASA Command’s CAPCOM (“Capsule Communications,” the person who relays instructions to the personnel in space) when the unthinkable happens: A satellite explodes, sending shrapnel through the hull of the space shuttle and injuring some of the crew. The story then rewinds seven years to when Joan, a university professor in physics and astronomy, learns that NASA is recruiting for their astronaut program, and that for the first time, women are invited to apply. Atmosphere‘s plot follows Joan’s professional and personal journey over the ensuing years, until the main storyline meets up with the currently unfolding emergency. We read about Joan’s training as an astronaut and her first voyage into space, and we watch her transform from an awkward introvert into a confident woman and respected leader. Perhaps the core of the book, though, is how Joan learns that her desires—both her career ambitions and her romantic feelings, including realizing that she’s gay and in love with a fellow astronaut—are legitimate and deserve to be embraced. (Kim Kovacs)

1990s — Children of the Land
by Marcelo Hernandez Castillo

Paperback Sep 2020. 384 pages
Published by Harper Perennial

In this exquisitely crafted memoir, Marcelo Hernandez Castillo describes coming of age as a young man and a poet. His childhood is complicated by being born in Zacatecas, Mexico but moving to California’s Central Valley with his parents and siblings at age five in 1993. Castillo shows that an undocumented life in the United States is a life threaded with fear of deportation—often punctuated by partial-truth, silences, loss and a shimmering dream that’s just out of reach. Beyond being a powerful immigration story, this narrative resonates with other potent themes. Castillo describes an uneasy relationship with his demanding and angry father; inherited trauma; a quest to reconnect with his ancestral home; his emerging sense of responsibility for self, siblings and parents in the face of extreme challenges. He grows into multiple (often heroic) identities: son (both rebellious and dutiful), brother, provider, student, lover, friend, outsider, legal advocate, protector, husband, professor, translator, father. Universal coming-of-age themes are consistently layered with, and inform, the author’s particular experience as the son of migrant agricultural workers. (Karen Lewis)

2000s — The Kindest Lie
by Nancy Johnson

Paperback Feb 2022. 352 pages
Published by William Morrow Paperbacks

The Kindest Lie depicts Ruth’s search for what she lost at the age of 17, during the summer of 1997, when her baby was given away. The event haunts Ruth on those rare occasions when she allows the past to intrude. By 2008, she is a Yale grad and a chemical engineer living in Chicago, married to a magnetic man from the black upper class named Xavier Shaw. When Barack Obama is elected president, Ruth and Xavier are on an emotional high. They see themselves in Obama. Like him, the Shaws attended the best schools, survived as the only black people in the room, studied mercilessly, worked hard and pretended racism was manageable. The kindness in a lie is not in the lie itself. It is in how the lie acts as an analgesic and blocks pain. A lie is a door half-open: What is behind it is manipulative and sordid. What is in front of it is good intentions. The nature of Ruth’s family is to reduce the whole truth. Is that a lie? It depends on the interpretation, but I think so. The Tuttles cut the fat off the bone to prevent harm because, being black in America, they are already harmed. (Valerie Morales)

2010s — Homeland Elegies
by Ayad Akhtar

Paperback May 2021. 368 pages
Published by Back Bay Books

Homeland Elegies is a book of multiple worlds—not only the two worlds that make up Ayad Akhtar’s heritage, Pakistan and America, but also the complex interior worlds of the many characters he portrays in this fictionalized autobiography. The surgical precision with which he dissects his subjects could be said to mirror the medical prowess of his father, a successful doctor who immigrated from Pakistan to the United States. Stories of Akhtar’s father serve as bookends for the work: In the opening pages, he is a buoyant Trump supporter infatuated with the American dream. By the end, he has become disillusioned. The slow tracing of the movement towards this reality makes Trump’s presidency seem, if not inevitable, then at least a natural consequence of America’s increasingly mercantile, consumer-driven ideology. However, it is not Trump that Akhtar is interested in—rather, it is the casualties of the system that made his election possible. Compelling, penetrative and gorgeously written, Homeland Elegies looks with a clear vision into the heart of modern America—what it sees is both damning and all too familiar. (Grace Graham-Taylor)

2020s — The Sentence
by Louise Erdrich

Paperback Sep 2022. 400 pages
Published by Harper Perennial

Tookie, the middle-aged Ojibwe bookseller and ex-convict who serves as first-person narrator in Louise Erdrich’s The Sentence, tells the reader that she enjoys lying, has a history of excessive drinking and drug use, and hallucinates. Yet this very tendency towards naked confession makes one want to trust her. So when she explains the goings-on at Birchbark Books, a store specializing in Indigenous literature owned by Erdrich herself; how it is being haunted by Flora, an annoying deceased customer who imposed on the Native employees with her spurious claims of Indigenous ancestry; it is easy not only to sympathize with Tookie but to feel her dread at the otherworldly presence. The Sentence, the title of which refers both to Tookie’s prescribed prison time and the words she believes brought on Flora’s doom, is built around this intriguing quasi-horror plot. It also incorporates COVID-19 and the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Tookie’s political concerns merge with her seeming inability to shake Flora, subtly raising the question of how people can rid the world of racism and oppression when it takes on the qualities of a ghost or a disease. Erdrich steers her complicated character towards a fitting conclusion, one that gives her a place in the vast world she loves without taking anything from her, one that allows her to make peace with herself and her ghost. (Elisabeth Cook)

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Book Trends to Watch for in 2026

Tony Ramos — Tue, 16 Dec 2025 10:02:03 +0000

What will happen in the book world in 2026? Which genres will be popular? Which reading and publishing trends will continue or fall off? What do readers and book clubs need to know going into the new year? Let us be your crystal ball. Here are some predictions we have for 2026, including what will happen with historical fiction, BookTok, audiobooks, book bans, book club content, and more.

Genre melding and hybridity will expand. Genres are arguably mixing more than ever before, and literary fiction readers might notice more speculative elements showing up in books that are primarily character-driven. For example, Quan Barry’s recent The Unveiling, released in late 2025, is a horror novel that focuses heavily on character and may appeal to readers who don’t normally read horror or speculative fiction. This type of thing has been happening for a long time, of course, but will only increase as authors seek to imagine possible futures beyond our current climate crisis, and as more diversity in publishing paves the way for story formats and subjects that have historically been taken less seriously in the Western canon. Certain genres have expanded beyond their traditional publishing niches, too, with romance in particular becoming a hot commodity in recent years. You can easily find romantasy (a mix of romance and fantasy), historical romance, romance novels with complex themes woven into their structures, and even sub-genres as specific as sports romance. According to literary agent and BookTok influencer Alyssa Morris, we’re in “a golden age” of romance with expanded areas for every taste.

We’ll get more underrepresented history and new takes on old books. Marginalized perspectives in historical fiction and in retellings of classics are also nothing new, but they’re only increasing with time. Among January and February releases, we can look forward to Xiaolu Guo’s Call Me Ishmaelle, a new feminist retelling of Moby-Dick, Emma R. Alban’s Like in Love with You, a queer Regency romance, and Avery Irons’ Belonging to the Air, which features Black queer characters during the Great Migration.

Audiobook usage will keep going up. Audiobooks have been trending upwards for a while now, and this is a trend likely to continue. The Audio Publishers Association reports that as of 2025 more than half of Americans eighteen and older have listened to an audiobook, and interest in audiobooks has risen by 6% from 2024. Why the increase? It’s partly the convenience factor. While audiobooks have always made reading accessible to a wider audience, more people than ever are benefiting from the flexibility of listening to books while engaging in other activities, like driving, particularly as they become more readily available through listening platforms like Spotify. There are also simply more audiobooks now due to AI narration, but it’s worth pointing out that interest in listening to AI-narrated books is waning, having decreased by 7% between 2023 and 2025. Audiobooks in general, though, seem poised to keep growing in popularity.

Deluxe editions will also continue their upward trend. Another phenomenon that seems likely to continue is the rise of deluxe editions, or special limited editions, which often include features like sprayed edges, ribbon bookmarks, feathered pages, and other embellishments. Once mainly reserved for classics, fantasy, and YA books, deluxe editions have become more common in the genres of historical fiction and contemporary literature for adults. This seems to be happening at least partially in response to the increased presence of digital formats (e-books and audiobooks) as readers crave more elaborate details in the physical books they own.

Less official publisher content will be available online. With the rise of widespread online content for books, like study guides for students and reading guides for discussion groups, some publishers seem to gradually be offering less of their own official content for books, possibly because of budget cuts combined with a drop in perceived interest. So it might be a little harder in the coming year and beyond for book clubs to find discussion questions and related material on publishers’ pages. At BookBrowse, we’re filling that gap with our own original reading guides and Ask the Author interviews, and by working closely with publishers to bring you content that might not be publicly available on their own sites.

BookTok’s influence will level off outside of the romance genre. In recent years, BookTok has undeniably become an important marketing tool for publishers, but according to some, it’s passed its peak. This doesn’t mean that it won’t have a significant role to play in publishing in the future. In fact, Amazon’s Audible has just partnered with TikTok, a development that suggests the continued relevance of both BookTok and audiobooks to publishing. But we’ve begun to see BookTok’s limitations. It remains highly useful for certain genres, namely romance and romantasy, but is no longer the next new shiny thing, and was probably never going to take over book marketing as a whole.

Book-banning culture will continue to be normalized, but we’ll see increased resistance to bans. The number of book bans actually dropped during the 2024-2025 school year compared to 2023-2024, but PEN America and others have pointed out that this is a small part of a larger disturbing trend. Challenges and bans are now an everyday part of the American cultural landscape, accessibility of books is still affected by bans from previous years, and books may be removed from school and library shelves in anticipation of challenges without officially being banned. However, the reduction in the number of bans may be indicative of stronger resistance, including the passage of “freedom to read” acts in several states and organization against bans at the local level. Keep up with news about book bans in our community forum, and see how you can get involved with our guide to fighting book bans.

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Our Best Beyond the Book Articles of 2025

Tony Ramos — Thu, 04 Dec 2025 19:08:47 +0000

At BookBrowse, we’re all about bringing you great reading, period. That’s why we don’t only feature reviews of recommended books, but also “beyond the book” articles, bite-sized literary and cultural pieces that expand on an aspect of each featured title. These articles can be read on their own, but also serve as a fantastic entry point into the related book. Below, we’ve selected some of the best articles written by our reviewers this year, one from each of our nine categories. These span subjects ranging from Ukraine’s national soil to American political lawn signs, crime dioramas created by “the mother of forensic science,” Mariah Carey’s career, how author Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu transformed aspects of the 19th-century adventure novel King Solomon’s Mines, and more. Many of these articles use a small, specific starting point to approach a larger idea. Similarly, they together make up a miniature representation of how you can explore the world through books via our digital magazine all year round.

“The Activism of William Monroe Trotter” for White Lies: How the South Lost the Civil War, Then Rewrote the History by Ann Bausum

Americans know the names Martin Luther King, Jr., and Rosa Parks, and many may be familiar with W.E.B. Du Bois, but if asked about Black activists, fewer would recognize the name of William Monroe Trotter. Trotter was a passionate defender of Black civil rights and founder and editor of one of the most important Black-owned newspapers in American history. His relative obscurity today demonstrates how those who have challenged the dominant narrative about equal rights and racial progress in America are often erased from the historical record. Books such as Ann Bausum’s White Lies and Kerri K. Greenidge’s Black Radical are reintroducing Trotter’s work to new audiences and showing that demands for full racial equality have had a long legacy and many dedicated advocates. —Rose Rankin

Explore more in People, Eras & Events

“In This House, We Believe” for One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad

In One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This, Omar El Akkad levels several critiques against Western liberalism and its contradictions. One of the most damning is this: “It’s difficult to live in this country in this moment and not come to the conclusion that the principal concern of the modern American liberal is, at all times, not what one does or believes or supports or opposes, but what one is seen to be…Saying the right slogans supersedes whatever it is those slogans are supposed to oblige.” One of the most visible sets of slogans about progressive beliefs, nearly ubiquitous in some residential neighborhoods in so-called blue states, has become the subject of both inspiration and ridicule: the “In this house, we believe” lawn sign. —Norah Piehl

Explore more in Society & Politics

“‘Native American’ Is Complicated” for Old School Indian by Aaron John Curtis

Paloma Zhaniser is a gender violence policy analyst affiliated with the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska. When I interviewed her, she was clear that she doesn’t use the term Native American, preferring “Indigenous” because of its accuracy. In the novel Old School Indian, Mohawk author Aaron John Curtis addresses “Native American” five minutes into the story. Referring to the main character, narrator Dominick Deer Woods explains, “Abe is Mohawk Indian. You could argue Indian is a misnomer and you’d be right. I could argue no one asked us when they decided we should be called Native American, and I’d be right. Somewhere in the eighties, non-rez folks decided ‘Indians’ were wrong at best and offensive at worst, so they let everyone — including us — know we should be called Native Americans.” —Valerie Morales

Explore more in Places, Cultures & Identities

“Chernozem: The National Soil of Ukraine” for Endling by Maria Reva

In Endling, Maria Reva centers Ukrainian identity, whether her focus is on romance tours or the snail conservation efforts of one of the central “brides” named Yeva. Through Yeva’s work, we learn about the topography and life forms that shape Ukraine. One detail that stuck with me was the discussion of chernozem, the rich black soil that nourishes all-important grain crops. I thought this was a beautiful metaphor for the way the land shapes people. Estimates vary, but it is believed that up to 68% of Ukrainian soil is chernozem. Soil scientist Vasily V. Dokuchaev first identified and named chernozem (“black earth” in Russian) in 1883. It is said to be some of the most fertile soil in the world, and Ukraine contains in its borders a quarter of the global supply. —Erin Lyndal Martin

Explore more in Nature & the Environment

“In Sickness and In Health: Illness and Marriage” for Counting Backwards by Binnie Kirshenbaum

While planning her wedding at the age of twenty-four, after seven years of dating her fiancé, Erin Fortin was diagnosed with a rare blood disorder. Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria, or PNH, involves the damage of red blood cells by the immune system. Because Erin and her future husband John both had a healthy sense of humor and loved to laugh, they tried to look at the bright side. “[O]nce we’d accepted my condition, we laughed about how we’d vowed ‘in sickness and in health’ before even getting to the altar.” In a blog on the website PNH News, Erin talks about what has helped over the six years of her marriage and laid out three concepts she and John prioritized. The first thing her soon-to-be husband did, along with her mother, was to research PNH. What was it exactly? How was it going to mature in her body long-term? What were the symptoms? —Valerie Morales

Explore more in Medicine, Science & Tech

“The Influence of King Solomon’s Mines on The Creation of Half-Broken People” for The Creation of Half-Broken People by Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu

King Solomon’s Mines, a novel by H. Rider Haggard, is referenced throughout Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu’s African gothic historical fiction work The Creation of Half-Broken People. After Henry Rider Haggard (1856–1925) had returned to England from a stint as an administrator in South Africa, his brother suggested a wager: he would pay him five shillings if he could write a book “half as good” as Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island. Haggard accepted the wager, and over a few weeks in 1885 dashed off the manuscript for what would become King Solomon’s Mines. Haggard wrote a few of his African characters with a modicum of sympathy, but the book reflects the common British imperialist mindset of the era, and is profoundly racist. This might make one wonder why Ndlovu used King Solomon’s Mines as a starting point for a novel that speaks to racism in Africa. She has said in interviews that it was Haggard’s depiction of the character Gagool that inspired her. —Kim Kovacs

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“Frances Glessner Lee’s Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death” for Sweetener by Marissa Higgins

In Sweetener, Charlotte and Olivia go to the Smithsonian to view an exhibit of dioramas created by forensic scientist Frances Glessner Lee to further the training and work of law enforcement in solving crimes involving a suspicious death. One piece they look at closely features a woman lying on the floor, surrounded by the ordinary debris of life—magazines, canned goods, a pie in the oven. The point of examining the tiny room, according to Charlotte, is not to determine what happened to the woman: “[T]here’s no right answer…The dioramas are exercises in detail, both for the creator and the observer.” This is particularly true for Charlotte, who is a claymation artist struggling with her career and purpose in life and drawing inspiration from Lee’s dioramas. Frances Glessner Lee is often referred to as the “mother of forensic science.” Born in Chicago in 1879, the daughter of a wealthy agricultural industrialist, Lee developed an interest in science when she was in her forties. —Lisa Butts

Explore more in Cultural Curiosities

“Books About Science and Systems” for The Last Extinction: The Real Science Behind the Death of the Dinosaurs by Gerta Keller

In The Last Extinction, geologist Gerta Keller summarizes research supporting her theory of Deccan volcanism (which suggests the dinosaurs were not killed off in conditions produced by an asteroid but rather by a period of sustained volcanic activity) and offers a view of the patriarchal and other hierarchical systems she encountered over the years in seeking a platform for her non-mainstream work. Many more scientists and journalists have published books focusing on how significant science concerning human health, nature, and the universe interacts with (and is often compromised by) scientific media and other social phenomena. Below are just a few. These books dig deeper into solutions to the informational and environmental concerns raised in The Last Extinction, and may make for good additional reading for book clubs. —Elisabeth Cook

Explore more in Reading Lists

“Mariah Carey’s The Emancipation of Mimi” for All the Other Mothers Hate Me by Sarah Harman

In Sarah Harman’s All the Other Mothers Hate Me, Florence, an ex-pop star, clings to a notion: that one day, just like Mariah Carey, she will have what she calls her Emancipation of Mimi moment. I immediately knew what she meant, because The Emancipation of Mimi was one of my most impactful musical albums; it was the first CD I remember scraping money together to buy that I didn’t have to share with anybody else. Florence and I weren’t the only ones who found this album particularly powerful. But what made The Emancipation of Mimi so special to millions? What does it mean to have an Emancipation of Mimi moment? Emancipation was a comeback album, but it was so much more; it was a testament to artistic and creative freedom, and how the fruits of an artist’s labor can build something beautiful after perceived failure. —Lisa Ahima

Explore more in Music & the Arts

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Our Best 2025 Book Club Discussions & First Impressions Features

Tony Ramos — Thu, 04 Dec 2025 04:59:20 +0000

Besides getting access to our digital magazine and a wealth of archived content, BookBrowse members can take part in our First Impressions reader review program and book club discussions year-round. In 2025, we discussed or will discuss more than 35 books in our community forum, and we featured nearly 50 titles in First Impressions. Below, we look at some of the books that generated the most enthusiastic and intriguing discussion and that were the most highly rated and positively reviewed. We hope you enjoy browsing through them and find some perfect picks for your TBR or your own book club discussion list.

We also invite you to follow along with or contribute to our discussions and First Impressions reviews in 2026. Members can request free books for review and discussion as they become available, and anyone can participate in the forum. Sign up for a one-time notification to receive an alert when a discussion begins. We look forward to seeing you there!

Our Favorite First Impressions Features of 2025

When the Cranes Fly South: A Novel
by Lisa Ridzén

Paperback Aug 2025. 320 pages
Published by Vintage

“The novel centers on Bo as he experiences his final days when just about everything he had either slips away or is yanked from him. He remains in his childhood home that he got when his parents died and where he and his wife raised their son, Hans. Only now Bo lives there alone, his dignity long surrendered to carers who tell him when and what to eat and strip him down for showers. His wife suffers from dementia and is living in nursing facility. Sometimes she remembers and sometimes she doesn’t. Throughout the novel he talks to her as he relives moments of their life together. Then there is his dog, Sixten, who provides him with comfort. But his son insists Bo can no longer care for the dog and must give him up. And then there is Bo’s longtime best friend who also approaches the end of life. Patched together, the various chapters of Bo’s final days present a rather morbid story. Yet, in the end When the Cranes Fly South proves to be reassuring and generates in each of us a reexamination of our life stories.” —Joshua M. (Westfield, NJ)

“I finished it in a little over a day with a good cry. I’m ready to read it again…Ms. Ridzén is so into the feelings of both sides of this issue. Taking care of the elderly. And loss of choice as you age. Make this your next book club read.” —Katherine H. (Indianapolis, IN)

“This story will tug at your heartstrings, make you stomping mad, and then have you smiling only to lead you through those emotions again. Wonderful!” —Julia B. (San Antonio, TX)

Happy Land
by Dolen Perkins-Valdez

Hardcover Apr 2025. 368 pages
Published by Berkley Books

“Nikki doesn’t have any idea of her family’s past. Her mother is estranged from her grandmother so she never had the opportunity to hear any details of her family’s origins. Then she receives a call from her grandmother to come for a visit. What follows is a story of determination, pride, and perseverance. Perkins-Valdez paints a vivid picture of those post-war years on a mountain in North Carolina and the freed slaves who make it their home…The story is engaging and emotional. I could feel the awe as Nikki discovered her ancestors and their place in the Kingdom of Happy Land. Please read this book! The story is engaging and you may even learn a bit of history. Even if you’re not a fan of historical fiction, I believe you will find this book an excellent read.” —Donna D. (Riverside, IL)

“I don’t usually like novels that have two interconnected stories from two different time periods, but I very much enjoyed this novel, and it was easy for me to follow…I will be recommending this book to my book club and will read other books by this author.” —Louise E. (Ocean View, DE)

“This is a wonderfully written historical novel with complex characters who had me rooting for them from page one…I adore historical fiction based on real events, especially those like the Kingdom of the Happy Land, which would be lost to history without writers like Dolen Perkins-Valdez bringing these stories to life.” —Angela W. (Shelby Township, MI)

The Dream Hotel: A Novel
by Laila Lalami

Hardcover Mar 2025. 336 pages
Published by Pantheon Books

“Sara lives with her husband and twin babies. Sleep disturbance in new motherhood—she has a job, too—has made it impossible for her to stay on top of things in her waking life. Exhaustion has taken over. She agrees to an implant from a technology firm, and as we typically do, Sara scans the terms of service agreement rather than eyeballing the details. Shit happens, and she ends up being ‘retained,’ as they say—’not imprisoned’ as they say, in a facility she can’t leave freely until they decide to release her. Bad food, low water, strict rules that amplify feelings of confinement, and random petty violations that the not-jailers say retainees did all ensure extended stays.” —Betsey V. (Austin, TX)

“It’s a chilling yet captivating look at what could lie ahead. I plan to recommend it to my book club as I think it would lead to very interesting discussion.” —Lisa G. (Port Washington, NY)

“Once I started reading it, I was so riveted I could barely tear myself away…The Dream Hotel is filled with the questions that matter: In our quest to embrace the latest sophisticated technology to make us safer, are we losing that very element that makes us most human? Can true freedom only be written in the company of others, those courageous enough to fight back and say ‘no’?” —Jill S. (Durham, NC)

Raising Hare: A Memoir
by Chloe Dalton

Paperback Mar 3, 2026. 304 pages
Published by Vintage

“When author Chloe Dalton decamps from London to her country home to wait out the Covid lockdown, she has no idea her sojourn will result in writing an exquisite memoir about a relationship with a wild hare. In Raising Hare, she chronicles coming across a newborn ‘leveret’ (baby hare) while on a walk in the meadow. Fearing for its life, she moves past her reservations and takes it home. From the beginning, Dalton knows the tiny creature, though in need of care, should not be treated as a pet, and as such, refuses to give it a name. Her instinct to provide it nourishment and shelter leads to a miraculous opportunity to live with and learn from a wild creature and gain a new appreciation of the natural world around her.” —Linda A. (Sherman Oaks, CA)

“Relationships require work and cooperation. The author shows how we can live in peace and harmony with the world around us…I recommend this book to those who love nature or are concerned about our path going forward.” —Windell H. (Rock Hill, SC)

“It is a very involving book that I couldn’t put down, and though I didn’t read it in a ‘sitting, still it hovered in my consciousness for the three days I pondered and was enriched by it. I think the lasting effects of this book will be experienced for many years.” —Kassapa (Minneapolis, MN)

Daughters of Shandong
by Eve J. Chung

Paperback May 2025. 400 pages
Published by Berkley Books

From the Jacket

A propulsive, extraordinary novel about a mother and her daughters’ harrowing escape to Taiwan as the Communist revolution sweeps through China, by debut author Eve J. Chung, based on her family story.

From the Discussion

“What resonated was the focus on the resilience of the human spirit, particularly the strength exhibited by the women in the face of adversity. Their story highlights the personal impact of historical events and explores themes of familial bonds and adaptation. The novel serves as a reminder of the human cost of conflict and the enduring capacity for survival and rebuilding in the aftermath of displacement. While this was not an easy read, in the end I loved the book and will look forward to more books by the author.” —Cherryl_Valenzuela

“I haven’t read a book that I enjoyed this much in a long time. I really enjoy sagas and this one was hard to beat. The writing was absolutely beautiful and I felt like I was right there with Hai and her family.” —Dixie_C

“I read Daughters of the Flower Fragrant Garden featured several years ago…The subject was a similar view into life in China at this same time in history. Great book club choices!” —Carol_Sullivan

About the book | View discussion

Becoming Madam Secretary
by Stephanie Dray

Paperback Mar 2025. 544 pages
Published by Berkley Books

From the Jacket

New York Times bestselling author Stephanie Dray returns with a captivating and dramatic new novel about an American heroine, Frances Perkins.

From the Discussion

“I found this book very engaging! I had heard of Frances Perkins but had no in-depth knowledge of her. As I read Becoming Madam Secretary, I felt I was getting an interesting and insightful look at history, finally giving credit to a woman who never got enough credit in the history classes I took! Since I am retired and receiving social security, I am so very grateful for the role she played in putting social security in place! I will definitely be sharing this book within my circle of friends who are readers.” —Shirl

“This was so darn good. It’s not only incredibly interesting historically. But it’s also so well written. It just grabs you from page 1.” —Lloyd_R

“My book club read this book and it was a big win. What was really exciting to see was those members in their 30s that learned about a woman they never knew about.” —Dee_Driscole

About the book | View discussion

The Jackal’s Mistress: A Novel
by Chris Bohjalian

Mar 2025. 336 pages
Published by Doubleday

From the Jacket

In this Civil War love story, inspired by a real-life friendship across enemy lines, the wife of a missing Confederate soldier discovers a wounded Yankee officer and must decide what she’s willing to risk for the life of a stranger, from the New York Times bestselling author of such acclaimed historical fiction as Hour of the Witch and The Sandcastle Girls.

From the Discussion

“Bohjalian provides readers with a great deal to contemplate about war, the costs of war, the Civil War in particular, racism, and social structures. He gives insight into the different ways his characters see the world and respond to their circumstances…It would make an excellent choice for a book club because there is much to discuss and debate.” —Janie-Hickok-Siess

“The Jackal’s Mistress is a superbly written and exhaustively researched Civil War novel set in northern Virginia. This exciting book has great character development and an interesting plot. The main characters are extremely likable, and there are plenty of villains to offset them.” —John_A

“It was a very moving period piece, really feeling the impact of what it was like living during this war in this geographic area.” —Lisa_Siebert

About the book | View discussion

The Frozen River: A Novel
by Ariel Lawhon

Paperback Nov 2024. 448 pages
Published by Vintage

From the Jacket

From the New York Times bestselling author of I Was Anastasia and Code Name Hélène comes a gripping historical mystery inspired by the life and diary of Martha Ballard, a renowned 18th-century midwife who investigates a shocking murder that unhinges her small community.

From the Discussion

“I loved the book, could not put it down. The character development, the plot, the information about midwifery, the murder mystery, the drive for justice—even the quotes from Shakespeare…This is a book club gem—soooo much to discuss!” —Susan_W

“I totally enjoyed the story and most important, I was very fond of the main character Martha Ballard. The writing proved enjoyable and the novel reminded me somewhat of Cold Mountain. This book was a welcome distraction with a message of family, pride in your work and empathy for other women.” —Mary_H1

“I am not usually a big fan of historical fiction but this book was phenomenal. I had never heard of Martha Ballard and thought she was incredible—so strong and brave but with such a human side. The description of life then was so interesting.” —Candace_Broman

About the book | View discussion

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The BookBrowse Team’s Top Picks

Tony Ramos — Sat, 22 Nov 2025 03:09:38 +0000

Our upcoming annual Top 20 list will show subscribers’ favorite books of the year, but in the meantime, we thought you might enjoy knowing about our favorites. So, for the first time ever, each member of the BookBrowse editorial team shared a top pick of 2025 along with some runners-up to create our own loosely structured “best of” list. Unsurprisingly, we found there was a lot of overlap between the books we featured in our digital magazine this year and the ones we chose here, though this overlap wasn’t complete. (What we feature depends on a variety of factors, including prepub reviews and the books individual reviewers decide to cover.) Here’s your chance to get a glimpse of our personal tastes and an inside look at BookBrowse editors as readers. We’re happy to share the books we loved with you, and hope you have fun reading about them!

The Antidote: A Novel
by Karen Russell

Paperback Mar 17, 2026. 432 pages
Published by Vintage

“I was a fan of Karen Russell’s 2019 story collection Orange World so I was looking forward to The Antidote (reviewed by Kim Kovacs). More so when I saw the early, glowing reviews. It did not disappoint. My favorite novel of 2025 is set in an alternate history version of the Dust Bowl in the fictional town of Uz, Nebraska, where a series of murders is being covered up by a dastardly sheriff with an aggressive reelection campaign. Among others, we follow Antonia Rossi, a professional ‘Vault’ who serves clients under the pseudonym ‘The Antidote.’ When you tell her your most shameful secrets, she forgets them immediately, as do you, thus unburdening yourself of guilt. But after a bad dust storm, the Antidote loses her ability to forget, and learns of the sheriff’s misdeeds. As the plot unfolds, she attempts to find justice for the victims, along with a ragtag group of friends including a 15-year-old basketball star and a photographer traveling the country seeking documentary evidence to support Roosevelt’s New Deal. Under the surface of this plot thrums the real secret: the land this drama unfolds on is stolen, and drenched in Pawnee blood. Russell throws open the vault of American history, weaving the story of Native displacement and genocide into nearly every page of The Antidote, making this exceptional, magical story also a reckoning, a memorial, and an ode to the Pawnee Nation’s survival and endurance.

In addition to The Antidote, I want to give honorable mentions to Will There Ever Be Another You by Patricia Lockwood (which I reviewed; if Lockwood has a book out, it’s guaranteed to make it to the top of my “best of the year” list); Endling by Maria Reva (reviewed by Erin Lyndal Martin), which is so daring in its execution, reaping incredible rewards for its risk-taking; and Where Are You Really From by Elaine Hsieh Chou (reviewed by Letitia Asare), which is the rarest of things—a truly flawless collection of short stories from beginning to end.” —Lisa Butts

Theory & Practice: A Novel
by Michelle de Kretser

Hardcover Feb 2025. 192 pages
Published by Catapult

“A book I loved this year and that made a deep impression on me was Australian author Michelle de Kretser’s Theory & Practice (which I reviewed, and which was originally published in 2024, then released by Catapult in the United States in 2025). It’s a novel about a Sri Lankan-born graduate student in 1980s Melbourne, an admirer of Virginia Woolf who critiques Woolf’s racist and imperialistic worldview in her thesis. De Kretser’s style flirts with nonfiction, at times reading like an essay or memoir, and the book becomes an exploration not just of the main character’s relationship with Woolf and academia but also her understanding of herself as a writer and actor in the world. Two other favorite books of mine from this year are also novels that mix experimental, playful, and humorous approaches with uncompromising, human-centered critiques of colonialism: Maria Reva’s Endling, which starts as a quirky comic story and turns into a disconcerting and brilliant work of metafiction about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu’s The Creation of Half-Broken People (reviewed by Kim Kovacs), which brings exquisitely layered storytelling, along with a gothic undercurrent, to the subject of colonialism in Zimbabwe. These books are all many things, but all three of them are creative, bold reminders of something that isn’t often acknowledged by the language of power: how difficult it actually is to assimilate someone—even a flawed, impressionable, uncertain someone—into a mindset of domination once they’ve let themselves see that mindset for what it is.” —Elisabeth Cook

Ruth: A Novel
by Kate Riley

Hardcover Aug 2025. 256 pages
Published by Riverhead Books

“My favorite book of 2025 was Kate Riley’s novel Ruth (I reviewed this book, along with the other titles mentioned below), which follows a woman growing up—and, later, getting married and having children—in a religious commune. Ruth finds it difficult to obey the seemingly arbitrary rules of the commune and to truly accept Jesus Christ into her heart, but she stays in the community anyway, feeling like an outsider and making awkward jokes; her curiosity and eye for the group’s oddities make her a delightful, but never judgmental, guide through a world that most readers will find foreign and spellbinding.

The other book I loved was The Ten Year Affair by Erin Somers, about a woman secretly fantasizing about having an affair with her male friend, a fellow new parent in her small town in the Hudson Valley. As her fantasy life becomes more involved—trysts in hotel rooms; lies to spouses; a pregnancy; an abortion—her real life becomes more entwined with his, until the two couples are vacationing together and podding together during the Covid lockdown. Both Ruth and The Ten Year Affair are very funny, the kind of quiet humor that belies apparent effort, although Riley’s prose is slightly zanier—more sui generis—and Somers’ is perhaps more sardonic and more Internet-inflected. Both novels feature smart female protagonists who chafe at convention but not in a moral, ideological way—precisely the opposite. They are not neurotic, at least not on the page: they don’t self-analyze, plunge the depths of their own psyches. Instead, they remain partly mysterious to themselves and to the reader. They’re two very different books with very different preoccupations, but I’d recommend both to readers interested in unique, slightly aslant portraits of domestic life. Lastly, check out Hunchback by Saou Ichikawa (translated by Polly Barton), which was longlisted for the International Booker and the National Book Award for Translated Literature. It’s a short, raunchy, but poignant romp about a severely physically disabled woman who wants to experience pregnancy and abortion, and the disaffected male nurse—possibly the only person who’s really been paying attention to her—who offers to have sex with her (for a lot of money).” —Chloe Pfeiffer

No Less Strange or Wonderful: Essays in Curiosity
by A. Kendra Greene

Mar 2025. 304 pages
Published by Tin House Books

“As someone who typically reads fiction more than 80% of the time, I was somewhat surprised to realize that three of my favorite titles of 2025 fall in the nonfiction category. At the top of that list is A. Kendra Greene’s No Less Strange or Wonderful: Essays in Curiosity. As the title suggests, this is a collection of short pieces, most of them grounded in the natural world, and all of them beautifully making the case for remaining curious, imaginative, and open to being surprised by joy or wonder. Greene, who’s spent much of her career as a writer- or artist-in-residence at various zoos and natural history museums, includes her own artwork throughout this splendidly illustrated collection. Other favorite nonfiction titles of the year—perhaps even more surprising since I essentially never read true crime—both fall under that genre. Pulitzer Prize winner Caroline Fraser’s Murderland: Crime and Bloodlust in the Time of Serial Killers (reviewed by Jordan Lynch) is an absolutely engrossing blend of memoir and reportage, compellingly making the case that unregulated environmental toxins might partly explain the horrific actions of some of our country’s most notorious criminals. And Candace Fleming’s Death in the Jungle: Murder, Betrayal, and the Lost Dream of Jonestown (also reviewed by Jordan Lynch), although ostensibly written for teens, is enlightening reading for anyone whose knowledge of Jonestown starts and ends with ‘drinking the Kool-Aid’ (spoiler alert: it’s much more complicated and appalling than that).” —Norah Piehl

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Our Favorite Author Interviews of 2025

Tony Ramos — Fri, 14 Nov 2025 20:48:06 +0000

What’s better than reading a book by an author you love? Well, probably nothing, but a good author interview can be a close second. We regularly feature interviews in our digital magazine with writers whose books we review, and in 2025, with your help, we started hosting our own Ask the Author interviews in the BookBrowse community forum. Below, we bring you some of the best Q&As for books published in hardcover or paperback this year from both inside and outside of BookBrowse, which represent just a handful drawn from a pool of many great interviews. We hope you enjoy these conversations and that you’ll join us in 2026 for more fun virtual author visits.

Daughters of Shandong
by Eve J. Chung

Paperback May 2025. 400 pages
Published by Berkley Books

In one of our most recent forum interviews, Eve J. Chung chatted with members about the process of doing research for her novel Daughters of Shandong, which follows a mother and her daughters during the Chinese Communist Revolution. Her personal anecdotes related to the book, which started as a way to record her family history, made for a riveting conversation.

About the book

The Invention of Charlotte Brontë: A New Life
by Graham Watson

Hardcover Aug 2025. 288 pages
Published by Pegasus Books

Graham Watson, a Brontës and Elizabeth Gaskell specialist, kicked off our conversation for his book The Invention of Charlotte Brontë by generously inviting everyone to ask not only about his recent account of the eldest Brontë sister’s work and life but the Brontës in general. This led to a lively back-and-forth in which one participant even dared to ask the burning question readers have been slinging around like a hot potato for more than a century: Jane Eyre or Wuthering Heights? His answer might surprise you.

About the book

The Dream Hotel: A Novel
by Laila Lalami

Hardcover Mar 2025. 336 pages
Published by Pantheon Books

Laila Lalami’s novel The Dream Hotel features a near future in which people live under strict government surveillance. In a conversation about the book, Lalami addressed subjects relevant to authors writing stories with dystopian premises today, such as what her work says about the world now, and what she thinks readers can take away from it.

About the book

The Husbands: A Novel
by Holly Gramazio

Apr 2024. 352 pages
Published by Doubleday

In one of our most purely fun forum interviews of the year, Holly Gramazio extensively discussed her book The Husbands, a lighthearted speculative take on what-ifs and dating app culture, shared pictures of her cats, and talked about writing inspiration, game design, and much more.

About the book

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Our Most Anticipated Books for 2026

Tony Ramos — Tue, 28 Oct 2025 07:58:14 +0000

Are you excited about 2026 books yet? We are. Get your calendar ready, because below is a tantalizing preview of what’s to come. This list covers intriguing debuts and new work from excellent established authors, and it offers a glimpse of books we may cover in our digital magazine, First Impressions program, or book club in the year ahead. Be sure to also check out our Best Books for Book Clubs in 2026. Happy browsing!

Most Anticipated Contemporary Novels for 2026

The Last of Earth: A Novel
by Deepa Anappara

Jan 13, 2026. 352 pages
Published by Random House

From the award-winning author of Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line comes a stunning historical novel set in nineteenth-century Tibet that follows two outsiders—an Indian schoolteacher spying for the British Empire and an English “lady” explorer—as they venture into a forbidden kingdom.

Why we’re looking forward to it: Publishers Weekly calls Anappara’s intricate latest “a fresh mix of spooky folklore and intense naturalism” and “an accomplished tale.”

This Is Where the Serpent Lives
by Daniyal Mueenuddin

Jan 13, 2026. 352 pages
Published by Knopf

A stunning first novel from universally acclaimed Daniyal Mueenuddin, whose debut short story collection won the Story Prize and was a finalist for the Los Angeles Book Prize, the National Book Award, and the Pulitzer Prize.

Why we’re looking forward to it: A debut novel from an already acclaimed writer, This Is Where the Serpent Lives will offer a wide-ranging glimpse of contemporary Pakistan in a story that dissects corruption and class dynamics.

Crux: A Novel
by Gabriel Tallent

Jan 20, 2026. 416 pages
Published by Riverhead Books

In this story of intense friendship and grit, two down-and-out teens escape their lives and chase a different future through rock-climbing—from the New York Times bestselling author of My Absolute Darling.

Why we’re looking forward to it: Kirkus calls Crux, the intense story of two teenage friends who pursue rock climbing, “thrilling” and a “sharp novel about youth in conflict with dreams, nature, and reality.”

Discipline: A Novel
by Larissa Pham

Jan 20, 2026. 224 pages
Published by Random House

A taut, electrifying debut about a woman forced to confront unsettling truths about herself, her past, and the life she rebuilt following a ruinous affair with her former mentor, from a “lit world phenom” (Harper’s Bazaar)

Why we’re looking forward to it: Discipline gives the impression of being a quietly philosophical novel in the vein of Katie Kitamura. Fans of thoughtful literary fiction with big ideas, take note.

How to Commit a Postcolonial Murder: A Novel
by Nina McConigley

Jan 20, 2026. 224 pages
Published by Pantheon Books

A bold, inventive, and fiercely original debut novel that begins with an uncle dead and his tween niece’s private confession to the reader—she and her sister killed him, and they blame the British.

Why we’re looking forward to it: The jacket description by itself is enough, and Publishers Weekly dubs it a “thrilling bildungsroman.”

When We Were Brilliant
by Lynn Cullen

Jan 20, 2026. 400 pages
Published by Berkley Books

They were an unlikely pair—a blond bombshell and a photographer determined to be taken seriously—but Marilyn Monroe and Eve Arnold would make a deal that would change their lives in this dazzling new novel from the national bestselling author of Mrs. Poe and The Woman with the Cure.

Why we’re looking forward to it: One of our First Impressions reviewers remarks, “This book will remind the reader of those written by Marie Benedict and Patti Callahan and would make an excellent book club selection.”

Beckomberga: A Novel
by Sara Stridsberg

Jan 27, 2026. 288 pages
Published by FSG Originals

A haunting novel of a woman’s lifelong witness to her father’s illness, and Stockholm’s mythic mental hospital.

Why we’re looking forward to it: A Publishers Weekly reviewer writes, “Stridsberg’s lyrical and unflinching narrative coheres into a relentless and strangely beautiful portrait of a family’s gloom…It’s astonishing.”

Vigil: A Novel
by George Saunders

Jan 27, 2026. 192 pages
Published by Random House

A wise, playful, electric novel from the #1 New York Times bestselling, Booker Prize–winning author of Lincoln in the Bardo, taking place at the bedside of an oil company CEO in the twilight hours of his life as he is ferried from this world into the next.

Why we’re looking forward to it: The setup of a dying oil executive lends itself well to the imaginative and humorous moral examination we’ve come to expect from Saunders. According to Publishers Weekly, he has “outdone himself with this endlessly irreverent work of art.”

Everyday Movement
by Gigi L. Leung

Feb 10, 2026. 368 pages
Published by Riverhead Books

A powerful, award-winning novel that follows the lives of two women as democracy starts to crumble in Hong Kong.

Why we’re looking forward to it: The publication of Everyday Movement in English translation is part of Riverhead Books’ recent mission to release more work originally written in Chinese. Leung’s novel follows two women in Hong Kong during the 2019-2020 protests there, giving voice to contemporary events on both a small and large scale.

This Is Not About Us: Fiction
by Allegra Goodman

Feb 10, 2026. 336 pages
Published by The Dial Press

A kaleidoscopic portrait of a modern American family—steadfast, complicated, begrudging, and loving—from the bestselling author of Isola.

Was this just a brief skirmish, or the beginning of a thirty-year feud? In the Rubinstein family, it could go either way.

Why we’re looking forward to it: Fans of Allegra Goodman’s recent historical novel Isola may also want to check out this “big-hearted,” humorous, modern story of an American family. In the meantime, you can read our recent interview with Goodman.

The Renovation: A Novel
by Kenan Orhan

Feb 10, 2026. 256 pages
Published by Farrar, Straus & Giroux

A woman discovers that her bathroom has been remodeled into a prison cell―where she is an unlikely inmate―in this surreal novel of exile, grief, memory, and migration.

Why we’re looking forward to it: This strange story of displacement and migration should appeal to readers who enjoy fiction that questions the nature of reality.

I Give You My Silence: A Novel
by Mario Vargas Llosa

Feb 24, 2026. 256 pages
Published by Farrar, Straus & Giroux

In his final novel, the Nobel Prize winner Mario Vargas Llosa returns to his native Peru.

Why we’re looking forward to it: Pulitzer Prize winner Mario Vargas Llosa’s final novel, this fictional exploration of Peruvian music, is set to be released in the US this year and has been critically praised elsewhere.

The Reservation: A Novel
by Rebecca Kauffman

Feb 24, 2026. 272 pages
Published by Counterpoint Press

For fans of The Bear, Elizabeth Strout, and Jennifer Egan, The Reservation explores the loves and labors of an ensemble of more than a dozen restaurant workers as they strive to get a perfect meal to the table.

Why we’re looking forward to it: Restaurant drama is one of the best kinds of drama.

Hovel: A Novel
by Ailsa Ross

Mar 17, 2026. 352 pages
Published by Strange Light

In this debut novel, a young woman in the Rocky Mountains, separated from the ancestral rhythms of her home in Scotland, turns to ancient rituals to find solace and connection. With shades of Olga Tokarczuk, Ali Smith, and Rachel Cusk, Hovel is a book for those fascinated by female interiority.

Why we’re looking forward to it: For readers who enjoy the reflective, the off-kilter, and the weird, this seems like a perfect debut to grab off the shelf.

I Love You Don’t Die: A Novel
by Jade Song

Mar 17, 2026. 288 pages
Published by William Morrow

Acclaimed author Jade Song (Chlorine) returns with her latest literary exploration: a lyrical, poignant, and heartfelt novel about the meaning of love, friendship, debt, depression, and death in New York City—a coming-of-age for a new generation, in the vein of Sally Rooney and Ottessa Moshfegh.

Why we’re looking forward to it: This quirky coming-of-age novel sounds dark, hilarious, and oddly life-affirming.

Son of Nobody: A Novel
by Yann Martel

Mar 31, 2026. 288 pages
Published by W.W. Norton & Company

From the author of the international bestseller Life of Pi, a brilliant retelling of the Trojan War from two commoners: an ancient soldier and a modern scholar.

Why we’re looking forward to it: We’re curious about this different kind of Greek myth story—not a retelling, but a parallel invention of a new narrative.

Inheritance
by Jane Park

Apr 7, 2026. 304 pages
Published by Pegasus Books

A young woman returns to the prairies, where she revisits her immigrant childhood and confronts a haunting guilt, in this debut novel by a brilliant new talent.

Why we’re looking forward to it: A contemporary story of family and political history, this looks like a fascinating dive into memory and intergenerational trauma.

Afternoon Hours of a Hermit
by Patrick Cottrell

Apr 21, 2026. 224 pages
Published by Ecco

A darkly funny and profoundly moving new novel by award-winning author Patrick Cottrell.

Why we’re looking forward to it: Interacting slyly with Patrick Cottrell’s brilliant Sorry to Disturb the Peace, this follow-up promises to be a funny and satisfying piece of metafiction.

Go Gentle
by Maria Semple

Apr 21, 2026. 384 pages
Published by G.P. Putnam’s Sons

The New York Times bestselling author of Where’d You Go, Bernadette returns to form in her most exuberant and life-affirming novel yet with the story of one woman’s cheerful determination to live a life of the mind only to have the heart force its way in.

Why we’re looking forward to it: This latest outing by Semple sounds like the perfect title for readers and book clubs seeking something perspective-shifting and uplifting.

Last Night in Brooklyn: A Novel
by Xochitl Gonzalez

Apr 7, 2026. 256 pages
Published by Flatiron Books

New York Times bestselling author Xochitl Gonzalez delivers a captivating story about a young woman whose life becomes ensnared in her glamorous neighbor’s secret past, laying bare the mounting tensions at play in a rapidly gentrifying, early 2000’s Fort Greene, Brooklyn.

Why we’re looking forward to it: This next book from Gonzalez sets the stage for an examination of race and class in a particular time and place alongside a riveting story.

Livonia Chow Mein: A Novel
by Abigail Savitch-Lew

Apr 21, 2026. 368 pages
Published by Simon & Schuster

In the vein of Happiness Falls and Family Lore, a gripping story of family history and political upheaval centered around a Chinese family-owned restaurant in Brownsville, Brooklyn and its impact on the neighborhood’s Jewish and Black residents over the course of a century.

Why we’re looking forward to it: Another New York novel shot through with the impacts of social class and the implications of American ideals, this multi-decade family saga seems poised to be a winner.

Abundance: A Novel
by Hafeez Lakhani

May 5, 2026. 304 pages
Published by Counterpoint Press

Two generations of a Muslim Indian family grapple with what parts of life we control and what we must humbly accept in pursuit of the American dream—for readers of Min Jin Lee, Mohsin Hamid, and Ayad Akhtar.

Why we’re looking forward to it: A family story that touches on questions of medical intervention alongside the ins and outs of running a popular donut franchise, this appears to be a novel of quintessentially American concerns that should be perfect for book clubs.

A Siege of Owls: A Novel
by Uchenna Awoke

May 12, 2026. 256 pages
Published by Catapult

An urgent and unforgettable novel that follows a young man’s coming of age in rural Nigeria as he bears witness to violence, upheaval, and hope in a rapidly changing society from the acclaimed author of The Liquid Eye of a Moon.

Why we’re looking forward to it: Awoke’s latest from Catapult (after his debut, The Liquid Eye of a Moon, called a “Nigerian Catcher in the Rye”) promises a mix of beauty and humor alongside harsh realities in this coming-of-age tale.

Ghost-Eye: A Novel
by Amitav Ghosh

Jun 16, 2026. 336 pages
Published by Farrar, Straus & Giroux

Past and present collide in a novel about a girl who might just be a “case of the reincarnation type.”

Why we’re looking forward to it: The premise of this novel from Ghosh (a young girl who may have been reincarnated) is simple but fascinating.

Autobiography of Cotton: A Novel
by Cristina Rivera Garza

Feb 3, 2026. 264 pages
Published by Graywolf Press

In 1934, a young José Revueltas traveled to Tamaulipas to support the cotton workers’ strike in Estación Camarón, which became the basis of his landmark novel Human Mourning.

Why we’re looking forward to it: In this hard-to-define novel, Rivera Garza uses José Revueltas’ Human Mourning (1943) as a starting point and “weaves labor history, environmental catastrophe, and stories of her family into a vivid tapestry” (Publishers Weekly).

She Made Herself a Monster: A Novel
by Anna Kovatcheva

Feb 10, 2026. 288 pages
Published by Mariner Books

A heady, dark-hued Gothic gem of a debut novel: in nineteenth-century Bulgaria, a self-proclaimed vampire slayer—actually, a traveling con artist—joins forces with a teenage girl to create a monster deadly enough to vanquish their own demons.

Why we’re looking forward to it: It may not be Buffy, but this feminist tale involving a so-called vampire slayer in 19th-century Bulgaria sounds plenty entertaining.

Night Night Fawn: A Novel
by Jordy Rosenberg

Mar 3, 2026. 304 pages
Published by One World

From the author of Confessions of the Fox comes a novel in which a yenta on her deathbed begins to look back at all her failures—including her child.

Why we’re looking forward to it: This novel appears to be a romp with a sober and worthy goal. According to People, author Jordy Rosenberg hopes that this comic story of an “old world yenta, committed homophobe,” and “accomplished jazzercizer” will “illuminate the often insidious ordinariness of far-right politics.”

The Complex: A Novel
by Karan Mahajan

Mar 10, 2026. 448 pages
Published by Viking

A brilliant, sweeping, tour de force moving between the US and modern India, following the illicit liaisons, real estate dramas, political ambitions, and mortal betrayals of one prominent Delhi family — from the author of the National Book Award finalist The Association of Small Bombs.

Why we’re looking forward to it: A complicated story that follows family relationships against a backdrop of contemporary Indian history, this seems like a novel of great breadth and depth.

No Friend to This House: A Novel
by Natalie Haynes

Mar 10, 2026. 384 pages
Published by Harper

No Friend to This House is an extraordinary reimagining of the myth of Medea from the Sunday Times bestselling author of Stone Blind, Natalie Haynes.

Why we’re looking forward to it: Fans of Natalie Haynes’ previous work (A Thousand Ships, Stone Blind, and more) will be thrilled that she’s back with this retelling of the classic story of Medea.

Questions 27 & 28
by Karen Tei Yamashita

Apr 28, 2026. 448 pages
Published by Graywolf Press

In February 1942, shortly after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Franklin D. Roosevelt issued an executive order authorizing the secretary of war to remove 120,000 Japanese Americans from their homes on the West Coast and corral them into inland concentration camps.

Why we’re looking forward to it: One-of-a-kind author Yamashita brings her narrative magic to a recounting of Japanese American internment during World War II.

A Perfect Hand: A Novel
by Ayelet Waldman

May 19, 2026. 304 pages
Published by Knopf

A richly drawn, captivating, and endlessly amusing novel of love and subterfuge between a lady’s maid and her clandestine lover, set in the country estates of nineteenth-century England.

Why we’re looking forward to it: Nineteenth-century England. Class drama. Forbidden love. Let the antics begin!

We Want So Much to Be Ourselves
by Stephen O’Connor

Jun 9, 2026. 496 pages
Published by Bellevue Literary Press

A German psychoanalyst, his Jewish wife, and their young daughter are swept up in the rising tide of fascism.

Why we’re looking forward to it: A love story and a look at the overlap between psychoanalysis and the rise of the Nazis, this looks to be a substantial work of historical fiction that presents new angles on familiar subjects.

A Pair of Aces
by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray

Jun 23, 2026. 400 pages
Published by Berkley Books

A gripping novel about two trailblazing women on opposite sides of the law—a prosecutor and a madam—who team up to bring down notorious gangster Lucky Luciano, from the New York Times bestselling authors of the million-copy bestseller The Personal Librarian.

Why we’re looking forward to it: Our subscribers voted Benedict and Murray’s The Personal Librarian a BookBrowse Best of Year book in 2021, and can now start getting excited about this upcoming collaboration.

The Age of Calamities: Stories
by Senaa Ahmad

Jan 13, 2026. 240 pages
Published by Henry Holt and Company

Written by an inimitable new voice, The Age of Calamities is a genre-defying, mind-bending collection of absurdist, funny, and speculative short stories.

Why we’re looking forward to it: Kirkus calls it a “debut teeming with strange delights.”

Brawler: Stories
by Lauren Groff

Feb 24, 2026. 288 pages
Published by Riverhead Books

A stunning, fierce collection from a master of the short story and one of the most important writers of our time.

Why we’re looking forward to it: This is Groff’s first short story collection since 2018, and it seems to be a work of the moment. According to Elle, she observes the pieces as interacting with “the violence that lurks within familial spaces” and “larger moments of cultural violence that I think we’ve been in for a very long time.”

Python’s Kiss: Stories
by Louise Erdrich

Mar 24, 2026. 240 pages
Published by Harper

“Erdrich should be a major contender for the Nobel Prize in Literature.” —Boston Globe

Why we’re looking forward to it: A new short story collection from Louise Erdrich. What else needs to be said?

The News from Dublin: Stories
by Colm Toibin

Mar 31, 2026. 320 pages
Published by Scribner

From Colm Tóibín, “one of the world’s best living literary writers” (The Boston Globe), comes a brilliant collection of nine short stories, many never-before-published, set across Ireland, Spain, and America—about the complexities of family, longing, loss, and love.

Why we’re looking forward to it: These stories, set in locations as varied as Spain, Ireland, and America, offer an array of short fiction from world-renowned novelist Tóibín.

My Dear You: Stories
by Rachel Khong

Apr 7, 2026. 240 pages
Published by Knopf

From the author of New York Times bestseller Real Americans, a brilliant short story collection about love, life, and the anguish of becoming oneself in a time when it’s so easy to be someone else.

Why we’re looking forward to it: The author of Real Americans brings what look to be similar elements of societal observation and imaginative fiction to her short stories.

Fat Swim: Fiction
by Emma Copley Eisenberg

Apr 28, 2026. 240 pages
Published by Hogarth Books

An electrifying collection of linked stories following a cast of characters navigating bodies, queerness, power, and sex—with radical results—from the bestselling author of Housemates.

Why we’re looking forward to it: Author Marcy Dermansky, commenting on this collection focused on bodies and what they express, says, “I loved these stories—funny and sad and deeply resonant.”

Wolf Hour: A Novel
by Jo Nesbo

Feb 3, 2026. 400 pages
Published by Knopf

From the modern master of Nordic noir comes a shocking new thriller set in contemporary Minneapolis, in which a detective and a crime writer conduct parallel investigations, six years apart, into a series of puzzling murders.

Why we’re looking forward to it: This latest thriller from Norwegian noir writer Nesbo sounds masterful.

Blood Relay: A Novel
by Devon Mihesuah

Feb 24, 2026. 336 pages
Published by Bantam Books

In this richly layered debut thriller reminiscent of the real issue of missing and murdered Indigenous people, a badass Choctaw detective discovers an insidious plot against her reservation while investigating the disappearance of a beloved champion athlete.

Why we’re looking forward to it: This debut promises to be a complex, socially relevant, and twist-filled mystery.

Whidbey: A Novel
by T Kira Madden

Mar 10, 2026. 384 pages
Published by Mariner Books

A stunning literary achievement and portrait of three women connected through one man in the aftermath of his murder—the explosive and highly anticipated debut novel from beloved and award-winning memoirist, T Kira Madden.

Why we’re looking forward to it: We’re pleased to find that T Kira Madden’s first foray into fiction seems to be a literary thriller, and we can’t wait.

The Keeper: A Novel
by Tana French

Mar 31, 2026. 448 pages
Published by Viking

From the iconic crime writer who “inspires cultic devotion in readers” (The New Yorker) and has been called “incandescent” by Stephen King, “absolutely mesmerizing” by Gillian Flynn, and “unputdownable” (People), comes the third and final book in the million-copy-bestselling Cal Hooper trilogy.

Why we’re looking forward to it: There doesn’t really need to be a reason to put a Tana French book in the mysteries and thrillers section of a most-anticipated list, does there?

A Beast Slinks Towards Beijing: A Novel
by Alice Evelyn Yang

Jan 27, 2026. 368 pages
Published by William Morrow

A dark, magical realist debut family saga that moves through the Japanese occupation of Manchuria, the Cultural Revolution, and the present day to explore the effects of intergenerational trauma, the legacy of colonialism, and the inescapability of fate.

Why we’re looking forward to it: A multigenerational saga employing history, folklore, and magic realism, this could be a strange and exciting ride.

The Beheading Game: A Novel
by Rebecca Lehmann

Mar 24, 2026. 320 pages
Published by Crown

Disgraced. Beheaded. And out for revenge …

We all know what happened to Henry VIII’s second wife, Anne Boleyn. But what if she woke up the day after her execution and took it upon herself to seek justice?

“Nobody was surprised at Anne’s conviction. The world loves to put a woman in her place.”

Why we’re looking forward to it: Fans of British monarchy fiction may find both the familiar and unexpected in this creative twist on history.

The Witch: A Novel
by Marie NDiaye

Apr 14, 2026. 144 pages
Published by Vintage

In a small French town, a mediocre witch trapped in a cruel marriage cries watery tears of blood as she passes on her gifts to her twin daughters, who soon must make a choice: stay close to the nest and the mother who nourished them, or soar away from the dead-end claustrophobia their selfish father has imposed?

Why we’re looking forward to it: Marie NDiaye is huge in France with good reason, and this is her latest work to be released in English. If you haven’t ever read her fiction before, now is a great time to start.

Shards of Silence
by Brian Lee Young

May 5, 2026. 336 pages
Published by Heartdrum

In his first YA novel, award-winning author Brian Lee Young (Diné) bridges the generational divide between a Navajo teen at an elite prep school and his great-grandmother’s experience at a federal boarding school for Indigenous students. The book is an eye-opening call for community healing and a profound coming-of-age story.

Why we’re looking forward to it: This book’s imaginative premise and historical ties makes it stand out among upcoming YA releases in 2026.

Where You’ll Find Us
by Jen St. Jude

Jun 2, 2026. 368 pages
Published by Bloomsbury YA

In this beautifully profound YA novel, a trans teen finds a home where queer kids from all different decades have found refuge from hatred-and from time.

Why we’re looking forward to it: This book uses a bold speculative premise to ask larger questions about community and queerness in a work that seems both dazzling and profound.

Chain of Ideas: The Origins of Our Authoritarian Age
by Ibram X. Kendi

Jan 13, 2026. 352 pages
Published by One World

The #1 New York Times bestselling author of How to Be an Antiracist traces the rise of the authoritarian and xenophobic movements threatening democracies around the globe.

Why we’re looking forward to it: In this new work, Kendi takes on the influence of “great replacement theory” on our current moment, connecting the dots to explain today’s political landscape.

One Aladdin Two Lamps
by Jeanette Winterson

Jan 20, 2026. 240 pages
Published by Grove Press

“One of the most daring and inventive writers of our time” (Elle) weaves together memoir, manifesto, and a feminist reimagining of One Thousand and One Nights in this impassioned exploration of the power of reading.

Why we’re looking forward to it: “Winterson’s language is accessible and unfussy, and an irrepressible sense of play animates the project,” says Publishers Weekly. “By the time it’s over, readers will feel like they’re seeing the world around them through brand new eyes.”

Language as Liberation: Reflections on the American Canon
by Toni Morrison

Feb 3, 2026. 240 pages
Published by Knopf

Collected in one astonishing volume, Toni Morrison’s explorations of the American literary canon.

Why we’re looking forward to it: Widely known for her novels, Morrison has received less credit as a scholar. Here’s an opportunity to see her at work.

Leaving Home: A Memoir in Full Colour
by Mark Haddon

Feb 17, 2026. 320 pages
Published by Doubleday

An unflinching, brilliantly written, darkly funny, lavishly illustrated memoir by the acclaimed author of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time: A ringing testament about how one artist sees the world, and how his experiences have shaped his vision.

Why we’re looking forward to it: A memoir that reflects on notions of creativity and imagination, this book seems likely to connect with Haddon’s previous fans and readers of inventive autobiography.

Small Town Girls: A Writer’s Memoir
by Jayne Anne Phillips

Apr 21, 2026. 208 pages
Published by Knopf

A luminous memoir in essays from the Pulitzer Prize–winning novelist, who reflects on her origins and the mysteries of memory.

“Understand: born and raised in West Virginia, you can never truly leave. Those who stay, and those who don’t, stand in the middle of the story, wherever they go.”

Why we’re looking forward to it: Another memoir about creation from a famous writer, Small Town Girls intersects with contemporary American and literary history.

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A Q&A with Peggy Kurkowski

Tony Ramos — Wed, 08 Oct 2025 19:59:24 +0000

BookBrowse interviews longtime reviewer and history BookTuber Peggy Kurkowski about the enduring power of thoughtful reviews, how the literary landscape has evolved, and why history remains her greatest teacher.

For access to the full recording as well as live access to future industry insider discussions, become a Book Club+ Member today.

Who Is Peggy Kurkowski?

From BookBrowse Reviewer to Multi-Publication Writer

BB: Peggy, many BookBrowse members already know you from your reviews, but could you tell us a little about your background?

Peggy: I’m a senior content marketing copywriter for a nonprofit higher-ed technology association, and I’ve been with the company about seventeen years. I’ve also been part of the BookBrowse community for quite a while—I came on board as a reviewer back in the days of Davina and I’ve been here ever since. I love what we do as readers, reviewers, and as a community.

BB: And you also write for several national publications, right?

Peggy: Yes! I write for Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, Foreword Reviews, Shelf Awareness, the Washington Independent Review of Books, and a few others. I’m also the U.S. Reviews Editor at Historical Novels Review for the Historical Novel Society.

The Rise of The History Shelf on YouTube

BB: Beyond the written word, you’ve built quite a following on YouTube. How did that come about?

Peggy: About six years ago I started my YouTube channel, The History Shelf. I realized there were hundreds of BookTube channels talking about YA or fantasy—but hardly any focusing on history or nonfiction. My partner said, ‘Be the channel you wish you could find,’ so I did. I was nervous at first, but then I found a community of readers who said, ‘Thank you, you’re talking about history books!’

Peggy: I’m around nineteen-thousand subscribers now. That’s small compared to some, but I’ve found my people. I feature new releases, talk about military and historical nonfiction, and share what I’m reading. I always remind viewers: if you want to see my written reviews, follow me on my socials—that’s where I post links to the outlets I write for.

Why Book Reviews Still Matter

The Reviewer’s Perspective

BB: In an era of social media and influencer lists, why do you think book reviews are still important?

Peggy: Book reviews give you a sense of what you can expect from a book—and critically tell you whether you want to spend money on it. There are so many books out there, and we all can’t afford to get the latest one. A good review helps you decide: do I buy the hardcover now, wait for the paperback, or request it from the library?

Peggy: A long-form review, like those at BookBrowse, is an act of reading the book in miniature. You’re getting the main points, the atmosphere, and a sense of the author’s approach.

The Publisher’s Perspective

BB: Have publishers’ attitudes toward reviews changed over the years?

Peggy: Not really—they’re still hungry for reviews. It’s the best mechanism they have for pushing a book and selling a book. Librarians rely on objective reviews to know what to stock, and publicists are constantly looking for new outlets. That hasn’t dimmed at all.

The Reader’s Perspective

BB: And what about readers—why do bylines matter?

Peggy: Having a byline is really important. It gets you recognized, puts your name out there. When I read other reviewers, if I like the way they write and summarize, I carry that name with me. Readers start to trust certain reviewers—just like I do with The New York Review of Books or London Review of Books. If I see a byline I like, I know I have to read that review.

How the Landscape of Reviewing Has Changed

The Rise of Indie Authors and Self-Publishing

BB: How has the landscape evolved in the past decade?

Peggy: We’re seeing an explosion of new voices—different cultures, religions, and experiences that I didn’t grow up reading in America. It’s made me a more educated reader. And with self-publishing, everyone now feels like they can write a book—and that’s not a bad thing. It’s contributed to the larger number of titles being published.

The Role of Social Media and BookTube

Peggy: Publicists still want reviews, but now it’s also about putting those blurbs on blast through social media. I share links and tag the author, the publisher, and the outlet. It’s another way to get the word out. I joke that I might need to hire a twelve-year-old to handle my posts; it takes time but it matters.

The Decline in Pleasure Reading — and Why It Matters

BB: You mentioned fewer people reading for pleasure. What do you make of that trend?

Peggy: It’s such a sad thing. I think attention spans are shorter, everything’s on a screen, always scrolling. Books are the opposite of that; they ask you to slow down. I just try to lose myself in a hard copy every chance I get. Reading makes you a more reflective, grounded person.

Inside Peggy’s Review Process

Annotating, Analyzing, and Revising

BB: Walk us through your process when reviewing a book.

Peggy: For nonfiction I like a physical galley. I underline, use index cards as bookmarks, and jot notes: ‘include in review’ or ‘theme mentioned again.’ The first read is an information dump. Then I go back and decide what’s most valuable for readers. And then I revise—half of the writing is revising.

Peggy: With fiction, I don’t annotate as much. I look for character development, lyricism, and how I felt while reading. Long-form reviews let me quote passages so readers can hear the author’s voice—that’s key.

Balancing Honesty and Kindness in Reviews

BB: How do you handle writing a negative review?

Peggy: It’s hard, because I feel for writers—it takes courage to write a book. My editor at Independent Book Review taught me the ‘sandwich method’: intro and summary, then one good thing, then the critique, and end with something positive again. Positive–negative–positive. No snark. I want to see people succeed.

Beyond the Book: Digging Deeper into Context

BB: You’ve also written many Beyond the Book articles for BookBrowse. How do you approach those?

Peggy: It’s such a unique thing—no other publication I write for does that. While reading, I’m always thinking: what would make a good Beyond the Book topic? Something eye-opening or little-known. For The Covenant of Water, I wrote about the St. Thomas Christians of India—a community I hadn’t known existed. I love that part because it lets me be the nerdy historian who gets to dig deeper.

Lessons from The History Shelf

Building a Community Around Nonfiction

BB: What do you enjoy most about your YouTube work?

Peggy: The discussions! People comment with their own book recommendations, and I learn from them. It’s a wonderful way to make new friends and engage with other readers.

Navigating the YouTube Algorithm (Without Losing Your Soul)

BB: How much do you focus on optimizing your content for youtube’s algorithm?

Peggy: I know to use hashtags and keywords, but honestly I’m not there to go viral or make money. I just want to share good books. I’d rather have a genuine conversation with 50 engaged viewers than chase clicks.

Why History—and Book Reviews—Still Matter

History as the Greatest Teacher

BB: Let’s close with the big one: why history?

Peggy: It’s cliché, but true: history is the greatest teacher. You don’t know where you’re going unless you know where you’ve been. Every time people say, ‘Things have never been this bad,’ I think to myself: let’s look at the 1300s and the Black Plague! Reading history gives perspective and helps bring the temperature down.

Books as Connection and Continuity

Peggy: History is humanity, both macro and micro. It shows how we’re all connected. Reading about what others have lived through makes you a better person. The good and the bad—it’s all there—and books let you engage with it critically and compassionately.

Conclusion

Book reviews, as Peggy Kurkowski reminds us, remain vital threads in the fabric of reading culture. They guide readers, support authors, and preserve a thoughtful conversation about books in a world that moves faster every day.

Explore Peggy’s reviews at BookBrowse.com or visit her YouTube channel, The History Shelf. For access to the full recording as well as live access to future industry insider discussions, become a Book Club+ Member today.

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Book News – Book and Author News

Our Most Anticipated Books for 2026 (July–December)

Most Anticipated Contemporary Fiction

A Real Animal: A Novelby Emeline Atwood

The Great Wherever: A Novelby Shannon Sanders

Country People: A Novelby Daniel Mason

Cool Machine: The Harlem Trilogy #3by Colson Whitehead

Beginning Middle End: A Novelby Valeria Luiselli

Triageby Claudia Rankine

The Seekers of Deer Creek: A Novelby Thao Thai

Soft Spots: A Novelby Leila Renee

Etna: A Novelby Paul Yoon

Sunrise: A Novelby Téa Obreht

Under the Falls: A Novelby Richard Russo

Unprecedented Times: A Novelby Malavika Kannan

The Book of Chuck: A Novelby LaToya Watkins

Crocodilopolis: A Novelby John Manuel Arias

Life of M: A Novelby Rachel Cusk

Dèy: A Novelby Edwidge Danticat

The Disappearers: A Novelby Marlon James

The Radiance: A Novelby Ayad Akhtar

American Hagwonby Min Jin Lee

The True Confessions of First Lady Freeman: A Novel – A Sharp Satirical Drama of Megachurch Scandal, Shame, and Freedomby Deesha Philyaw

Partita: A Novelby Barbara Kingsolver

Peck & Peck: A Novelby Bonnie Garmus

Don’t Stop Snowingby Gabriel Bump

The Ruiners: A Novelby Ellena Savage

The Bridgeby Colm Toibin

Most Anticipated Historical Fiction

The Half Life: A Novelby Rachel Beanland

The Amateur: A Novelby Chris Bohjalian

The Responsible Party: A Novelby Claire Carusillo

A Tender Age: A Novelby Chang-rae Lee

The Pirate Queenby Ariel Lawhon

Our Noble Selves: A Novelby Kate Atkinson

Mazywoodby Tananarive Due

Dodge City: A Novelby Patrick deWitt

The Four Wives and Five Deaths of Richard Milford: A Novelby Nafissa Thompson-Spires

Music Against the Night: A Novel (The Nocturne Trilogy)by Yiyun Li

Most Anticipated Short Story Collections

Nightjar: Storiesby Emily Ruskovich

It Will Come Back to You: Collected Storiesby Sigrid Nunez

Black Arts: Storiesby Megan Giddings

Terrestrialby Cristina Rivera Garza

Desperate Bodiesby Lydia Mathis

Most Anticipated Mysteries and Thrillers

Wisdom Corner: A Novelby David Heska Wanbli Weiden

The Parisian Heist: A Novelby Jo Piazza

The Night Hunterby Natalie Moss

Plant Ladyby Kang Minyoung

The Dating Gameby Ally Zetterberg

There Used to Be People Hereby Kennedy Cole

Most Anticipated Speculative Fiction

These Walls Rememberby Del Sandeen

Exit Party: A Novelby Emily St. John Mandel

Ply: A Novelby Hernan Diaz

The Scarlet Ballby Nghi Vo

A Wall Is Also a Roadby Annalee Newitz

Victorious (Villains, 3)by V. E. Schwab

Monsters of Ohioby John Scalzi

Primeval and Other Timesby Olga Tokarczuk

Most Anticipated Young Adult Fiction

Adam, Mine.by K. Ancrum

Espíritu: Cemetery Boys #2by Aiden Thomas

The House of Gardeniasby Isabel Cañas

Most Anticipated Nonfiction

Sisters of the Midnight Sun: A Murder in Arctic Alaskaby Rebecca Wright Stevens

Ungrounding: The Architecture of Genocideby Eyal Weizman

Unsayable: A Life in Writingby Michael Cunningham

Mothers of Invention: A History of Creativity from the Greek Musesby Moiya McTier

Changing Genderby Susan Stryker

End Times Fascism: And the Fight for the Living Worldby Naomi Klein, Astra Taylor

Fugitive Archives: My Family and the American Myth of Belongingby Asale Angel-Ajani

We Radiant Things: Notes on Being Alien and Becoming Cyborgby Franny Choi

Our Arab: On Longing, Belonging, and Hopeby Zaina Arafat

Take My Word for It: A Memoirby LeVar Burton

Well-Read Black Girl Books & More: Diversity Projects in Publishing

26 Books for Reading US History in 2026

1770s — Of Arms and Artists: The American Revolution Through Painters’ Eyesby Paul Staiti

1780s — The Frozen River: A Novelby Ariel Lawhon

A Real Animal: A Novel
by Emeline Atwood

The Great Wherever: A Novel
by Shannon Sanders

Country People: A Novel
by Daniel Mason

Cool Machine: The Harlem Trilogy #3
by Colson Whitehead

Beginning Middle End: A Novel
by Valeria Luiselli

Triage
by Claudia Rankine

The Seekers of Deer Creek: A Novel
by Thao Thai

Soft Spots: A Novel
by Leila Renee

Etna: A Novel
by Paul Yoon

Sunrise: A Novel
by Téa Obreht

Under the Falls: A Novel
by Richard Russo

Unprecedented Times: A Novel
by Malavika Kannan

The Book of Chuck: A Novel
by LaToya Watkins

Crocodilopolis: A Novel
by John Manuel Arias

Life of M: A Novel
by Rachel Cusk

Dèy: A Novel
by Edwidge Danticat

The Disappearers: A Novel
by Marlon James

The Radiance: A Novel
by Ayad Akhtar

American Hagwon
by Min Jin Lee

The True Confessions of First Lady Freeman: A Novel – A Sharp Satirical Drama of Megachurch Scandal, Shame, and Freedom
by Deesha Philyaw

Partita: A Novel
by Barbara Kingsolver

Peck & Peck: A Novel
by Bonnie Garmus

Don’t Stop Snowing
by Gabriel Bump

The Ruiners: A Novel
by Ellena Savage

The Bridge
by Colm Toibin

The Half Life: A Novel
by Rachel Beanland

The Amateur: A Novel
by Chris Bohjalian

The Responsible Party: A Novel
by Claire Carusillo

A Tender Age: A Novel
by Chang-rae Lee

The Pirate Queen
by Ariel Lawhon

Our Noble Selves: A Novel
by Kate Atkinson

Mazywood
by Tananarive Due

Dodge City: A Novel
by Patrick deWitt

The Four Wives and Five Deaths of Richard Milford: A Novel
by Nafissa Thompson-Spires

Music Against the Night: A Novel (The Nocturne Trilogy)
by Yiyun Li

Nightjar: Stories
by Emily Ruskovich

It Will Come Back to You: Collected Stories
by Sigrid Nunez

Black Arts: Stories
by Megan Giddings

Terrestrial
by Cristina Rivera Garza

Desperate Bodies
by Lydia Mathis

Wisdom Corner: A Novel
by David Heska Wanbli Weiden

The Parisian Heist: A Novel
by Jo Piazza

The Night Hunter
by Natalie Moss

Plant Lady
by Kang Minyoung

The Dating Game
by Ally Zetterberg

There Used to Be People Here
by Kennedy Cole

These Walls Remember
by Del Sandeen

Exit Party: A Novel
by Emily St. John Mandel

Ply: A Novel
by Hernan Diaz

The Scarlet Ball
by Nghi Vo

A Wall Is Also a Road
by Annalee Newitz

Victorious (Villains, 3)
by V. E. Schwab

Monsters of Ohio
by John Scalzi

Primeval and Other Times
by Olga Tokarczuk

Adam, Mine.
by K. Ancrum

Espíritu: Cemetery Boys #2
by Aiden Thomas

The House of Gardenias
by Isabel Cañas

Sisters of the Midnight Sun: A Murder in Arctic Alaska
by Rebecca Wright Stevens

Ungrounding: The Architecture of Genocide
by Eyal Weizman

Unsayable: A Life in Writing
by Michael Cunningham

Mothers of Invention: A History of Creativity from the Greek Muses
by Moiya McTier

Changing Gender
by Susan Stryker

End Times Fascism: And the Fight for the Living World
by Naomi Klein, Astra Taylor

Fugitive Archives: My Family and the American Myth of Belonging
by Asale Angel-Ajani

We Radiant Things: Notes on Being Alien and Becoming Cyborg
by Franny Choi

Our Arab: On Longing, Belonging, and Hope
by Zaina Arafat

Take My Word for It: A Memoir
by LeVar Burton

1770s — Of Arms and Artists: The American Revolution Through Painters’ Eyes
by Paul Staiti

1780s — The Frozen River: A Novel
by Ariel Lawhon

1790s — Abigail Adams
by Woody Holton

1800s — The Grimkes: The Legacy of Slavery in an American Family
by Kerri K. Greenidge

1810s — The House Is on Fire
by Rachel Beanland

1820s — Booth
by Karen Joy Fowler

1830s — The Parting Glass
by Gina Marie Guadagnino

1840s — A Mystery of Mysteries: The Death and Life of Edgar Allan Poe
by Mark Dawidziak

1850s — All That She Carried: The Journey of Ashley’s Sack, a Black Family Keepsake
by Tiya Miles

1860s — How to Dodge a Cannonball: A Novel
by Dennard Dayle

1870s — Happy Land
by Dolen Perkins-Valdez

1880s — Four Treasures of the Sky: A Novel
by Jenny Tinghui Zhang

1890s — Outlawed
by Anna North