Entertainment Books PEOPLE Picks the Best New Books of the Week A Hollywood mogul's comeuppance, a married couple's sea change, and a tale of love and video games: here are our picks to read right now. Edited by Kim Hubbard and Sandra Sobieraj Westfall By People Staff Updated on July 28, 2022 11:17 AM Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Graydon House; Flatiron Books; Knopf 01 of 214 The Work Wife by Alison B. Hart Graydon House Hart's knockout debut takes us inside the hive of activity surrounding billionaire movie producer Ted Stabler and his wife at their Hollywood compound. As the polo-shirted worker bees — led by their queen, the ferociously capable and dangerously undervalued Zanne — swarm into action to produce a sumptuous charity benefit, the rumblings begin. Long-buried secrets involving all the women in Ted's life are about to burst into view. Vengefully delicious. — Marion Winik Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 02 of 214 Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield Crown Gone for months after her submarine sinks, Miri's marine biologist wife finally returns — but she seems to be a creature from another world, drifting ever further from Miri's grasp. Original and haunting. — Robin Micheli Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 03 of 214 Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin Knopf The story of three brilliant kids who found a video game company, this book is about so much more — friendship, love, loyalty, violence in America and the magic of invented worlds. Gorgeous. — Marion Winik Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 04 of 214 Don't Look Back by Joe Calderone Courtesy of Post Hill Press A suspenseful, eye-opening thriller about the firefighters who lost their lives on 9/11, written by a former investigative reporter at the New York Daily News. — Kim Hubbard Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 05 of 214 Why Didn't You Tell Me? by Carmen Rita Wong Crown Former CNBC host Wong grew up trying to navigate three confusing realities: the Latina world of her volatile mom, the immigrant Chinese one of her hustler dad and the white-picket-fence suburbs of her mother's next husband. But it wasn't until decades later, when her mother died, that Wong unearthed shattering secrets about whose daughter she really is, upending her identity once again. A stunner about race, culture and the deeper meaning of family. — Caroline Leavitt Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 06 of 214 What Jonah Knew by Barbara Graham Harper How does 7-year-old Jonah, who's always cried for his "other" mother, know details of the life of Henry Bird, a musician who vanished years ago? And does Jonah hold the clue to Henry's disappearance? This riveting psychological thriller raises provocative questions about life and death. — Robin Micheli Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 07 of 214 The It Girl by Ruth Ware Gallery/Scout Press Freshman year at Oxford was going great — until Hannah found her roommate dead. When the man she helped convict dies in jail 10 years later, lingering doubts drive her back to the world she fled. So many flawed friendships, so many promising red herrings... The pages just turn themselves. — Marion Winik Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 08 of 214 Normal Family by Chrysta Bilton In the mid-1980s a gay woman in Los Angeles tried every method available to conceive a child (including asking pal Warren Beatty for help) before persuading a dashing stranger to donate sperm — and to play the role of father. Their daughter Chrysta Bilton's tumultuous upbringing was capped off with an ancestry.com bombshell: Her father has at least 35 other children. Bilton's twisty life story is fascinating, and her eye for detail and ability to plumb her painful past for meaning make this a riveting debut. — Claire Martin Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 09 of 214 A Lady's Guide to Fortune Hunting by Sophie Irwin Jilted by her fiancé, Kitty Talbot doesn't need a hero — just a deep-pocketed husband to save her family. So she heads to London, where a disapproving Lord Radcliffe interferes with her plans. Bridgerton fans will swoon over this entertaining romp through Britain's Regency-era high society. — Lisa Greissinger Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 10 of 214 The Bodyguard by Katherine Center When straight-arrow Hannah Brooks gets hired to protect a very famous — and hunky — movie star from a stalker at his family's Texas ranch, she breaches her cardinal rule: Don't get emotionally involved with your clients. With speedy pacing and sexual tension for miles, this tale packs a punch. Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 11 of 214 Fellowship Point by Alice Elliott Dark Amazon This classic novel of character explores the lifelong friendship between two eighty-something Philadelphia women who co-own a chunk of land in Maine. When writer Agnes finds she's blocked, when devoted wife Polly is widowed, when their land is threatened by development and old secrets emerge, the bedrock of their connection shifts in unimaginable ways. Engrossing and studded with wisdom about long-held bonds. — Marion Winik Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 12 of 214 A Gracious Neighbor by Chris Cander Amazon Martha feels isolated in her Houston suburb. But when her popular ex-classmate Minnie moves in next door, Martha eagerly — then obsessively — pursues a friendship. A suspenseful tale of relationships, loneliness and what goes on behind closed doors. — Rennie Dyball Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 13 of 214 The Catch by Alison Fairbrother Amazon When Eleanor's adored dad leaves a bizarre bequest, her grief is derailed by bewilderment. Her quest to understand unfolds against the backdrop of a high-pressure job among the millennials of Washington, D.C. An affecting, often funny debut by E.L. Doctorow's granddaughter. — Marion Winik Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 14 of 214 Horse by Geraldine Brooks Amazon This captivating historical novel follows two unlikely love affairs, centuries apart. The first, in the antebellum South, begins when an enslaved boy becomes the groom of a bay pony — who grows into the fastest stallion in racing history. The second, in modern Washington, D.C., is sparked when a Nigerian grad student pulls an old painting of a horse from the trash, then falls for the woman who helps him authenticate it. The connections between the stories are brilliant, shocking and profound. — Marion Winik Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 15 of 214 Girls They Write Songs About by Carlene Bauer Amazon Charlotte and Rose meet at a New York music magazine in 1997 and become joined at the hip, soul sisters planning to reject domesticity while becoming famous writers and heartbreakers. Then ambitions shift and promises are broken. A fantastically vivid story about feminism and friendship. — Mary Pols Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 16 of 214 Rough Draft by Katy Tur Amazon The MSNBC anchor explores her complex relationship with her father, helicopter news pioneer Zoey Tur, who transitioned to female in 2013 and was both an inspiration and a terror to Katy during her youth. An unapologetic look at childhood wounds and how they steeled her for the abrasive world of political reporting. — Marissa Charles Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 17 of 214 Jackie & Me by Louis Bayard Algonquin Books Lem Billings was John F. Kennedy's prep school roommate and a close friend. He was also gay. This captivating work of historical fiction offers an intimate look into Lem's relationships with the charismatic young senator and the budding journalist Jacqueline Bouvier, whom JFK enlists Lem to vet. As the couple's go-between, Lem ultimately loves — and loses — both. "I'm not making a mistake, am I, Lem?" Jackie asks, pondering her future. The rest is history. — Anne Leslie Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 18 of 214 Just by Looking at Him by Ryan O'Connell Atria Books Elliott is 35, gay and a TV writer living with cerebral palsy and battling ableism and alcoholism — a lot like the author, known for the Netflix series Special. This debut teeters between "I can't believe you said that" honesty and "I really can't believe you said that" hilarity. — Jason Sheeler Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 19 of 214 City of Likes by Jenny Mollen NacelleBooks Meg, an unemployed copywriter desperate to ignite her career and be a good mother in status-obsessed Manhattan, gets caught up in momfluencer hell. Mollen, an Instagram star herself, wields knife-edged wit and insights to skewer the excesses of social media culture and New York City's elite. — Robin Micheli Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 20 of 214 The Midcoast by Adam White Hogarth Looking for an addictive summer read? This crime drama embedded in a moving portrait of two Maine families marks the debut of a genius storyteller. Andrew and Ed Thatch meet as teenagers working at the Thatch family lobster pound. When Andrew returns to Damariscotta as an adult, Ed and his wife are the local "It" couple; as the novel opens, they are throwing a lavish reception for their daughter's college lacrosse team. Then the police cruisers arrive. — Marion Winik Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 21 of 214 Tracy Flick Can't Win by Tom Perrotta Scribner The aspiring school president of Perrotta's 1998 Election is back as a single mom and high school VP contending with hot-button issues like toxic masculinity, tech-bro culture and #metoo. Engrossing and mordantly funny. — Claire Martin Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 22 of 214 Nora Goes Off Script by Annabel Monaghan G.P. Putnam's Sons After shooting scenes at the home of a film's newly divorced writer, its heartthrob star stays on to get a taste of normal life. A witty and poignant roller coaster that springs a delightful surprise. — Robin Micheli Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 23 of 214 The Wild One by Colleen McKeegan Harper If you like your s'mores with a side of suspense, The Wild One serves up plenty of sticky situations (of both varieties) to devour. The book follows Amanda at an idyllic summer camp where something goes horribly wrong one night — and then again a decade later, as she grapples with the consequences as her secrets start to unravel around her. When she returns to the pine-shaded scene of the crime, it becomes apparent that sometimes, the horrors teenage girls can inflict on each other are scarier than anything else. — Alex Apatoff Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 24 of 214 The Latecomer by Jean Hanff Korelitz amazon The Oppenheimer triplets feel none of the affection toward one another that is expected of them. As they grow up in Brooklyn in the 1980s, their mother tries (and fails) to get them to connect, while their father spends his days distracted by a growing art collection and buried shame from his past. College offers up freedom and independence for the trio but also a chance for old secrets and resentments to converge. Korelitz (The Plot) enthralls once again with this delicious family saga. — Emma Dries Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 25 of 214 The Foundling by Ann Leary amazon The 1920s setting is dark: an institution where "feebleminded women of childbearing age" are "protected" from the world. But an irresistible teenage narrator and the jaw-dropping caper she pulls off make this novel a kick. — Marion Winik Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 26 of 214 On Gin Lane by Brooke Lea Foster amazon Pressured to become a society wife by her wealthy parents in 1957, Everly yearns for a career in photography — and slowly grows bolder. Her journey captures the excitement and trepidation of women forging a new era. — Robin Micheli Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 27 of 214 Bloomsbury Girls by Natalie Jenner In 1950 London, Bloomsbury Books runs on tradition and the 51 rules of its longtime manager Herbert Dutton. While the hidebound shop has three female employees — Vivien, an aspiring writer who lost her fiancé in the war; the unhappily married Grace; and Cambridge graduate Evie Stone — the men have all the authority. But things change when Dutton takes a medical leave, and the women decide to take matters into their own hands and modernize. Just delightful. — Lisa Greissinger Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 28 of 214 The Mind and the Moon by Daniel Bergner After decades of seeing his brother nearly buckle under psychiatric diagnoses and medications, Bergner wondered: Did any of it really help? His heartfelt book threads the stories of three fascinating patients and raises urgent questions about how we view and treat mental illness. — Marion Winik Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 29 of 214 Lucky Turtle by Bill Roorbach Shipped off to a Montana reform camp after her role in an armed robbery, a Massachusetts teen falls for an older camp worker, the stoic but sensitive Turtle of the title. They escape into the wilderness — where the often cruel beauty of the natural and man-made worlds collide. An unforgettable love story. — Andy Abrahams Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 30 of 214 This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub Alice Stern has never strayed far from her New York City roots. She works at the high school she attended and constantly texts her childhood bestie. After passing out drunk on her 40th birthday, she wakes up in her 16-year-old body (think 13 Going on 30, in reverse): Suddenly she can have a do-over with the crush she never forgot and spend more time with her ailing dad. A rollicking trip to 1990s Manhattan combined with a tender — and rare — ode to parental love. — Claire Martin Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 31 of 214 Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance by Alison Espach Fourteen-year-old Sally Holt is a lonely smartypants who has a crush on her big sister's boyfriend — so the morning the couple take a detour to drop her off at middle school is extra special. Until it turns out to be the end of Sally's world. Based on the author's life, this tale of unimaginable loss is riveting and real. — Marion Winik Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 32 of 214 Trailed by Kathryn Miles Who murdered Lollie Winans and Julie Williams as they were hiking in Virginia's Shenandoah National Park in 1996? While interviewing hundreds of experts about the gruesome deaths, Miles grew doubtful that the FBI's prime suspect was the killer, coming to her own persuasive, chilling conclusion. A gripping look inside a tragic unsolved case. — Richard Eisenberg Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 33 of 214 Vigil Harbor by Julia Glass Pantheon Life is turbulent in the fictional Massachusetts hamlet of Vigil Harbor during the post-pandemic era, which Glass (Three Junes) imagines as a decade from now. There's a surge in divorces among the yachtclub set, the climate crisis has ravaged the seashore, and the tentacles of global terrorism have infiltrated even this secluded spot. Then two strange visitors arrive in town, adding to the chaos and dredging up secrets from the past. An engrossing, richly drawn and exquisitely told story of small-town residents grappling with the difficulties of changing times. — Claire Martin Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 34 of 214 Where the Children Take Us by Zain Asher Amistad The extraordinary story of how CNN anchor Asher's mom, a Nigerian widow who had survived genocide and famine, made certain that poverty and racism wouldn't stop her kids. By plastering the walls with Black success stories, starting a family book club and insisting on studying, she made her dreams for them become reality. Awe-inspiring. — Caroline Leavitt Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 35 of 214 One Day I Shall Astonish the World by Nina Stibbe Little, Brown and Company A master wielder of dry British humor, Stibbe (Love, Nina) here chronicles 30 years in the lives of frenemies Susan and Norma — a tangle of sweetness, snubs and secrets from their university days to middle age. There's an LOL moment on almost every page, which makes the pandemic ending astonishingly moving. — Marion Winik Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 36 of 214 The Good Left Undone by Adriana Trigiani Dutton Crowd-pleaser Trigiani is back with another immersive saga, this time focused on the Cabrelli family, expert gem cutters in a Tuscan town for centuries. As matriarch Matelda recollects the life of her mother, a strong-willed young nurse who was banished from town in the 1940s after crossing the local priest, she reveals secrets and creates a new bond with granddaughter Anina. A celebration of family and a paean to the power of storytelling. — Robin Micheli Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 37 of 214 Marrying the Ketchups by Jennifer Close Knopf Everything's falling apart: Jane Sullivan's marriage, her sister's band, their cousin's relationship. All are drawn back to the Chicago eatery their grandfather founded. Weaving her story around the restaurant, the Cubs' fortunes and the mood after the 2016 election, Close serves up a treat. — Robin Micheli Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 38 of 214 I'll Show Myself Out by Jessi Klein Harper The outrages of motherhood can be timeless or of the moment — and comic fireball Klein offers comfort for both. Post-pregnancy body and homemade Halloween costumes? Toddler superfoods and COVID school closures? Her humor and insights are spot-on. — Marion Winik Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 39 of 214 Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel Knopf Gaspery-Jacques Roberts is leading a boring life, albeit in a futuristic moon colony, until he lands a job investigating "the possibility that all of reality is a simulation." He becomes a time traveler, encountering ordinary people at extraordinary moments in their lives, centuries away from his own. Or maybe closer than he thinks. Fusing sci-fi and great storytelling, this imaginative novel from the author of Station Eleven explores how technology might control our fate if we abandon compassion. — Anne Leslie Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 40 of 214 Playing With Myself by Randy Rainbow St. Martin's Press Comedian Rainbow (yes, his real name) is as clever and camp as you might expect from his deliciously entertaining YouTube videos. His story is also deeply touching, as it chronicles his struggles with a bullying father, an eating disorder and sometimes crippling social anxiety. — Judith Newman Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 41 of 214 The Patron Saint of Second Chances by Christine Simon Atria Books In order to raise crucial funds for his tiny Italian town, the self-appointed mayor starts a rumor that a star will be filming there — and the lies multiply. A charming farce that highlights the triumph of hope and community in an often unforgiving world. — Robin Micheli Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 42 of 214 Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus Doubleday At the dawn of the 1960s, Elizabeth Zott finds herself the star of Supper at Six, a cooking show that's taken America by storm. But her heart is not in the kitchen — she's a brilliant chemist fired from her lab because she's pregnant and single. Between the outrageous sexism and the bitter misfortune that thwart our heroine at every turn, this may not sound like a comic novel, but it is. Full of charm, energy and hope — and featuring a really great dog — it's one to savor. — Marion Winik Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 43 of 214 The Wise Women by Gina Sorell Harper Advice columnist Wendy Wise's daughters are in crisis — one swindled by a husband, the other stretched thin from helping everyone but herself. Wendy's own life is a mess too. Can she right the family ship? Witty and wise. — Claire Martin Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 44 of 214 Tasha by Brian Morton Simon & Schuster Bereft and rueful after his mom's death, Morton sat down to write a book. His affecting, funny tribute captures the complexities of the mother-son bond, the crazy-making choices of caretaking and the mixed blessings of small-town life. — Marion Winik Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 45 of 214 Left on Tenth by Delia Ephron Little, Brown and Company Playwright and screenwriter Ephron's memoir covers some grim territory: losing a spouse; mourning a cherished sibling (writing partner Nora, who died in 2012); and confronting one's own mortality (in 2017 Ephron was diagnosed with the same cancer that killed her sister). But this endearing read is anything but depressing, thanks to vibrant, witty storytelling, a second chance at love and the hovering hope of a happy ending right out of a movie, like the Ephrons' You've Got Mail. — Mary Pols Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 46 of 214 Memphis by Tara M. Stringfellow The Dial Press Fleeing domestic violence, a mother and her two daughters move into the ancestral home grandmother Hazel always meant as a refuge. There they navigate real and imaginary boundaries to create a safe space. Spanning 70 years, Memphis lovingly renders all the ways a community can love you back to life. — Deborah Douglas Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 47 of 214 The Candy House by Jennifer Egan Scribner; First Edition When tech mogul Bix Bouton develops "Own Your Unconscious," which allows users to share memories to a collective cloud, the societal implications are profound. Egan brilliantly explores the interconnected lives of those who embrace the technology and those who reject it entirely. Mesmerizing. — Emma Dries Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 48 of 214 What Happened to the Bennetts by Lisa Scottoline G.P. Putnam's Sons The four Bennetts are driving home from a field hockey game when they are forced off the road by carjackers. Things quickly turn tragic, then mystifying, as the family is rushed from the hospital into the witness protection program. Fortunately, unassuming court-reporter dad Jason turns out to be both an investigative genius and an action hero. Scottoline just keeps ratcheting up the pressure in what may be her most emotionally intense nail-biter to date. — Marion Winik Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 49 of 214 Young Mungo by Douglas Stuart Grove Press When a romance develops between two teenage boys (one Protestant, one Catholic) in a Glasgow housing project, the danger of discovery is all too real. Like Shuggie Bain, the author's acclaimed debut, this is a raw, tender and generous story of love and survival in tough circumstances. — Helen Rogan Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 50 of 214 Let's Not Do That Again by Grant Ginder Henry Holt and Co. What's worse than a daughter running off to Paris, going gaga over a handsome fascist and ending up in the news breaking windows during a riot? If it all happens amid her mom's run for New York senator! Ginder is a genius at finding the hilarity — and the heart — in crazy-making family drama. — Marion Winik Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 51 of 214 Tell Me Everything by Erika Krouse Flatiron Books In this riveting true-crime memoir, former PI Krouse reveals how her own childhood abuse led to her role as an investigator in a landmark Title IX sexual-assault case targeting the University of Colorado's win-at-any- cost football program, where recruits often went unpunished for sexual crimes and blame fell on victims. Krouse's fight for justice (there was a $2.85 million settlement from the university in 2007) shows how we can truly enact change — in society and in ourselves. — Caroline Leavitt Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 52 of 214 The Next Thing You Know by Jessica Strawser St. Martin's Press As an end-of-life doula, Nova Huston helps the terminally ill face death. But can she convince 36-year-old musician Mason Shaylor, who wants to die after a career-ending botched surgery, that his life still holds purpose and passion? Grab the tissues. — Lisa Greissinger Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 53 of 214 Her Last Affair by John Searles Mariner Books In this circuitous mystery, the lives of a widow with a shadowy past, her charming male tenant, a woman desperate to escape her loveless marriage and a travel writer with anger issues intersect and explode into more than one shocking ending. Delightfully creepy. — Andy Abrahams Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 54 of 214 Truly, Madly by Stephen Galloway Grand Central Publishing The stuff of Hollywood legend, Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier's passionate romance and 20-year marriage were shadowed by the Gone With the Wind star's battle with bipolar disorder. Afraid she would be pronounced mad and institutionalized, both she and Olivier resisted seeking treatment; she was finally given then-crude electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), since mood stabilizers like lithium were not yet available. A haunting, irresistible read. — Marissa Charles Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 55 of 214 Run, Rose, Run by Dolly Parton and James Patterson Little, Brown and Company When singer AnnieLee Keyes arrives in Nashville, she catches the attention of a country legend — even as she's hunted by a threat from her past. A rollicking thriller by two of our greatest storytellers. — Sam Gillette Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 56 of 214 Booth by Karen Joy Fowler G.P. Putnam's Sons An ambitious novel of Lincoln assassin John Wilkes Booth and his family: adoring mom, alcoholic dad and siblings, including a more talented actor brother. Slow-burning and rich, it illuminates America's core contradictions. — Mary Pols Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 57 of 214 The Club by Ellery Lloyd Harper Island Home is the latest addition to an exclusive chain of resorts helmed by the tyrannical genius Ned Groom, his weak brother Adam and their female lackeys. Its launch weekend is an invitation many would kill for, and it seems some have, as the book opens with news reports of mayhem. Written by a husband-and-wife team under a pseudonym, The Club is a smart, stylish and savage thriller that goes straight for the jugular. — Marion Winik Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 58 of 214 Chorus by Rebecca Kauffman Counterpoint Spare and elegiac, this novel-in-stories about seven siblings, set mostly in mid-century Virginia, slowly unravels the secrets around their mother's early death. Kauffman's insight into her characters' hearts reveals the process by which even the deepest hurts are outlived. — Marion Winik Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 59 of 214 And a Dog Called Fig by Helen Humphreys Farrar, Straus and Giroux A lovable whirlwind with very sharp teeth, Fig shatters Humphreys's tranquility but prompts this wise meditation on why dogs make ideal companions for writers. "Isn't it wonderful," she writes, "to relearn what is good in life... under the guise of teaching the puppy?" — Anne Leslie Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 60 of 214 The Love of My Life by Rosie Walsh Pamela Dorman Books Emma Bigelow is a renowned British marine biologist with a doting husband, a toddler — and some very dark secrets. When she gets cancer, her journalist husband is tasked with composing her obituary, and as he unearths her past, their idyllic life begins to implode. Is he really their daughter's father? What's happening on her frequent work trips? Combining the gripping pace of a psychological thriller with the tenderness and sorrow of a love story gone wrong, this one's a winner. — Claire Martin Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 61 of 214 The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley William Morrow A strange voice mail leads Jess to believe her half brother Ben has gone missing — and she suspects the less-than-friendly neighbors in his building are involved. Can she solve the mystery? Another clever, cliff-hanger-filled thriller from the author of The Guest List. — Sierra Hoeger Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 62 of 214 The Beauty of Dusk by Frank Bruni Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster In this eloquent meditation on aging and resilience, journalist Bruni recounts his journey to acceptance after a stroke robbed him of much of his vision in the right eye. Instead of despairing, he sets out to learn how others navigate sight-impaired worlds — and rediscovers the gifts in his own life. — Andy Abrahams Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 63 of 214 Funny Farm by Laurie Zaleski St. Martin's Press Fleeing a brutal husband, the author's mother moved with her kids to a squatters' shack, where she began taking in other hapless creatures: abandoned animals. Zaleski vowed to buy a farm one day so her mom could rescue on a grander scale — and Funny Farm was born. The N.J. property now houses 600 ducks, goats, pigs, dogs and horses and draws 100,000 visitors a year. An ebullient memoir and a reminder that the bigger your heart, the greater the rewards. — Caroline Leavitt Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 64 of 214 Our American Friend by Anna Pitoniak Simon & Schuster When First Lady Lara Caine asks former White House correspondent Sofie Morse to write her biography, Morse is intrigued. But could what she learns about the Russian-born Caine's complicated life bring down the Presidency? A gripping tale of the Cold War and its legacy. — Lisa Greissinger Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 65 of 214 Life Without Children by Roddy Doyle Viking A grieving COVID nurse is "afraid to close her eyes" after her shift.A devoted couple are torn apart by the virus. A father searches for his missing son during lockdown. These compassionate stories explore modern-day loneliness, revealing how much we all need to hear and say, "I love you." — Anne Leslie Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 66 of 214 Wildcat by Amelia Morris Flatiron Books Leanne Hazelton is finally hitting her stride: A new mother living in her new house in Los Angeles, she's about to publish her first book after years of working in retail. But when her best friend, Regina — who'd always been the richer, more successful, better connected of the two — is unsupportive, even spiteful, the knives come out. A witty, wise examination of friendship, class and family, and a hilarious, pitch-perfect send-up of L.A'.s bougie-bohemian class. — Claire Martin Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 67 of 214 Black American Refugee by Tiffanie Drayton Viking Journalist Drayton makes a powerful argument: For African Americans, escaping the U.S. and its racial inequities can be an act of self-preservation. In this strong, emotional debut, she explores what led her to leave a New Jersey town for the Caribbean — and stay there. — Lynn Brown Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 68 of 214 The Boy With a Bird in His Chest by Emme Lund Atria Books A small, wise bird named Gail lives inside Owen, dispensing advice — and serving as a metaphor for his queerness. Fearing he'll be turned into a circus sideshow, his mother hides him away until he's a young teen, when he begins to explore his identity. A sublime and surprising coming-of-age novel. —Claire Martin Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 69 of 214 The Family Chao by Lan Samantha Chang W. W. Norton & Company Leo, the tyrannical and philandering patriarch of a Chinese American family in Wisconsin, has wreaked havoc in the lives of his three grown sons; his wife, Winnie, has fled to a local Buddhist sanctuary. When Dad is found dead in the freezer at the family's restaurant after a lavish Christmas party, oldest son Dagou, the eatery's chef, gets put on trial for murder. A hilarious mystery that's also a searing take on assimilation and the American dream. — Richard Eisenberg Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 70 of 214 In the Shadow of the Mountain by Silvia Vasquez- Lavado Henry Holt and Co. The author rose above sexual abuse, alcoholism, homophobia and the velvet handcuffs of corporate success when she climbed Mt. Everest, taking other survivors of trauma with her to the top of the world. You'll finish her incredible story in tears. — Marion Winik Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 71 of 214 Recitatif by Toni Morrison Knopf When Twyla and Roberta grow close in a children's shelter, it doesn't seem to matter that one is Black and the other white. But when they cross paths as adults, race rises to the surface. Written in 1980 and newly republished, Morrison's only short story —which doesn't specify which character is which race — keeps you guessing with every line. — Emma Dries Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 72 of 214 Free Love by Tessa Hadley Harper Collins In the London suburbs in 1967, Phyllis Fischer puts on lipstick and a party dress and prepares to entertain the son of her husband's old friends. He'll likely be dull, but who cares? She's still the ideal hostess, pleased with her pork terrine and her charming house. The speed at which Phyllis's perfect life unravels is the first of many welcome jolts delivered by this brilliantly observed novel. Is she a train wreck or having an awesome midlife crisis? Maybe both. — Mary Pols Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 73 of 214 Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson Ballantine Books When their Caribbean-born mom dies, estranged siblings learn she's left a piece of her famous cake for them to share. But first they must confront secrets going back to a 1965 wedding where the groom died and the bride disappeared into the sea. A delicious debut. — Marion Winik Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 74 of 214 Violeta by Isabel Allende Ballantine Books Born to a wealthy Chilean family, Violeta suffers great loss as economic collapse and a military dictatorship unravel her country. Somehow, despite abuse and the deaths of loved ones, she maintains her fierce spirit. Allende's latest is an immersive saga about a passion-filled life. — Sam Gillette Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 75 of 214 Vladimir by Julia May Jonas A brilliant middle-aged professor finds the lens turned on her open marriage when her husband, the chair of the English department at their liberal arts college in upstate New York, comes under investigation for past affairs with former students. At the same time, her own obsession with Vladimir, a handsome younger novelist newly arrived on campus, sends her on a tantalizing but dangerous path. This is a timely, whip-smart and darkly funny debut. — Sam Gillette Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 76 of 214 Easy Street by Maggie Rowe Counterpoint When Maggie Rowe's husband, formerly a writer on Golden Girls, meets a mother-daughter panhandling team who are also his biggest fans, he and Maggie learn how much trouble you can get into just trying to do the right thing. Especially if, like Maggie, you have mental health issues of your own. Poignant and often hilarious. — Marion Winik Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 77 of 214 One Step Too Far by Lisa Gardner Dutton A sinister mystery unfolds deep in the Wyoming wilderness as Frankie Elkin — a woman dedicated to helping solve cold case — joins a final search for a long-lost hiker. You'll root for Frankie (and for a diligent cadaver dog named Daisy) on every page of this tense, crackling read. — Rennie Dyball Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 78 of 214 Real Easy by Marie Rutkoski Henry Holt and Co. This riveting crime novel about the disappearance of two women from the Lovely Lady strip club outside Chicago is also a deep dive into the lives of the cops, dancers, children and perps orbiting the case. Rutkoski draws on her personal experience as a dancer, creating a club scene so visceral you practically inhale the cigar smoke. An adrenaline ride filled with grit and compassion. — Ellen Shapiro Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 79 of 214 Mouth to Mouth by Antoine Wilson Avid Reader Press/Simon & Schuster While delayed at JFK, the narrator runs into a college acquaintance, Jeff Cook. Prosperous and polished, Jeff invites him to the first-class lounge for drinks and an intriguing tale of rescuing a drowning man and the moral dilemmas that followed. This slim but enveloping novel flies by. — Mary Pols Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 80 of 214 Small World by Jonathan Evison Dutton Irish immigrants landing in New York, gold prospectors in the West, Native Americans, escaped slaves and railroad speculators carving up the country — they and their descendants come vividly to life in this epic that seems particularly American in its wide ambition and generosity of spirit. — Helen Rogan Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 81 of 214 Joan Is Okay by Weike Wang Random House It's the winter before the pandemic, and Joan, a young Chinese American ICU doctor in Manhattan, has a relentless schedule, a barren apartment and a robot vacuum as her closest companion — all by choice. But when her father in China suddenly dies, her employer insists she take bereavement leave, upending her staid life and forcing her to confront the chasms and cultural dissonance within her immigrant family. Joan is an irresistibly quirky — and strong — character helming a wry, wise and simply spectacular book. — Claire Martin Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 82 of 214 To Paradise by Hanya Yanagihara Doubleday Eagerly awaited by fans of A Little Life, Yanagihara's latest is magisterial: three immersive tales, set in the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries. Connecting them is an N.Y.C. brownstone that begins as a wealthy family's home and winds up as a tragic landmark in a future wracked by pandemics and storms. — Marion Winik Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 83 of 214 Honor by Thrity Umrigar Algonquin Books Ready for some drama? This intense story of an Indian-born journalist going home to Mumbai to report on an honor killing — a newlywed whose Hindu brothers killed her Muslim husband and burned her beyond recognition — will infuriate and enlighten you, and melt your heart. — Marion Winik Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 84 of 214 The Last House on the Street by Diane Chamberlain St. Martin's Press Architect Kayla Carter isn't thrilled to be moving in to the North Carolina home she designed with her husband: He died in an accident during its construction, and a mysterious woman has warned they shouldn't have built on the property. Then, as Kayla settles in with her daughter, she learns that violence once filled the nearby woods — and the plot thickens. Alternating between the modern-day South and the civil rights battles of the 1960s, Chamberlain's latest is a twisty, riveting ride. — Lisa Greissinger Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 85 of 214 The Maid by Nita Prose Ballantine Books She may have trouble reading social cues, but Molly Gray knows her station in life — cleaning the rooms at the Regency Grand Hotel to a "state of perfection." But when she finds a VIP dead in his suite, Molly's eccentricities land her in the cops' crosshairs. A delightful whodunit. — Ellen Shapiro Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 86 of 214 Olga Dies Dreaming by Xóchitl González Flatiron Books Former celeb event planner González opens her debut with a hilarious takedown of "rich person" wedding napkins — and dives into a sprawling dramedy of love, politics, blackmail and real estate featuring a Puerto Rican family in Brooklyn. Lots of fun. — Marion Winik Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 87 of 214 The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan Strung out from sleep deprivation and the strains of single-motherhood, Frida Liu runs out for a two-hour errand and leaves her toddler bouncing in an ExerSaucer — alone. This very bad choice thrusts her into a child-services system that's both comically cruel and painfully realistic. Frida is sentenced to an absurd yearlong live-in treatment program with 200 other "wayward" moms forced to practice mothering skills on AI dolls. A surreal, dazzlingly witty tale. — Claire Martin Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 88 of 214 Fiona and Jane by Jean Chen Ho Ho's strong debut follows two Taiwanese American besties from grade school through their 30s, flipping through decades to highlight key relationships, crises, nights of drinking and sex. Other people, the world and the girls themselves change, but the friendship between beautiful Fiona and sturdy Jane endures. — Marion Winik Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 89 of 214 When You Are Mine by Michael Robotham After London police officer Philomena McCarthy rescues a woman from her brutal cop boyfriend, toxic relationships and police payback rev up — and gutsy, very fallible Phil tries to sort the good guys from the bad. A heart-clutching psychological thriller. — Ellen Shapiro Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 90 of 214 Garbo by Robert Gottlieb Farrar, Straus and Giroux Greta Garbo could portray queen, courtesan, spy, Anna Karenina or Camille. But perhaps her greatest role was her own enigmatic self, as revealed in this sparklingly witty bio. Rescued from poverty and brought to Hollywood at 29, the Stockholm native became a sensation, shocking lovers, friends and fans when she retired into isolation in her 30s. Why did she do it? Gottlieb sheds light but can't solve the mystery — which only intensifies her appeal. A must-read. — Caroline Leavitt Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 91 of 214 My Dad's Funnier Than Your Dad by Kelly Conway Lyons Press Comedian Tim Conway's daughter had an idyllic childhood, but when his health began to fail, she and his second wife, Charlene, battled over his care (Charlene won, and Kelly only learned of his 2019 death from a friend). An alternately warm and wrenching story of a daughter's devotion. — Andy Abrahams Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 92 of 214 Tell Me How to Be by Neel Patel Flatiron Books After her husband dies, Renu can finally escape their small midwestern town and return to her beloved London. But when her sons Bijan and Akosh come to help her move, secrets and resentments build to the breaking point. A moving saga of identity and reconciliation. — Robin Micheli Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 93 of 214 Bright Burning Things by Lisa Harding Sonya is a former actress, a young mother and a severe alcoholic. Set in Ireland, this searing tale of her struggles — to look after 4-year-old Tommy while drunk, to attain sobriety, to regain custody of her son after he's taken from her — is a gripping journey into the unquiet mind of an addict. Harding's ability to create tension and terror while illuminating beauty and fierce love makes this an unforgettable portrait of human frailty and strength. — Robin Micheli Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 94 of 214 The Postmistress of Paris by Meg Waite Clayton Harper During WWII, heiress Nanée hides Jewish artists at herMarseille villa and helps smuggle them out of France. For the grieving photographer she's fallen in love with, she risks everything — and becomes a true heroine. — Marion Winik Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 95 of 214 Sea State by Tabitha Lasley Atria Wondering what men are like in the absence of women, Lasley immerses herself in the lives of workers on Scotland's offshore oil rigs — and finds herself falling for one. A sharp take on masculinity, class and the intoxicating danger of attraction. — Sam Gillette Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 96 of 214 Vivian Maier Developed by Ann Marks Atria Discovered after her death, Maier's city-street photos made her posthumously famous. But who was she? An astonishing portrait of a troubled woman from an abusive family who worked as a nanny for 40 years — and left the world a treasure trove. — Caroline Leavitt Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 97 of 214 Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan Grove Press In small-town Ireland in 1985, merchant Bill Furlong sells coal and timber. Born to a 16-year-old domestic, he counts himself lucky, even as his personal accounts show only a surplus of pennies, daughters and sometimes melancholy over not knowing his father. But then this quiet man has a revelation about a dark secret happening at the town's convent and must decide whether or not to be a hero. A sparse, breathtakingly perfect gem of a novel. — Mary Pols Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 98 of 214 Sex Cult Nun by Faith Jones William Morrow The author grew up in the Family, a Christian cult led by her grandfather and governed by a "Law of Love" permitting sex between adults and children, among other shocking practices. Her gripping memoir — like Educated — takes you inside a disturbing childhood and leaves you marveling at the resilience of the human spirit. — Marion Winik Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 99 of 214 Trust by Domenico Starnone Europa Editions "Love, well, what to say?" So Pietro, a teacher in Italy, begins the entrancing story of his plight. He and a girlfriend once traded their most shameful secrets as a bonding ritual — then broke up. As his life unfolds — marriage, kids, major success — he is tormented by the fear that his ex could destroy it all. — Marion Winik Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 100 of 214 These Precious Days by Ann Patchett The bestselling author of The Dutch House reflects on topics ranging from the wildly colorful characters she grew up with to her husband's addiction to flying planes and her own devotion to Snoopy. With insight, compassion and effortless humor, Patchett reveals in this collection not only the mind of a writer and the evolution of her career but the person she is as well: generous in spirit, animated by a positive outlook and someone who obviously relishes life. — Robin Micheli Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 101 of 214 A Net for Small Fishes by Lucy Jago A struggling widow in 17th-century London uses her talent as a seamstress to befriend the bride of a brutish, impotent earl. To liberate her, the pair devise a scheme involving potions and illegal magic that ends in tragedy. This true story of female defiance and loyalty is enthralling and moving. — Marion Winik Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 102 of 214 A Little Hope by Ethan Joella This soft-spoken debut is a surprising page-turner, as your hopes for the cast of beleaguered small-town characters build and burn bright. Its calm wisdom about bearing the toughest losses — sometimes lightened by unexpected gifts — makes this novel a comforting companion for difficult times. — Marion Winik Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 103 of 214 Five Tuesdays in Winter by Lily King courtesy amazon An adolescent babysitter with a crush. A divorced middle-aged bookseller — also with a secret desire. A suffering widow and her daughter on a North Sea vacation. A teenager whose wealthy parents jet off to France, leaving him with a pair of frat boys. In her debut story collection, master novelist King (Euphoria, Writers & Lovers) plumbs familiar themes of love, longing and loss in 10 deliciously unpredictable tales — to stunning effect. — Claire Martin Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 104 of 214 Doctors and Friends by Kimmery Martin courtesy amazon Med-school buddies Hannah, Kira and Compton are on their annual getaway — this year, Spain — just as a deadly new virus emerges. Written before COVID-19, a prescient, human and hopeful portrait of medical experts on a pandemic's frontlines. — Lisa Greissinger Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 105 of 214 Tenderness by Alison MacLeod courtesy amazon Jackie Kennedy fan alert! The iconic First Lady, Lady Chatterley's Lover author D.H. Lawrence (whom Jackie admired) and Herbert Hoover all feature in interweaving stories of American and British obscenity trials. A historical novel depicting the clash of prudery and passion. — Marion Winik Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 106 of 214 The Lyrics by Paul McCartney Liveright There's an indelible link between music and memory — just ask Sir Paul. The rock icon is examining his life through the lens of 154 songs, from his early efforts as a Liverpool teen to his latest written just last year. Not a memoir in the usual sense, the series of touching vignettes is both a candid self-portrait and a glimpse into his fertile imagination. Illustrated with unseen photos and memorabilia from his private archives, this 900-page tome will dazzle hardcore Beatlemaniacs and casual fans alike. — Jordan Runtagh Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 107 of 214 Our Country Friends by Gary Shteyngart Random House Love and lust, fury and regret, jealousy — it's all in play at the country retreat where a Russian writer has gathered friends and associates to wait out the COVID lockdown. The action is laced with a tender understanding of human foibles — making a good read a great one. — Helen Rogan Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 108 of 214 The Collective by Alison Gaylin William Morrow Grief-stricken by her daughter's murder and haunted by the frat boy who got away with it, Camille finds solace on the dark Web with moms who fantasize torturous payback for their children's killers. When the scenarios start coming true, this electrifying thriller dares us to walk a thin line between justice and bloodlust. — Ellen Shapiro Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 109 of 214 Carry the Dog by Stephanie Gangi Algonquin Books At 59, Bea Seger is feeling invisible and unmoored. Her rock star ex gives her financial support and occasional romance but no songwriting credit. Her photographer mother has been dead for years, but suddenly there is fresh interest in Miriam Marx from Hollywood and MOMA. That prompts Bea — at long last — to confront the legacy of her mother's infamous Marx Nudes, which (à la Sally Mann) featured Bea and her brothers naked. A witty, startlingly astute dispatch from the societal graveyard of middle-aged women. — Mary Pols Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 110 of 214 100 Things We've Lost to the Internet by Pamela Paul Crown It wasn't that long ago, but life before the Internet can seem like a distant era. Paul catalogs what has fallen away in our digital age, from the good (lost tickets, bad photos) to the troubling (parents' undivided attention, private humiliation). A deft blend of nostalgia, humor and devastating insights. — Robin Micheli Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 111 of 214 The First Shots by Brendan Borrell Mariner Books Borrell's gripping, behind-the-scenes look at the race for a COVID vaccine reads like a thriller. But it's also a stunning look at politics, greed, ego — and scientific brilliance, from the arduous task of production, then testing, to decisions about who gets immunized first. Soon to be an HBO limited series. — Caroline Leavitt Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 112 of 214 The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles Viking Straight-arrow Emmett is released from reform school early because his father has died and his 8-year-old brother, a brainiac obsessed with heroes and adventurers, needs tending. Before the brothers set out on their own epic journey, two pals on the run —rascally Duchess and dear, distracted Woolly — turn up. Emmett figures he'll drop them at the bus station, but once they all pile into the Studebaker, all bets are off in this delicious slice of 1950s Americana. — Marion Winik Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 113 of 214 The Brides of Maracoor by Gregory Maguire William Morrow A decade after she flew Out of Oz in Maguire's Wicked series, Elphaba's granddaughter crash-lands on an island inhabited by seven sacrificial virgins. The arrival of the green-skinned teen (and her talking goose) upends their enclave. An exquisitely crafted introduction to a new fantasy trilogy. — Sue Corbett Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 114 of 214 Hooked by Sutton Foster Grand Central Publishing Foster could belt it out onstage, but for years the Tony winner and star of TV's Younger struggled to project her inner voice. With humor and candor, Foster chronicles her life's challenges — including infertility and painful family ties — and how the soothing outlet of crafting helped her surmount them all. — Robin Micheli Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 115 of 214 The Memoirs of Stockholm Sven by Nathaniel Ian Miller amazon In this transporting and wholly original novel, misfit Swede Sven Ormson moves to a northern archipelago in 1916 at age 32, planning a life of romantic solitude. Instead, as he stumbles through various professions (miner, cook, trapper) and nearly dies many times in the beautiful and forbidding polar landscape, he cautiously acquires friends, human and canine, who become true family. Inspired by a real man, this modern-day Call of the Wild is funny, moving and ceaselessly compelling. — Mary Pols Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 116 of 214 Crossroads by Jonathan Franzen Farrar, Straus and Giroux Love him or hate him, a new book by the author who famously feuded with Oprah is an event. Here Franzen's focus is a midwestern pastor's family in the 1970s, complete with guitars, encounter groups and marital upheaval. Russ Hildebrandt is so busy crushing on a pretty parishioner and resenting his popular youth pastor that he's blinded to the struggles of his wife and kids, which involve drugs, sex, Vietnam and many failures to communicate. Our verdict? Immersive and satisfying. — Marion Winik Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 117 of 214 The White Ship by Charles Spencer amazon Historian Spencer unfurls a 12th-century tale he calls "Game of Thrones meets Titanic" with gripping cinematic scope. Fearsome King Henry I allowed his teen heir to party aboard the titular medieval party boat, setting into motion a maritime disaster that changed the course of history. — Michelle Tauber Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 118 of 214 Act Like You Got Some Sense by Jamie Foxx amazon This wise, joyful and hilarious book is partly the actor's appreciative letter to the tough, fiercely loving grandmother who raised him and partly a portrait of himself as a devoted, old-fashioned dad to his two daughters, Corinne and Anelise. You'll come away liking him. — Benilde Little Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 119 of 214 Oh William! by Elizabeth Strout Random House Writer Lucy Barton, making her third appearance in a Strout novel, is recovering from the loss of her beloved second husband when her first husband, William, reaches out. He needs Lucy's help, especially in navigating a revelation about his roots in Maine. And because he was the first person she ever felt safe with, she helps. This luminous novel builds to a deeply moving conclusion as the exes grapple with what and who they are and have been to each other. — Mary Pols Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 120 of 214 My Monticello by Jocelyn Nicole Johnson Henry Holt and Co. Paired with quietly devastating short stories, the novella at the center of this collection is a complex imagining of Charlottesville engulfed by a rampaging white militia — while Black descendants of Thomas Jefferson find refuge in his historic plantation home. An impressive debut. — Benilde Little Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 121 of 214 What Storm, What Thunder by Myriam J.A. Chancy Tin House Books The Haitian earthquake of 2010 could be an unbearably grim subject for a novelist, but Chancy brings raw empathy and a gorgeous, intimate voice to the stories of 10 people who experienced that terrible day. A reminder of the extraordinary resilience, then as now, of the Haitian people. — Helen Rogan Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 122 of 214 We Are Not Like Them by Christine Pride and Jo Piazza Atria Books Riley, a Black news anchor, is tasked with covering the police shooting of an unarmed Black boy — and one of the officers involved is the husband of her best friend Jen, who is white. As their city reels, the women reevaluate their lives and their bond. A powerful, timely tale. — Sam Gillette Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 123 of 214 Three Sisters by Heather Morris St. Martin's Press Livia, Cibi and Magda promise their dying father they'll stick together — a vow later tested at Auschwitz, on a so-called death march and in the postwar era. A stunning novel based on the true story of sisters acquainted with the real-life subjects of Morris's 2018 bestseller The Tattooist of Auschwitz. — Claire Martin Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 124 of 214 The Speckled Beauty by Rick Bragg Who's a good boy? Certainly not Speck, a half-blind, filthy stray the Pulitzer Prize-winning author rescues. Bragg is depressed and lonely, fighting cancer and caring for his aging mom and sick brother. Speck, on the other hand, takes wild pleasure in life, dragging home dead deer, devouring the cat's food and refusing to be domesticated. He raises hell . . . but he also raises spirits, lighting up every time he spots Bragg. This is a witty, moving love letter to one extraordinary dog — and an ode to the transformative powers of his kind. — Caroline Leavitt Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 125 of 214 Snowflake by Louise Nealon Trinity College Dublin is the setting for this endearingly off-kilter coming-of-age story. Debbie is a culchie (Irish for "hick") from a family of misfits who's flummoxed by city life until she's befriended by the rich, beautiful Xanthe. Wistful, worried and wonderfully wry, Debbie will win your heart. — Marion Winik Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 126 of 214 Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr This ambitious narrative spans worlds and centuries, from Constantinople in 1453 to present-day Idaho to a future uninhabitable Earth. Doerr (All the Light We Cannot See) turns his tale of disparate children united by their love of an ancient Greek text into a magical (and hopeful) story of humanity. — Mary Pols Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 127 of 214 L.A. Weather by María Amparo Escandón Flatiron Books This spicy dramedy chronicles a year in the life of a Mexican Jewish family whose problems include a near-drowning, a drought and drama galore as the marriages of the parents and all three daughters go off the rails. Throw in a couple of footloose frozen embryos, and you get a telenovela-style roller coaster. Escandón sets her story in a very real 2016 City of Angels: Drastic weather, fires, immigration and delicious Mexican food all play a role. — Marion Winik Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 128 of 214 The Sleeping Beauties by Suzanne O'Sullivan Pantheon Resignation syndrome, sleeping sickness, grisi siknis: Psychosomatic illnesses — real ailments that defy traditional diagnostic tools — are the subject here, and O'Sullivan, a neurologist, examines the cultural factors that may account for them. Fascinating even if you're not a hypochondriac. — Judith Newman Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 129 of 214 Inseparable by Simone de Beauvoir Ecco Written in 1954 but deemed "too intimate" to publish at the time, this novel by the French author of The Second Sex is a fictional account of her passionate friendship with classmate Zaza Lacoin. It's a lovely, tragic coming-of-age story suffused with the feminist philosophy that made de Beauvoir's name. — Sam Gillette Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 130 of 214 Matrix by Lauren Groff Riverhead Books Banished to a miserable convent full of starving nuns by her half sister Eleanor of Aquitaine, ungainly Marie is enraged—and becomes a visionary giant among women. As Mother Superior ("Matrix"), she transforms the abbey into a place of peace, prosperity and shimmering faith—but can she protect it from the greed and jealousy of the outside world? You'll almost hear the bells calling the nuns to prayer as you're swept back to the 12th century by this beautiful, inspiring and profoundly feminist tale. —Marion Winik Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 131 of 214 Coming Undone by Terri White Canongate Books Horribly abused as a child, White grows up flirting with suicide. Though her adult life looks impressive—she's a journalist in Manhattan, then London—she's popping pills, getting blackout drunk and lands in a psych ward. Somehow she finds the strength to rise from the wreckage. Raw, unsettling and shining with hope. —Caroline Leavitt Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 132 of 214 Beautiful World Where Are You by Sally Rooney Farrar, Straus and Giroux The author of Normal People returns with a story of two young friends, one a lauded writer, the other equally smart but less successful. Long emails about everything from boyfriends to single-use plastic fly between them, leading up to a pivotal weekend on the Irish coast. Philosophical, sexy and perfectly Rooney. —Marion Winik Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 133 of 214 Today a Woman Went Mad in the Supermarket by Hilma Wolitzer Bloomsbury Publishing This moving collection spans the 91-year-old author's career, from the title story of unhinged domesticity to the heartbreaking finale that parallels Wolitzer's experience in the pandemic. Two constancies: the marriage of New Yorkers Howard and Paulette—from fevered courtship to present day, when their pregnant granddaughter declares, "No one call[s] a child Howard anymore"—and Wolitzer's voice, which is funny, insightful and incomparably descriptive. —Mary Pols Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 134 of 214 You Can Run by Karen Cleveland Ballantine Books Kidnappers will kill her son if the CIA's Jill Bailey doesn't rubber-stamp an unvetted Syrian source. A Pulitzer-chasing journalist joins the action in this turbo-charged thriller, and the pair grapple with motherhood, ambition and bad guys—before a final mind-blowing twist. —Ellen Shapiro Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 135 of 214 The Last Chance Library by Freya Sampson Berkley June gave up university to care for her dying mom; now the librarian assistant's world has shrunk to work, the home she inherited and Chinese takeout. When the library faces closure, June joins an eccentric group of patrons to save it. A winning tale of community. —Lisa Greissinger Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 136 of 214 Seeing Ghosts by Kat Chow Grand Central Publishing In 2004, when Chow was 13, her beloved mother died of cancer, unmooring the whole family and leading Chow to plumb the generational losses of her Chinese-immigrant ancestors. As Chow unearths their histories—their belief in ghosts and the tragic unspoken death of her baby brother—she sees how race, class and gender created a culture that kept her people from grieving. Chow's meditation on loss shows how memories that haunt can also sustain. —Caroline Leavitt Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 137 of 214 Tin Camp Road by Ellen Airgood Riverhead Books Faced with eviction and scrambling to make ends meet, Laurel Hill can barely keep herself and her precocious 10-year-old daughter afloat in the tiny Michigan town they call home. Laurel brims with fierce love for her daughter, but as their options narrow, will that be enough? Moving and brave. —Emma Dries Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 138 of 214 The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams William Morrow Aleisha, 17, works at the library, but doesn't read. Cataloguing books one day, she finds a reading list titled "Just in case you need it." So when the widower Mukesh asks for a recommendation, she suggests the first book on the list, and an unlikely friendship develops. —Lisa Greissinger Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 139 of 214 The People We Keep by Allison Larkin Gallery Books At 16, aspiring musician April Sawicki is living alone in a motor home, failing out of high school and watching the father who neglects her parent another man's child. She steals a car and her long-gone mother's diamond ring and ditches her upstate New York hometown for an anywhere-but-here life of seeking and songwriting. You'll root for this often lonely, ceaselessly interesting underdog and her family of friends every step of the way. —Mary Pols Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 140 of 214 The Almost Legendary Morris Sisters by Julie Klam Riverhead Books Captivated as a child by tales of her grandmother's four spinster cousins, Klam delves here into their improbable history: Arriving in the U.S. as kids, they were orphaned and ultimately became millionaires. An engaging account of family mythologizing and the search for truth. —Lisa Greissinger Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 141 of 214 Mrs. March by Virginia Feito Liveright Poor Mrs. March! Affluent but deeply insecure, she's convinced that her husband's new novel features a cruel depiction of her. Gradually the woman who once prided herself on keeping up appearances succumbs to paranoia and the suspicion that he is a killer. Classy and creepy, this debut is suspenseful, bloody fun. —Helen Rogan Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 142 of 214 Billy Summers by Stephen King amazon The good-hearted and literary-minded assassin Billy Summers knows that whenever a story features a bad guy doing one last job, trouble's ahead. But in this case the payout is huge, the target a creep. The gig involves waiting for months in a small town where Billy's set up with a false identity as a novelist, writing a book in the office from which he'll eventually make the hit. Unexpectedly, the ruse shows him his true calling. A noirish, unputdownable thriller that's also King's best book about his own craft since On Writing. — Marion Winik Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 143 of 214 We Are the Brennans by Tracey Lange amazon A drunken car crash forces Sunday Brennan to start facing the trauma that sent her flying from New York to L.A. five years earlier. Back at home, she finds that her family and the fiancé she abandoned still have questions—and issues of their own. Lange's engaging family drama is fueled by secrets and full of heart. — Sam Gillette Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 144 of 214 Ghosts by Dolly Alderton amazon With a career and her own London flat, Nina doesn't need a man, but she downloads a dating app and finds love. Then her lover ghosts her, dementia starts erasing her dad, and her world crumbles. A funny, touching take on modern relationships, the struggles of adulthood and embracing life as it unfolds. — Robin Micheli Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 145 of 214 The Turnout by Megan Abbott amazon After wowing readers with haunting thrillers set among cheerleaders and gymnasts, the master of dark female energy turns to the obsessive world of ballet. Since they were teens, orphaned sisters Dara and Marie have been running the studio founded by their mother; they operate as a tight trio with Dara's husband, Charlie. Then, just as they begin rehearsals for The Nutcracker one year, a destructive fire brings a coarse, burly contractor into their lives—and nothing will ever be the same. Pulsing with suspense. —Marion Winik Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 146 of 214 When We Were Young by Richard Roper amazon Once close mates, Theo and Joel had a falling-out as teens and haven't spoken in more than 10 years. To heal their rift, Joel proposes they fulfill a childhood vow: to walk the 184-mile Thames Path. Not surprisingly, they encounter some bumps along the way. A funny, tender British bromance. —Andy Abrahams Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 147 of 214 The 22 Murders of Madison May by Max Barry amazon Real estate agent Maddie is killed by a guy who says he's from another world. Journalist Felicity, covering the case, gets personally involved. But suddenly no one knows what Felicity's talking about, and her cat is gone. Sci-fi wizard Barry sets a serial killer loose in the multiverse with mind-bending results. —Marion Winik Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 148 of 214 Swan Dive by Georgina Pazcoguin amazon Don't expect just tulle and toe shoes. In this fascinating insider's take, New York City Ballet dancer Pazcoguin reveals her world's extreme physical demands and brutal backstage politics as well as the intense joy of performing. Passionate, foulmouthed and self-aware, she traces her life of dance from age 4 through her career as the company's first female Asian American soloist, including her battles for showpiece roles she says director Peter Martins reserved for white dancers. A striking debut. —Robin Micheli Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 149 of 214 The Bachelor by Andrew Palmer amazon Newly adrift in work and love, a writer returns to his hometown of Des Moines and grows obsessed with a reality TV franchise and a famous poet's archives. But as his romantic life gets complicated, uneasy parallels develop between the culture he's fascinated by and his own choices. Witty and wise. —Emma Dries Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 150 of 214 Golden Boy by John Glatt amazon A Princeton grad with movie-star looks and a chic social circle, Tommy Gilbert seemed to have it all. But as this piercing book reveals, he was also psychotic, violent and an addict who ultimately shot and killed his wealthy dad, tearing apart his family and leading to a notorious tabloid trial. Add this one to your beach bag. —Richard Eisenberg Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 151 of 214 Committed by Adam Stern amazon Erotomania, anorexia, narcissism, warring parents who can't control their own behaviors to save their suffering kids: Stern chronicles the buffet of human suffering he meets and treats during his first years of residency at Harvard Medical School. By turns funny and tragic, Committed pulls back the curtain on what it takes to become a psychiatrist—and how the practitioners, or the good ones, anyway, can put their own sanity on the line in the service of healing others. — Judith Newman Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 152 of 214 Wayward by Dana Spiotta amazon After the 2016 election, 53-year-old Samantha is going out of her white-privileged, menopausal, utterly outraged mind. Ditching her nice husband, suburban house and teen daughter for a wreck of an architectural gem in rundown Syracuse, she tries to reinvent herself. Spiotta mines this material with laser precision and wit. — Mary Pols Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 153 of 214 The Rehearsals by Annette Christie amazon College sweethearts Tom and Megan are about to get married—until secrets that come out at the rehearsal dinner nix the wedding. Or do they? The two end up reliving the dinner Groundhog Day-style, and things just might turn out differently. A sweet, delightful romance. — Lisa Greissinger Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 154 of 214 Bring Your Baggage and Don't Pack Light by Helen Ellis Doubleday You gotta love a middle-aged gal who enjoys the "good-ole-boy adonises" at a water park in Georgia, plays professional poker in her pearls and speculates with her chagrined husband about her friends' sex lives ("Those two have costumes"). Ellis (Southern Lady Code) is as original as she is hilarious, and in these laugh-out-loud essays she unleashes her no-holds-barred humor while sneaking in sharp and generous insights. — Robin Micheli Buy It: Amazon 155 of 214 The Forest of Vanishing Stars by Kristin Harmel Gallery Books Drawn from true stories of Polish Jews who survived World War II by hiding in the woods, Harmel's latest features a beautiful young woman who's lived all her life in the forest and becomes one group's protector and teacher. An emotion-packed adventure. — Marion Winik Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 156 of 214 Falling by T.J. Newman Avid Reader Press In this former flight attendant's terrifying debut, a terrorist gives seasoned pilot Bill Hoffman two choices: crash his packed plane or let his wife and children get killed back home in California. But are Hoffman's airline coworkers on board part of the vicious plot? Buckle up for a chilling summer read. — Richard Eisenberg Buy It: Amazon, 157 of 214 The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller Riverhead Books Ensconced in her family's rustic compound on Cape Cod for an annual summer trip, Elle Bishop is at a crossroads, forced to choose between the two great loves of her life. Should she run off with the longtime bestie she's secretly been in love with since they endured a ghastly childhood trauma together? Or stay with her cherished husband, a dashing Brit who's the father of her kids? A soulful debut that plumbs the depths of a midlife Sophie's Choice. — Claire Martin Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 158 of 214 Nowhere Girl by Cheryl Diamond Algonquin Books The daughter of a cruel father who was on the lam from Interpol, Diamond had hopscotched with her family across 12 countries by the time she was 9. Somehow she found her own way, becoming a super-successful young model despite that harrowing start. A riveting tale of trauma and resilience. — Richard Eisenberg Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 159 of 214 Dead by Dawn by Paul Doiron Minotaur Books Game warden Mike Bowditch plunges into a frozen river when his jeep is sabotaged — and that's just the first nail-biter in a nightlong fight for survival in the Maine wilderness. Doiron splices in the investigation that led to the ambush, proving his mastery of pacing and suspense. Frostbite aside, this book sizzles. — Ellen Shapiro Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 160 of 214 Songs in Ursa Major by Emma Brodie Knopf Raised by a tribe of women on Bayleen Island (think Martha's Vineyard), the talented Jane Quinn has kept her ambitions local. But when her band plays the 1969 Island Folk Fest, opportunity opens up, along with a connection to magnetic rock star Jesse Reid. Inspired by Joni Mitchell and James Taylor's romance and creative collaboration, this alluring debut has an Almost Famous vibe as it explores the gritty — and sometimes chauvinistic — side of the music industry. — Mary Pols Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 161 of 214 Rock the Boat by Beck Dorey-Stein The Dial Press Dumped by her blue-blood boyfriend, Kate washes up in her Jersey hometown scheming a comeback — but old friends regain their hold on her heart. A lively, intelligent read that confidently renders everything from a busy back bar to the slow progress of grief. — Marion Winik Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 162 of 214 What Happened to Paula by Katherine Dykstra W. W. Norton & Company In 1970, 18-year-old Paula Jean Oberbroeckling's body was discarded in the brush. Did her illegal abortionist do it? Or was the killer her Black — or her white — boyfriend? A provocative true-crime page-turner on how sexism, racism and public opinion set up women for violence. — Caroline Leavitt Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 163 of 214 Dream Girl by Laura Lippman In what she calls her first horror novel, Lippman takes us into the cantankerous mind of author Gerry Andersen, who lies immobile in his swank Baltimore condo after a nasty fall. Zonked on painkillers, he revisits three failed marriages (not his fault) and talks with a woman claiming to be the lead character of his 20-year-old bestseller. Then the dead body appears. With a tip of the hat to Stephen King's Misery, Dream Girl is funny and suspenseful, with a dread-worthy final twist. — Ellen Shapiro Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 164 of 214 Blush by Jamie Brenner G.P. Putnam's Sons If sipping wine while gazing at lush vineyards appeals, this summery rosé of a novel is for you. The Hollander family winery is in jeopardy. But as interests clash, matriarch Vivian, her daughter Leah and her granddaughter Sadie are inspired by trashy '80s novels to create their own blend of female empowerment. — Robin Micheli Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 165 of 214 The Godmothers by Camille Aubray William Morrow Three women marry into a wealthy Italian American clan in '30s Manhattan. When their husbands leave during the war, they must grapple with secrets and keep the not-quite-legal family business afloat. A fascinating, fast-paced trip into the Mob underworld. — Claire Martin Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 166 of 214 Animal by Lisa Taddeo Avid Reader Press Joan is "depraved," she tells us. She's also a survivor. After the much-older boss who had groomed her for years before becoming her lover shoots himself in front of her, she moves from New York City to L.A. to find Alice, the key to her past. Over time Joan reveals that the act of violence she witnessed isn't where her trauma began — or how she's decided it will end. With skill and insight, Taddeo (Three Women) examines how the savagery of men fuels female rage. The result is as intimate as it is explosive. — Sam Gillette Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 167 of 214 Lizzie & Dante by Mary Bly The Dial Press When friends sweep Lizzie away to the Italian isle of Elba, she isn't looking for romance. It's a trip of a lifetime for the Shakespeare professor: She has cancer and is preparing her goodbyes. But then Lizzie falls for Dante, a local chef, and his motherless daughter Etta and wonders if it's okay to love if you're dying? Delicious. — Lisa Greissinger Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 168 of 214 The Ugly Cry by Danielle Henderson Viking After their mother took off with her abusive boyfriend, the author and her brother were raised by their foul-mouthed titan of a grandma, in a small town where they were the only Black family. They say comedy equals tragedy plus time: This very funny account of an often miserable childhood is proof. — Marion Winik Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 169 of 214 Somebody's Daughter by Ashley C. Ford Flatiron Books The adoring letters her father sent from prison were a bright spot in her chaotic childhood, but when she finally learned the nature of his crime, her world turned upside down. Now, after 30 years, he's getting out. Ford recalls the hurts she experienced as a very young girl and the behavior of the flawed adults around her with a lucidity that is almost a superpower, transporting us into her singular experience of growing up poor and Black and female in Fort Wayne, Ind. — Marion Winik Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 170 of 214 Seven Days in June by Tia Williams Grand Central Publishing An intense romance between troubled teens reignites when Eva and Shane reconnect years later as superstar authors. He's sober, she's a single mom with migraines, but their chemistry is still explosive. And the whole literary world is watching. Full of wit, warmth and passion. — Marion Winik Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 171 of 214 Impostor Syndrome by Kathy Wang Custom House Julia, COO of a Silicon Valley tech company, has been sending secrets to the Russian agency that put her there — but she's having doubts. Meanwhile, Alice, a disenchanted underling, may be onto her. A propulsive spy thriller and a sharp take on the illusion of the American Dream. — Sam Gillette Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 172 of 214 The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green Dutton "You can't see the future coming — not the terrors, for sure, but you also can't see . . . the moments of lightsoaked joy that await each of us," writes Green (The Fault in Our Stars). As we gingerly exit our COVID cocoons, these gloriously personal and life-affirming "reviews" give Yelp-style star ratings to everything from The Penguins of Madagascar (4.5) to viral meningitis (1), with surprises like whispering (4) in between. The perfect book for right now. — Marion Winik Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 173 of 214 The Guncle by Steven Rowley G.P. Putnam's Sons When Maisie and Grant's mom dies, their uncle — a former sitcom actor — whisks them to Palm Springs, where he's hiding out from a loss of his own.Draped in caftans and tossing bawdy zingers, Gay Uncle Patrick (aka Guncle) proves a deeply loving presence as they all begin to heal. Wise and hilarious. — Claire Martin Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 174 of 214 Cheat Day by Liv Stratman Scribner Kit and her husband live in her childhood home in Brooklyn. He adores her, but she has an unchallenging job at a bakery, an obsession with dieting and a serious case of ennui. Then she meets a handsome carpenter and tastes freedom — with a dash of guilt. A witty, knowing tale about what it means to grow up. — Robin Micheli Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 175 of 214 The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz Celadon Books Jacob Finch Bonner, a teacher and failing writer, takes a dislike to his arrogant new student even before Evan Parker brags about the genius plot of his unfinished novel and the fame awaiting him. The worst thing is, Evan is right — and knowing his story will change Jacob forever. Korelitz's own plot is fiendishly clever, and here's the ultimate twist: that any novel about a writer's life (lonely, anxious drudgery) could be this wildly suspenseful and entertaining. — Mary Pols Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 176 of 214 The Wreckage of My Presence by Casey Wilson Harper Comedian Wilson (SNL, Happy Endings) lays it all out in these pages: personal stories, manic rants, confessions both comic and serious, from her Real Housewives addiction to showbiz war stories to the truth about her mother's death. It's like a rambunctious yard sale of her life, and it's magnificent. — Marion Winik Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 177 of 214 How Lucky by Will Leitch Harper Daniel knows monsters exist: At 26, he's lived for years with a debilitating disease that's slowly killing him. So when he thinks he's witnessed a kidnapping, he and his BFF set out to find the perpetrator. Along the way, they discover what it really means to be a hero. An absorbing thriller with heart. — Lisa Greissinger Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 178 of 214 Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead amazon Two lives separated by a century intersect in this gorgeous, sweeping story. Marian was a pioneering aviatrix and a complicated solitary soul, hell-bent on circling the globe in 1950. Hadley is a troubled young star dogged by the tabloids and hoping to redeem herself in a film about Marian's extraordinary life. At 589 pages, Shipstead's latest is an epic trip — through Prohibition and World War II, from Montana to London to present-day Hollywood — and you'll relish every minute. —Helen Rogan Buy It: Amazon.com, Bookshop.org 179 of 214 Leda and the Swan by Anna Caritj amazon A young woman disappears after a frat party, and Leda may have been the last to see her. But Leda's memory of the night — including an encounter with her crush — is patchy, and picking up the pieces to help investigators proves ... unnerving. A propulsive and beautifully written campus thriller. —Emma Dries Buy It: Amazon.com, Bookshop.org 180 of 214 The Music of Bees by Eileen Garvin amazon A beekeeper hires a paraplegic musician and a wanderer with carpentry skills to help expand her business. Then a pesticide company threatens the hives — and the trio bands together to fight back. An exquisite debut that combines a moving tale of friendship with a fascinating primer on bees. —Claire Martin Buy It: Amazon.com 181 of 214 Three Dreamers by Lorenzo Carcaterra Ballantine Books Author Carcaterra looks back at the extraordinary women who shaped his life—and his stories: Raffaela, his mother, whose refusal to leave her abusive husband fueled her son's determination to escape; his heroic grandmother Nonna Maria in Italy, who endured WWII and showed him love, family and community; and his wife, Susan Toepfer (a former PEOPLE editor), who spurred him on to become a writer. As nourishing as a three-course Italian feast, this is a fierce, moving tribute to the ties that bind. — Caroline Leavitt Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 182 of 214 Whereabouts by Jhumpa Lahiri Knopf In an Italian city, an unnamed woman moves through one year, observing the world around her and those who populate it — friends, strangers, former lovers. As she interrogates the life she's constructed for herself, cracks in her facade begin to appear. A poignant meditation on the everyday moments that can devastate. — Emma Dries Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 183 of 214 Everything Is Fine by Vince Granata Atria Books Everything is not fine: At 23, in the grip of schizophrenic delusion, the author's brother murdered their mother. This heartbreaking account can be tough going. But if you want to know how a family endures a tragedy beyond imagining, Granata bravely and soulfully lights the way. — Marion Winik Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 184 of 214 Little Matches by Maryanne O'Hara HarperOne In 1985 the author's 2-year-old daughter Caitlin was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis. The years that followed were a constant punishing battle the family ultimately lost when she died — while awaiting a lung transplant — in 2016. This emotional account of surviving loss and celebrating life features blog posts and emails from "beautiful and smart and fiery" Caitlin; moments of "synchronicity" feed O'Hara's desperate yearning to believe consciousness lives on after death. Bracingly honest and deeply comforting. — Robin Micheli Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 185 of 214 Mirrorland by Carole Johnstone Scribner Fantasy and reality intermingle when a twin returns to her childhood home to search for her estranged sister. As Cat roams the creepy house, memories of an imaginary world the twins created spring to life. An unnerving thriller that proves the scariest stuff lies right between our ears. — Ellen Shapiro Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 186 of 214 What Comes After by JoAnne Tompkins Riverhead Books The murderer is revealed straight away, yet this debut vibrates with mystery. Why would a teen kill his friend, then himself? Why does the victim's dad take in a pregnant stranger? As the dots slowly connect, the characters reveal their complex humanity and help us touch our own. — Ellen Shapiro Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 187 of 214 The Good Sister by Sally Hepworth St. Martin's Press Fern and Rose are twins harboring a dark secret. Fern is a librarian with a sensory-processing disorder; Rose is the higher-functioning one, with a husband and a laser-like focus on her sister's well-being. Excerpts of Rose's diary — reflecting on their traumatic past and a childhood murder — are interspersed with Fern's account of current-day life, including the twins' plans for a baby. A stunningly clever thriller made doubly suspenseful by not one, but two unreliable narrators. — Claire Martin Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 188 of 214 The Souvenir Museum by Elizabeth McCracken Ecco Charming and sly, these 12 far-flung stories — from a Texas water park to a rugged Scottish island — share McCracken's tender appreciation for flawed people (struggling lovers, a grieving mother, a puppeteer) just trying to communicate, trying to cope. — Helen Rogan Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 189 of 214 Early Morning Riser by Katherine Heiny Knopf Second-grade teacher Jane sleeps with handyman Duncan hours after meeting him. He's amiably noncommittal and has been with half the women in her new home of Boyne City, Mich., so the romance of this wry novel lies in the community Jane creates around her. — Mary Pols Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 190 of 214 When the Stars Go Dark by Paula McLain Ballantine Books Anna Hart is a missing-persons detective who is on the run herself. When an intolerable tragedy shatters her family, she flees to her hometown of Mendocino — where she immediately becomes obsessed with the hunt for a missing girl. A total departure for the author of The Paris Wife, McLain's emotionally intense and exceptionally well-written thriller entwines its fictional crime with real cases — including Polly Klaas's 1993 kidnapping — and is enriched by her own experiences as a survivor of trauma. — Marion Winik Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 191 of 214 Good Company by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney Ecco Flora and Julian have the perfect L.A. life: enviably happy marriage ("Florian"!), charming daughter, successful TV careers. Then, looking through a drawer, Flora finds Julian's wedding ring — supposedly lost years ago while he was swimming. Sweeney takes us on Flora's heartfelt search for truth and a relationship far deeper than good looks. — Anne Leslie Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 192 of 214 Beautiful Things by Hunter Biden Gallery Books From his first drink at age 8 to living with a homeless addict at 46 and cooking his own crack at 48, the President's son vividly depicts a descent into addiction far darker than anything Donald Trump could have envisioned when he taunted all through 2020, "Where's Hunter??" A gritty and shocking Biden family portrait that proves you never really know the burdens another person carries. — Sandra Sobieraj Westfall Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 193 of 214 Your Time to Thrive by Marina Khidekel Hachette Go From the head of content development at Arianna Huffington's Thrive Global, advice on how to do just that using "microsteps" to improve sleep and nutrition, build better relationships, unplug and recharge, and more. — Kim Hubbard Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 194 of 214 Red Island House by Andrea Lee Scribner When Shay, an African American academic studying abroad, marries Senna, an Italian businessman, he builds her a villa on the island of Madagascar as a wedding present. There they will return every year to spend holidays among a kaleidoscopic cast of locals, expatriates and travelers. This transporting history of their imperfect marriage braids together dramatic episodes, island history and fable, all infused with Lee's sharp insights into human nature. — Marion Winik Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 195 of 214 Of Women and Salt by Gabriela Garcia Flatiron Books A multigenerational novel of women struggling for safety and fortitude, from Maria Isabel rolling cigars in 19th-century Cuba to her great-great-granddaughter selling makeup at a Miami store and thinking about her next fix. Unsparing yet hopeful, this is an impressive debut. — Mary Pols Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 196 of 214 The Beauty of Living Twice by Sharon Stone Knopf In 2001 Basic Instinct star Sharon Stone had a massive stroke, losing her career, family finances and her identity. Now 63, she has recovered and found deeper meaning: healing a traumatic past, advocating for brain health and, with this memoir, showing us it's never too late for transformation. — Caroline Leavitt Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 197 of 214 Festival Days by Jo Ann Beard Little, Brown and Company Like a hot water bottle for grief, these honest, beautiful essays and stories take on the death of a beloved animal, a friend's illness, getting dumped by a partner and other tragedies few escape. Two unforgettable pieces spotlight a man who escaped a deadly fire and a woman's long, slow dance with cancer. They're intimate, intelligent, intense — and ultimately comforting. "Every moment of your life," Beard reminds us, "brings you to the moment you're experiencing now. And now. And now." — Marion Winik Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 198 of 214 Plunder by Menachem Kaiser Houghton Mifflin Harcourt When Kaiser left Toronto for Poland "on a mission of memory" to reclaim the home his grandfather, a Holocaust survivor, grew up in, he couldn't predict what he would find. His rabbit-hole quest leads to wild encounters with Nazi treasure hunters, a lawyer named Killer and plenty of questions. Fascinating. — Richard Eisenberg Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 199 of 214 Are We There Yet? by Kathleen West Berkley Multiple perspectives, both adult and tween, enrich this novel about the dramas of middle school. Centered on Alice Sullivan, a suburban mom who's juggling work, kids — and family secrets — it's a breezy yet affecting read filled with struggle and hope. — Rennie Dyball Buy It: Amazon 200 of 214 How Beautiful We Were by Imbolo Mbue Random House When children begin dying in an African village devastated by an American oil company, the local madman leads a revolt that shapes villagers' lives for generations to come. The fallout is told from the perspective of the affected children, most of all Thula, a girl who goes off to school in the U.S. and returns to ignite a battle against her country's dictatorship. Mbue (Behold the Dreamers) has written a brilliant exploration of modern colonialism and capitalism — and the fight for justice. — Claire Martin Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 201 of 214 Who Is Maud Dixon? by Alexandra Andrews Little, Brown and Company When her #metoo complaint backfires, jobless Florence gets an offer to be personal assistant to "Maud Dixon" — a popular novelist whose real identity is known only to her agent. Dark comedy meets twisty thriller when "Maud" and Florence head to Morocco to research a novel. Couldn't be more fun. — Marion Winik Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 202 of 214 What's Mine and Yours by Naima Coster Grand Central Publishing Coster weaves together two seemingly disparate fractured families in a saga that begins with a newly integrated southern high school and addresses racism, colorism, drug addiction and homophobia over decades. The complex characters will stay with you — maybe even change you. — Benilde Little Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 203 of 214 We Begin at the End by Chris Whitaker Henry Holt and Co. Cape Haven, Calif., is a pretty town of broken souls. Its chief cop clings to the past as his body fails. A drunk former beauty can barely care for the kids she loves, and her fierce 13-year-old daughter Duchess Day Radley imagines herself an outlaw willing to do anything to defend her little brother. A murder roils the town, setting in motion an intriguing mystery. But what lingers after the scores are settled is Duchess, in all her defiant, heartbreaking glory. — Ellen Shapiro Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 204 of 214 The Soul of a Woman by Isabel Allende Ballantine Books Part memoir, part feminist treatise, Allende's latest rejects the "machismo" she says has always surrounded her. Filled with astute observations about the struggles of women everywhere, it also celebrates female sensuality, aging and what it means to love. — Sam Gillette Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 205 of 214 Good Eggs by Rebecca Hardiman Atria Books Kooky Irish octogenarian Millie is saddled with a home caregiver to help curtail her shoplifting habit just as her hell-raising granddaughter is banished to a boarding school. Each falls prey to a questionable new friend, careening toward calamity — and each other. A witty, exuberant debut. — Claire Martin Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 206 of 214 Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro Klara's story begins in the display window of a store that sells "Artificial Friends" for the children of a future world whose disturbing features are slowly revealed in this utterly captivating fable. Klara, surely the smartest and sweetest robot in all of literature, studies the people around her with an intelligence that sheds light on our deepest questions. What is love? What makes us human? Is there a God? Nobel Prize winner Ishiguro spins a tale to delight all ages. — Marion Winik Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 207 of 214 Infinite Country by Patricia Engel Beginning with teenage Talia escaping a Colombian correctional facility to join her family in America, Engel movingly captures the shadow lives of undocumented migrants. Weaving Andean myths with the cold realities of dislocation and "the phantom pain of a lost homeland," this is a profound, beautiful novel. — Ellen Shapiro Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 208 of 214 Come Fly the World by Julia Cooke In the 1960s and '70s, Pan Am stewardesses changed a sexualized job requiring weigh-ins and retirement at 26 into a forum for serious work. They became ambassadors, transported traumatized soldiers, rescued Vietnamese children in Operation Babylift. A fascinating history of a bygone era. — Caroline Leavitt Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 209 of 214 Those Who Are Saved by Alexis Landau As the Nazis overwhelm France, Vera and Max, Russian Jews in exile, must report for internment. Fearing the worst, they escape from the camp, leaving their daughter Lucie with her nanny. She'll be safely hidden — or so they believe. Settled in Los Angeles, Vera is consumed by guilt and loss that tear at her marriage, and she aches to return to Lucie after the war's end. Sweeping and lyrical, this novel is a gripping story of a mother's unyielding love. —Helen Rogan Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 210 of 214 Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason Martha Friel, the narrator of this improbably charming novel about mental illness, will have you chortling and reading lines aloud. Martha is almost 40, and nothing — not the love of her husband, not a parade of doctors and meds — has ever stopped the pain. Fortunately, that's just the beginning of this story. —Marion Winik Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 211 of 214 The Officer's Daughter by Elle Johnson Decades after her cousin Karen is murdered, Johnson — a crime-show writer — wrestles with whether to help free Karen's killer. To decide, she investigates what really happened and painful truths about her dad, a parole officer. A powerful memoir painting a portrait of one family's "grief that would never end." —Richard Eisenberg Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 212 of 214 Send for Me by Lauren Fox After fleeing Nazi Germany, Fox's grandmother received increasingly desperate letters from her mother back home. Using snippets from those actual missives, this incandescent novel tells the story of three generations of women connected by sacrifice, courage, the comforting aroma of baked goods and the indelible impact of words on a page. Send for Me reads like a memoir but has the kind of intimate detail born in the imagination of a novelist at the top of her game. —Kim Hubbard Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 213 of 214 All Girls by Emily Layden Arriving at their exclusive prep school in August, students pass by signs announcing "a rapist works here." Is it true? The #metoo-era mystery permeates every aspect of the year as Layden's novel serves up a full menu of girls, from gossips to strivers, legacies to loners, all with secrets of their own. —Mary Pols Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org 214 of 214 The Smash-Up by Ali Benjamin Borrow names and plot elements from Edith Wharton's Ethan Frome. Satirize progressive parenting and education à la Where'd You Go, Bernadette. Then light it all up with the feminist fire ignited by the Brett Kavanaugh hearings — and what do you get? A fun, timely novel that's unexpectedly full of hope. —Marion Winik Buy It: Amazon, Bookshop.org