Land

Land

By Maggie O’Farrell

Alfred A. Knopf, 2026. 383 pages. Fiction 

On a windswept peninsula stretching out into the Atlantic, Tomás and his reluctant son, Liam, are working for the great Ordnance Survey project to map the whole of Ireland. The year is 1865, and in a country not long since ravaged and emptied by the Great Hunger, the task is not an easy one. Tomás, however, is determined that his maps will be a record of the disaster. The British soldiers in charge are due to arrive any day, expecting the work to be completed, but Tomás is unexpectedly sent off course by an unsettling encounter in a copse. His life, and the lives of those of his family, will never be the same again. Liam is terrified by the sudden change in his taciturn father. What was it that caused such cracks to open in Tomás, and how is Liam, aged only ten, going to finish the mapping and get them both home? 

This summary is only the beginning of this epic family saga that takes place after the potato famine in Ireland. This work of literary fiction has a very strong sense of place. The land is one of the main characters of the story. O’Farrell’s writing is very vivid and I could easily imagine the landscape in Ireland and the copse that sets the story on its path. That being said, this isn’t a quick read nor is it light hearted. But if you’re looking for a book that takes you on a journey of a family and their relationship to the land and each other, you’re in for a treat. I think this book is going to be on many best books of 2026 lists.

If you like Land, you might also like: 

Bog Queen

By Anna North 

Bloomsbury Publishing, 2025. 264 pages. Fiction 

When a body is found in a bog in northwest England, Agnes, an American forensic anthropologist, is called to investigate. Agnes has always been more comfortable with the dead than the living, but this body is not like any she's ever seen. Though its bones prove it was buried more than two thousand years ago, it is almost completely preserved. The mystery of the Iron Age body draws the attention of numerous groups with competing interests : the archaeologists who want to study the surrounding bog, the peat-cutters who want to profit from the land's resources, and a group of environmental activists and neo-pagans who demand the body be returned to its resting place and that the moss-layered bog -- a marvel of carbon capture on a warming planet -- be left undisturbed. Then there's the moss itself ; a complex repository of artifacts and remains, with its own dark stories to tell. As Agnes is drawn into the controversy stirred by the body and its habitat, she must face not only the deep history of what she has unearthed, but also the relationships she has forsworn in her bid for independence.

 

Librarian Review

This is Where the Serpent Lives 

By Daniyal Mueenuddin 

Alfred A. Knopf, 2026. 343 pages. Fiction 

Set in urban and rural Pakistan, this novel follows the interconnected lives of multiple characters whose experiences reflect the country's feudal, political, and social structures. The narrative traces the rise and struggles of individuals shaped by poverty, power, loyalty, and ambition, including servants, landowners, and political elites. Through their personal relationships and moral choices, the novel examines issues of class, authority, corruption, and survival within contemporary Pakistani society, combining intimate.

JK

Lore Olympus

Lore Olympus, Vol. 1

by Rachel Smythe

Del Ray, 2021. Unpaged

Graphic Novel

Scandalous gossip, wild parties, and forbidden love--witness what the gods do after dark in this stylish and contemporary reimagining of one of the best-known stories in Greek mythology.

Persephone, young goddess of spring, is new to Olympus. Her mother, Demeter, has raised her in the mortal realm, but after Persephone promises to train as a sacred virgin, she's allowed to live in the fast-moving, glamorous world of the gods. When her roommate, Artemis, takes her to a party, her entire life changes: she ends up meeting Hades and feels an immediate spark with the charming yet misunderstood ruler of the Underworld. Now Persephone must navigate the confusing politics and relationships that rule Olympus, while also figuring out her own place--and her own power.

I love Greek mythology and this modern retelling is so interesting! Persephone is fresh and new to the outside world (Olympus) and is eager and excited to take advantage of all it has to offer. Hades is handsome and brooding, just like Mr. Rochester or Mr. Darcy, so of course you fall in love with him right away. The artwork is gorgeous and I find I'm just gazing at the images until I get anxious and move on with the story. It's definitely dramatic and gritty (*language) but I'm invested enough to continue the series.

If you like Lore Olympus, you might also like:

Hera

by Jennifer Saint

Flatiron Books, 2024. 388 pages

Fantasy

Even the gods must have their queen. When the immortal goddess Hera and her brother Zeus overthrow their tyrannical father, she dreams of ruling at his side. But as they establish their reign on Mount Olympus, Hera begins to see that Zeus is just as ruthless and cruel as the father they betrayed. While Zeus ascends, Hera is relegated to the role of wife and mother, a role she never wanted. She was always born to rule, but must she lose herself in perpetuating this cycle of violence and cruelty? Or can she find a way to forge a better world? In this enthralling retelling, Greek mythology's most famous and maligned goddess finally tells her own story, as power, passion, and divine strength collide in the heart of Olympus.

Aphrodite

by Phoenicia Rogerson

Hanover Square Press, 2025. 470 pages

Fantasy

Aphrodite saw the gods on Mount Olympus and decided she wanted a piece of what they had. Only problem is, she's not a goddess, just a lowly being who's supposed to remain in a distant cave, keeping the threads of Fate woven neatly. But Aphrodite's never let anyone tell her what to do ... Weaving herself a web of lies and careful deceptions, she convinces everyone she's the goddess of love and that her rightful place is among the Olympians, who lord it over everyone else at the top of the world, but under the stifling rule of Zeus. For the first time, she has the best of everything, as well as friends, peers, even loved ones. Only, being a goddess isn't quite like she thought. Those who oppose Zeus tend to disappear, or worse. And one day, Aphrodite decides she's had enough.

I, Medusa

by Ayana Gray

Random House, 2025. 320 pages

Fantasy

Meddy has spent her whole life as a footnote in someone else's story. Out of place next to her beautiful, immortal sisters and her parents--both gods, albeit minor ones--she dreams of leaving her family's island for a life of adventure. So when she catches the eye of the goddess Athena, who invites her to train as an esteemed priestess in her temple, Meddy leaps at the chance to see the world beyond her home. In Athens' colorful market streets and the clandestine chambers of the temple, Meddy flourishes in her role as Athena's favored acolyte, getting her first tastes of purpose and power. But when she is noticed by another Olympian, Poseidon, a drunken night between girl and god ends in violence, and the course of Meddy's promising future is suddenly and irrevocably altered. Her locs transformed into snakes as punishment for a crime she did not commit, Medusa must embrace a new identity--not as a victim, but as a vigilante--and with it, the chance to write her own story as mortal, martyr, and myth. Exploding with rage, heartbreak, and love, I, Medusa portrays a young woman caught in the cross currents between her heart's deepest desires and the cruel, careless games the Olympian gods play.

Charlotte Brontë's Life Through Clothes

Charlotte Brontë's Life Through Clothes

By: Eleanor Houghton

Bloomsbury Visual Arts 2026. 355 pages. Nonfiction

Meet the real, thinking, feeling woman that was Charlotte Brontë, as told in this biography by the surviving witnesses to her life - the clothes that she once wore. These garments were present as she penned Jane Eyre , as she walked the cobbled streets of Haworth, and as she stood with her fiancé at the altar in the summer of 1854. Yet, until now, their testimonies had remained unheard. Renowned Brontë scholar and dress historian Eleanor Houghton's innovative, richly illustrated biography, Charlotte Brontë's Life Through Clothes, finally gives voice to the gowns, bonnets, shawls, corsets, parasols and boots that make up the novelist's wardrobe. Secrets are revealed in their very fibres. Brontë's steel busked corset tells the story of corporate espionage and forbidden love, whilst her striped, silk dress shows how she coped with the new-found pressures of fame. When exposed to 21st century technology, a tiny sample of fabric from her 'Thackeray Dress' reveals important innovations of the Industrial Revolution going on around her and a black lace veil, worn after the deaths of her siblings, expresses how she dealt with repeated familial loss. These clothes, some of which still bear the imprint of her foot or the sweat from her pores, prove themselves to be far more than mere celebrity curios. When 'read' alongside letters, portraits, her novels and the recollections of those who knew her well, Charlotte emerges as a woman altogether braver, more vulnerable, less isolated, less provincial, more fashion conscious than anyone ever expected.

This is a fascinating, tangible history of the famed and mysterious Charlotte Brontë, throwing light on her brief and fascinating life. An added element to this account is Houghton's meticulously hand-drawn depictions of the dresses and clothing accessories - there are no photographs. This makes this book a unique biography, and the beautiful art compliments the era, and Charlotte Brontë and her sister's lives. As the author points out, photographs of the items are available, and if you're able to visit the Brontë Parsonage Museum, you can see them in person. Houghton's drawings bring beauty and a sense of intimacy in this unique and highly recommended biography, emphasizing that the domestic details - what we wear day to day - is part of our story too. 

If you like Charlotte Brontë's Life Through Clothes, you might also like: 

The Brontë Cabinet

By Deborah Lutz

Norton & Company, 2015. 310 pages. Nonfiction.

Victorian literature scholar Deborah Lutz illuminates the complex and fascinating lives of the Brontës through the things they wore, stitched, wrote on, and inscribed. By unfolding the histories of the meaningful objects in their family home in Haworth, Lutz immerses readers in a nuanced re-creation of the sisters' daily lives while moving us chronologically forward through the major biographical events: the death of their mother and two sisters, the imaginary kingdoms of their childhood writing, their time as governesses, and their determined efforts to make a mark on the literary world. From the miniature books they made as children to the blackthorn walking sticks they carried on solitary hikes on the moors, each personal possession opens a window onto the sisters' world, their beloved fiction, and the Victorian era. A description of the brass collar worn by Emily's bull mastiff, Keeper, leads to a series of entertaining anecdotes about the influence of the family's dogs on their writing and about the relationship of Victorians to their pets in general. The sisters' portable writing desks prove to have played a crucial role in their writing lives: it was Charlotte's snooping in Emily's desk that led to the sisters' first publication in print, followed later by the publication of Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights. Charlotte's letters provide insight into her relationships, both innocent and illicit, including her relationship with the older professor to whom she wrote passionately. And the bracelet Charlotte had made of Anne and Emily's intertwined hair bears witness to her profound grief after their deaths. Lutz captivatingly shows the Brontës anew by bringing us deep inside the physical world in which they lived and from which their writings took inspiration.

The Dress Diary

By Kate Strasdin

First Pegasus Books, 2023. 303 pages. Nonfiction

In 1838, a young woman was given a diary on her wedding day. Collecting snippets of fabric from a range of garments - some her own, others donated by family and friends - she carefully annotated each one, creating a unique record of their lives. Her name was Mrs Anne Sykes. Nearly two hundred years later, the diary fell into the hands of Kate Strasdin, a fashion historian and museum curator. Using her expertise, Strasdin spent the next six years unravelling the secrets contained within the album's pages, and the lives of the people within. Her findings are remarkable. Piece by piece, she charts Anne's journey from the mills of Lancashire to the port of Singapore before tracing her return to England in later years. Fragments of cloth become windows into Victorian life: pirates in Borneo, the complicated etiquette of mourning, poisonous dyes, the British Empire in full swing, rioting over working conditions and the terrible human cost of Britain's cotton industry. This is life writing that celebrates ordinary people: not the grandees of traditional written histories, but the hidden figures, the participants in everyday life. Through the evidence of waistcoats, ball gowns and mourning outfits, Strasdin lays bare the whole of human experience in the most intimate of mediums: the clothes we choose to wear.

The Age of Homespun: objects and stories in the creation of an American myth

By Laurel Thatcher Ulrich. Alfred A. Knopf, 2001. 501 pages. Nonfiction

They began their existence as everyday objects, but in the hands of award-winning historian Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, fourteen domestic items from preindustrial America-ranging from a linen tablecloth to an unfinished sock-relinquish their stories and offer profound insights into our history. In an age when even meals are rarely made from scratch, homespun easily acquires the glow of nostalgia. The objects Ulrich investigates unravel those simplified illusions, revealing important clues to the culture and people who made them. Ulrich uses an Indian basket to explore the uneasy coexistence of native and colonial Americans. A piece of silk embroidery reveals racial and class distinctions, and two old spinning wheels illuminate the connections between colonial cloth-making and war. Pulling these divergent threads together, Ulrich demonstrates how early Americans made, used, sold, and saved textiles in order to assert their identities, shape relationships, and create history.

MGB

Dungeon Crawler Carl

Dungeon Crawler Carl 

by Matt Dinniman 

Dandy House, 2020. 433 pages. Science Fiction & Fantasy. 

The apocalypse will be televised! A man. His ex-girlfriend's cat. A sadistic game show unlike anything in the universe: a dungeon crawl where survival depends on killing your prey in the most entertaining way possible. In a flash, every human-erected construction on Earth collapses in a heap, sinking into the ground. The buildings and all the people inside have all been atomized and transformed into the dungeon: an 18-level labyrinth filled with traps, monsters, and loot. A dungeon so enormous, it circles the entire globe. Only a few dare venture inside. But once you're in, you can't get out. In this game, it's not about your strength or your dexterity. It's about your followers, your views. Your clout. It's about building an audience and killing those goblins with style. You can't just survive here. You gotta survive big. You gotta fight with vigor, with excitement. You gotta make them stand up and cheer. And if you do have that "it" factor, you may just find yourself with a following. That's the only way to truly survive in this game--with the help of the loot boxes dropped upon you by the generous benefactors watching from across the galaxy. They call it Dungeon Crawler World. But for Carl, it's anything but a game. 

Yes, this book is as good as everyone says it is. It’s the kind of book that once you read it, you need everyone around you to read it because it’s so fun and you need to talk to someone about it. While it takes a heavy dose of suspension of disbelief to get into this book, the author makes it easy. It’s a fun, fast-paced read with detailed worldbuilding, distinctive characters who you fall in love with, a large amount of tabletop RPG and other game mechanics, pop culture references galore, and a writing style that keeps you hooked. This book is recommended for anyone looking for a good time. 

If you like Dungeon Crawler Carl, you might also like: 

Solo Leveling 

by Ch'ugong 

Yen Press, 2021. 311 pages. Graphic Novel 

Known as the the Weakest Hunter of All Mankind, E-rank hunter Jinwoo Sung's contribution to raids amounts to trying not to get killed. Unfortunately, between his mother's hospital bills, his sister's tuition, and his own lack of job prospects, he has no choice but to continue to put his life on the line. So when an opportunity arises for a bigger payout, he takes it... only to come face-to-face with a being whose power outranks anything he's ever seen! With the party leader missing an arm and the only healer a quivering mess, can Jinwoo somehow find them a way out? 

Space Opera 

by Catherynne M. Valente 

Saga Press, 2018. 294 pages. Science Fiction 

Mankind will not get to fight for its destiny. They must sing. A century ago, the Sentience Wars tore the galaxy apart and nearly ended the entire concept of intelligent space-faring life. In the aftermath, a curious tradition was invented by the remnants of civilization. Something to cheer up everyone who was left. Something to celebrate having escaped total annihilation by the skin of one's teeth, if indeed one has skin. Or teeth. Something to bring the shattered worlds together in the spirit of peace, unity, understanding, and the most powerful of all social bonds: excluding others. Once every cycle, the great galactic civilizations gather for Galactivision--part gladiatorial contest, part beauty pageant, part concert extravaganza, and part, a very large, but very subtle part, continuation of the wars of the past. Thus, a fragile peace has held. This year, a bizarre and unsightly species has looked up from its muddy planet-bound cradle and noticed the enormous universe blaring on around it: humanity. Where they expected to one day reach out into space and discover a grand drama of diplomacy, gunships, wormholes, and stoic councils of grave aliens, they have found glitter. And lipstick. And pyrotechnics. And electric guitars. A band of human musicians, dancers, and roadies have been chosen to represent their planet on the greatest stage in the galaxy. And the fate of Earth lies in their ability to rock. 

Delicious in Dungeon 

by Ryoko Kui 

Yen Press, 2017. 191 pages. Graphic Novel 

When young adventurer Laios and his company are attacked and soundly thrashed by a dragon deep in a dungeon, the party loses all its money and provisions ... and a member! They're eager to go back and save her, but there is just one problem: If they set out with no food or coin to speak of, they're sure to starve on the way! But Laios comes up with a brilliant idea: "Let's eat the monsters!" Slimes, basilisks, and even dragons ... none are safe from the appetites of these dungeon-crawling gourmands!

Pigeons!

Pigeons!: A fable for our times
by Marc Chalvin
Street Noise Books, 2025. 191 pages. Graphic Novels

A contemporary political allegory of power, to remind us of the dangers of following a dictator and surrendering your freedom. Life is simple for the pigeons. They have no desire to contemplate their future or take control of it. Free from responsibility, they are all too willing to submit to a strong authority. This is precisely what a cruel and power-hungry crow was waiting for--a perfect opportunity to wield his natural talents as a tyrant. The crow enforces law and order, but also terror and arbitrary rules. Everyone seems to accept this situation--or maybe, they are too scared to resist. Until an idealistic seagull steps in determined to challenge the system through debate and free elections. 

The allegory is blunt, and the pigeons and their story are equal parts frustrating and comical. However, the illustrations and ruminations are still on point, and you might be feeling some kinship with a certain seagull by the very end. 

If you like Pigeons! : a fable for our times you might also like:

Birds of Maine
by Michael Deforge
Drawn & Quarterly, 2022. 459 pages. Graphic Novels

Long after the demise of humankind, birds roam freely around a new earth complete with fruitful trees, sophisticated fungal networks, and an enviable socialist order. The universal worm feeds all, there are no weekends, and economics is as fantastical a stud as unicorn psychology. No concept of money or wealth plagues the thoughts of these free-minded birds. Instead, there are angsty teens who form bands to show off their best bird song and other youngsters who yearn to become clothing designers even though clothes are only necessary during war. (The truly honorable professions for most birds are historian or librarian). These birds are free to crush on hot pelicans and live their best lives until a crash-laded human from the moon threatens to change everything. 

Maus: A Survivor's Tale
by Art Spiegelman
Pantheon Books, 1997. 295 pages. Graphic Novels

Using animal figures to suggest the nature of the characters -- Nazis are cats, Jews are mice, Americans are dogs -- Spiegelman movingly portrays his parents' experiences and, my extension, the widespread horrors of the Nazi campaign to exterminate the Jews in Europe. 

RBL

Lost Lambs

Lost Lambs 

By Madeline Cash 

Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2026. 323 pages. Fiction

Lost Lambs follows a suburban family of five unspooling at the seams, navigating a disastrous open marriage and teenage rebellion. Catherine and Bud's marriage has reached its breaking point as their daughters spiral in their own chaos: Abigail, the eldest, is dating a man in his twenties nicknamed War Crime Wes; Louise, the middle child, maintains a secret correspondence with an online terrorist; the brilliant youngest, Harper, is being sent to wilderness reform camp due to her insistence that someone—or something—is monitoring the town’s citizens.

This book was such a delight to read! Bouncing between multiple perspectives of the family, each one with a unique voice and offbeat narrative. The family is hilarious as they make less than perfect choices and grow as a family. If the dysfunctional family doesn't pull you in, the plot of the small-town conspiracy will! It drives the story forward and adds an air of suspense and absurdity. The writing is witty, well-paced, and tender. You will laugh and feel a newfound appreciation of the weird and imperfect people in your life! 

If you like Lost Lambs, you might also like:

The Family Fang

By Kevin Wilson

Ecco Press, 2011. 256 pages. Fiction

Buster and Annie grew up in the spotlight -- their parents, performance artists utilized them in their tableaus. As adults, they have recently hit career setbacks, and have returned home to deal with the fallout. When their parents disappear from an interstate rest stop, they are skeptical that it's anything other than yet another publicity stunt. Told from Annie's and Buster's points of view, with flashbacks that capture the pieces they were forced to participate in.

The Bright Years

By Sarah Damoff 

Simon & Schuster, 2025. 273 pages. Fiction

One family. Four generations. A secret son. A devastating addiction. A Texas family is met with losses and surprises of inheritance, but they're unable to shake the pull back toward each other in this big-hearted family saga 

MT

Gate to Kagoshima

Gate to Kagoshima 

by Poppy Kuroki 

Harper Perennial, 2025. 304 pages. Fantasy. 

 

While in Japan researching her family's history, a vicious typhoon sends Isla Mackenzie 128 years back in time, to the dawn of the Satsuma Rebellion. There she meets her ancestors, and a charismatic samurai, Kei, with whom she unexpectedly finds romance. But, unlike her Beloved, Isla knows about the looming Samurai rebellion-and Kai's fate. Should she attempt to change history or somehow make her way back to the life she'd had before? 

 

This is an interesting time travel story with a sweet romance. While the pacing can seem slow at times, the writing helps you feel as though you are there with Isla, and things definitely heat up in the second half. Beautiful descriptions, likeable characters, and an insight to history that might not be familiar to a lot of people. The ending really makes the story. This book is recommended for fans of isekai or timeslip stories and atmospheric writing. 

If you like Gate to Kagoshima, you might also like: 

Fallen City 

by Adrienne Young 

Saturday Books, 2025. 397 pages. Fiction 

In the ancient walled city of Isara, rebellion brews as politics, faith, and forbidden love collide. Luca Matius, a young legionnaire destined for power, and Maris Casperia, the daughter of a Magistrate and apprentice to a Priestess of stolen magic, are drawn together by fate. When a deadly secret ignites a holy war, their bond turns them into symbols on opposing sides of a divine struggle. Swept into a web of prophecy and rebellion, Luca and Maris must decide whether love or destiny will shape the future of their world.

 

The Tides of Time 

by Sarah M. Eden 

Shadow Mountain, 2025. 356 pages. Romance. 

Fleeing Robespierre's Tribunal in revolutionary France, Lili Minet escapes to England only to have a mystical storm catapult her eighty years into the future. Rescued by lighthouse keeper Armitage Pierce, she slowly builds trust with him and his grandfather. As danger from her past resurfaces, their fragile bond is tested, challenging them to rewrite history and save their love. 

The North Wind 

by Alexandria Warwick 

Saga Press, 2024. 441 pages. Fantasy. 

When the North Wind, a dangerous immortal whose heart is as frigid as the land he rules, chooses her sister as his bride, Wren of Edgewood will do anything to save her even if it means sacrificing herself in the process.

A Good Person

A Good Person

by Kirsten King

G.P Putnam's Sons, 2026. 291 pages. Fiction.

Lillian and Henry have been enjoying each other’s company, especially in bed. Even though Lillian’s best friend calls it “situationship,” Lillian is determined to lock Henry down—and she has a plan. She’ll be the best, most accommodating version of herself until he falls in love with her. But when Henry blindsides Lillian with a breakup, Lillian exacts revenge by performing a drunken hex on him.

Lillian expects Henry to come crawling back to her. What she doesn’t quite anticipate is becoming a prime suspect in his murder case when he’s found dead. As Lillian grapples with the loss of her sort-of-boyfriend, she’s hit with another reckoning: That Henry had a long-term girlfriend he also left behind. Desperate to control the narrative, clear her name, and assume her rightful place as Henry’s mourning girlfriend, Lillian’s pursuit of the truth will throw her into a dangerous tailspin. A deliciously addictive novel that explores our darkest, most human impulses, A Good Person heralds Kirsten King as a striking new voice in the canon of celebrated fiction.

I love reading about weird, deeply flawed women, and that's exactly the kind of character Lillian is. She's narcissistic, delusional, and is not "A Good Person". Yet, despite her general awfulness, she's also somehow entirely likeable as a protagonist- with her dark sense of humor and her relatable desire to feel loved and seen, which is something I think most of us can empathize with. Would I want to know her in real life? Absolutely not. Is she delightful and hilarious to read about? Absolutely. I flew through this book; its pacing is perfect and makes it so easy to read quickly. It's a well-written literary novel with a dash of mystery/thriller elements and, of course, a very dark, very clever humor to it that had me laughing out loud several times while reading. If you, too, like reading about weird, unstable girls who perpetually make the worst decisions possible, you will love this debut novel from Kirsten King.

If you like A Good Person, you might also like:

Big Swiss

by Jen Beagin

Scribner, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, 2023. 325 pages.

Greta lives with her friend Sabine in an ancient Dutch farmhouse in Hudson, New York. The house, built in 1737, is unrenovated, uninsulated, and full of bees. Greta spends her days transcribing therapy sessions for a sex coach who calls himself Om. She becomes infatuated with his newest client, a repressed married woman she affectionately refers to as Big Swiss, since she's tall, stoic, and originally from Switzerland. Greta is fascinated by Big Swiss's refreshing attitude toward trauma. They both have dark histories, but Big Swiss chooses to remain unattached to her suffering while Greta continues to be tortured by her past. One day, Greta recognizes Big Swiss's voice at the dog park. In a panic, she introduces herself with a fake name and they quickly become enmeshed. Although Big Swiss is unaware of Greta's true identity, Greta has never been more herself with anyone. Her attraction to Big Swiss overrides her guilt, and she'll do anything to sustain the relationship 

Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead

by Emily Austin

Atria Books, 2021. 243 pages.

Gilda, a twenty-something, atheist, animal-loving lesbian, cannot stop ruminating about death. Desperate for relief from her panicky mind and alienated from her repressive family, she responds to a flyer for free therapy at a local Catholic church, and finds herself being greeted by Father Jeff, who assumes she's there for a job interview. Too embarrassed to correct him, Gilda is abruptly hired to replace the recently deceased receptionist Grace. In between trying to memorize the lines to Catholic mass, hiding the fact that she has a new girlfriend, and erecting a dirty dish tower in her crumbling apartment, Gilda strikes up an email correspondence with Grace's old friend. She can't bear to ignore the kindly old woman, who has been trying to reach her friend through the church inbox, but she also can't bring herself to break the bad news. Desperate, she begins impersonating Grace via email. But when the police discover suspicious circumstances surrounding Grace's death, Gilda may have to finally reveal the truth of her mortifying existence.

Bunny

by Mona Awad

Viking, an imprint of Penguin Random House, 2019. 305 pages.

Samantha Heather Mackey couldn't be more of an outsider in her small, highly selective MFA program at New England's Warren University. A scholarship student who prefers the company of her dark imagination to that of most people, she is utterly repelled by the rest of her fiction writing cohort--a clique of unbearably twee rich girls who call each other "Bunny," and are often found entangled in a group hug so tight they become one. But everything changes when Samantha receives an invitation to the Bunnies' fabled "Smut Salon," and finds herself inexplicably drawn to their front door--ditching her only friend, Ava, a caustic art school dropout, in the process. As Samantha plunges deeper and deeper into the sinister yet saccharine world of the Bunny cult and starts to take part in their ritualistic off-campus "Workshop" where they magically conjure their monstrous creations, the edges of reality begin to blur, and her friendships with Ava and the Bunnies are brought into deadly collision.

ND

The Land and Its People

The Land and Its People

By David Sedaris 

Little Brown & Company, 2026  272 pages. Nonfiction. 

David Sedaris reflects on what it means to be a foreigner, a brother, a lifelong friend. He tries on the role of caretaker after his boyfriend Hugh's hip-replacement surgery, and both succeeds and fails. He buys his sister a cape and discusses his brother with a jaded Duolingo bot. He walks dozens of miles with his friend Dawn and challenges her to eat a truck tire. Ever adding to his list of "Countries I Have Been To," he rides a horse named Tequila in Guatemala, buys a bespoke priest's cassock in Vatican City, and goes on safari in Kenya without taking a single photo. There is sadness here -- scrolling through his address book, he realizes how many dear friends are now deceased -- but also delight: he revels in authors' biographies, the malapropism that becomes a decades-long inside joke, and pair of well-made cotton underpants. He is bitten by a dog. A train passenger vomits in his face. A woman on the street late at night either sexually harasses him or doesn't. Look how hard it is to be alive! Throughout these essays, Sedaris shows how much there is to marvel at when you keep your head up and your eyes open, observing with warmth and curiosity this fascinating human species and the lands we inhabit. 

David Sedaris is a master of his craft, and it’s evident in this latest collection. With his signature self-deprecating humor and sharp observations on everyday life, he turns the commonplace into something genuinely delightful. This set of essays feels lighter and more playful than his previous two collections, making it feel like a return to his earlier style of Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim and Me Talk Pretty One Day. While this time around I read the book, I’d strongly recommend the audiobook. Sedaris narrates it himself, and his delivery adds an extra layer of humor, timing, and subtle thoughtfulness. 

 

If you like The Land and Its People you might also like: 

Ali’s Well That Ends Well 

By Ali Wentworth 

Harper, an imprint HarperCollins, 2022. 188 pages. Nonfiction 

 Like many, Ali Wentworth spent the pandemic seesawing between highs, lows, and baking an unnecessary amount of chocolate cake. Between binging every tv show in existence to conquering TikTok to becoming a (semi) empty-nester, Ali experienced her share of turmoil (including an early case of Covid), but she also grew a little, learned a lot, and found comfort in some unexpected people and places. In Ali's Well That Ends Well, Wentworth turns her gimlet eye to the year no one saw coming. With her signature irreverent style, she shares the most hysterical, absurd, and sometimes trying episodes that her family endured during the terrible global pandemic. Thoroughly relatable, absolutely charming, and filled with moments both hilarious and poignant, this terrific collection once again showcases the comedic genius of a beloved star. 

Pure Innocent Fun: Essays 

By Ira Madison 

Random House, 2025. 226 pages. Nonfiction 

 In this inviting and joyfully raucous collection of sixteen original essays, written with a rare combination of humor and sharpness, Ira Madison III combines memoir and cultural criticism to offer an updated pop-culture manifesto. As a teenager in the early 2000s, Madison's life changed when he read Chuck Klosterman's Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs. Inspired by the revelation that discussions of pop culture could be rigorous, not only reserved for the likes of At the Movies or Buffy the Vampire Slayer message boards, Madison went on to make a career of dissecting pop culture from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air to Britney Spears. Here, he reveals his journey to becoming a prominent cultural critic and screenwriter, sharing stories about growing up as a Black, gay man in Milwaukee and unearthing the pop phenomena that shaped his youth and the lives of so many. In this enlightening, unforgettable trip through the '90s and the 2000s, Madison reflects on learning about gay sex from his mom's Lil' Kim CDs; the most devastating election of his adolescence (not George W. Bush winning re-election in 2004, but Jennifer Hudson losing American Idol); and never getting his driver's license in high school, making him just like Cher Horowitz in Clueless: "A virgin who can't drive." Revel in his examination of Black fatherhood through The Cosby Show and Family Matters, and discover how Jerry Springer impacted queer representation on-screen. In each essay, Madison unearths how pop culture shapes us, both for the better and for the worse. Alternately irreverent and emotionally resonant, Pure Innocent Fun will leave you laughing and inspired.

JK

Outsider Animals

Outsider Animals

by Marlene Zuk

Princeton University Press, 2026. 305 pages. Nonfiction

Outsider Animals challenges everything you thought you knew about the overlooked animals that live in proximity to humans, sharing the stories that each has to tell about adaptation and cohabitation on our planet. Marlene Zuk gives us a new appreciation for the animals we often shun, explaining why these unpopular creatures have something special to teach us not only about the ways we deal with other species but about our own place in nature and what it means for an animal to belong somewhere.

This delightful book is a perfect blend of informative and entertaining. Each chapter follows a different “outsider animal” as the author explains the merits of raccoons, coyotes, cockroaches, and more. Despite her wealth of knowledge as evolutionary biologist and behavioral ecologist, the author keeps the writing accessible and her humor and wit may endear you to even the most unlikely creatures. As a birder, I particularly enjoyed the chapters on gulls, cowbirds, and especially mynas, where the author includes a nuanced discussion on invasive species. I’d recommend Outsider Animals to animal and science lovers alike.

If you like Outsider Animals, you might also like:

Pests: How Humans Create Animal Villains

by Bethany Brookshire

Ecco, 2022. 348 pages. Nonfiction

At the intersection of science, history and narrative journalism, this eye-opening study reveals why we deem certain animals "pests" and others not, and what this tells us about our own perceptions, beliefs and actions, as well as our place in the natural world.

Wild Chorus

by Brenda Peterson

Mountaineers Books, 2024. 238 pages. Nonfiction 

Award-winning author Brenda Peterson draws on her lifelong relationship with animals to explore the wisdom we humans can glean from them. Looking beyond the companionship we enjoy with domesticated animals, Peterson explores how wild animals can become our guides and fellow travelers, helping us navigate the stresses of daily life and a rapidly changing planet. From beluga whales to wolves, raccoons to bears, elk to herons, the stories in this collection offer insights into the intricacies of animals’ intuitive communication, compassionate attention, and peaceful adaptation.

The Return of the Oystercatcher

by Scott Weidensaul

W. W. Norton & Company, 2026. 356 pages. Nonfiction 

As populations fall and once-great migration multitudes wither away, the future of birds may seem grim. But surprisingly, from gnatcatchers and waterfowl to select groups of forest songbirds, some bird populations are soaring. Habitats and species that once neared extinction are now multiplying around the world because bird conservation is making things better. The Return of the Oystercatcher is the story of what's working in bird conservation--and what can work for the rest of the planet.

RP

Theo of Golden

Theo of Golden
by Allen Levi
Atria, 2025. 387 pages. Fiction

One spring morning, a stranger arrives in the small southern city of Golden, Alabama. No one knows where he has come from, or why. His name is Theo. And he asks a lot more questions than he answers. Theo visits the local coffeehouse, where ninety-two pencil portraits hang on the walls, portraits of the people of Golden done by a local artist. He begins purchasing them, one at a time, and putting them back in the hands of their "rightful owners." With each exchange, a story is told, a friendship born, and a life altered.

Theo of Golden has caused quite a sensation lately. The book was self-published by the author in 2023, but it created enough interest that it was published by a large publisher in 2025. Of course, I had to see what the buzz was about!

Curious readers might want to know that this is considered general Christian fiction. This can be mostly seen in the use of symbolism in the character of Theo. For me, the quiet pace and beautiful writing made the reading experience a soothing one. I also loved that Theo slowly built a strong foundation of lifelong and sometimes unexpected friends through his acts of service. If you're looking for a well-written book about the power of kindness, art, generosity, and friendship, this is a great one to pick up!

If you like Theo of Golden you might also like:

The Correspondent
by Virginia Evans
Crown, 2025. 285 pages. Fiction

Throughout her life Sybil Van Antwerp has used letters to make sense of the world and her place in it. In her 70s, Sybil expects her world to go on as it always has. A mother, a grandmother, a wife, a divorcee, and a distinguished lawyer, she has lived a full life. But when letters from someone in her past force her to examine one of the most painful periods of her life, she realizes one letter she has been writing over the years needs to be read and that she cannot move forward until she finds it in her heart to offer forgiveness.

The Peculiar Gift of July
by Ashley Ream
Dutton, 2025. 403 pages. Fiction

When fourteen-year-old July arrives in the isolated island town of Ebey's End, her uncanny ability to sense what people need begins quietly transforming the community, forcing its residents—and herself—to confront unexpected truths about their lives.

The Alchemist
by Paulo Coelho
Harper San Francisco, c1993. 177 pages. Fiction

A man tells an unnamed being the story of his life, which serves as a fable about undauntingly following one's dreams, listening to one's heart, and reading life's omens.

MB

The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax

The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax

By Dorothy Gilman 

Doubleday, 1966. 216 pages 

Mystery 

The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax a lighthearted spy adventure that follows Emily Pollifax, a widowed grandmother from New Jersey who feels restless and overlooked after her children are grown. Tired of ordinary routines and wanting to do something meaningful and exciting, she impulsively walks into the offices of the CIA and volunteers to become a spy. 

To everyone’s surprise — including her own — Mrs. Pollifax is accidentally recruited for a simple courier mission to Mexico City. The agency assumes that no one would suspect a cheerful older woman carrying secret information. What begins as a harmless assignment quickly spirals into genuine danger when the mission goes wrong and Mrs. Pollifax finds herself caught in an international conspiracy involving smugglers, political prisoners, and foreign agents. 

Despite having no formal training, Mrs. Pollifax proves resourceful, observant, and unexpectedly brave. Her kindness and grandmotherly appearance allow her to move through situations unnoticed, but beneath her polite exterior is a woman with sharp instincts and quiet courage. Along the way she forms unlikely friendships, survives kidnapping attempts, and discovers that adventure — and personal purpose — can arrive at any stage of life. 

The novel blends cozy mystery charm with Cold War espionage, offering suspense without becoming overly dark. Much of the appeal comes from Mrs. Pollifax herself: she is practical, witty, compassionate, and delightfully underestimated. The story balances humor, danger, and heart, making it both an entertaining spy caper and an uplifting story about reinvention and confidence later in life. 

Fans of classic mysteries, gentle humor, and character-driven adventures often enjoy the Mrs. Pollifax series for its clean content, fast pacing, and charming protagonist. 

I love Mrs. Pollifax! She decides she wants to be a spy and by golly she becomes a top-secret spy for the CIA. She's a quirky "old lady" who knows her own mind and just sees what needs to be done. Definitely channeling Miss Marple or Jessica Fletcher. A fun, fast-paced read that I would recommend to anyone! 

If you like The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax, you might also like: 

Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind

By Ann B. Ross

W. Morrow, 1999. 273 pages 

Fiction

Miss Julia, a recently bereaved and newly wealthy widow, is only slightly bemused when one Hazel Marie Puckett appears at her door with a youngster in tow and unceremoniously announces that the child is the illegitimate son of Miss Julia's late husband. Suddenly, this longtime church member and pillar of her small Southern community finds herself in the center of an unseemly scandal--and the guardian of a nine-year-old whose mere presence turns her life upside down. 

With razor-sharp wit and perfect "Steel Magnolia" poise, Miss Julia speaks her mind indeed--about a robbery, a kidnapping, and the other disgraceful events precipitated by her husband's death. Fast-paced and charming, with a sure sense of comic drama, a cast of crazy characters, and a strong Southern cadence, Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind will delight listeners from start to end. 

Murder on a Girls' Night Out: a Southern Sisters Mystery

By Anne George

Avon Books, 1996. 244 pages

Mystery

Patricia Anne -- "Mouse" -- is respectful, respectable, and demure, a perfect example of genteel Southern womanhood. Mary Alice -- "Sister" -- is big, brassy, flamboyant, and bold. Together they have a knack for finding themselves in the center of some of Birmingham's most unfortunate unpleasantness. 

Country Western is red hot these days, so over impulsive Mary Alice thinks it makes perfect sense to buy the Skoot 'n' Boot bar -- since that's where the many-times-divorced "Sister" and her boyfriend du jour like to hang out anyway. Sensible retired schoolteacher Patricia Anne is inclined to disagree -- especially when they find a strangled and stabbed dead body dangling in the pub's wishing well. The sheriff has some questions for Mouse and her sister Sister, who were the last people, besides the murderer, of course, to see the ill-fated victim alive. And they had better come up with some answers soon -- because a killer with unfinished business has begun sending them some mighty threatening messages...

- EJW