Bel Canto Annotated Edition: A Novel

Ann takes a critical look at one of her best-known works and highlights everything she loves — and everything she doesn’t love — about it, all in her own handwriting. Perfect for every writer wanting to perfect their craft and every reader who wants to take a look behind the curtain of Ann’s writing process.

Sandwich: A Novel

This is a book I will place in the hands of every 40-something woman trying to balance raising kiddos and aging parents while attempting to have some semblance of intimacy within their marriage. I had no idea I needed to read this book, and I am so grateful I did. Funny and poignant, I will reread this book on the hard days and remind myself it’s okay to laugh (and cry).

James: A Novel

A beautiful retelling of Huck Finn through the eyes of James

By Any Other Name: A Novel

What if Shakespeare’s works were written by a woman? This historical novel is convincing and captures the difficulty of being a female playwright even today.

Green Dot: A Novel

Green Dot goes down as my most underrated book of 2024. In it, 24-year-old Hera is bored and unfulfilled at her first “real” job sitting at a cubicle desk all day, so when flirtation strikes with her older male colleague, she welcomes the distraction. It doesn’t take long for Hera to realize she’s gotten herself into a mess: her colleague is a married man, and she may feel more attached to him than she ever intended.

Worry: A Novel 

A book about two sisters trying to make it in New York City, Worry is deadpan, quirky, and flinchingly realistic. You will drive yourself crazy trying to decide if you love, hate, or begrudgingly relate to these two women before settling on the fact that it is in fact possible to feel all three of these things at once.

Martyr!

Y’all, the way that Kaveh Akbar’s Martyr! permanently altered my brain chemistry! This debut is such a stunning portrayal of the twinned darkness and hilarity of contemporary life in America, covering everything from addiction, to geopolitical history, queer love, performance art, and casually also the meaning of the life. At turns profound and comic, Martyr! is unlike anything I’ve read before.

Long Island Compromise: A Novel

A wealthy family’s suburban paradise is shattered when their patriarch is kidnapped and held for ransom. Returned only a few days later, the family is seemingly fine. Decades later, however, it’s clear that the kidnapping affected each family member in different, frequently ridiculous ways. An engaging familial epic, Long Island Compromise is also the funniest novel ever written about generational trauma.

Same As It Ever Was: A Novel

Lombardo is a master of the domestic novel. She is able to depict the complexity of a marriage, the pull women feel on various versions of the self, and what connection to others truly means and feels like in a way that feels honest and raw in the most beautiful way possible. I adored this book and almost couldn’t bear to finish it.

The God of the Woods: A Novel

A dramatic multi-POV tale of two children lost in the woods, a brother and a sister, one in 1975 and the other 14 years prior. This far-reaching narrative takes you deep in the woods of a small community and all their innermost secrets.

Blue Sisters

Three siblings come together a year after their sister died from fentanyl to sift through her belongings before their childhood apartment is put up for sale. This novel explores family dynamics, love, and the way loss is handled differently by each member of the family.

The Waters: A Novel

A story about Herself, a herbal healer, her three daughters, and granddaughter as they navigate through their own world on (and off) a marshy island in Northern Michigan where they try to preserve their family, and ways of life. Told in a language that flows like the waters that surround the island, the story celebrates nature, and the strength and resilience of women, family, and community.

Bear: A Novel

A haunting novel set on a remote island off the Pacific Northwest coast. Two sisters dream of a better life off the island, when a strange bear appears and changes their lives. This story, fairy tale, allegory, will stay with you for a long, long time.

Greta & Valdin: A Novel

Greta and Valdin are siblings in Auckland, NZ, and have the enviable, easy-going relationship that makes you want to join their family. In fact, I loved the characterizations of every one of their quirky, supportive family and friends (including their Maori mom and Russian dad). The writing is delightfully witty, interesting, smart, and real, as you follow along through ups and down. It’s just a really great book.

Long Island

Set 20 years after Brooklyn, Long Island finds Eilis as the mother of two teenagers and at a crossroads in her marriage to Tony. While figuring out what to do in order to save their marriage, Eilis decides to visit her mother in Ireland for the first time in years, and some familiar faces pop up. I flew through this book, and seeing Eilis again was like catching up with an old friend.

Peggy: A Novel

Before I read this book, all I really knew about Peggy Guggenheim was that she must have been Somebody because there’s a museum named after her in Venice. From the gilded age of New York to the bohemia of Paris and the French Rivera of the 20s, this is a fascinating and highly enjoyable historical fiction take on one of the most important art collectors of the 20th century.

All Fours: A Novel

This one is a doozy. All Fours is an intense, unfiltered portrait of an artist in her mid-40s fighting tooth and nail to not lose her sense of self as she enters her mid-life. You will not forget this book.

Tell It to Me Singing: A Novel

A woman’s mother reveals a family secret before surgery. Juan is your father. Confession or pre-op haze? The stories of this mother-daughter duo’s past and present are revealed with the backdrop of their favorite telenovela framing the story of their family in this literary mystery.

Housemates: A Novel

Housemates is a roadtrip story about queer love, finding your place, and what it means to create art. Eisenberg tackles these big topics through the lens of two generations of queer creatives, and she does it in a distinctly fresh and fascinating way.

Welcome to Glorious Tuga: A Novel

Thrilled to find this is the first book of three! Charlotte goes to Tuga to study tortoises, but everything changes. She starts tending animals…and people tend her. There are sparks between Charlotte and the island’s doctor, but his fiancee is headed to Tuga too. Segal created a world I loved visiting. The characters are so real, and what they deal with is too. I cannot wait to spend more time with Tugans.

The Cliffs

A century’s worth of secrets hide in a Victorian mansion on a Maine cliff. A woman begins to uncover them as she searches for her true self in this amazing novel.

The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern

Augusta Stern studies the science of pharmacy while learning secret remedies from her great-aunt. When she breaks an unforgiveable rule by administering an elixir without permission, she changes her life forever. Years later, Augusta meets her past and must decide how to move

Sipsworth

Sipsworth is a love story about a woman and a mouse. Reason suggests that such a relationship couldn’t possibly work, and yet I found myself pulling for this unlikely duo on every page. Simon Van Booy’s characters are loaded with charm, resilience, and the deep desire for connection that all mammals share. I loved it.

Craft: Stories I Wrote for the Devil

My favorite debut of the year! Our protagonist slept with the Devil in 1999, and has since been writing stories for him. These stories are interrupted with chapters to key the reader in on what is actually happening with the writer in her real life, and this juxtaposition is unlike anything else I’ve ever read in any short story collection. It’s just really good.

I Cheerfully Refuse

This near-future story follows Rainy, a musician who embarks on an unexpected odyssey across Lake Superior after tragedy upends his life. Along the way he finds both the kindness and community, along with the dangers and cruelties, of a collapsing world. Rainy is a deeply lovable narrator, and the novel is equally heartfelt and heartbreaking as it follows his journey through grief and stormy waters.

Colored Television

A dark comedy about making it as an artist, racial identity, Hollywood, selling out, family — all wrapped together in a brilliant, chaotic, and very compelling package.

The Life Impossible: A Novel

Responding to a student who feels everything is impossible after losing his mother, a retired math teacher tells him her story. She moved to Ibiza after inheriting a house from a little-remembered colleague. There she was transformed by a phosphorescent source in the sea.

Playground: A Novel

Richard Powers, you never cease to amaze me. In a tale structured somewhat reminiscent of his Pulitzer-winning The Overstory, Powers this time explores how our world is fundamentally an ocean one, and how disparate themes such as imperialism, exploitation of resources, A.I., marine biology, and pollution all relate to each other.

The Women: A Novel

This historical novel follows the journey of a nurse who served in the Vietnam War. Hannah’s thorough research shows. Harsh and authentic, but you want to cheer at the end.

The Wedding People: A Novel

Can a wedding change everything? Phoebe checks into the Cornwall Inn as the only guest not there for the wedding. The bride discovers Phoebe has come for one night with the intention of killing herself and is determined to not let her since it would ruin her wedding. The wedding and the people in attendance change everything, waking Phoebe up, bringing her back to life.

The Paris Novel

A young woman is left a small inheritance from her mother, and it has to be used for a trip to Paris, but she has no idea why. Once there, she discovers herself as well as her mother’s past. It is the most sensual book I’ve read in years via designer dresses and French food. Highest recommendation.

Return to Blood

The newly discovered bones of two missing girls drags former Auckland PD detective Hana Westerman back into the world of homicide investigation, despite the personal toll. The mystery is intricately plotted and thrilling, and Hana – plus her family – is the beating heart of this story.

The Midnight Feast: A Novel

Dual timelines and multiple points of view kept me on my toes, and I really enjoyed the ambiguity of the characters. Do I hate them all? Do I love them all? Who am I rooting for? This page turner will keep you entertained until the cataclysmic ending.

One Perfect Couple

Love Island meets And Then There Were None. A couples reality show goes horribly sideways when a storm hits the resort leaving contestants stranded with little food and water. Contestants disappear or are killed. Who is playing to win? Each of Ware’s books is so different then the last but each is a page-turner that leaves you guessing. Who is behind it? Will there only be one contestant left when help arrives?

Death at the Sign of the Rook

A Christie-esque country house murder mystery filled with interesting, suspicious(?) characters orbiting each other until the final reveal. And the usual, welcome Atkinson humor. A very satisfying read.

First Lie Wins

A devious spy vs. spy con game where you don’t know who you can trust till the very end. If you love to see a smart female spy outmaneuvering her opponents, this one is for you. Fans of Alias or Oceans 8 will enjoy this novel full of morally grey characters and espionage.

How to Solve Your Own Murder

A fortune teller predicts Frances’s murder when she is a teenager. Frances became an eccentric old lady focused on solving her own murder before it happens. Annie, Frances’s grandniece, grew up in Frances’s crumbling house with her artist mom. Anne ships the basement junk back to Frances which sets things in motion. Frances is murdered and Annie has to solve it to win the fortune.

The City in Glass

The City in Glass follows an immortal demon as she oversees the cycle of destruction and rebirth her chosen city finds itself caught in. I am amazed that a story of such epic emotional and temporal scale could be contained in a book this short. It had me by the heart the entire time. Perfect for fans of This is How You Lose the Time War.

Fifty Beasts to Break Your Heart: And Other Stories

This short story collection is a lush mix of fairytale, fantasy, and horror that I devoured in one night. It’s been a long time since I’ve read a collection where I loved every story so consistently. With some unique formats (one story is told through illustrated bestiary entries, others through lists or dictionary definitions) and beautiful prose, this is a spectacular read.

Five Broken Blades

Five liars and a ruthless king enter a room. Who comes out? To these liars, seduction, betrayal, and revenge come as easy as sweat on skin, and they will stop at nothing to kill the unkillable King Joon. But can they trust each other to finish the job? Five Broken Blades is the wine to satiate our thirsts after Leigh Bardugo’s Six of Crows with its delicious tension, high stakes, and unforgettable characters.

And He Shall Appear

When I started the first page, I had to jump up and search my house for a pen, because the words needed to be underlined. The writing drew me in like a spell, and five hours later, I’d reached the end, staring at my wall, overcome with dark, obsessive love and music. I still cannot get over it. A must read.

The Familiar: A Novel

A dark romance taking place in the midst of the Spanish Inquisition, The Familiar is a haunting tale full of paradoxes and secrets. Magic is forbidden, but sought after, and love might be the most dangerous and intoxicating magic of all. When faced with a system that breaks anyone who doesn’t fall in line, what will the powerful and overlooked Luzia do to survive?

The Ministry of Time: A Novel

WARNING: You can’t put it down! Weaving multiple genres-science fiction, mystery, romance and comedy. An Arctic explorer is brought to the present, assigned a female “bridge” to live with and help him adapt to the modern world. The time-travelers and their handlers face challenges. Spotify? Hiroshima? The complexity of their relationship as well as the government’s power make this a powerful page-turner.

The Bright Sword: A Novel of King Arthur

I’m a sucker for any type of retelling, and Grossman knocks it out of the park with this Arthurian tale. The story follows Collum–a knight who arrives at Camelot too late–and fleshes out many characters in the Arthurian canon who receive less attention. Perfect middle of a Madeline Miller-George R.R. Martin Venn diagram.

The Hemlock Queen

Immersed once again in the fantastical world of The Foxglove King, we meet all of our favorite characters with even deadlier stakes than ever before. This time, however, court intrigue takes a divine turn as Lore finds her destiny and heart intertwined with the cruel games of the gods. Will Lore’s stubborn humanity stand a chance against the whims of the immortal? I couldn’t put this book down.

The Bog Wife: A Novel

This book is so, so weird—in a really good way. The Haddesley family has an ancient pact with the Appalachian bog they live in. With each generation, the patriarch succumbs to death, and the bog provides a new bride for the eldest son. A perfect holiday pick for anyone who enjoys a weird story with a Southern gothic twist!

Graveyard Shift: A Novella

M.L. Rio returns! This novella is the perfect way to spend a rainy evening. Graveyard Shift is a story made up of insomniacs and their worst imaginings. Nightmares meet reality, and it all unfolds in the span of a few sleepless hours. I could read it again and again!

Horror Movie: A Novel

I just so happened to see The Blair Witch Project the night before finishing this novel. What a treat! If you know the history of the making of that movie, you will see parallels, but the story is completely fresh and suspenseful. Tremblay follows young, aspiring filmmakers and amateur actors as they stretch the boundaries of “pretend” while making an experimental film. Terrifying, moving, and hilarious.

A Sunny Place for Shady People: Stories

Mariana Enríquez returns with yet another excellent short story collection. Equal parts enthralling and entertaining, terrifying and terrific, A Sunny Place for Shady People is filled to the brim with stories you won’t soon forget, no matter how hard you try. A wicked blend of sacred, surreal, darkly funny and deeply depraved, this is one of the best short story collections of the year.

The Prospects: A Novel

Every possible chance that I get to talk about this book I will. It’s my favorite of the year. A queer romance about two former college teammates and rivals who find themselves playing on the same minor league team is a a grand slam. It’s a love letter to baseball, to queer folks & to the romance genre. You will absolutely be Team Gene & Louis. Go sports!

Daydream: A Novel

Halle and Henry are Grace’s swooniest coupling yet. Perfect for fans of Elle Kennedy.

A Love Like the Sun

There is something about a friends to lovers that gives me butterflies like no other. This is a tender little gem of a book that follows two best friends, Laniah and Isaac, who agree to utilize Isaac’s clout as an artist/model and fake date in order to save Laniah and her mom’s natural hair care business. With beautiful chronic illness rep and an INSANE amount of chemistry, this book is a slice of perfection.

My Vampire Plus-One

I can’t remember the last time I fell in love with two fictional characters as much as Reggie and Amelia in this follow up to My Roommate is A Vampire. Get ready to laugh out loud as you root for their fauxmance to become the real deal.

Here We Go Again: A Novel

This is the perfect sapphic road trip book to take you on an emotional adventure this summer. With a friends to enemies to lovers trope and a remix on Tuesdays with Morrie, have the tissue box handy for tears. But don’t worry, the journey is worth it!

How You Get the Girl

A sweet, warm romance about basketball, families, and living in your honesty. Kelly does such a wonderful job of writing characters exploring their identities and truths – both Julie and Elle captured my heart from the first chapters.

The Pairing

A pair of exes accidentally embark on a European food tour together, only to discover there was more to the story of their breakup than either suspected. A vivid journey full of sensuously described meals and landscapes provide a vivid backdrop to this emotional second-chance romance.

Red String Theory

Fair warning – I am the President, Vice President and Publicist for the LKJ Fan Club. And I am so excited for Red String Theory!! Equal parts a swoony love story and a deep meditation on the role that fate and choice play in our own love story, Lauren Kung Jessen’s sophomore romance sparkles like the night sky.

Just for the Summer

Just for the Summer features a lakeside setting, a Reddit meet-cute, and Abby Jimenez’s trademark sparkling dialogue. Perfect for fans of Every Summer After by Carley Fortune and Beach Read by Emily Henry.

I’ll Have What He’s Having

Farzan was ready to give up on love, until he went out to a restaurant and started getting wined and dined by the cute sommelier, David. Little did he know, David thought Farzan was a well-renowned food critic. From that first “date,” I fell in love with David and Farzan. Both wanting love, but not wanting to get hurt and both dealing with their changing career paths. I loved every part of this book!

First Editions Club: December Selection

Time of the Child

Love, Parnassus: December Selection

Most Wonderful