In April 1962, an American actress mysteriously arrives by boat to fictional Porto Vorgogna, a tiny pin prick of a town. Dee is gorgeous, alone, and dying. She's been exiled here from the set of Cleopatra, the Elizabeth Taylor/Richard Burton film that remains one of the most expensive and scandal-ridden movies ever made. As the story bounces back and forth between present-day Hollywood and the golden era of film, we discover why a Hollywood power player sent her away—and what happens next. Containing scenes from plays both real and not, the first chapter of a novel, a movie pitch, and someone else’s memoir. It's going to be breathtaking on the big screen. Release date TBD.

This is a story of two brothers who get mixed up in the labor movement in 1909 in Spokane, Washington. They're from Montana and when their mother died, their last surviving parent, they go to the big city to find work and make a future for themselves. But the brothers end up at a labor protest and they end up in jail. As a result of their circumstances, they get all mixed up with the based-on real life activist Elizabeth Gurley Flynn. Hers was not a name I knew, but I love reading about under explored, unexamined periods of history. Something else I loved about this book is the wonderful cast of characters. It's at its heart a story of two brothers, but the whole roster of supporting characters is deep and fabulous. There's a vaudeville actress whose character might be my favorite; her stage name is Ursula the Great and her backstory is fantastic. I would highly recommend this for fans of This Tender Land.

No book of Jess Walter’s is like the one before. His new-for-2025 novel centers a retired journalist named Rhys who retreated from the world after he punched his son-in-law at Thanksgiving dinner in 2016. That disastrous family gathering sets this story in motion—and I hope it's obvious that if you're looking for heartwarming holiday scenes for your Thanksgiving enjoyment, this book isn't it! Years later, Rhys's grandkids show up on his doorstep in need of help; it's been so long he doesn’t even recognize them, and that floods him with shame. But when he realizes how much his grandkids need him, he resolves to protect them—not knowing how quickly he’ll be called to make good on this promise, how drastic his actions must be, or how much violence and suffering it will entail. This book is overtly political, written about and for a divided America: it’s not for everyone. But the right reader will find much to satisfy in its unique structure, well-developed characters, plot that puts the Wild West in mind, and much-appreciated humor.