Stead's Newbery-winning book is wrapped around an old one: Madeline L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time, which just happens to be the favorite of 6th grader Miranda Sinclair. Miranda's life is pretty normal, until things begin to unravel. I loved the setting of late 1970s Manhattan; Miranda's life looks so different from the lives of today's kids. A clever tale of friendship, mystery, and time travel. More info →

Lisa Jewell has a gift for coming up with intriguing premises, and her 2019 novel is no exception. Shortly after Libby turns 25, she gets a letter from the trust attorneys. She’s been expecting the letter her whole life; her biological parents died when she was young, and she knew about the trust. But the contents of the letter shock her: Libby didn’t expect to inherit much, but she’s suddenly the owner of a mansion on the finest street in Chelsea. She soon discovers the house has a tragic past, and she is intimately tied to the tragedy. And what’s more, she learns she has a family out there somewhere—one she hasn’t seen in 25 years. A spine-tingling mystery. More info →

From the publisher: "Tilda Finch is a successful businesswoman, a mother to two wonderful adult daughters, and besides an unexpected divorce, she’s living a relatively happy life. Until she wakes up one morning and her finger seems to have disappeared. She thinks back to the kombucha she drank the night before—perhaps it was spiked? Studying herself in the mirror, she discovers one of her ears has also disappeared! She rushes to the doctor, who after a multitude of tests says she's sorry to inform her that she has invisibility, a disorder that affects millions of women worldwide, mostly after the age of forty—she is disappearing, and there is no cure. Tilda isn't overly surprised. She's felt invisible for years. But after attending a support group for women like her and seeing how resigned they are to simply fading away, she thinks there must be a better way. Hesitant, she seeks out a controversial therapist who compels her to realize that she can't expect the world to see her if she can’t first see herself. And the new man she meets, who she thinks is blind to her faults, might just see her more clearly than anyone has ever before. Because if we can get the voices in our heads to stop being so critical and be more compassionate, we might realize how wonderful we truly are." More info →

Indie rockstar Michelle Zauner delivers a heartfelt, poetic memoir about losing her mother and searching for her identity. “Ever since my mother died, I cry in H Mart.” So begins Zauner’s poignant story. After her mother received a grim cancer diagnosis, Zauner realized her mother’s death would also mean losing her only tie to her Korean heritage, so she sought to shore up stories while she still has time. Whether she writes about the intricacies of preparing traditional Korean dishes or a hurtful misunderstanding, she explores moments from her tumultuous mother-daughter relationship with tenderness and love, often returning to the idea that our experiences of home, family and culture are viscerally rooted in what we taste, see and hear. An honest, lyrical, and life-affirming memoir about grief, growing up, and making amends. I can’t say enough good things about Michelle Zauner’s tender memoir about love, loss, and her Korean heritage. Achingly poignant in the author’s own voice: I was grateful to hear every nuance of emotion, as well as her fluid voicing of the Korean phrases I would trip over in print. Simply beautiful. More info →

Both Anthony Horowitz Sherlock Holmes titles are on sale at the moment. From the publisher: "London, 1890. 221B Baker St. A fine art dealer named Edmund Carstairs visits Sherlock Holmes and Dr John Watson to beg for their help. He is being menaced by a strange man in a flat cap - a wanted criminal who seems to have followed him all the way from America. In the days that follow, his home is robbed, his family is threatened. And then the first murder takes place. Almost unwillingly, Holmes and Watson find themselves being drawn ever deeper into an international conspiracy connected to the teeming criminal underworld of Boston, the gaslit streets of London, opium dens and much, much more. And as they dig, they begin to hear the whispered phrase-the House of Silk-a mysterious entity that connects the highest levels of government to the deepest depths of criminality. Holmes begins to fear that he has uncovered a conspiracy that threatens to tear apart the very fabric of society." More info →

This historical novel centers two young Black women in the 1950s: Ruby is an ambitious high school sophomore in a single-parent family of limited means in Philadelphia; Eleanor is a promising student at Howard University who, despite her working class upbringing, soon finds herself moving in the upper echelon of DC’s Black society. Both women have big hopes and dreams for their futures: they want love and marriage and family, as well as college degrees and satisfying careers. But shortly after each falls in love, big changes happen—and hard choices have to be made. A good story, well-told, with a satisfying ending. Be sure not to miss the author’s note! More info →

If you’ve ever knocked on the back of a wardrobe in hopes of finding Narnia, this novel is for you. Best friends Jeremy Cox and Rafe Howell went missing for six months as children before reappearing without explanation. Fifteen years later, investigator Jeremy is tasked to help Emilie Wendell find her sister who disappeared in the same Virginia forest as Jeremy and Rafe. Rafe has no memory of those missing months but Jeremy remembers their time in a magical realm and he believes that’s where they’ll find Emilie’s sister. But first he and Rafe will have to confront their past and risk reentering that magical world. More info →

I loved Oliver Burkeman’s first title, Four Thousand Weeks, and read it slowly over the course of three weeks. This one was no different–I enjoyed taking it in snippets over my morning coffee. In Meditations for Mortals, Burkeman gives us a path to embracing limitations we can’t escape: the number of hours in our day, the temptation toward perfectionism, and more. This was a breath of fresh air. More info →

In this nonfiction adventure-slash-history, Fedarko and his long-time photojournalist pal Pete McBride celebrate the National Park Service centennial by embarking on a 750-mile end-to-end traverse—described by many as "the toughest hike in the world"—across Grand Canyon National Park, which Fedarko calls both the most visited and least understood park. During their year in the canyon, they come face to face with the grandeur and terror of their landscape: it gets so hot the glue on their shoes melts, then so cold their boots freeze solid overnight, and the pair endure more than one (absolutely terrifying and often nauseating) near-death experience. Along the way we meet the very few intrepid explorers who know the canyons best, as well as the Native people who've known it longest. Fedarko narrates his own audiobook; Whispersync narration available. More info →

In this long-awaited memoir, Well-Read Black Girl founder Edim describes her love story with the books that shaped her, saved her, and became the foundation for her life’s work. I loved learning the origins of her book club, and how she discovered the magic of connecting with others through a shared love of reading. She also shares about her family of origin: her father’s return to Nigeria when she was young, her mother’s unhappy second marriage, and her mother’s deep depression. Books were a solace throughout, and the comfort and joy she found in cherished writers like Toni Morrison, Maya Angelou, Alice Walker, and many others is palpable in these pages. This love letter to books and reading will inspire deeper reading and reflection for those who pick it up. More info →

This was everything I’d hoped for from McAllister’s latest relationally-driven thriller. On the longest day of the year, London literary agent Camilla drops her daughter at daycare and heads to work after her maternity leave. That’s when she gets the call: her husband is involved in a hostage situation. Then she learns he's not a hostage; he's holding the hostages—but how could that be true of her kind-hearted, fun-loving husband? Camilla won’t get any answers, because law enforcement’s attempts to apprehend her husband are unsuccessful. The story's second perspective comes from hostage negotiator Niall, whose life and career were ruined by that same botched siege. Like Camilla, he can't let go of the baffling and still-unexplained events of that day. When new evidence surfaces years later, the two team up to figure out what really happened. More info →

From the publisher: "Would a proper adult ignore the spilt milk under the fridge for weeks? Would a proper adult take three years to post a solitary Christmas card? Would a proper adult have decades-old underwear in active service? Mike Gayle is nowhere near being a proper adult - even though his tenth wedding anniversary is looming; his second child is due any moment; and in less than twenty-four hours he is going to be officially closer to forty than he is to thirty. Appalled by this lack of maturity, Mike draws up a To-Do list containing every single item he's been meaning to do but just keeps putting off... He's got a lot of stuff that needs doing. But unlike previous To-Do lists, he promises himself that this one will actually get DONE. And along the way, Mike will learn stuff about life (323), love (999), friends (1004) and family (9) and finally work out what it means to be a grown up (846)." More info →

No book of Jess Walter’s is like the one before. His new novel centers a retired journalist who retreated from the world after he punched his son-in-law at Thanksgiving dinner in 2016. When his grandkids show up on his doorstep, he doesn’t even recognize them, and that floods him with shame. But when he realizes these kids 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. More info →

Reid’s propulsive latest begins with a disaster in space: the Navigator space shuttle is hit and; the crew may not survive. Toggling between the unfolding catastrophe and what brought us to this moment, Reid introduces us to Joan and her colleagues. Besides a loving relationship with her young niece, Joan has always been lonely—but then she answers NASA’s history-making call for female astronauts and her world is blown open as she finds professional satisfaction, camaraderie with her fellow science nerds, and romantic passion she never thought possible for herself. I drank this down in one long gulp: I loved the blend of queer love story, space exploration, family drama, and the pull of the stars. More info →

From the publisher: "Throughout history, the concept of Blackness has been remarkably intertwined with another color: blue. In daily life, it is evoked in countless ways. Blue skies and blue water offer hope for that which lies beyond the current conditions. But blue is also the color of deep melancholy and heartache, echoing Louis Armstrong’s question, 'What did I do to be so Black and blue?' In this book, celebrated author Imani Perry uses the world's favorite color as a springboard for a riveting emotional, cultural, and spiritual journey—an examination of race and Blackness that transcends politics or ideology. Perry traces both blue and Blackness from their earliest roots to their many embodiments of contemporary culture, drawing deeply from her own life as well as art and history: The dyed indigo cloths of West Africa that were traded for human life in the 16th century. The mixture of awe and aversion in the old-fashioned characterization of dark-skinned people as 'Blue Black.' The fundamentally American art form of blues music, sitting at the crossroads of pain and pleasure. The blue flowers Perry plants to honor a loved one gone too soon. Attuned to the harrowing and the sublime aspects of the human experience, it is every bit as vivid, rich, and striking as blue itself." More info →

The rave reviews from bookseller friends convinced me to pick up this new release despite its hefty 688-page length. It's a family saga and love story featuring two characters that had me rooting for them from beginning to end. Sonia dreams of being a novelist—but after a disastrous college love affair with an older man left her feeling desolate and haunted, she returns to India to try and recover her sense of safety. Sunny also left India for the U.S., seeking to become a successful journalist, and first sees Sonia on an overnight train while back in India visiting his family. The two feel pulled towards each other, and though their initial embarrassment about their families having once tried to matchmake them nearly derails their young love, it takes root and grows. But for them to find happiness, they must navigate their meddling families and somehow break the curse of Sonia's ex-lover. I read that Desai spent twenty years on this novel and it's no wonder—I found it to be a sad, sprawling, and wistful tale of two young people seeking to make sense of their families, the world, and who they can be to each other. More info →

This is on my TBR stack, because a wide variety of readers keep telling me it's a perfect read if you like the idea of escaping into another world, including Chelsey and Curtis from episode 164 of WSIRN. Curtis called it well-written with characters he loved. Kirkus says this futuristic novel is reminiscent of The Hunger Games and Game of Thrones. More info →

From the publisher: "Mira Salvi has the perfect life—a job she loves, a fiancé everyone adores, and the secure future she’s always imagined for herself. Really, she hasn’t a thing to complain about, not even when she has to go on her engagement trip to New York alone. While playing tourist in the city, Mira chances upon a lost ring, and her social media post to locate its owner goes viral. With everyone trying to claim the ring, only one person seems to want to find its owner as badly as Mira does: journalist Krish Hale. Brooding and arrogant, he will do anything to get to write this story. As Krish and Mira reluctantly join forces and jump into the adventure of tracing the ring back to where it belongs, Mira begins to wonder if she is in the right place in her own life. She had to have found this ring for a reason…right? Maybe, like the owner of the lost ring, her happy ending hasn’t been written yet either." More info →

"We cannot help but be interested in the stories of people that history pushes aside so thoughtlessly," writes Min Jin Lee in her unputdownable novel tracing four generations of a 20th-century Korean family back to the time when Japan annexed the country in 1910, affecting the fates of all. I loved this book. Lee portrays the family's struggles against the backdrop of cultural and political unrest, as they endure fierce discrimination at the hands of the Japanese. Operatic and sprawling, every decision has a reverberating consequence in this intricate portrait of a little-explored period of history. I recommended this on episode 65 of What Should I Read Next. More info →

From the publisher: "Bingtown is a hub of exotic trade and home to a merchant nobility famed for its liveships—rare vessels carved from wizardwood, which ripens magically into sentient awareness. Now the fortunes of one of Bingtown’s oldest families rest on the newly awakened liveship Vivacia. For Althea Vestrit, the ship is her rightful legacy. For Althea's young nephew, wrenched from his religious studies and forced to serve aboard the Vivacia, the ship is a life sentence. But the fate of the ship—and the Vestrits—may ultimately lie in the hands of an outsider: the ruthless buccaneer captain Kennit, who plans to seize power over the Pirate Isles by capturing a liveship and bending it to his will." More info →