Fiction

Women’s Hotel

Daniel M. Lavery, author of Something That May Shock and Discredit You, makes his historical fiction debut with Women’s Hotel, a slice-of-life comedy following the residents of a hotel for young working women in 1960s New York City. Lavery was Slate’s Dear Prudence columnist from 2016–2021, and his humor, curiosity and empathy lend themselves perfectly to this charming subject matter.

Daniel M. Lavery, author of Something That May Shock and Discredit You, makes his historical fiction debut with Women’s Hotel, a slice-of-life comedy following the residents of a hotel for young working women in 1960s New York City. Lavery was Slate’s Dear Prudence columnist from 2016–2021, and his humor, curiosity and empathy lend themselves perfectly […]

There Are Rivers in the Sky

By Elif Shafak

For decades, Elif Shafak’s fiction has deftly explored politics, culture and human rights, and her 2019 novel, 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World, was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. Her latest, There Are Rivers in the Sky, moves across time between London and Turkey, the Tigris and the Thames, as three disparate characters pay homage to the Epic of Gilgamesh and to the power of water.

For decades, Elif Shafak’s fiction has deftly explored politics, culture and human rights, and her 2019 novel, 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World, was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. Her latest, There Are Rivers in the Sky, moves across time between London and Turkey, the Tigris and the Thames, as three disparate characters […]

The Last Dream

By Pedro Almodóvar, Translated by Frank Wynne

Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar is the creator of iconic movies including Talk to Her, All About My Mother and Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown. In The Last Dream, Almodóvar shares his unique, campy and affecting vision in 12 stories, some of which were written almost six decades ago, now translated into English by Frank Wynne. Expect elements of autobiography as well as insight into his filmmaking process.

Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar is the creator of iconic movies including Talk to Her, All About My Mother and Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown. In The Last Dream, Almodóvar shares his unique, campy and affecting vision in 12 stories, some of which were written almost six decades ago, now translated into English […]

How Does That Make You Feel, Magda Eklund?

By Anna Montague

2024 has brought a number of beautiful novels exploring aging and the experiences of older protagonists, from Julia Alvarez’s The Cemetery of Untold Stories to Claire Lombardo’s Same as It Ever Was. Even in such company, Anna Montague’s debut, How Does That Make You Feel, Magda Eklund?, stands out as the surest bet to bring on both laughter and tears. Magda is a psychiatrist just entering her 70s who sets off on a cross-country road trip accompanied by the ashes of her best friend, hoping to finally face what was left unresolved in their friendship.

2024 has brought a number of beautiful novels exploring aging and the experiences of older protagonists, from Julia Alvarez’s The Cemetery of Untold Stories to Claire Lombardo’s Same as It Ever Was. Even in such company, Anna Montague’s debut, How Does That Make You Feel, Magda Eklund?, stands out as the surest bet to bring […]

Entitlement

By Rumaan Alam

In Leave the World Behind author Rumaan Alam’s latest, Brooke, a Black New Yorker in her early 30s, is trying to find fulfillment in her administrative job at a charitable foundation, a position her mother believes is beneath her. Then the 83-year-old billionaire behind the foundation decides to make her his protege, and Brooke is drawn in—by the opportunity to make her mark funding worthy causes, and even more so by the seductive, blinding glare of his extreme wealth. If you miss HBO’s Succession, put Entitlement on your TBR.

In Leave the World Behind author Rumaan Alam’s latest, Brooke, a Black New Yorker in her early 30s, is trying to find fulfillment in her administrative job at a charitable foundation, a position her mother believes is beneath her. Then the 83-year-old billionaire behind the foundation decides to make her his protege, and Brooke is […]

Creation Lake

By Rachel Kushner

Rachel Kushner’s novels never fail to thrill, and Creation Lake has a particular intrigue. “Sadie Smith,” an American secret agent, narrates her mission to infiltrate a group of environmentalist anarchists in rural France. As she ruthlessly puppeteers the people around her, she is drawn to Bruno Lacombe, the faceless leader of the subversives who communicates only by email—and just might be playing her.

Rachel Kushner’s novels never fail to thrill, and Creation Lake has a particular intrigue. “Sadie Smith,” an American secret agent, narrates her mission to infiltrate a group of environmentalist anarchists in rural France. As she ruthlessly puppeteers the people around her, she is drawn to Bruno Lacombe, the faceless leader of the subversives who communicates […]

Colored Television

By Danzy Senna

The mismatch between the artistic process and the demands of the publishing industry has made many a writer jaded—a tension that is exacerbated when an author’s work deals with race, as R.F. Kuang’s Yellowface brilliantly demonstrated. Frustrated writers may even be tempted to try another industry. In Danzy Senna’s latest, biracial author Jane Gibson does just that, seeking financial stability by selling her manuscript to Hollywood . . . and the results aren’t pretty.

The mismatch between the artistic process and the demands of the publishing industry has made many a writer jaded—a tension that is exacerbated when an author’s work deals with race, as R.F. Kuang’s Yellowface brilliantly demonstrated. Frustrated writers may even be tempted to try another industry. In Danzy Senna’s latest, biracial author Jane Gibson does […]

The City and Its Uncertain Walls

By Haruki Murakami, Translated by Philip Gabriel

No one writes like Haruki Murakami, and his every release spurs massive excitement. For longtime fans, The City and Its Uncertain Walls incorporates familiar elements, like the Town you must give up your shadow to enter, while still delighting with a fresh plot and characters. In true Murakami fashion, this book doesn’t quite fit into one mold—fantasy? a romance? a parable?—but rather offers something for everyone.

No one writes like Haruki Murakami, and his every release spurs massive excitement. For longtime fans, The City and Its Uncertain Walls incorporates familiar elements, like the Town you must give up your shadow to enter, while still delighting with a fresh plot and characters. In true Murakami fashion, this book doesn’t quite fit into […]

Veronica

By Mary Gaitskill

A white-hot novel documenting the friendship that arises between two very different women, Veronica is a heady, hallucinatory narrative—another walk on the wild side from a writer who has never shied from tackling potentially contentious topics.

A white-hot novel documenting the friendship that arises between two very different women, Veronica is a heady, hallucinatory narrative—another walk on the wild side from a writer who has never shied from tackling potentially contentious topics.

The Shuttle

By Frances Hodgson Burnett

If you loved Downton Abbey or wish the works of Edith Wharton were a little less mannered, put Frances Hodgson Burnett’s The Shuttle on your reading list.

If you loved Downton Abbey or wish the works of Edith Wharton were a little less mannered, put Frances Hodgson Burnett’s The Shuttle on your reading list.

Outer Dark

By Cormac McCarthy

Long before venturing southwest with Blood Meridian, Cormac McCarthy plumbed his native Appalachia for visceral cruelty and mythological beauty in Outer Dark.

Long before venturing southwest with Blood Meridian, Cormac McCarthy plumbed his native Appalachia for visceral cruelty and mythological beauty in Outer Dark.

Long Island

By Colm Tóibín, Narrated by Jessie Buckley

Oscar-nominated Irish actress Jessie Buckley gives nuanced voices to Eilis Lacey’s Irish relatives and Italian American in-laws in the audio version of Long Island, Colm Tóibin’s sequel to Brooklyn.

Oscar-nominated Irish actress Jessie Buckley gives nuanced voices to Eilis Lacey’s Irish relatives and Italian American in-laws in the audio version of Long Island, Colm Tóibin’s sequel to Brooklyn.

Between This World and the Next

By Praveen Herat

Praveen Herat’s prizewinning debut thriller, Between This World and the Next, paints a vivid, knowledgeable portrait of a threatening political netherworld, including breakaway states like Transnistria.

Praveen Herat’s prizewinning debut thriller, Between This World and the Next, paints a vivid, knowledgeable portrait of a threatening political netherworld, including breakaway states like Transnistria.

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