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Fiction A to Z September 2026 |
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| Make Nice by Ryan EffgenThree months after their mother's death, the dysfunctional Pickfords return to the quaint, kitschy Lake Michigan island where they once spent summers. But their problems come with them: sister Viv has recently learned her husband is gay, professor brother Pete has work concerns, irresponsible brother Corey is trying to sell stolen cocaine, Viv's surly teenager Ash has friend issues, and patriarch Harold holds big secrets. Read-alike: Fun for the Whole Family by Jennifer E. Smith. |
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| Chosen Family by Madeleine GrayIn Sydney, Australia, Nell and Eve meet at a posh all-girls high school, leading to a relationship that lasts 18 years, moving from friendship to something more to something else entirely. Partially told via a letter Eve writes after Nell abruptly leaves her and their seven-year-old daughter, this witty story features complex, flawed characters. Try this next: Erin O. White's Like Family. |
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| A Tender Age by Chang-Rae LeeGrowing up in 1970s New York State, Korean American Jeon-Gi and the other kids around his apartment complex are left to their own devices. His working-class immigrant parents dote on him, but an encounter with bullies finds him in trouble when he's ten. Sent to a Christian summer camp, he must adapt once again. As an adult looking back, Jeon-Gi ponders identity, choices, and childhood in this pensive, thought-provoking novel. Try this next: Edward Burns' A Kid from Marlboro Road. |
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| Beginning Middle End by Valeria LuiselliWhile on a European book tour, our narrator, who's gone through a long divorce, and her 12-year-old daughter spend time in Sicily, staying at a place near old ruins. The narrator's grandmother once worked at the archeological site there before she moved to Mexico, secretly taking an ancient mosaic tile that's become a family heirloom. Mixing mythology and history, this "masterpiece" (Publishers Weekly) by the author of Lost Children Archive digs into family, heritage, memory, and migration. |
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| It Will Come Back to You: Collected Stories by Sigrid NunezThis "masterful" (Publishers Weekly) collection of 13 short stories by a National Book Award winner serves up a variety of tales. Peopled with complex and memorable characters, the stories star a woman stuck at an airport, a brother and sister whose mom has dementia, and a man contemplating murder. For more lyrical short stories, try Rachel Khong's My Dear You or Lauren Groff's Brawler. |
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| The New People by Andrea UptmorAmid the Great Recession, newlyweds Emma and Rachel leave Chicago for a charming foreclosed-upon house in an Indiana town. While successful Rachel has a new tenure-track job and a bestselling book, Emma works as an adjunct while struggling with jealousy, their relocation, and a recent miscarriage. Meanwhile, desperate ex-homeowners Charlotte and Dirk secretly live in the attic, and when no one is home, resentful Charlotte moves items around the house. For fans of: character-driven debut novels exploring family relationships. |
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| Etna by Paul YoonAfter Etna is selected from his farm by Soojin, who can communicate with animals, he becomes a United States military dog, sniffing out bombs and more, amid an unnamed war in an unnamed country. The conflict ends after four years, and Etna quietly leaves one evening to try to find his way back home. Traveling a desolate land, he encounters others, human and animal, trying to restart their lives. For fans of: The Odyssey; thought-provoking stories narrated by animals. |
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