|
|
New Fiction BooksJanuary 2026 |
Our Librarians have selected 10 of the newest fiction books in the collection. |
|
|
|
Sex of the Midwest by Robyn Ryle Set in Lanier, Indiana, Ryle’s linked stories follow townspeople whose lives are upended by a mysterious survey, revealing with humor and empathy the hidden struggles, connections and longings of a post-pandemic community navigating love, friendship and belonging.
|
|
|
|
Helm by Sarah Hall Blending folklore, history and science, Helm traces the legendary wind of Northern England through stories of those who sought to placate, banish, capture or embrace it, culminating in Dr. Selima Sutar’s modern struggle to understand whether human pollution is silencing a force once feared, loved and mythologized across centuries.
|
|
|
|
Bad Bad Girl by Gish Jen Tracing Loo Shu-hsin’s journey from a privileged yet constrained childhood in 1920s Shanghai to her struggles as an immigrant mother in America, this fictional memoir explores education, resilience, marriage and generational conflict, revealing how inherited expectations and repeated refrains shaped both her life and her daughter’s search for identity.
|
|
|
|
Bog Queen by Anna North When a remarkably preserved Iron Age body is uncovered in an English bog, American forensic anthropologist Agnes investigates its ancient mystery while navigating modern conflicts over the land, ultimately confronting questions about history, identity and her own place in the world.
|
|
|
|
The Unveiling by Quan Barry In this Antarctic-set novel, poet and playwright Quan Barry follows Striker, a Black film scout whose cruise turns into a fight for survival after disaster strands her with fellow travelers, exposing buried secrets, racial tensions and personal reckonings against a stark landscape where isolation and memory collide.
|
|
|
|
King Sorrow by Joe Hill At Rackham College in Maine, Arthur Oakes’s quiet life and romance unravel when he is coerced into stealing rare books, leading his friends into a daring plan involving a sinister journal, a summoned dragon and a perilous bargain that binds them to King Sorrow’s demand for yearly sacrifice.
|
|
|
|
Cursed Daughtersby Oyinkan BraithwaiteThe author relates the story of Eniiyi, a young woman burdened by a family curse and the belief that she is her cousin’s reincarnation, as she navigates love, superstition and generational secrets while seeking to break free from patterns of abandonment and tragedy that have defined the Falodun women.
|
|
|
|
The Haunting of Paynes Hollow by Kelley ArmstrongSamantha Payne inherits her family’s lakeside cottage under the condition she confront long-buried memories of her father’s alleged crime; as nightmares, missing relatives and eerie visions mount, she uncovers unsettling truths about family secrets and the haunting presence tied to the water’s edge.
|
|
|
|
Looking for Tank Man by Ha JinChinese student Pei Lulu’s encounter with a protester at Harvard sparks her discovery of the suppressed history of Tiananmen Square, leading her through family revelations and firsthand accounts in a coming-of-age story that explores memory, activism and the struggle to understand identity under authoritarian rule.
|
|
|
|
Town & Country by Brian Schaefer Set in the rural town of Griffin during a contentious congressional race, Town & Country follows candidates, families and second homeowners as shifting loyalties, personal grief and community tensions collide, offering a vivid portrait of belonging, identity and the fragile ties that define home.
|
|
|
|
Your Name Here by Helen DeWittHelen DeWitt and Ilya Gridneff craft an inventive, layered novel that blends literary history, global politics, dream analysis and experimental forms into a metafictional exploration of identity, creativity and the uncertain journey of becoming.
|
|
|
|
The Third Love by Hiromi Kawakami Riko escapes a troubled marriage by learning to inhabit her dreams, where she lives as a courtesan and a lady-in-waiting, experiences passion and loss, and ultimately reconsiders her identity as a modern woman, questioning love, loyalty and the possibility of a new beginning.
|
|
|
|
Orlanda by Jacqueline Harpman Literature professor Aline Berger experiences a startling split of consciousness that creates Lucien, a confident alter ego inspired by Virginia Woolf’s Orlando; as their lives intertwine across Paris and Belgium, the novel explores identity, desire and the confrontation with hidden aspects of the self.
|
|
|
|
|
|