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Under the RadarJuly 2025
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Awake in the floating city : a novel
by Susanna Kwan
In a flooded city, grieving artist Bo is drawn back to life by a prickly elderly neighbor, Mia, whose stories and memories inspire her to find purpose in documenting their disappearing world and reclaiming her art before it's lost forever.
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Bad nature : a novel
by Ariel Courage
"Armed with a terminal diagnosis, a grudge, and a rental car, forty-year-old Hester sets out to fulfill her lifelong dream of killing her father in this brilliantly subversive and bleakly funny novel It's Hester's fortieth birthday when she's diagnosed with terminal cancer, and she knows immediately what she must do: abandon her possessions and drive to California to kill her estranged father. With no friends or family tying her to the life she's built in New York City, she quits her wildly lucrative jobin corporate law and sets off. She hasn't made it far when she runs into John, an environmental activist in need of a ride to different superfund sites across the United States. From five-star Midwestern hotels to cultish Southwestern compounds, the two slowly make their way across the country. But will the revelations they make along the way dissuade Hester from her final goal? Ragingly singular and surprisingly moving, Bad Nature is a story of stunning detours and twists until its final destination. Part road trip novel, part revenge tale, part a lament of our ongoing ecological crisis, it's ultimately a deft examination of the indulgence of holding grudges, moral ambivalence, and the eternal possibility of redemption"
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Disappoint me : a novel
by Nicola Dinan
Approaching thirty, a trans woman, Max, attempts to embrace heteronormativity by dating Vincent, but as his past resurfaces, she must use love and forgiveness to determine whether it's possible to move beyond her dissatisfaction and their shared mistakes.
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Eleven percent : a novel
by Maren Uthaug
"An inverse The Handmaid's Tale that asks: What if women took over the world? It is the New Time, a time not so different from our own except that the men are gone. All but eleven percent of them, that is, the minimum required to avoid inbreeding. But they are safely under lock and key in "spa" centers for women's pleasure (trained by amazons to fulfill all desires) and procreation. A few women protest that the males should be treated better - more space, better food, but all agree that testosterone cannot be allowed to roam free. The old patriarchal cities are crumbling, becoming overgrown; people now live in "round communities." But if you prefer the slum, that's okay too. Religion has survived, sort of: women priestesses speak in tongues, inspired by snake venom, as apples are passed around to the congregation. But all social engineering has its costs... Four different lives intersect: Medea, a tiny, long-haired witch and snake whisperer; Wicca, a young priestess who excelled at the "self-pleasuring" curriculum in school and has lost her pregnant lover; Eva, a doctor working in a spa center, and Silence, who lives in an almost abandoned convent. Each will discover the cracks in this women's paradise. Provocative, irreverent, and completely riveting, Eleven Percent-a #1 bestseller in Denmark-is the first novel to appear in English by celebrated Danish author Maren Uthaug"
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Favorite daughter : a novel
by Morgan Dick
When estranged half-sisters, Mickey and Arlo, unknowingly connect as therapist and patient due to their late father's manipulative will, secrets unravel, tensions ignite and they face a collision course that could either destroy or heal their fractured lives.
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Immaculate conception : a novel
by Ling Ling Huang
Desperate to stay close to her brilliant but distant best friend Mathilde, struggling artist Enka uses cutting-edge technology to absorb her bestie's trauma, blurring their identities and setting off a chilling series of events with catastrophic consequences.
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Old school Indian : a novel
by Aaron John Curtis
A coming-of-middle-age novel about an Ahkwesáhsne man's reluctant return home and what it takes to heal.
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Things left unsaid : a novel
by Sara Jafari
"A dazzling, electrifying, and thought-provoking novel for readers of Maame and Honey Girl, Things Left Unsaid is a mesmerizing and deeply-felt exploration of discovering your place in the world and the lasting power of love. When twenty-six year old Shirin Bayat bumps into Kian at a house party in London, she is taken aback by the immediate feelings that resurface. It's been a decade since they were close friends at school, before painful events pulled them apart, suddenly and seemingly forever. Ever since, Shirin has lived with the aching weight of things left unsaid between them. Now they're back in each other's lives, at a time when Shirin needs someone she can trust the most. Feeling stuck in a sea of slippery friendships and deeply burned out by her publishing job, Kian is a bright light amongst a sea of gray. There's nothing worse than losing the person you trust most with your deepest secrets and desires, and Shirin and Kian are determined to hold tightly to each other. But of course, life often has other plans. Will it be different this time around, or are Shirin and Kian destined to fall apart once more? "A delicate yet impactful look at depression, disillusioned dreams, second chances at love and the power of bravery. What a book!" - Jessica George "Intricate and deft...Jafari has written a total stunner." - Amy Jo Burns, author of Mercury"
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To have and have more
by Sanibel
Told through the eyes of a Korean girl adopted into a wealthy white family, this darkly funny debut explores casual racism, privilege, and the complexities of friendship.
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What will people think? : a novel
by Sara Hamdan
Mia's Almas' secret comedy career, forbidden office crush and a long-guarded family secret take center stage, threatening her newfound confidence and her one shot at fame.
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