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Fiction A to Z August 2026* |
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| Names Have Been Changed by Yu-Mei BalasingamchowOphir (one of our flawed-but-likeable narrator's many names) fled Singapore ten years ago. She'd agreed to hold $60,000 for a friend who was subsequently arrested, and, desperate to keep her own freedom, Ophir took the money and ran. Using fake identities, she found work in Japan, England, and the United States, before starting the confessional podcast that comprises this memorable debut. Try these next: Julie Chan Is Dead by Liann Zhang; Ruth Run by Elizabeth Kaufman. |
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| Lady X by Molly FaderAfter her Hollywood actor husband cheats, devastated Margot heads to Pittsburgh with her teen daughter to escape the press. In her childhood home, she finds information about 1970s vigilante Lady X, including a blurry news photo. In troubled 1977 New York City, Ginger and her two roommates stick together, so when one is assaulted, they get a bit of payback. Signing their handiwork Lady X, they inspire copycats. For fans of: atmospheric dual-timeline novels; fast-paced stories of fed-up women. |
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| Rasputin Swims the Potomac by Ben FountainIn the near future, reporter Clarence Thomas, Jr. (no relation) is at an unnamed U.S. president's political rally when a crying illness hits. At the White House, reality star turned comms aide Faith Spack helps handle the crisis. Then, charismatic pro wrestler Rasputin discovers he can cure the weeping. Running for his third term, the president sees Rasputin as a running mate...but Rasputin wants more in this "brilliant satire" (Publishers Weekly). For fans of: Lawrence Wright's Mr. Texas. |
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The Shampoo Effect: A Read with Jenna Pick by Jenny JacksonWhen Caroline Lash arrives in Greenhead, Massachusetts, she falls head-over-heels for Van Whittaker, a fleece-wearing, litter-collecting, kayak enthusiast with long, floppy hair and the personality of a Border collie. Born and raised in this picturesque coastal village, Van runs with the same crowd he did as a kid: His ex-girlfriend, Bailey, a beautiful girl who attracts men like moths to a flame; Augusta, old money, horsey, and snobbish; and Fran, surrounded by brothers and sons, too fed up with boys to ever consider marrying one. Together, the group runs wild through the marshes, beaches, and bars of Greenhead, drinking on houseboats, spending long afternoons sunbathing with their children, and playing games the way they always have. But when Bailey discovers that she is pregnant with Van's baby, the delicate balance of the group's friendship is thrown off. Soon Caroline is cast out of the circle and what she does next--in a potent mix of fury and heartbreak--exposes long-held secrets and works the entire town of Greenhead into a lather.
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| The Great Wherever by Shannon SandersUnderpaid 32-year-old Aubrey Lamb is still mourning her father when her boyfriend breaks up with her. Learning that she's inherited her dad's stake in a large Tennessee farm, she leaves D.C. to meet her three cousin co-owners, who explain their relative was one of the state's first Black landowners. Meanwhile, their ghostly ancestors watch, gossip, and discuss it all in this sweeping, witty, and moving debut. Read-alikes: Honorée Fanonne Jeffers's The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois; John Vercher's Devil Is Fine. |
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| Earth 7 by Deb Olin UnferthAfter Earth's depopulation, scientist Rosemary works to preserve DNA from various organisms. Her home is an underwater pod, where her daughter Dylan's only friend, online or otherwise, is Zee, part of a group on Mars. As Dylan grows older and lonelier, Rosemary takes a new job and the two move to a desert location where Dylan feels more at home, lands a job, and falls in love in this novel that spans decades. "A quirky, bold, and endearing masterpiece of climate fiction," raves Kirkus Reviews. |
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| Cool Machine by Colson WhiteheadTaking place in the 1980s, this lyrical, atmospheric 3rd in Colson Whitehead's acclaimed Harlem trilogy focuses on successful businessman and sometime criminal Ray Carney. First, Ray agrees to a heist in order to finance his wife's business. Five years later, he risks everything to help his dead cousin's son, who's mixed up with the wrong people. In 1983, Ray's friend Pepper finds himself looking for an expensive African mask in the East Village's gritty art and club scene. For fans of: atmospheric New York novels; Walter Mosley. |
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| The Jellyfish Problem by Tessa YangMarine biologist Dr. Jo Ness is mourning the loss of her best friend when she gets a call from one of the only other people she's ever been close to, inviting her to a small Maine island to investigate a strange jellyfish. When Jo arrives, her friend isn't there and the community members have different ideas about the giant, glowing animal they call Clementine and her strange effect on them. For fans of: novels about grief, friendship, and marine life, such as Shelby Van Pelt's Remarkably Bright Creatures. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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