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| Their Divine Fires by Wendy ChenThis lyrical debut novel follows the life of a Chinese woman who marries for love in 1927 as well as the lives of her daughter, who tragically never knows her father; her twin granddaughters, who take very different paths from each other; and her American great-granddaughter, who digs into her family history. For fans of: Real Americans by Rachel Khong; Banyan Moon by Thao Thai. |
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| This Strange Eventful History by Claire MessudTouching on themes of identity and home, this buzzy book by an award-winning author follows an uprooted French Algerian pieds-noir family and their descendants as they move around the world between 1940 and 2010. "Brilliant and heart-wrenching" (Kirkus Reviews), this novel was inspired by the author's family. Read-alikes: The Art of Losing by Alice Zeniter; My Beloved Life by Amitava Kumar; French Braid by Anne Tyler. |
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| Sandwich by Catherine NewmanRocky, her husband, her two kids, and her mom and dad have been going to the same Cape Cod rental for 20 years. This year, things feel different as Rocky navigates hot flashes, aging parents, nostalgia for her kids' youth, and old secrets in a funny, fast-paced, and moving novel that's perfect for beach reading. Read-alikes: Vacationland by Meg Mitchell Moore; A Good Life by Virginie Grimaldi; Tom Lake by Ann Patchett. |
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| Allow Me to Introduce Myself by Onyi NwabineliAnuri Chinasa grew up famous as the star of her stepmother's social media accounts. Now 25 and in therapy, she's suing her stepmother to remove all photos of her, while trying to save her five-year-old half-sister from the same fate. Great for book clubs, this London-set novel offers a thought-provoking, witty look at self-discovery and momfluencers. For fans of: People Person by Candice Carty-Williams; The Bright Side of Going Dark by Kelly Harms. |
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| Whale Fall by Elizabeth O'ConnorManod is 18 years old in 1938 when a whale washes up on her remote Welsh island, drawing outside attention, including that of two Oxford ethnographers who want to study the 12 island families. Happy for a connection to the wider world, Manod agrees to help, a move she may regret. For other reflective and atmospheric novels, try Clear by Carys Davies or A Northern Light in Provence by Elizabeth Birkelund. |
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| Godwin by Joseph O'NeillTwo incisive, connected storylines make up this "wonderous novel" (Booklist). Mark Wolfe, a technical writer at a Pittsburgh cooperative, heads to England to help his struggling soccer scout half-brother locate a young African phenom known only as Godwin. Back in the states, the co-op's steady cofounder, Lakesha, deals with major work problems. For fans of: How Beautiful We Were by Imbolo Mbue; Selection Day by Aravind Adiga. |
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| Enlightenment by Sarah PerryIn 1997 Essex, England, Thomas Hart is a secretly gay newspaper columnist and the godfather of 17-year-old Grace Macaulay. As the Comet Hale-Bopp approaches, he becomes enamored by both the sky and an old letter related to a ghostly legend, while Grace falls for a local boy in a novel that "magnificently evokes the wonder of the cosmos" (Publishers Weekly). Read-alikes: The Djinn Waits a Hundred Years by Shubnum Khan; The Comet Seekers by Helen Sedgwick. |
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| Bear by Julia PhillipsIn Washington's San Juan Islands, two 20-something sisters work dead-end jobs and care for their dying mother. They talk about a future on the mainland, but when a bear suddenly shows up, one sister sees danger, while the other sees a magical beacon of hope, leading to the unraveling of their plans in this unsettling tale. Read-alikes: The Alternatives by Caoilinn Hughes; The Blue Window by Suzanne Berne. |
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| Fire Exit by Morgan TaltyCharles Lamosway grew up on the Penobscot Reservation with his mom and Native American stepdad, but had to leave when he was 18 since he isn't Native. Now nearing 60, he attends AA meetings, helps his mom who has dementia, and looks across the river from his home to the reservation, keeping an eye on his secret daughter and wondering if he should tell her who he is. Read-alikes: The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters; There There by Tommy Orange. |
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| Cinema Love by Jiaming TangIn 1980s China, gay men safely meet at the Workers' Cinema in Fuzhou, where ticket seller Bao Mei tries to protect them. But when Old Second's relationship with married Shun-Er is discovered by Shun-Er's wife, it results in Shun-Er's suicide, and eventually, the rest of the characters moving to New York City in this acclaimed debut that also covers the 1990s and 2020s. Read-alikes: The Emperor and the Endless Palace by Justinian Huang; Bad Habit by Alana Portero. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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