The book: An Autobiography of Skin by Lakiesha Carr
Our reviewer says: “With gorgeous prose and subtly spectral vibes, Carr’s striking debut delves into generational trauma with the stories of three Black women.” Read more.
Read with Jenna, the Jenna Bush Hager Book Club
The book: Black Candle Women by Diane Marie Brown
Our reviewer says: “Interspersed with flashbacks to 1950s New Orleans, this multiple POV narrative offers a holistic portrayal of voodoo practices, but doesn’t offer as well-rounded a portrait of its heroines, who come off oddly flat.” Read more.
The book: The Daughters of Madurai by Rajasree Variyar
Our reviewer says: “Despite its flaws, the complex mother-daughter story will move readers.” Read more.
Belletrist Book Club and Readers Digest Book Club
The book: What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez by Claire Jiménez
Our reviewer says: “A Staten Island Puerto Rican family reckons with the disappearance of a 13-year-old girl in Jiménez’s brilliant debut.” Read more.
The book: Front Desk by Kelly Yang
Our reviewer says: “Mia’s story is one of indefatigable hope and of triumph over injustice, and her voice is genuine and inspiring.” Read more.
The book: Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann
Our reviewer says: “New Yorker staff writer Grann (The Lost City of Z) burnishes his reputation as a brilliant storyteller in this gripping true-crime narrative. . .” Read more.
The book: The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Our reviewer says: “Though Thomas’s story is heartbreakingly topical, its greatest strength is in its authentic depiction of a teenage girl, her loving family, and her attempts to reconcile what she knows to be true about their lives with the way those lives are depicted—and completely undervalued—by society at large.” Read more.
The book: A Small Sacrifice for an Enormous Happiness by Jai Chakrabarti
Our reviewer says: “Finely wrought characters grapple with culture clash, marital strife, and the troubles of parenthood in Chakrabarti’s impressive collection.” Read more.
Good Morning America Book Club
The book: Pineapple Street by Jenny Jackson
Our reviewer says: “Jackson’s clever if tepid debut chronicles the struggles of three women born or married into an old-monied New York City family.” Read more.
Jewish Book Council (Fiction)
The book: My Mother's Secret: A Novel of the Jewish Autonomous Region by Alina Adams
Jewish Book Council (Nonfiction)
The book: Koshersoul: The Faith and Food Journey of an African American Jew by Michael W. Twitty
Our reviewer says: "Serving up a hefty helping of heart and wit, Twitty’s narrative is thrilling in its originality." Read more.
The book: Now You See Us by Balli Kaur Jaswal
Our reviewer says: “Jaswal effectively balances the murder mystery plot and the dramas of the individual women; they each take agency over their own lives and find, if not truly happy endings, at least satisfying ones.” Read more.
The book: The Guest List by Lucy Foley
Our reviewer says: “The tension of the setup isn’t quite matched by the reveals, though the nicely creepy setting compensates somewhat.” Read more.
The book: The Temple of My Familiar by Alice Walker
Our reviewer says: “[T]hough it has its own strengths, the book never achieves the narrative power of The Color Purple.” Read more.
The book: I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai
Our reviewer says: “Makkai returns after her Pulitzer-finalist The Great Believers with a clever and deeply thoughtful story involving a 1990s boarding school murder and its repercussions decades later.” Read more.
The book: Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano
Our reviewer says: "The author breathes great life into her characters, and brings insight into their quiet moments as they gradually come into their own." Read more.
The book: The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
Our reviewer says: “The bestselling author hits her stride in this page-turning tale about two sisters. . .” Read more.
The book: Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga
Our reviewer says: "Warga (My Heart and Other Black Holes) effectively shows, as she writes in an author’s note, that ‘children who are fleeing from a war zone... want the same things all of us do—love, understanding, safety, a chance at happiness.’" Read more.
