The book: Rental Person Who Does Nothing by Shoji Morimoto, translated by Don Knotting
Our reviewer says: "This meditative debut from Morimoto reflects on what he’s learned about work and life from his “rental person” service.... This is worth seeking out." Read more.
Alta Journal’s California Book Club
The book: The Gangster of Love by Jessica Hagedorn
Our reviewer says: "The second novel from the author of the NBA-nominated Dogeaters puts a young, female Rocky Rivera at the center of an immigrant family's experience." Read more.
The book: Lessons for Survival: Mothering Against the 'Apocalypse' by Emily Raboteau
Our reviewer says: "Through a mix of personal essay and reportage, creative writing professor Raboteau reflects on public art, climate change, the Covid-19 pandemic, and racialized violence." Read more.
The book: I Cheerfully Refuse by Leif Enger
Our reviewer says: "The transcendent latest from Enger is at once a dystopian love story, a nautical adventure, and a meditation on loss, kindness, and natural beauty.... This captivating narrative brims with hope." Read more.
The book: Dark Testament and Other Poems by Pauli Murray and Jimmy's Blues and Other Poems by James Baldwin
The book: Memory Piece by Lisa Ko
Our reviewer says: "Ko spans past, present, and future with the astute story of three Chinese American women from the New York City tristate area over the course of their lives.... This is a worthy follow-up to Ko’s striking debut." Read more.
The book: Finding Margaret Fuller by Allison Pataki
Our reviewer says: "Pataki takes readers on a trans-Atlantic journey in this winning fictional biography of Transcendentalist writer Margaret Fuller.... [F]ull of lush details about the life of an overlooked contributor to Transcendentalism and women’s rights." Read more.
Good Morning America Book Club
The book: Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez
Our reviewer says: "Bestseller Jimenez delivers an emotional tour de force in this intense tale of love, loss, and childhood trauma.... [A] clear-eyed and empathetic take on how childhood trauma can affect adult relationships." Read more.
Jewish Book Council Book Club (Fiction)
The book: The Passover Protocols by Ellen Frankel
Jewish Book Council Book Club (Noniction)
The book: Stranger in the Desert: A Family Story by Jordan Salama
The book: Dark Age by Pierce Brown
The book: Turtles All the Way Down by John Green
Our reviewer says: "In an age where troubling events happen almost weekly, this deeply empathetic novel about learning to live with demons and love one's imperfect self is timely and important." Read more.
The book: Walden by Henry David Thoreau
The book: Beautyland by Marie-Helene Bertino
Our reviewer says: "The triumphant latest from Bertino (Parakeet) offers a wryly comic critique of social conventions from the perspective of a woman who also happens to be an alien from another planet." Read more.
The book: Waiting to Exhale by Terry McMillan
Our reviewer says: "A racy, zesty, irreverent and absorbing book with broad mainstream appeal, McMillan's third novel tells the stories of four 30ish black women bound together in warm, supportive friendship and in their dwindling hopes of finding Mr. Right." Read more.
The book: The Downstairs Girl by Stacey Lee
Our reviewer says: "[T]his captivating novel explores intersectionality, conveys the effects of restrictions placed on women and people of color, and celebrates the strengths and talents of marginalized people struggling to break society’s barriers in any age." Read more.
The book: The Other Valley by Scott Alexander Howard
Our reviewer says: "Howard debuts with a moving tale of time travel and teen friendship.... This will leave readers with plenty to chew on." Read more.
The book: The Husbands by Holly Gramazio
Our reviewer says: "Video game designer Gramazio debuts with a charming speculative novel about a woman’s difficulty settling on a mate.... [T]here’s plenty of intelligence and candor in the author’s creative spin on the conundrum of commitment." See more.
The book: The Most Fun We Ever Had by Claire Lombardo
Our reviewer says: "Lombardo captures the complexity of a large family with characters who light up the page with their competition, secrets, and worries." Read more.
The book: A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle
The book: A Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faizal
Our reviewer says: "Faizal draws on well-known adventure tropes then delightfully subverts them via sumptuous writing, making for a sublime heist novel and revenge tale." Read more.
The book: How to End a Love Story by Yulin Kuang
Our reviewer says: "Screenwriter Kuang’s debut beautifully probes the lingering effects of grief and guilt while offering readers a glimpse behind the curtain of Hollywood glamour." Read more.
The book: The Hearing Test by Eliza Barry Callahan
Our reviewer says: "Callahan debuts with a magnificent stream-of-consciousness narrative portraying a young New York City artist as her hearing deteriorates.... [A] bracing immersion into the world of the senses." Read more.
