Alta Journal’s California Book Club
The book: California Rewritten by John Freeman
Our reviewer says: “Knopf executive editor Freeman delivers a wide-ranging if occasionally head-scratching critical survey of contemporary California literature.” Read more.
The book: The Wilderness by Angela Flournoy
Our reviewer says: “The stimulating sophomore effort from National Book Award finalist Flournoy follows five Black women over two decades of soul-searching and turmoil.... It’s a knockout.” Read more.
The book: How Women Made Music: A Revolutionary History from NPR Music, ed. Alison Fensterstock with Ann Powers
Our reviewer says: “Fensterstock, a contributor to NPR’s Turning the Tables draws from it and more than 50 years of the station’s coverage in a rich and resonant collection of essays, interview excerpts, and ephemera…. It’s a buoyant, welcome ode to some of the most influential songstresses of the 20th and 21st centuries.” Read more.
The book: Heart the Lover by Lily King
Our reviewer says: “King revisits the themes of her 2020 novel Writers & Lovers with this alluring if uneven story of fading youth and writerly ambition shaped by a love triangle.... Though this doesn’t quite have the staying power of King’s best work, it’s still hard to resist.” Read more.
The book: Out There Screaming ed. by Jordan Peele
Our reviewer says: For this electrifying anthology, horror movie director Peele brings together 19 Black authors to ‘give us their Sunken Places.’ ... This is essential reading for any horror fan.” Read more.
The book: Will There Ever Be Another You by Patricia Lockwood
Our reviewer says: “Lockwood portrays the lingering effects of Covid-19 on a successful author’s body and mind in this scintillating narrative.... This is a knockout.” Read more.
The book: Beloved by Toni Morrison
Our reviewer says: “Mixed with the lyric beauty of the writing, the fury in Morrison’s latest book is almost palpable.... It is Morrison writing at the height of her considerable powers, and it should not be missed.” Read more.
The book: Workhorse by Caroline Palmer
Good Morning America Book Club
The book: Twice by Mitch Albom
Our reviewer says: “Albom delivers a clever tale of second chances and their limits.... The author’s storytelling powers are on full display.” Read more.
Good Morning America YA Book Club
The book: Fake Skating by Lynn Painter
Our reviewer says: “In this breezy rom-com, Painter crafts a tangible feeling world in which the relationship stakes are never too high, and the white-cued characters’ chemistry is magnetic, ensuring a satisfying read for romance lovers.” Read more.
The book: We the People: A History of the U.S. Constitution by Jill Lepore
Our reviewer says: “Control of the U.S. Constitution as a ‘living’ and inevitably changing text has passed from the hands of the people to those of elites, argues bestselling historian Lepore in this stylish and clear-eyed study.” Read more.
Jewish Book Council Book Club (fiction)
The book: The Gossip Columnist’s Daughter by Peter Orner
Our reviewer says: “In Orner’s searching latest, struggling novelist Jed Rosenthal tells the story of Hollywood starlet Karyn ‘Cookie’ Kupcinet’s unsolved murder in 1963.... It’s a rewarding literary experiment.” Read more.
Jewish Book Council Book Club (nonfiction)
The book: Hostage by Eli Sharabi
The book: A Guardian and a Thief by Megha Majumdar
Our reviewer says: “Majumdar spins a luminous story of a family facing climate catastrophe and food scarcity in near-future Kolkata.... This proves once again that Majumdar is a master of the moral dilemma.” Read more.
The book: Prey by Michael Crichton
Our reviewer says: “From the opening pages of Crichton’s electrifying thriller, readers will know they are in the hands of a master storyteller.... The author is at the top of his considerable game here.” Read more.
The book: Ring Shout by P. Djèlí Clark
“Nebula Award winner Clark vividly reimagines the Ku Klux Klan’s second wave in this thrilling, provocative, and thoroughly badass fantasy.... Readers will be both captivated and entertained by this fast-paced alternate history, which doubles as a meditation on the all-consuming power of hate and violence.” Read more.
The book: The Bee Sting by Paul Murray
Our reviewer says: “Secret pasts, forbidden desires, and shattered illusions figure into this ambitious family drama from Murray.” Read more.
The book: Assata: An Autobiography by Assata Shakur
The book: The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen
Our reviewer says: “Nguyen’s poignant debut captures the perspectives of, and essence of the bond between, a parent and child, proving that language—and love—can transcend words.” Read more.
The book: The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
Our reviewer says: “British TV celebrity Osman mixes mirth and murder in his exceptional debut, a series launch featuring the four members of the Thursday Murder Club, residents of the Coopers Chase Retirement Village in Kent.” Read more.
The book: It’s Different This Time by Joss Richard
The book: The Irish Goodbye by Heather Aimee O’Neill
The book: Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab
Our reviewer says: “Bestseller Schwab unfolds an epic and emotionally resonant tale about three lesbian vampires connected through the centuries.... The result is a haunting and worthwhile story about cruelty, grace, love, and what it means to live forever.” Read more.
The book: The Book of Guilt by Catherine Chidgey
Our reviewer says: “In this devastating dystopian novel from Chidgey, WWII ended in a stalemate and by 1979 the horrifying results of German death camp experiments have led to a profound ethical dilemma in England.... It adds up to an intriguing morality tale.” Read more.
The book: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
The book: The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna
Our reviewer says: “A misfit witch finds her place in the world in this utterly enchanting fantasy from Mandanna.... This charming romantic fantasy is a gem.” Read more.
The book: The Lost Story of Eva Fuentes by Chanel Cleeton
The book: The Wilderness by Angela Flournoy
Our reviewer says: “The stimulating sophomore effort from National Book Award finalist Flournoy follows five Black women over two decades of soul-searching and turmoil.... It’s a knockout.” Read more.
