The demands and expectations of family are an overpowering force in this enthralling story about Dominican immigrants in the mid-1960s from Cruz (Let It Rain Coffee). Fifteen-year-old Ana Cancion, living in the Dominican countryside, becomes Ana Ruiz when she bends to her mother’s pressure ... Continue reading »

Originally published in the U.K. in 1967 under the title Private I, this exquisite series launch from British author Sangster (1927–2011) introduces John Smith, a former British spy working as a PI in London. Smith’s ex-wife, “one of those flowers that bloom in the warm glow of money,” hire... Continue reading »

Shaw’s delightful third novel featuring Dr. Greta Helsing (after Dreadful Company) is a quirky medical mystery that takes the reader to the streets of New York and Rome; a secret, exclusive French spa for mummies; and Dr. Faust’s hospital in Hell. Greta is invited to become the interim medi... Continue reading »

Desert clippers and light rail, magic-powered cellphones, black royalty, and a princess negotiating chronic illness bring both depth and delight to this kind, lighthearted romance. Once upon a time, Princess Abelia Olivia Jayne Venenza Ribaldi Porchenzii renounced matriarchal Brevspor’s throne for a... Continue reading »

Takei, best known for his role on Star Trek, relates the story of his family’s internment during WWII in this moving and layered graphic memoir. Japanese-Americans were classified as “Alien Enemy” after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor and were forced to relocate to camps when President Franklin... Continue reading »

An autobiographical speaker (a mother and first-generation American) catalogues the flotsam and jetsam of late-stage capitalism in the stunning sixth collection from Smith (Milk and Filth). With a prophetic voice rooted in awareness of a dying planet, 20 poems and a middle lyric sequence ar... Continue reading »

This entertaining tale from Johnson (A Sparkle of Silver) explores a woman’s slow process of forgiving herself. Anne Norris, disgraced and ashamed after serving time on “accessory to domestic terrorism” charges for unknowingly helping her boyfriend bomb an oil rig, has run from California t... Continue reading »

This beautiful and moving anthology celebrates the legacy of the world’s wartime camerawomen. Based on an exhibition at the Museum Kunstpalast in Düsseldorf, Germany, Beckman and Korn, both historians and curators, trace the careers of eight photographers, beginning with Gerda Taro, a trailblazing G... Continue reading »

This generous cookbook and travelogue will have readers booking trips to the Alps of Italy, France, Austria, and Switzerland. Despite Joe Beef coauthor Erickson’s protestation that “it’s not all about cheese,” the food (organized by country) is hearty: a typical Italian soup contains cabbag... Continue reading »

Greenstein (Essays on Biblical Method and Translation), a bible professor at Bar-Ilan University who has spent decades studying the Book of Job, shares the fruits of his labors in this excellent, accessible translation that supports his new interpretation of the famous text. Rather than por... Continue reading »

Caught in a brawl between romance and family expectations, Frank Li isn’t sure which one will knock him out first. His Korean immigrant parents have already disowned his sister for dating a non-Korean, so when Frank falls for a white classmate, he settles on a con. His partner in crime is fellow Kor... Continue reading »