Jin’s stunning debut follows 17-year-old Liya on her journey to China with the ashes of her recently deceased mother, a mysterious and mercurial woman whom Liya both loved and resented. Su Lan, her mother, was a former physicist from China who died in America, where she had lived and worked for near... Continue reading »

Set in post-WWII England, Airth’s outstanding sixth John Madden mystery (after 2017’s The Death of Kings) takes retired Scotland Yard chief inspector Angus Sinclair, a series regular, to Hampshire to visit friends. From his host, Sinclair learns that Greta Hartmann, the local church’s Germa... Continue reading »

Stephens closes her grimdark Godblind Trilogy (after Darksoul) in spectacular style, dexterously balancing heroism, savagery, and heartache. The city of Rilpor has fallen to the invading Mireces, led by King Corvus, but the loss of their evil god, the Dark Lady, leaves their victory a hollo... Continue reading »

Rapid-fire repartee and a struggle for self-acceptance underpin this playful, steamy Regency retelling of “Beauty and the Beast” from Howard (What a Scot Wants). Lady Astrid Everleigh is livid when she learns her greedy uncle intends to marry off her younger sister, Isobel, to the Earl of B... Continue reading »

It’s been a long time since a shake-up of a traditional newspaper serial strip attracted as much attention as this clever reboot, drawn by pseudonymous cartoonist Jaimes (whose identity is hotly speculated). Jaimes’s version of the venerable 80-year-old strip reads, on the surface, like a parody of ... Continue reading »

In this ruminative, endlessly clever book, Pulitzer Prize–winner Hass (The Apple Trees at Olema) turns his eye toward nature, love, and even drone strikes, as, when chronicling a visit to a Las Vegas Air Force base for a protest, he juxtaposes the specter of commerce at a nearby casino with... Continue reading »

Christy Award–winner Dickerson (The Merchant’s Daughter) reimagines the Pied Piper story in this excellent installment to her Hagenheim series, set in 1424 in the German region of the Holy Roman Empire. Katerina, a fiercely private and emotionally guarded warrior-maiden, is determined to pr... Continue reading »

Lives lived in shadows and corners are lit up in these offbeat photo-journalistic essays. Journalist and Dartmouth writing professor Sharlet (The Family) roams several continents, snapping smartphone photos he posts on Instagram and talking to people: night-shift workers at a Dunkin Donuts ... Continue reading »

In this mouthwatering array of recipes, the Lui sisters highlight creations from their London bakery and tea house Cutter & Squidge. They offer more than 60 recipes utilizing only natural colors and flavorings with vegan and gluten-free options suitable for all skill levels, derived from both their ... Continue reading »

Anthropologist and Louisiana folk magic “rootworker” Alvarado (The Voodoo Doll Spellbook) rejects the sensational accounts of voodoo queen Marie Laveau (1801–1881) to present a comprehensive, intensely researched, and imminently readable narrative of her life and spirituality. Alvarado exam... Continue reading »

Lyrical language and detailed watercolors capture a child’s first-person observations on a snowy city outing. Framed with the repeated phrase “my winter city,” the text mixes sharply observed sights, sounds, and feelings to evoke place specifics: “My winter city is a soup of salty slushes, full of s... Continue reading »