Have you ever read a book that is so well-written that it makes you absolutely angry that you don’t like it? That’s me with Daniel M. Lavery’s Meeting New People (HarperVIA 2026). He is such a talented writer – just so smart and so funny – but I couldn’t bring myself to like it. WhyContinue reading “MEETING NEW PEOPLE – Daniel M. Lavery”
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THE YOUNG WILL REMEMBER – Eve J. Chung
“I am in such despair that everything looks like a noose. But then I remember that I cannot leave, or you will have no home to return to. And so I stay.” Eve J. Chung’s The Young Will Remember (Berkley 2026) is a captivating historical fiction novel that takes a deep dive into the humanityContinue reading “THE YOUNG WILL REMEMBER – Eve J. Chung”
RETURNS AND EXCHANGES – Kayla Rae Whitaker
Kayla Rae Whitaker’s Returns and Exchanges (Random House 2026) is likely going to wind up in my top five reads of the year – most definitely in the top ten. Spanning 1979-2015, the novel follows one Kentucky family – a rags to riches to reckoning story of resilience and risking it all to be seen,Continue reading “RETURNS AND EXCHANGES – Kayla Rae Whitaker”
AFTERNOON HOURS OF A HERMIT – Patrick Cottrell
Patrick Cottrell’s Afternoon Hours of a Hermit ( ECCO 2026) comes with some pretty hefty blurbs – Bryan Washington, Katie Kitamura and Rita Bullwinkle to hit the Booker and NBA names – and I can see why; the novel has that “je ne sais quoi” that makes it smell “Bookery.” It’s a noir detective novel,Continue reading “AFTERNOON HOURS OF A HERMIT – Patrick Cottrell”
A BEAUTIFUL LOAN – Mary Costello
“How to understand why we do what we do, or tolerate what we tolerate, or love who we love.” Named for a concept from the Quran where giving charity or lending to others for the sake of Allah is described as a beautiful loan (Christianity and Judaism have similar concepts), Mary Costello’s A Beautiful LoanContinue reading “A BEAUTIFUL LOAN – Mary Costello”
OPEN WIDE – Jessica Gross
Rarely do I DNF a book. Simply not finishing a read is something I cannot wrap my head around, at least for me. If it works for you, great. But I do not DNF. Or rather, it is extremely rare. I dnf’d Jessica Gross’s Open Wide when I reached page twenty. I enjoy insane firstContinue reading “OPEN WIDE – Jessica Gross”
PORCUPINES – Fran Fabriczki
“And after all, every story is a manipulation in one way or another.” Fran Fabriczki’s debut novel, Porcupines ( Summit Books 2026), shows a lot of promise but ultimately falls just short of the mark because it under-delivers in each timeline, bringing us to a rather unsatisfying conclusion. I love the idea – but IContinue reading “PORCUPINES – Fran Fabriczki”
SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER – Vincent Yu
Seek Immediate Shelter by Vincent Yu ( Flatiron 2026) was a bit of a disappointment. The novel is a series of interconnected short stories about residents of a small Asian-American community in Massachusetts following a false ballistic missile alert. There is one section that takes place months after the alert and piggy-backs on an earlierContinue reading “SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER – Vincent Yu”
THE BOOK OF GOOSE – Yiyun Li
“If my geese ever dream, they alone know that the world will never be allowed even a glimpse of those dreams, and they alone know the world has no right to judge them. I live like my geese.” Despite this being my “library” year, I am getting to some of the books on my physicalContinue reading “THE BOOK OF GOOSE – Yiyun Li”
CANON – Paige Lewis
“They only bite what they don’t understand, which means, in this dream, Yara is biting everything.” Paige Lewis’s Canon (Viking 2026) is one whackadoodle of a book. This “nonbinary epic” will have you rolling. The bard of this tale and the distinctive voice of the storyteller throughout the novel is fantastic. The chapter headings areContinue reading “CANON – Paige Lewis”
A Girl Named Tommi 