海角大神

These are the fiction titles our reviewers liked best this month.

The Eights,听by Joanna Miller

In 1920, four young women make history 鈥� and waves 鈥� as part of Oxford University鈥檚 first female class. In the novel, the quartet becomes friends as they navigate belittling skepticism, overbearing rules, family stressors, and the ruinous reach of World War I. 鈥淧ersistence is the key to change,鈥� one character affirms. 鈥淧ersistence and ingenuity.鈥� 鈥� Erin Douglass

础迟补惫颈蝉迟蝉,听by Lydia Millet

Each story in this stellar collection comes with a label 鈥� therapist, artist, optimist 鈥� and a perspective from a linked cast of Los Angeles-area characters. From a floundering Stanford grad to a gap-year teen to an obsession-driven husband, Lydia Millet explores the habits, worries, and hopes of her flock of 鈥渁tavists鈥�: individuals grappling with ancient yearnings in newfound ways. 鈥� Erin Douglass

Fifteen Wild Decembers,听by Karen Powell

In her atmospheric novel, Karen Powell breathes new life into the story of how the Bront毛s, growing up in the Haworth parish house on the windswept, isolated West Yorkshire moors, came to write such classics as 鈥淛ane Eyre鈥� and 鈥淲uthering Heights.鈥� 鈥� Heller McAlpin

Full review here.听

Small Ceremonies,听by Kyle Edwards

Struggling to shake a losing streak, the St. Croix Tigers, Winnipeg鈥檚 North End hockey team, faces an uncertain future in Kyle Edwards鈥� pulsing, thoughtful novel. As the team鈥檚 First Nations players, fans, and also-rans shape their lives beyond the ice, generational trauma, addiction, and a paucity of choices loom large. Expansive as the prairie, it鈥檚 a forceful, lingering read. 鈥� Erin Douglass

Happy Land,听by Dolen Perkins-Valdez

When Nikki visits her grandmother in North Carolina, she stumbles on the Kingdom of the Happy Land. Established in the 1870s by her Black ancestors, the kingdom offered home and possibility to once-enslaved people willing to make the trek. The tale of self-
determination and memory is a winner. 鈥� Erin Douglass

Terrestrial History,听by Joe Mungo Reed

This imaginative climate-change tale captures a Scottish family鈥檚 quest to save the Earth. Reading Joe Mungo Reed鈥檚 time-traveling love letter to the planet is time well spent. 鈥� Stefanie Milligan

The Book Club for Troublesome Women,听by Marie Bostwick

Four women calling themselves 鈥淭he Bettys鈥� read and discuss Betty Friedan鈥檚 鈥淭he Feminine Mystique鈥� in 1960s northern Virginia. They juggle marriage and motherhood while dreaming of careers. Their friendship serves as a galvanizing force for breaking boundaries and becoming their true selves.听鈥� Stefanie Milligan

These are the nonfiction titles our reviewers liked best this month.听

The Once and Future World Order,听by Amitav Acharya

In global politics, some leaders see the West as integral to the international order. Others view Western hegemony as transitory by nature and as the source of many ills. Amitav Acharya鈥檚 book unfolds examples of non-Western societies across history that expressed democracy as filtered through their own cultures and values, demonstrating that the West holds no monopoly on democratic ideals. 鈥撎�Abhijnan Rej

The Illegals,听by Shaun Walker

Guardian correspondent Shaun Walker鈥檚 lively history immerses readers in the fascinating world of 鈥渢he illegals,鈥� Russian spies who spend years undergoing arduous training before infiltrating Western countries. Walker begins with the program鈥檚 roots in the Bolshevik Revolution and traces it through the Soviet era and up to its revival under President Vladimir Putin. 鈥� Barbara Spindel

Shots Heard Round the World,听by John Ferling

John Ferling, author of many books on the Revolutionary War, has written an 鈥渋nternational history鈥� of the conflict just in time for America鈥檚 semiquincentennial. His masterful account dramatically conveys the global significance of America鈥檚 long fight for independence while also illuminating the experiences of the war鈥檚 commanders and everyday soldiers. 鈥� Barbara Spindel