海角大神

Fiction

础尘颈迟测,听by Nathan Harris

Book-loving, risk-averse Coleman journeys from New Orleans to Mexico in 1866 to find his sister, June, and the greedy patriarch who once enslaved them. Vivid, evocative, and thoughtful, Nathan Harris鈥� story of courage and character is an absolute winner.

滨蝉辞濒补,听by Allegra Goodman

Allegra Goodman鈥檚 novel follows the story of real-life French noblewoman Marguerite de la Rocque de Roberval in 1542. Orphaned at 3 years old and robbed of her fortune, she鈥檚 dragged aboard a ship sailing for New France by her guardian, only to be abandoned on a desolate island. Her transformation 鈥� and ignited faith 鈥� is astonishing.

Good Dirt,聽by Charmaine Wilkerson

Charmaine Wilkerson tells the story of Ebby Freeman, her grief-encumbered family, and a treasured clay jar crafted by their enslaved ancestor. Yanked into the spotlight as a child by tragedy, Ebby finds herself again in its glare after a wedding day humiliation. Wilkerson鈥檚 winning novel shifts between Ebby鈥檚 mental health escape to France and the family鈥檚 resilient, 19th-century predecessors. Fortitude and forgiveness abound.

Vera Wong鈥檚 Guide to Snooping (on a Dead Man),聽by Jesse Q. Sutanto

This charming sequel has everything that made the first book such a treat 鈥� found family, generosity, outstanding food 鈥� and ups the stakes with a mystery that adds an unexpected gravitas. Jesse Q. Sutanto writes about her own mother being scammed, and the poignancy and compassion she brings to her characters make 鈥淰era Wong鈥� an antidote for our all-too-selfish times.

The Emperor of Gladness,聽by Ocean Vuong

At the heart of Ocean Vuong鈥檚 achingly beautiful novel 鈥淭he Emperor of Gladness鈥� is a despairing, bookish 19-year-old Vietnamese American man who forges unexpected bonds with strangers. These include an 82-year-old World War II refugee from Lithuania and co-workers at a fast-food restaurant. Vuong, a prizewinning poet, evokes the beauty of a depressed, postindustrial Connecticut river town in language that shimmers.

Maya & Natasha,聽by Elyse Durham

Two Soviet-era dancers 鈥� twin sisters 鈥� vie for a single slot at the famed Kirov Ballet. The lengths to which either sister will go to derail the other鈥檚 career testifies to the desperation of artists hemmed in by a repressive government. Ambition, love, cruelty, and the longing for forgiveness circle one another warily in Elyse Durham鈥檚 darkly atmospheric debut novel.

The Correspondent,聽by Virginia Evans

In Virginia Evans鈥� debut novel, protagonist Sybil Van Antwerp believes 鈥渞eaching out in correspondence is really one of the original forms of civility in the world.鈥� She and her correspondents navigate life鈥檚 troubles while searching for forgiveness, love, and second chances. Have your tissues handy.聽

础濒濒别驳谤辞,听by Ariel Dorfman

鈥淎llegro鈥� features Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart trying to track down the truth about the last days of Johann Sebastian Bach. And as if that鈥檚 not enough composers to fill a symphony hall, a letter delivered to George Frideric Handel might hold an important clue. Ariel Dorfman clearly has a reverence for both classical music and its history. As for the solution? 鈥淚 think the answer is always music,鈥� Mozart says.

The Dream Hotel,聽by Laila Lalami

In Laila Lalami鈥檚 unnerving speculative novel, archivist Sara Hussein is detained for having a problematic 鈥渞isk score鈥� due to violent dreams. Baffled, desperate, and increasingly enraged, Sara builds alliances,聽battles hopelessness, and strains to demonstrate her innocence in the face of institutional suspicion and weaponized data. Privacy never sounded so good.聽

The Impossible Fortune,聽by Richard Osman

The Thursday Murder Club is back, and the younger generation is in need of an assist from the Coopers Chase Retirement Village gang. Richard Osman knows why readers love his quartet, and this outing features narrative asides from Joyce, conniving from Elizabeth, and the unexpected delight of Ibrahim on the dance floor.

The Wayfinder,聽by Adam Johnson

Adam Johnson plunges readers into the South Seas. Faced with dwindling resources on a remote island, young K艒rero and her family yearn to set sail for their ancestral home. But warmongering kings, dynastic turmoil, and uncharted oceans await. Mighty and mythic, the novel is a captivating saga about endurance and purpose.聽

Going Home,聽by Tom Lamont

A trio of unlikely British men are tasked with unexpected fatherhood duties in the care of a delightfully inquisitive 4-year-old named Joel. The novel鈥檚 unforgettable characters and emphasis on caregiving and friendship spread a poignant and joyful message.

A Case of Mice and Murder,聽by Sally Smith

Shy barrister Gabriel Ward loves his quiet life in the Inner Temple, surrounded by his books and routines. Then the lord chief justice of England ends up dead 鈥� and barefoot 鈥� on Gabriel鈥檚 doorstep. The mouse in question is a literary one: Gabriel is defending the publisher of a children鈥檚 book. The setting is ingenious, and Sally Smith carries off the interlinking plots with aplomb.

Nonfiction

We the People,聽by Jill Lepore

Jill Lepore鈥檚 sweeping history of the U.S. Constitution focuses on the amendment process, arguing that the Founders intended the document to be revised. Polarization has made the ratification of new amendments nearly impossible, and Lepore warns that authoritarianism and political violence are more likely when the Constitution cannot be adapted to the times.

叠耻肠办濒别测,听by Sam Tanenhaus

William F. Buckley Jr., editor of the conservative National Review, shaped the conservative wing of the Republican Party. Joe McCarthy, Barry Goldwater, and Ronald Reagan were all indebted to Buckley鈥檚 intellectual leadership. Sam Tanenhaus brings the iconic figure to life in this evenhanded, insightful, and well-written biography.聽

The Place of Tides,聽by James Rebanks

James Rebanks, an English farmer, writes about how he found renewal during a stay on the Norwegian island of Fj忙r酶y assisting one of the last 鈥渄uck women.鈥� Anna M氓s酶y not only provides a haven for nesting eider ducks, but also imparts life lessons.

I Am Nobody鈥檚 Slave,聽by Lee Hawkins

Lee Hawkins鈥� devastating memoir details the harsh realities of growing up in a middle-class Black family with deep, unacknowledged ancestral wounds linked to the family鈥檚 enslaved past. Hawkins manages to escape his troubled home life, and comes to realizations about slavery鈥檚 ongoing legacy.聽

The Containment,聽by Michelle Adams

Legal scholar Michelle Adams traces school desegregation efforts in her native Detroit and their reverberations throughout the North. She focuses her compelling narrative on the 1974 Supreme Court decision in Milliken v. Bradley, which ruled that majority-white suburban school districts could not be forced to desegregate.

Mark Twain,聽by Ron Chernow

Mark Twain was America鈥檚 first modern celebrity, using multiple platforms 鈥� books, newspapers, the lecture circuit 鈥� to advance his presence as a brand. In this detailed portrait, Ron Chernow tells the story of an author whose gifts as a media influencer seem to anticipate our own cultural moment.

础蹿濒补尘别,听by Pico Iyer

Travel writer and spiritual thinker Pico Iyer has spent time at a Benedictine hermitage in California, a seemingly idyllic setting. 鈥淎flame鈥� takes a closer look at his longtime retreat. By reminding us that no place is perfect, Iyer points readers to the restful silence they might find in their own hurried lives.

厂迟辞谤测迟别濒濒别谤,听by Leo Damrosch

Although Robert Louis Stevenson is known mostly as a writer of books for children, the 19th-century literary titan should be celebrated for the wider body of his work. That鈥檚 the premise of 鈥淪toryteller,鈥� Leo Damrosch鈥檚 new Stevenson biography, which promises to attract new readers to Stevenson.

The Great Chinese Art Heist,聽by Ralph Pezzullo

In the last 15 years, several European art museums have fallen prey to carefully planned raids of Chinese antiquities. Almost none of the stolen pieces have been recovered. Ralph Pezzullo traces these robberies to the end of the Second Opium War in 1860 and the destructive looting of the Old Summer Palace in Beijing by British and French troops. But who is stealing these treasures, and where are they going?

Tonight in Jungleland,聽by Peter Ames Carlin

It鈥檚 hard to believe that Bruce Springsteen鈥檚 鈥淏orn To Run鈥� 鈥� one of the most acclaimed albums in rock history 鈥� was almost buried by Columbia Records. After the young musician鈥檚 disappointing initial sales, executives had planned to drop him from the label. Peter Ames Carlin tells of the album鈥檚 creation, and how it eventually secured Springsteen鈥檚 stardom.

Dark Renaissance,聽by Stephen Greenblatt

Stephen Greenblatt鈥檚 skills as a scholar, storyteller, and literary critic are all on display in 鈥淒ark Renaissance.鈥� This gripping book about the short, daring life of the Elizabethan dramatist Christopher Marlowe makes an eloquent case for his work鈥檚 beauty and sly unorthodoxy. Its chilling portrayal of Elizabeth I鈥檚 repressive reign also reminds us of the damage wrought by unchecked power.

贬辞蝉迟补驳别,听by Eli Sharabi

Eli Sharabi, kidnapped from his home on an Israeli kibbutz on Oct. 7, 2023, and held by Hamas for 491 days, has written a searing account of his captivity and his will to survive. He experiences deprivation and loss, but his unshakable love of life inspires.