海角大神

The Singer Sisters,聽by Sarah Seltzer

Songwriter Emma Cantor was born into folk music royalty. But Emma鈥檚 parents and aunt 鈥� music legends since the 鈥�60s 鈥� hid a big secret from her. Is reconciliation possible? Seltzer鈥檚 debut novel ends on a high note that will leave readers whistling.

叠耻谤苍,听by Peter Heller

Storey and Jess are on a hunting trip in Maine when secessionists in the state spark a civil war. Peter Heller鈥檚 page-turners, typically set in the wild, peek beneath the hood of rugged masculinity. His complicated heroes fight to uphold human decency.

The Instrumentalist,聽by Harriet Constable

How to balance ego and ambition with community and kindness? Harriet Constable gives voice to violin prodigy Anna Maria della Piet脿, a real-life musical genius raised in a Venetian orphanage in 1704 and taught by none other than composer Antonio Vivaldi. The city鈥檚 shimmering wealth and fetid corruption leap from the page; so, too, does music鈥檚 transcendent, radiant power.

Mina鈥檚 Matchbox,聽by Yoko Ogawa, translated by Stephen B. Snyder

Yoko Ogawa鈥檚 gemlike novel is a coming-of-age story about 12-year-old Tomoko, who goes to live for a year with her delightful cousin Mina and her family. The girls become kindred spirits, sharing secrets, wonderment, and several key world events. Ogawa鈥檚 storytelling is radiant.

There Are Rivers in the Sky,聽by Elif Shafak

Elif Shafak鈥檚 affecting novel follows characters molded by history. In the 1840s, London-born Arthur is bent on escaping his rough-and-tumble origins via a talent for interpreting Mesopotamian texts. In 2014 Turkey, young Narin learns of her rich Yazidi heritage as threats loom. And in 2018, 20-something hydrologist Zaleekhah confronts her troubled history while afloat in the Thames. The novel offers a forceful plea for remembrance and responsibility.

The Truth According to Ember,聽by Danica Nava

Ember, whose background includes Chickasaw, Choctaw, and white ancestry, is applying for accountant jobs. But it鈥檚 not until she checks only the box for 鈥渨hite鈥� as her race on an application that she lands an interview and gets the job. In Danica Nava鈥檚 witty rom-com, multifaceted Native characters take center stage. The story 鈥� zippy, appealing, and, heads up, spicy 鈥� explores how even small lies undermine integrity.

The Hidden Book,聽by Kirsty Manning

Kirsty Manning鈥檚 compassionate novel is inspired by a real World War II covert mission in 1940s Austria to smuggle out photographic evidence of the treatment of prisoners at Mauthausen concentration camp. In the 1980s, a survivor鈥檚 granddaughter is intent on bringing the hidden photo album to light.

笔别驳驳测,听by Rebecca Godfrey, with Leslie Jamison

Peggy Guggenheim 鈥� heiress, modern art聽visionary, feminist icon, socialite, and聽mother 鈥� springs to life in Rebecca Godfrey鈥檚 imaginative and empathetic novel.聽Leslie Jamison seamlessly completed the novel after Godfrey鈥檚 death.聽

Bringing Ben Home,聽by Barbara Bradley Hagerty

Ben Spencer was wrongfully convicted of murder in Dallas in 1987. This compelling nonfiction book tells the story of his flawed trial, the barriers built into the Texas legal system that made it nearly impossible to get the decision overturned, and how he and a small group of supporters worked to secure his release. Barbara Bradley Hagerty has written a true-crime story that reads like a legal thriller and, at same time, recounts the systemic failures of the judicial system. It is eye-opening, discouraging, and inspiring.聽

The Bookshop,聽by Evan Friss聽

Historian Evan Friss explores how American bookstores have helped shape the nation鈥檚 culture, from social movements to retail trends. Although the demise of small indie bookstores has long been forecast, devoted shop owners continue to defy this prediction.聽