Instagram Facebook X-twitter Linkedin

Our most anticipated books of the year

List by the editors of BookPage
A new year has dawned and with it, a whole new slate of incredible books, with titles from Han Kang, Markus Zusak, R.F. Kuang and more.
A new year has dawned and with it, a whole new slate of incredible books, with titles from Han Kang, Markus Zusak, R.F. Kuang and more.
NonfictionSelf-Help

How to be imperfect

Interview by Sarah McCraw Crow
Ellen Hendriksen offers ways to tune out your inner critic and tune in to your true self in her insightful self-help book, How to Be Enough.
Ellen Hendriksen offers ways to tune out your inner critic and tune in to your true self in her insightful self-help book, How to Be Enough.
NonfictionWomen's HistoryMusicLiteratureHistoryFood & DrinkBlack HistoryBiographyAmerican History

The 12 best biographies of 2024

List by Editors
Throughout 2024, biographies consistently stole the show. From renowned authors to heads of state, game-changing activists and cultural icons, these 12 illuminating profiles delighted and inspired us.
Throughout 2024, biographies consistently stole the show. From renowned authors to heads of state, game-changing activists and cultural icons, these 12 illuminating profiles delighted and inspired us.
Previous
Next

Discover your next great book!

BookPage is a discovery tool for readers, highlighting the best new books across all genres. BookPage is editorially independent; only books we highly recommend are featured.

Features

All Features
FictionLiterary FictionHistorical FictionFamily SagaFamily DramaDebut Fiction

Many voices, one story

Feature by Julie Hale

Headshot, Rita Bullwinkel’s powerful debut, focuses on eight teenage boxers—all women—who are contending for a title at Bob’s Boxing Palace in Reno, Nevada. Bullwinkel skillfully shifts points of view throughout this dramatic, often funny novel, developing a unique identity and personal history for each fighter, as she recounts their boxing bouts in wonderful detail. Against the backdrop of competitive sports, Bullwinkel probes the aspirations and inspirations of an unforgettable group of young women. Their differing motivations and struggles with self-determination will stimulate lively conversation among readers.

The Family Izquierdo by Rubén Degollado chronicles the lives of members of a close-knit Mexican American clan in McAllen, Texas. The novel follows the family across three generations as they contend with a curse they believe has caused the physical decline of Papa Tavo, the head of the family, and the marriage woes of Gonzalo, the eldest son. Narrated by different members of the Izquierdo clan, the novel examines family ties and traditions as well as life on the Texas-Mexico border. Degollado creates a rich chorus of voices in this moving, compassionate novel.

Intricate and enthralling, Megha Majumdar’s A Burning takes place in Kolkata, India, following a terrorist attack. Jivan, a Muslim woman, is implicated in the attack and jailed. Lovely, a trans actress, could clear Jivan’s name, but is reluctant to speak up. Jivan’s former gym teacher, PT Sir, who has been increasingly drawn toward right-wing politics, is also involved in the case. Each character provides a different take on the events at hand, and the result is a nuanced, multilayered tale. The tough questions it raises about justice make Majumdar’s novel a rewarding choice for book clubs.

In Wandering Stars, Tommy Orange continues the mesmerizing family saga that started with his acclaimed novel There There (2018). He resumes the stories of Orvil Red Feather and Opal Viola Bear Shield in modern-day Oakland, California, while also detailing the lives of their forebears, including Jude Star, a survivor of the 1864 Sand Creek Massacre. Told from the viewpoints of multiple characters, the book weaves together varied voices to create a complex narrative tapestry. Throughout the novel, Orange explores long-standing family conflicts and the enduring legacies of American Indigenous history.

Book clubs will have plenty to debate with these multiperspective and polyvocal novels.
RomanceChildren's & YAYA FictionYAHistorical Romance

Our favorite romance tropes—and the books that best exemplify them

Feature by the editors of BookPage

Seize the Fire

An idealistic young woman puts her trust in a cynical rake. You probably think you know where a story with this opening might go. But Seize the Fire, the 1989 historical romance from the incomparable Laura Kinsale, is a unique and memorable twist on the trope. Sheltered and somewhat silly Princess Olympia St. Leger hires British naval hero Sheridan Drake to help her reclaim the throne of her home country. But Sheridan, a smooth-talking charmer, knows firsthand how concepts like liberty can be warped into violence for political gain. He’d be annoyed by Olympia’s lofty principles and permanently rose-colored glasses—if they didn’t make it so easy for him to take advantage of her. Yet Kinsale doesn’t set one of her leads above the other, instead taking a more realistic tack of highlighting the pitfalls of both viewpoints and setting up two very flawed characters. Olympia’s naivete is as dangerous, if not more, than Sheridan’s cynicism, and as necessary to change. As they wend their way through an absolutely unpredictable sequence of dramatic adventures—including pirates, a sultan’s harem, a shipwreck and a revolution—these total opposites are hewn into shapes that can only fit with each other.

—Trisha Ping, Publisher

Illuminae

Illuminae by Aime Kaufman and Jay Kristoff, the first installment of the Illuminae Files trilogy, is a recounting of an intergalactic invasion on the planet Kerenza in 2575 through a series of files including news reports and video footage analysis. Kady Grant and Ezra Mason break up just hours before the invasion. In the ensuing chaos, they both end up on different refugee ships attempting to outrun the invaders. The remainder of this sci-fi second-chance romance follows tech genius Kady aboard Hypatia and Ezra on the Alexander dealing with its mostly uncooperative AI system, AIDAN (Artificial Intelligence Defense Analytics Network). Amid coordinating a cross-galaxy journey for the three refugee ships, battling a plague and a rogue AIDAN, Kady and Ezra realize how miniscule the issues in their relationship were compared to the fight for survival—and that they are the only person the other can count on. The audiobook version is immaculate due to its full cast and sound effects, making the story utterly immersive. 

—Jena Groshek, Sales Coordinator

Any Old Diamonds

Morally grey hero this, morally grey hero that. Get you a guy that more than one character describes as “Mephistophelean.” KJ Charles loves an “upstanding gentleman meets an absolute reprobate”-type pairing, but Jerry Crozier of Any Old Diamonds is the king of reprobates—the reprobate all the other reprobates cross the street to avoid. A proudly amoral, single-minded jewel thief, Jerry arrives like an absolute wrecking ball into Alec Pyne’s life when the latter hires him to steal a set of diamonds from his father, a powerful duke. Charles has always been interested in how morality functions within immoral systems, and this theme finds its most extreme (and entertaining) expression in Jerry. Because he lives in 1895 Britain, Jerry’s talents for blackmail, theft, fraud and general intimidation are able to find a truly righteous outlet—robbing cruel, selfish aristocrats blind. His world is characterized by extreme wealth inequality and infuriating hypocrisy, which means that plenty of people deserve Jerry Crozier to “happen to them,” as he puts it. Actually, upon further reflection, I think Jerry would get along just fine in 2024.

—Savanna Walker, Managing Editor

Whitney, My Love

Tropes are the best part of the romance genre: You know what to expect, but skilled authors like Judith McNaught still find ways to reinvent them and make them exciting. Whitney, My Love, my favorite romance novel of all time, does just that, with McNaught employing a bevy of tropes at once: Fake relationship, check. Forced proximity, check. Arranged marriage, check. Hidden identity, check. This book’s many twists and turns make it a delightful read. Whitney Stone was sent to live with her aunt and uncle in Paris after being deemed an unruly child. When she returns home to Regency-era England after a triumphant launch in Paris society, she unknowingly catches the eye of the arrogant and mysterious Duke of Claymore, Clayton. Hoping to impress her father and finally be deemed good enough to marry her childhood love, Whitney tries to be the picture of a demure, refined woman. Clayton, her handsome but bothersome neighbor, pledges to help her appeal to her childhood love, but Whitney soon discovers that not only has her father promised her in marriage to Clayton, but he’s also a duke. McNaught cleverly twists together beloved romance tropes to create a complex story around intriguing characters that is impossible to put down. The best part is that finding passion and love isn’t the end of Whitney and Clayton’s story: There is so much more to discover about these two in this 577-page tome.

—Meagan Vanderhill, Brand & Production Designer

Because as we all know, execution is everything.
RomanceRomantic SuspenseParanormal RomanceContemporary Romance

The 5 best romance novels to read this Valentine’s Day

Feature by Christie Ridgway

★ Yin Yang Love Song

Lauren Kung Jessen offers a thoughtful and unique contemporary romance with Yin Yang Love Song. Set on Washington’s Whidbey Island, the book centers on Chrysanthemum Hua Williams, a practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and a self-proclaimed “heartbreak herbalist.” After meeting Vin and Leo Chao, a pair of famous rock cellists, Chryssy invites them to her family’s healing retreat to help Leo overcome a bad break-up. Cue rabid fans of the Chao Brothers assuming Vin and Chryssy are in a relationship, which the pair not-so-reluctantly embraces in order to promote their individual work. Faux quickly feels real, even though neither believes themself capable of lasting love—but it’s clear that Vin and Chryssy are romantics at heart. Chryssy’s large family (many of whom believe they are cursed to never find love) and fascinating glimpses of TCM fill out this story, which begs to be read with a cup of relaxing herbal tea. Jessen’s evocative descriptions of flowers, acupuncture and music weave their way through the narrative, adding even more to enjoy.

The Spirit Collection of Thorne Hall

Romance struggles to overcome horror in J. Ann Thomas’ creepy, shiver-inducing The Spirit Collection of Thorne Hall. Elegy Thorne has resigned herself to the dictates of her father: wearing historical clothing, agreeing to an arranged engagement and being bound to her ancestral home and its 14 resident ghosts. That is, until handsome Atticus Hart arrives to work on some much-needed repairs. Their immediate spark of attraction makes Elegy wonder what could be . . . but her daily encounters with the sometimes-genial and sometimes-malevolent spirits remind her why she must stay at Thorne Hall to keep them under control. Atticus soon learns the truth of her predicament, and with him and other friends at hand, Elegy decides to break the chains of old promises, even though it puts her life and the lives of those she loves at risk. Unforeseen secrets and gruesome spookiness abound.

Strike and Burn

The compelling opening scene of Taylor Hutton’s Strike and Burn is the opposite of a meet-cute: Standing beside the corpse of her dead sister in the local morgue, Honor Stone encounters undeniably sexy Strike Madden. They spar, they quip, they kiss. Purely due to the highly emotional situation, Honor tells herself afterward. But when Strike finds her at her boutique, the part-time artist can’t dismiss him, even as palpable threats hover over the burgeoning relationship. Strike is rich but mysterious, emotionally available yet secretive. Then there’s the terrifying presence of her sister’s former boyfriend—likely her murderer—who now wants Honor for his own. Hutton’s burning-hot sex scenes torch the pages, and the hallmark of the best dark romances emerges from the smoke: morally ambiguous characters whom readers will root for despite their deep flaws and violent tendencies. Strike and Burn is a can’t-look-away read.

Out of the Woods

In Out of the Woods by Hannah Bonam-Young, Sarah and Caleb Linwood seek to rejuvenate their marriage at a couples wilderness retreat. Told in Sarah’s first-person point of view, with flashbacks to give context to the present, this romance delves into a 17-year relationship that hasn’t grown as the characters—who married as teens—matured. The camping and hiking is a frame for the exploration of the marriage, and also adds humor for the outdoor-averse pair. Bonam-Young writes with an upbeat and irreverent contemporary voice that keeps the pace moving and the sex scenes sizzling as the two persevere to find new happiness. Grief and loss are at the center of this romance, which will surely touch readers’ hearts (as will glimpses of the Happily Ever After of characters from Bonam-Young’s previous novel, Out on a Limb).

Zoe Brennan, First Crush

A small, family-owned winery in Georgia is the stage for Zoe Brennan, First Crush by Laura Piper Lee. Lonely and stressed, the titular character and narrator participates in a blindfolded but otherwise little-left-to-the-imagination threesome with two other women. The unexpected and explosive passion turns to near-panic when Zoe discovers she’s just had an incredibly hot hookup with her ex-BFF’s big sister and her own teenage crush, Laine Woods. The awkwardness only escalates when she finds out that Laine has been hired as the vintner at Zoe’s floundering vineyard. Cue scenes of struggling to keep things professional, of longing looks and lustful thoughts interspersed with glimpses of the grape-growing and wine-making process. Zoe’s romantic history is dismal and she’s protected her heart since the loss of her mother, but Laine could maybe change all that. A big event that will mean success or failure for the winery, as well as for Laine’s reputation, ups the stakes as these two fall in bed and then in love. There’s a Tolkienesque wedding and a cast of raucous friends to add hijinks to this lovely—and libidinous—romance.

Happily Ever After is always possible, whether you’re spending time in nature or facing down 14 ghosts.
Mystery & SuspenseSuspenseMysteryHistorical Mystery

A Victorian con artist embarks on her greatest scheme yet

Feature by Bruce Tierney

Loose Lips

I have sometimes thought that the most difficult thing for a writer to do well is to write a novel from the first-person perspective of a person with a different gender. A year ago, I reviewed Kemper Donovan’s The Busy Body, the first in his series about an anonymous female ghostwriter, narrated from her perspective. There was not a single clue suggesting that a male had penned the novel; it was that seamless. (Thankfully, I happened to read his bio before submitting the review, saving myself the embarrassment of erroneous assumptions.) That holds true as well for the second installment in the series, Loose Lips, in which our protagonist accepts a gig as a guest lecturer on a literary cruise. It is a quintessential setup for a locked-room mystery, as there is no escape route for the guilty party, save for a lengthy North Atlantic winter’s swim back to New York City. Moreover, while the admittedly amateur investigation into the murder of author and cruise organizer Payton Garrett proceeds, more bodies will join the first in the ship’s galley freezer, adjacent to the celebrity chef’s signature lobster thermidor. The murder weapon is straight out of Agatha Christie or perhaps the board game Clue, and the tone is tongue-in-cheek a la Knives Out—an observation I made in my review last year, and one that still holds true this time around.  

Dead in the Frame

Stephen Spotswood’s noir detective series starring Lillian Pentecost and Willowjean “Will” Parker hearkens back to Rex Stout’s iconic Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin series. A cerebral crime-solver ensconced in her New York City mansion, Lillian mirrors Wolfe. Will serves as her Archie Goodwin: irreverent chronicler of the stories, perpetrator of assorted quasi-illegal deeds in furtherance of the investigations and smart-alecky nemesis of New York’s Finest. The latest, Dead in the Frame, features a second narrator for the first time in the series, which up to now was related by Will. Lillian is keeping a journal in her jail cell, where she awaits trial for the murder of longtime foe Jessup Quincannon. Meanwhile, Will madly scrambles through 1947 New York City to unravel a seemingly airtight case against her friend/employer. Rounding out the cast are an up-and-coming evangelist whose wife is perhaps more mercenary than missionary, a lethal female security consultant and a corrupt cop who dangles the key to Lillian’s exoneration, albeit at a price. Lillian’s multiple sclerosis makes her stay in prison even more difficult, and the tone of her journal is somber and introspective; Will’s voice, by comparison, is sassy and no-nonsense, although punctuated with rueful humor throughout. Without giving away anything here, the murderer is just about the last person you would expect. Well, perhaps not as far back in the queue as Lillian Pentecost, but pretty darn close.

The Queen of Fives

Alex Hay’s The Queen of Fives derives its title from an age-old, five-step primer on setting up a con, briefly summarized thusly: 1) Identify the mark; 2) Intrude on the daily life of the mark; 3) Tempt the mark with an offer too good to be true; 4) Encircle the mark with new friends and gently sever ties with old friends; 5) Cement the payoff and make the getaway. Bonus points if you can pull off the entire scam in five days, which is precisely what seductive Quinn le Blanc, the titular Queen of Fives, intends to accomplish. Her target is a midlevel royal, the Duke of Kendal. The year is 1898; the setting, Victorian-era London. The basic plan is disarmingly simple: Lure one of England’s most eligible bachelors into marriage, then abscond with the family fortune. It will be the most ambitious score Quinn has ever embarked upon. If she can pull it off. And that is a big if. It can be argued that desperation is never a good companion when plotting out a con, and there certainly is an element of desperation at play here. Deep in debt, Quinn really needs a big score. It’s a recipe for things going awry, at the worst times, in the worst possible manners (and manors). P.S. Of all the books this month, The Queen of Fives is the one that just screams to be adapted into a TV series, one sure to appeal to period drama fans, particularly those who might enjoy a spot of larceny with their afternoon tea.

Open Season

Forensic psychologist Alex Delaware and LAPD detective Milo Sturgis return for their 40th (!!!) adventure together in Jonathan Kellerman’s latest mystery, Open Season. The murder victim is a wannabe actor, funding the waiting period until her big break by serving as one of a bevy of glamorous attendees at various Tinseltown events. Her suspected killer is also a wannabe actor and occasional stuntman. But by the time suspicion falls on him, he has become a murder victim himself. They will not be the last victims, and as it will turn out, they are not the first either: Bullets from the rifle used to kill the stuntman match an earlier killing halfway across the country. What started out as a comparatively routine homicide investigation may be turning into a search for a serial killer, one who has stayed under the radar for years and who shows no signs of stopping any time soon. And then, as has happened often in the past, Dr. Delaware displays his gift for discerning patterns that nobody else has identified yet. Open Season is fast-paced, suspense-laden and boasts a true surprise ending, even for those who thought they had it figured out sooner. Like me.

Plus, the latest cases of crime-solving duos Parker & Pentecost and Delaware & Sturgis in this month’s whodunit column.
NonfictionSelf-HelpFamily & Relationships

4 self-help books to tackle the timeless topic of romance with your book club

Feature by Julie Hale

Emily Nagoski’s frank, thoughtful Come Together: The Science (and Art!) of Creating Lasting Sexual Connections shows couples how to develop and nurture a sense of intimacy for the long term. A firm believer that sexual chemistry doesn’t have to wane as the years go by, Nagoski shares easy ways to initiate talks about sex and tips for deciphering a partner’s emotions and moods. She also presents pointers for shutting out self-doubt, anxiety and tension. Backed by research and filled with Nagoski’s expert insights, Come Together is an essential title for committed couples.

All too often, a romantic partnership can breed codependency and doubt. Readers faced with this dispiriting scenario will welcome Jessica Baum’s Anxiously Attached: Becoming More Secure in Life and Love. In this wise, compassionate book, Baum provides the tools for building strong, fulfilling connections, minus the anxiety. Drawing on her background as a couples therapist, she uses what she calls the Self-Full Method to help individuals form a healthy sense of identity and create interdependence within a relationship. Relatable talking points like self-esteem, communication and trust make this a terrific book club pick.

Logan Ury’s How Not to Die Alone: The Surprising Science That Will Help You Find Love is required reading for anyone who’s met too many dead ends on the road to romance. Ury spotlights the key decisions that can make or break a relationship and offers invaluable advice on how to identify the traits that are important in a partner. A behavioral scientist and experienced dating coach, she weaves in solid research, engaging anecdotes and constructive exercises. This congenial guide will inspire singletons to pursue lasting connection with a renewed sense of purpose.

In The Love Prescription: Seven Days to More Intimacy, Connection, and Joy, John Gottman and Julie Schwartz Gottman present an easy-to-follow plan for couples who are looking to deepen and enrich their partnerships. Noted relationship experts, Gottman and Gottman draw upon their extensive research on the subjects of love and marriage in this companionable volume. With an emphasis on communication and openness, their blueprint for renewed intimacy includes concrete steps (designate a date night; demonstrate affection) designed to bring couples closer together in a week’s time. Themes of honesty and vulnerability will kick-start meaningful book club conversations.

Whether you’re dating, in the throes of passion or in it for the long haul, these fresh takes on love and sex are sure to enlighten.

Discover your next great book!

BookPage highlights the best new books across all genres, as chosen by our editors. Every book we cover is one that we are excited to recommend to readers. A star indicates a book of exceptional quality in its genre or category.

Reviews

All Reviews