Fiction

I missed this one growing up, and worried that the book wouldn’t hold up to the off-the-charts hype. I’m happy to say this gorgeous, absolutely mesmerizing book is as relevant and engrossing today as ever. Offred’s story is so touching (and terrifying), because the world she inhabits feels so close to our own, with diction that feels positively poetic. - Jax

I LOVED this. Telling the story of the Donner Party in rich detail, Houston emphasizes interpersonal dynamics within the party, largely leaving the cannibalism theme (quite effectively) to the reader’s imagination. Diary entries from a survivor who once lived in the Santa Cruz house where Houston wrote the novel give it a special local angle. - Flannery

This charming, funny story tells of a widow and her struggle to continue life with her two young daughters. Lilian, an illustrator, is tasked with drawing vegetables for an upcoming book, and so enrolls in a gardening class. There she meets a group of very different​ strangers, all of whom touch her life. This quirky novel is full of humor, joy and hope. - Sara

From the author of The Miracle Girl comes this smart, often funny and heart-felt collection of short stories. A Californian, Roe’s sympathies lie with the Golden State’s outsiders—its janitors and harried single mothers and petty criminals and lost souls—and the efforts they make, however on point or misguided, to save themselves. An assured debut! - Rico

This debut novel blends Jewish mythology with Arabic folklore so masterfully and magically that you'll be engrossed instantly. A golem who loses the husband who created her and a jinni who finds himself freed from the prison that bound him meet and form a bond in not only the immigrant experience but against a threat in their turn-of-the-century New York City neighborhood. - Karena

This post-apocalyptic endeavor is a beautifully written, terrifying journey into a future that feels real. We follow a caravan of musicians and actors who call themselves the Traveling Symphony, performing for forlorn survivors as they traverse the desolate landscape of what was once the Great Lakes. A fantastic look into human nature and the will to survive. - Sara

This scintillating amalgam of fiction and autobiography is filled with profound observation, gorgeous prose and a narrative structure that recalls the best of Nabokov. While Lerner’s intellect and erudition know no bounds, the book is taut and precise—a masterwork of literary engineering. It is among the smartest, most compelling novels I’ve ever read. - Rico

There are countless adaptations of Homer’s Odyssey—from Ulysses to O Brother, Where Art Thou—but none tell the epic from Penelope’s point of view. Whether you’re a long-time fan of Atwood’s masterfully-crafted novels, or have just stumbled onto her work after watching the Netflix adaptation of The Handmaid’s Tale, you’re bound to love The Penelopiad. - Aric

A lady pirate kidnaps a chef off a ship she plunders then forces him to make dishes from the stolen cargo. Do you actually need any more than that? I adored this book. The best part is the inclusion of the recipes that our stalwart chef creates. - Karena

A comet is coming to end the world and only Junior knows about it. Told in Vonnegut-like  short chapters and bursting with dark humor, Currie tells the story in such a unique way (in the first half, the chapters count up to 100, and in the second half they count back down) as the world begins and ends. The book is  a chain letter; once you finish, you hand it to someone else. - Jason