If you’re looking for someone to put very simply why what’s happening in Palestine is not “complicated,” this is it. Required reading.

I savored this book over the course of a month, sinking in every time I opened it. Prose, pacing, plot, character — Schwab truly does it all and does it better than most.

This book is surreal and disorienting (in a good way), deeply affecting, and the kind of book that’s so good and readable you have to stop yourself from inhaling it

If you haven’t read On Tyranny, please do so as soon as possible. This is an extremely short book — it’s 1:47 on audio and pocket-sized in print — that is nothing short of required reading, especially right now.

This was the perfect way to kick off my 2025 reading in a year that will surely bring a great need for laughter, levity, and love. You will find all three in these pages.

This book is both sad and hopeful, scathing and uplifting. Brb, time to (finally) go read Abdurraqib’s entire backlist.

As a lover of all things fantasy and magical realism, obviously I had to pick this up. And the hype is so justified!

This book was an utter delight, indeed very cozy and interesting and a must-read for bookstore lovers everywhere.

Y’all. I am so mad at myself for waiting this long to read The Bone Season. It was exactly the kind of fantasy I was craving — a series that starts with a banger with a rich world and great plot and promises a good, long journey with a set of beloved characters over many books.

Held was shortlisted for the Booker Prize, and if I’m being honest, I’m a little surprised that it didn’t win. I read it twice in three months. And WOW am I glad I did.

I don’t know how to explain to you how important it is that you read this book.

I picked up How to Tell When We Will Die near the start of a period in which my brain wanted only nonfiction, and it only added fuel to the fire. What an incredibly smart, powerful, incisive essay collection.

I’ve been meaning to read Robin Hobb for years — at this point, as a fantasy reader who champions women authors, it’s become a bit embarrassing, lol. I was craving a big, long adventure, and so I decided it was finally time! So glad I finally dove in.

What If We Get It Right? is one of the best books I’ve read this year, and almost certainly the best audiobook specifically. I am going to be pushing this into people’s hands (or headphones) for years.

I downloaded this audiobook (thank you Penguin Audio!) because everyone I knew who’d read it was recommending it. And then when I was halfway through, it won the Kirkus Prize! So you don’t have to take my word for it when I say this book is totally worth reading.

I’d owned a copy of The Safekeep since before it was published (thanks, Avid Reader Press!), but for whatever reason it just never bubbled up to the top of my TBR — until it was nominated (and then shortlisted) for the Booker Prize. And WOW, am I glad for it. I loved this one.

Louise Erdrich’s novels have an approachability that can feel elusive among novels with such a high caliber of writing. It’s just good storytelling, and the characters step off the page and into your heart. The Mighty Red was no different.

All in all, a lovely little book that will scratch the itch anytime I want to reread Braiding Sweetgrass but don’t have the time. This would make a great holiday gift for the RWK fan in your life!

Ta-Nehisi Coates is one of the greatest writers of our generation, full stop. This is not his strongest book, but it is still very good and very worth your time (it’s also short!).

This hadn’t been on my radar before the National Book Award longlist, but I’m so glad to have been introduced. It took me by surprise and became one of my favorites on the list.