Filthy Animals is, as we expect from Brandon Taylor, a masterful collection of stories; I especially loved the linked ones. This book more than lives up to the hype.

On Juneteenth is a short but powerful collection of essays. Anne Gordon-Reed’s brilliance as a historian and love for her home of Texas merge into something that everyone should read.

Languages of Truth is engaging and entertaining, although certain chapters will only be for certain people. Don’t be afraid to get a copy and skip around to the essays that interest you!

Revival Season is a well-paced, impressive debut novel with big, full characters and a central conflict that’s as unique as it is familiar. I really enjoyed it.

A Children’s Bible was a strange read, but no doubt masterful. Short, unsettling, and apocalyptic, I can see why it was a National Book Award contender.

¡Hola Papi! is a funny, compassionate memoir-in-essays full of personality and heart.

The Vanishing Half is a perfectly paced novel with big, full characters and a story that doesn’t let you go. Yes, I am late to the game. Yes, it’s worth your time.

Somebody’s Daughter is exactly as good as all the hype says it is. Moving, gripping, smart, and incredibly observed. You should read it.

How a Poem Moves is a friendly, accessible, super-digestible read perfect for anyone who wants practice reading poetry, with a smart, funny professor there to point out things you might have missed.

Detransition, Baby is a real standout of a novel, smart and emotional and fresh, and its authenticity shines. I really, really liked it.

Love and Other Thought Experiments is hard to review. It’s incredibly written, but also one of the most bizarre and unexpected books I’ve ever read.

Beloved is Toni Morrison’s “big one” — the one that won the Pulitzer and led her to win the Nobel Prize. I was obviously not disappointed. Incredible.

The Atmospherians is a smart, satirical novel about toxic masculinity, body image, and influencer culture. I thought it was fun, dramatic, and impactful.

This book is obviously illuminating and inspiring and impactful to read, because Angela Davis is Angela Davis. Every word from her is a gift to our hearts and brains.

Swimming Back to Trout River is an absolutely beautiful novel with quiet, stunning prose and characters. who hop off the page. I’m shocked that it’s a debut.

Sorrowland is a brutal, impressive novel that’s hard to look away from. Slow-paced but engrossing, this is cultural and historical commentary through science fiction at its finest.

I really enjoyed Brood. It’s human and quietly empathetic, with emotional layers and astute attention to detail. I am going to have to read it again someday.