Awake is a candid, often funny memoir in which Jen Hatmaker tells of the sudden end of her long marriage and the emotional fallout that followed — grief, anxiety, parenting five children, and financial uncertainty. Through intimate vignettes spanning childhood, marriage, and midlife, she examines the beliefs and systems that shaped her life and describes how she reckoned with change and began to rebuild. The result is a raw, compassionate account of loss, resilience, and starting over.

Sera Swan, a witch who lost much of her magic after resurrecting her great-aunt, now helps run a country inn in Lancashire while managing eccentric guests, a mischievous talking fox, and a strained relationship with the local magical Guild. When an old spellbook hints at a way to restore her power, she teams up with Luke, a historian staying at the inn, and they unravel mysteries, face consequences, and form unexpected bonds. The novel follows Sera’s journey to reclaim her magic and rebuild her life with the help of a quirky, found family—without revealing how it all turns out.

The Book of Alchemy is a short, practical exploration of journaling as a tool for creativity and resilience. Drawing on Suleika Jaouad’s years of journaling and contributions from many writers and artists, it pairs themed essays with prompts and reflections—on beginnings, love, loss, rebuilding, and more—to help readers process difficult experiences, ask deeper questions, and develop a sustained creative practice.

Luke Randall, a Black country singer who built his career on a hit he didn’t write, returns to his hometown to open for his childhood idol. There he meets August Lane—the woman who actually wrote the song and his teenage love—who forces him into a deal: co-write a new song and perform it or she’ll expose him. As they collaborate, old feelings resurface and August must decide whether to demand a public reckoning or trust the man Luke has become.

In 1899, struggling English writer Evelyn Dolman marries Laura Rensselaer expecting an inheritance, but when she is mysteriously disinherited the couple travel to Venice and take up residence at the ancestral Palazzo Dioscuri. Strange occurrences and Evelyn’s growing paranoia turn the novel into an atmospheric psychological noir that explores uncertainty, obsession and the blurring of reality and illusion.

A concise biography of Gertrude Stein that follows her life at the center of Paris’s artistic circle, her partnership with Alice B. Toklas, and the emergence of her unconventional writing. The author traces how Stein shaped her public persona and examines the creative and personal influences behind her work, drawing on archival research to illuminate her life without revealing key plot points.

Red Scare is a narrative history of McCarthyism and the post–World War II anti‑Communist campaigns in the United States. Using newly declassified documents, Clay Risen traces the rise and fall of the Red Scare through roughly 1957, showing how politicians and government networks pursued alleged Communists and damaged thousands of lives. The book examines well‑known episodes like the Hollywood blacklist and explores the political, cultural, and personal consequences of the era through figures such as Joseph McCarthy, Roy Cohn, Robert Oppenheimer, Richard Nixon, and others.

The Perfect Tuba follows Sam Quinones as he explores the people, history, and communities built around the tuba. He profiles musicians and instrument-makers trying to recreate a famed 1930s tuba, highlights figures like Big Bill Bell and Arnold Jacobs, and visits tuba scenes from New Orleans to Roma, Texas, where a high school marching program changes students’ lives. The book shows how a modest instrument can inspire craftsmanship, joy, and community.

Is a River Alive? explores the idea that rivers can be regarded as living beings. Robert Macfarlane combines travel writing, reporting, and natural history across three journeys — to cloud-forests and mountain streams in Ecuador, wounded creeks and lagoons in India, and wild rivers in Canada under threat from mining, pollution, and dams — woven with the intimate story of a chalk stream near his home. The book examines how different cultures, laws, and landscapes shape our relationships with rivers and asks what it would mean to recognize their life and rights.

Dead and Alive is a collection of essays by Zadie Smith that combines personal reflection and cultural criticism. Smith profiles visual artists, writes about film and music (including Tár and Stormzy), takes readers on a walk through Kilburn High Road, and reflects on the deaths of several writers while considering political change and the idea of “the commons.”

The book is a profound exploration of the complexities of modern work life, particularly within the context of a spaceship where the crew grapples with existential questions and the boundaries between human and machine blur. Through a series of fragmented narratives and introspective reflections, it delves into themes of identity, purpose, and the emotional toll of labor in an increasingly mechanized world. The narrative captures the tension between personal aspirations and the demands of a structured, impersonal work environment, ultimately questioning what it means to be human in a technologically advanced society.

John Cassidy presents a global history of capitalism told through the perspectives of its critics. Moving from early colonial companies and industrial revolts to 20th‑century movements and contemporary debates, the book profiles both well‑known thinkers and lesser‑known voices to show how dissenting ideas have shaped economic theory and illuminate present‑day issues like automation, inequality, and climate change.

Searches blends memoir and reporting as Vauhini Vara examines how language models and tech companies have changed the way we speak and tell stories. After using an AI to write about her sister’s death, she traces her own history with online communication, explores how corporations harvest human-created language, and considers how we might reclaim a more humane relationship with our machines.

In 1899 at a declining English country house, Grace — an aspiring painter and skilled forger — must reckon with a man who claims to be her cousin Charles, long presumed lost at sea, and the family split his arrival creates. As she hides her own talent for deception, Grace is forced to decide whom to trust and, in the process, confronts questions of authenticity, family, desire, and the value of wealth.

Little Bosses Everywhere examines multilevel marketing in the United States, tracing its origins, how the recruitment-based business model works, and the social and economic effects on people who join. Bridget Read combines industry history, reporting on political and financial connections, and personal stories of individuals—workers, parents, and others—who were drawn into MLMs by promises of independence but often faced financial and emotional costs.

An investigative look at how Spotify transformed the music industry, drawing on interviews with industry insiders, former employees, and musicians. Liz Pelly examines the platform’s algorithms, playlist-driven culture, and business model to explain how personalization and streaming economics have reshaped how music is created, distributed, and consumed—and how artists and listeners are responding.

Set in a world where the seas are both a source of livelihood and danger, the story follows a young sailor who finds themselves entangled in a web of political intrigue and personal discovery. As they navigate treacherous waters and shifting alliances, they must confront their own past and the secrets that threaten to unravel their future. With a blend of adventure, mystery, and a touch of magic, the narrative explores themes of identity, loyalty, and the courage it takes to chart one's own course in a world fraught with uncertainty.

In winter 1951, child development scholar Bernadette Baston is called to a remote Puget Sound island penitentiary to evaluate a feral adolescent girl found living in the woods. As Bernadette investigates, she becomes entangled in the island community’s hidden loyalties and must navigate the limits placed on her as a mother, wife, and professional.

When Lea Ypi finds a stranger’s photograph of her grandmother honeymooning in 1941, she launches an inquiry into a family history that seems at odds with what she was told. Moving between archives, memories and fragmentary records, the book traces the vanished worlds of Ottoman Salonica, the turmoil of the Balkans, war and the rise of communism to ask who her grandmother really was. It is a reflective investigation of identity, historical truth and how we judge the choices of past generations.

A vivid, emotionally charged novel about a mother and her teenage son on parallel journeys—one moving through an otherworldly limbo, the other fleeing a treatment center and traveling south. As they encounter strange companions, storms, and the ache of memory, the book explores motherhood, childhood, and the fragile ties that bind family.

In 1982 Orvop, Utah, two teenagers—local Tom Gatestone and newcomer Kalin March—risk everything to rescue a pair of neglected horses. What begins as a daring act of compassion turns into an arduous journey into the nearby Katanogos mountains, bringing danger, unexpected events, and lasting consequences for them and their town. A sweeping, character-driven story about friendship, courage, and the costs of bold choices.

The Finest Hotel in Kabul uses the story of the Inter-Continental Kabul to explore Afghanistan’s modern history through intimate portraits of the people who kept the hotel running. Drawing on Lyse Doucet’s decades of reporting and personal experience inside the hotel, the book follows long-serving staff, a pioneering female chef, and younger Afghans whose lives reflect the country’s hopes, losses and resilience. It is a human-focused, spoiler-free portrait of everyday life amid ongoing political upheaval.

Twin sisters Clara and Dempsey — long estranged after their mother disappeared into the Thames — are pulled back together when Clara spots a woman in London who looks exactly like her. Clara becomes convinced the woman is their missing mother while Dempsey suspects a con, and their clash forces both sisters to confront the past and reckon with questions of identity, family and the cost of choosing yourself.

In this thought-provoking exploration, the author delves into the hidden biases and systemic inequalities embedded within search engine algorithms, particularly those of Google. The book reveals how these digital tools, often perceived as neutral and objective, perpetuate racial and gender stereotypes, thereby reinforcing societal prejudices. Through meticulous research and compelling case studies, the narrative uncovers the ways in which marginalized communities are misrepresented and disadvantaged in the digital age, urging readers to critically examine the power dynamics at play in the seemingly innocuous act of searching online.