It’s the best time of the year! Winter straddles the end of one year and the beginning of a new one, which means it’s both a time of reflection and new beginnings. After we covered 27 books and authors last year we’re turning to a new year where more books than ever are on the horizon. Enjoy our first batch of picks and tell us which ones you liked!
Don’t Step Into My Office, David Fishkind (Jan 13)
Part murder mystery, part slapstick comedy, part tale of literary failure, David Fishkind’s novel about a relapsed alcoholic on the cusp of writing a treatise on Jay Gatsby’s semitism is a propulsive and marvelously funny debut. Jacob Garlicker could have bumbled about New York City forever, for all I cared, and I would have kept reading.
I Could Be Famous, Sydney Rende (Jan 13)
Ten women orbit one famous actor, Arlo Banks, on the cusp of cancellation amid cannibalism accusations, in this debut story collection about fame and what it takes to get there.
The Hitch, Sara Levine (Jan 13)
As an anti-racist Jewish secular eco-feminist, Rose Cutler feels like she has the world figured out according to her principles, but when her dog attacks and kills a corgi at a nearby park, her nephew begins acting strangely. The explanation? The corgi’s soul has leaped into the boy and now must be exorcized, of course.
Lost Lambs, Madeline Cash (Jan 13)
Forever Magazine co-founder and author of Earth Angel returns with her debut novel, Lost Lambs, a stirring portrait of a family in decline.
Just Watch Me, Lior Torenberg (Jan 20)
When Dell’s younger sister, Daisy, falls into a coma, her solution is to livestream twenty-four hours a day to raise the funds so the hospital won’t pull the plug. As she rises through the ranks and gains popularity, she comes to realize a certain horror in being constantly seen.
Discipline, Larissa Pham (Jan 20)
A tight, invigorating read, Discipline follows an author on tour for her novel about a decade-old relationship with a former professor. After he sends her notice that he’s read it, and has questions, her story starts to spin apart.
Dryback, Juan Ecchi (Jan 20)
Named after “an American-born Mexican who’s wholly disconnected from their culture,” Juan Ecchi’s debut novel picks up where Harper’s gooning exposé left off. A story about aging millennials, deepfake pornos and consumerism; for the porn-brained and terminally online, Dryback strikes a nerve.
Vigil, George Saunders (Jan 27)
From one of my personal favorite fiction writers of all time, George Saunders’ second novel, Vigil, follows an oil tycoon magnate’s final moments in his deathbed, while memories from his past come back to haunt and stir him.
Escape!, Stephen Fishbach (Jan 27)
Two-time Survivor contestant and Pushcart Prize-winning writer Stephen Fishbach debuts with Escape!, an endlessly fun romp through a wilderness survival show where the producers know that you might have to get your hands dirty to create showstopping television.
The End of Romance, Lily Meyer (Feb 3)
After enduring an emotionally abusive marriage, Sylvie decides to swear off all relationships, freeing herself from the burden of being loved, when she meets two men that test this theory. An “anti-romance romance” novel about the beauty of unexpected paths.
This Ain’t Rock ‘n’ Roll: Pop Music, the Swastika, and the Third Reich, Daniel Rachel (Feb 3)
A well-researched and comprehensive analysis about the history of the rock genre’s flirtation with Nazi imagery, from Siouxsie Sioux to Sid Vicious. Music historian Daniel Rachel asks whether it was for shock factor or genuine tastelessness.
Second Skin: Inside the Worlds of Fetish, Kink, and Deviant Desire, Anastasiia Fedorova (Feb 3)
Like if Carrie Bradshaw had an after-after-hours column, Anastasiia Fedorova goes deep on kink culture in Second Skin, her bawdy book about what we should do with all of our desires, no matter how turbulent.
Murder Bimbo, Rebecca Novack (Feb 10)
Perhaps the best-titled book here, Murder Bimbo is the story of sex worker turned political assassin, an absurdly silly tale that Catherine Lacey calls “Gone Girl for the Luigi Mangione era.”
Hyperpolitics: Extreme Politicization Without Political Consequences, Anton Jäger (Feb 10)
It feels like the past decade has been endlessly political, with cultural reckonings, embittered and empowering protests, and global mass movements. That’s all gotta count for something, right? Political thought historian Anton Jäger shows how our institutions might not have caught up with the times.
Digital Exhaust, Michael Mages (Feb 13)
A debut novel touching on faith, transcendence, technology and mindfulness, Digital Exhaust follows Christian, who attends a coworker’s disastrous pool party before deciding to spiritually experiment by living in a nearby commune.
Lean Cat, Savage Cat, Lauren John Joseph (Feb 17)
After her research project on Romy Haag, one of David Bowie’s transgender lovers, has stalled, Charli is unsure of what to do. After she bumps into Alexander Geist at a party, she follows him to Berlin in order to make him the biggest pop star on the planet.
On Morrison, Namwalli Serpell (Feb 17)
Whereas last year’s Toni at Random tracked the literary titan’s editing career, On Morrison is a deep dive into the author herself. Serpell, a novelist and Harvard professor, presents an analysis of the late Morrison’s complexity and mastery of form.
Brawler, Lauren Groff (Feb 24)
The bestselling author of Matrix and Florida returns with a tight and immersive short story collection that ranges from the 1950s to now and travels from New England to Florida to California.
Technology and Barbarism: or: how billionaires will save us from the end of the world, Michel Nieva (Feb 24)
Right off the heels of his excellent Dengue Boy (one of our favorites from last year), Michel Nieva returns with a collection of essays about technocapitalism and the intersection about art and technology. As always, his mind is one to watch.
Lover Girl, Nicole Sellew (Feb 26)
A hypnotic novel of literary and romantic desire wherein the titular ‘lover girl’ is caught at a summer house, supposedly to work on her novel but really at the whims of the two men who join her.
The Disappointment, Scott Broker (March 3)
A relationship dissolves en route to a vacation in Oregon, where Jack, a failed playwright, reflects on his career, and Randy, his husband, ruins the vibe by bringing his mother’s ashes with them.
The Body Builders, Albertine Clarke (March 3)
A hypnotic novel about the separation between mind and body, The Body Builders narrates Ava, who, reeling from her parents’ divorce after her father decides to get jacked, falls into the orbit of a man named Atticus and sublimates herself within the speculative.
200 Monas, Jan Saenz (March 3)
When Arvy’s mother dies, she’s shocked to see a caseload of drugs within her closet. It turns out it’s not Molly, but Mona, an immensely powerful drug that causes severe orgasms. The dealers want their stash back, though, and now Arvy has just 48 hours to sell the pills before they take back what they’re owed.
Night Night Fawn, Jordy Rosenberg (March 3)
It’s the end of Barbara Rosenberg’s life, but rather than go peacefully, she’s high on opioids and ready to gab about anything that interests her. This includes Marxism, gender ideology and Israel, but the more she talks, the more she descends into delirium. Described as “someone’s mother’s unauthorized memoir” (catch the same surnames), Night Night Fawn is ready to pounce.
Medium Rare, A. Natasha Joukovsky (March 3)
After her intensely smart Portrait of a Mirror, A. Natasha Joukovsky goes for another retelling, this time landing on the myth of Icarus by way of a Washington lobbying firm, college basketball and pipe dreams.
Spoiled Milk, Avery Curran (March 10)
A thrillingly original gothic novel set in 1928 about a girl’s death in a boardinghouse before her 18th birthday, Spoiled Milk sees the spirit of the girl return to tell her fellow students: the danger has just begun.
