Maru Ayase and Haydn Trowell
[isbn]
The Forest Brims Over is the first of Ayase's novels to be translated into English, and both the themes and writing style remind me of Han Kang's The Vegetarian. Ayase's approach to examining gender roles and exploitation in the literary world via magical realism was interwoven throughout in a way that never felt jarring to the plot. I appreciated the varied perspectives within this book and the different self-reflections this... (read more)
Recommended by Charlotte S.
|
Chelsea G. Summers
[isbn]
Deliciously horrifying, A Certain Hunger is not for the faint of heart. Dorothy Daniels unapologetically recounts her murderous culinary history (à la eating her ex's organs); this is not a novel where the protagonist will attempt to justify her actions, but she sure will share the juicy details! Truly, who thought a cannibalism novel would be so enjoyable while also offering such a satirical take of food snobbery and gender? Yay for... (read more)
Recommended by Charlotte S.
|
Tricia Hersey
[isbn]
A truly exceptional manifesto. Her wisdom and guidance cannot be overstated when it comes to resisting capitalist productivity. Listen to Black women! This is required reading.
Recommended by Charlotte S.
|
Bora Chung and Anton Hur
[isbn]
What a delightfully strange short story collection! Each story is so original — often unnerving, sometimes gut-wrenching, and all in their own way a critique of capitalism and the patriarchy.
Recommended by Charlotte S.
|
Rebecca Yarros
[isbn]
I am absolutely obsessed with Fourth Wing in all its brutal beauty. Dragons, death, betrayal, and enemies-to-lovers spice, I really couldn't ask for more. Violet is an amazing protagonist, and her chronic illness is based off of the author's own experiences with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. Reading this gave me that elusive feeling of exhilaration I'm always looking for in a book. I can't wait for the sequel!
Recommended by Charlotte S.
|
Mieko Kanai and Polly Barton
[isbn]
The slice-of-life within Mild Vertigo offers the reader a startlingly similar reality to their own. A calm surface, only just barely disturbed by the creeping sensation of having been here before, done all of this before — not in a dramatic, Groundhog-Day sense, but of looking at your grocery list and realizing it's an exact copy of the one before, and the one before, and the one before. The way Natsumi's stream of consciousness... (read more)
Recommended by Charlotte S.
|
Maria Dong
[isbn]
Like seeing movement from the corner of your eye, only for there to be nothing when you turn your head, Liar, Dreamer, Thief defies any one genre. Katrina Kim is a 24-year-old woman whose life is spiraling out of control; her job sucks, her compulsions make even the simplest of tasks arduous, her apartment's a disaster, she’s stalking her coworker, and her parents disowned her. She’s losing her already tenuous grip on reality, unable to... (read more)
Recommended by Charlotte S.
|
Ling Ling Huang
[isbn]
When does the pursuit of beauty cross the threshold into body horror? Why is female body horror often dismissed as innocuous? Is it because women spend their entire lives being told to contort and conform their bodies into a desired shape, no matter the personal cost? This novel is a biting examination of wellness culture, consumerism, otherness, and beauty standards. Huang takes on these topics in a wonderfully plotted, whirlwind of a nightmare... (read more)
Recommended by Charlotte S.
|
Catherine Bakewell
[isbn]
If you can’t tell by the cover, this is a cottagecore, flower-filled read. Clara is the sweetest main character, whose magic is abundant, chaotic, and inextricably a part of her. When her magic turns deadly, her ex-best friend agrees to help her, but only at a cruel price. Reading this feels like being transported into a Studio Ghibli movie. This slow-burn romantic fantasy is one you’ll want to cozy up with to read in one sitting.
Recommended by Charlotte S.
|
Nina Maclaughlin
[isbn]
This book is written with beautiful prose, its stories giving us the other side of Ovid's Metamorphoses. It's not an "easy" read — these women are full of fury and rage and sorrow. How could they not be? Their physical transformations are the outcome of actions not their own. Wake, Siren is one of my favorite mythology retellings. I highly recommend it.
Recommended by Charlotte S.
|
Aja Barber
[isbn]
Aja Barber's Consumed is the sharply written reminder we need that our consumption habits, big and small, have an impact on many lives besides our own. It's nonfiction but feels conversational, a.k.a. it's very approachable! I recommend this for folks looking to learn more about consumer culture and history.
Recommended by Charlotte S.
|
Sarah Andersen
[isbn]
The perfect not so scary read for "scary season," Fangs is a joy to read. Humorous, gothic, and heartfelt all at once, this comic reads as more than the sum of its parts.
Recommended by Charlotte S.
|
Jennette McCurdy
[isbn]
I put off reading this for months because my OCD convinced me that reading something titled I'm Glad My Mom Died would kill my own mother. I finally worked up the courage and started reading — only to discover Jennette herself has OCD. What a wonderful irony. This memoir was brutally honest, at times uncomfortable, but always worth reading. I can imagine no subject more painful to recount than an emotionally fraught childhood, and yet... (read more)
Recommended by Charlotte S.
|
Emi Yagi and David Boyd and Lucy North
[isbn]
Yagi does a fantastic job creating an absurd situation that feels all too plausible, letting the reader in the on the secret while simultaneously leaving them in the dark. As we follow Shibata on her journey, we're with her for every hormone shift, weight fluctuation, mommy aerobics class, and doctor's visit... all of which blur our perception of Shibata's reality. Diary of a Void is a wonderfully biting commentary on the lengths women... (read more)
Recommended by Charlotte S.
|
Sayaka Murata, Ginny Tapley Takemori
[isbn]
Earthlings is at once heartbreaking and wildly preposterous. The author doesn't shield us from Natsuki's reality; from her pain, her oddities, or her determination. Murata deftly explores themes of trauma, community, and otherness. Every time I thought to myself "this book can't get any weirder," it did! Can these aliens carve out a space for not only themselves but also their found family in an overbearing, foreign world?
Recommended by Charlotte S.
|
Julia Armfield
[isbn]
A meandering but eloquent descent into bereavement and the instances where grieving precedes the loss itself. Our Wives Under the Sea is atmospheric horror at its finest, with each chapter a slow crescendo of desperation, of asking "how do you hold onto someone when they're actively slipping from your grasp?" Armfield masterfully leads us to what we perhaps knew all along — that sometimes you must let go.
Recommended by Charlotte S.
|
Judy I. Lin
[isbn]
There are so many aspects of this novel to love, but perhaps the best part is how truly unique the premise and magic system are. The entire book is filled with whimsical descriptions/prose about tea. Seriously, this book is a love letter to the art of tea and tea making. Characters are true-to-life, fallible, and representative of their ages (often forgotten in YA fantasy). Ning feels real. She's strong but she's not superhuman! I really... (read more)
Recommended by Charlotte S.
|
Judy I Lin
[isbn]
I promptly fell in love with the dreamy cover of A Magic Steeped in Poison, and the story itself. Ning's strength and determination are perfectly balanced with her vulnerability and grief. Plus, this duology has one of the most unique magic systems I've seen. Luckily for me and many other YA fantasy fans, we won't be waiting years for the sequel, A Venom Dark & Sweet, a miracle! We'll rejoin Ning on her journey and see how her... (read more)
Recommended by Charlotte S.
|
Saara El Arifi
[isbn]
I cannot overstate how excited I am for this book! The world-building, plot, and character representation all sound incredible. Not to mention it's queer, it's enemies-to-lovers, and it's fantasy with roots in mythology, basically all of my favorite things. Sylah, Anoor, and Hassa all come from different walks of life, but their paths will become inseparably intertwined. I have a feeling this will be the debut of the summer, if not the year!
Recommended by Charlotte S.
|
Tara Isabella Burton
[isbn]
The World Cannot Give is about longing and desire, the kind you feel so deeply that it makes your soul ache. For Laura, these emotions are painfully apparent in her obsession with famous author Webster. When she arrives at his old boarding school, her devotion shifts to fellow student Virginia Strauss. Virginia wants to be "world historical" like Webster was. Laura is willing to do anything to help her achieve that. I recommend this for... (read more)
Recommended by Charlotte S.
|
Julia May Jonas
[isbn]
This wonderfully cynical debut is a character study of an unnamed, 58-year-old English professor as her seemingly mundane world is fractured by the actions of herself and others. As her interest in her new colleague, Vladimir, spirals into obsession, it becomes apparent that she will inevitably decide to act upon her desire. I was delightfully shocked and horrified at the lengths our protagonist is willing to go to. The characters, their choices,... (read more)
Recommended by Charlotte S.
|
Martha Wells
[isbn]
I absolutely loved this book. If like me, you love anything set in space, give this one a try. I’m a sucker for a good space opera/Western, and this is the best one I’ve read. Don’t let its short length and deceptively simple plot fool you, All Systems Red is full of action, heart, and surprising depth. “Murderbot” may not technically be human, but they could easily fool me. It’s the perfect book — whether you’re an avid reader, a... (read more)
Recommended by Charlotte S.
|
Margery Williams
[isbn]
Even as a child, I knew this story was magical. I found it haunting, almost, to realize how deeply powerful love is. To realize how powerful my own love could be. I remember wishing I could tell the little boy and his rabbit not to worry, that their bond will transform an ordinary stuffed animal beyond even their imagination. I deeply appreciate how this story encourages us to love and cherish what we have, for as long as we are lucky to have it.
Recommended by Charlotte S.
|
Lily King
[isbn]
This book is a soothing balm for the anxious, overwhelmed soul. The writing so beautifully captures the beauty and burden of human existence, emotions, and love. It’s not easy to protect your creativity and dreams in our capitalist world. To me, this book was never about the love interests, but rather about Casey learning to love and trust her art, and by extension, herself.
Recommended by Charlotte S.
|