Book Review

Meredith Hambrock's new novel, She's a Lamb!, is a dark, disturbing and twisted thriller featuring one of the most despicable narrators since R.F. Kuang's Yellowface.

Florence Knapp's debut novel, "The Names," explores the horrific legacy of domestic abuse, the tensions of marriage and parenting, and the shifting tides of family.

Kevin Wilson's new novel, "Run for the Hills," features four half-siblings — previous strangers to one another — who set off on a road trip across America to find the father who abandoned them.

'Shopgirls' by Jessica Anya Blau is the story of 19-year-old Zippy, who works in petite dresses at I. Magnin, a legendary high-fashion department store in San Francisco.

Despite some truly dark subject matter, "The Road to Tender Hearts" grabs your heart with both hands and somehow gets you laughing through tears.

'Ordinary Time: Lessons Learned While Staying Put' is a memoir in essays by Annie B. Jones, the owner of an independent bookstore in Thomasville, Georgia. It explores small-town living and the idea that you don't have to do big things in a big city to have a meaningful life.

Katie Kitamura's newest novel, “Audition,” is a slow-burn psychological thriller that you can't stop reading, even though you're not exactly sure what's going on.

Lynn Steger Strong's new novel, "The Float Test," is the story of four siblings who come together in Florida after the unexpected death of their mother.

In her new book, "Secrets of Adulthood: Simple Truths for Our Complex Lives," author Gretchen Rubin distills decades of research into a collection of easy-to-remember life hacks.

Emma Pattee's debut novel, "Tilt," is a powerful, fast-paced literary thriller that will have you pondering human nature and your own capacity to carry on.

In her new book, "Integrated: How American Schools Failed Black Children," scholar Noliwe Rooks unpacks the questionable legacy of the Brown v. Board of Education decision.

Kim Fay's "Kate & Frida" is a heartwarming epistolary novel that follows the unexpected friendship between two young women in the early 1990s who bond over food and books.

A new, 10th-anniversary edition of 'Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls' includes 22 new profiles of women, including Greta Thunberg, Judy Blume and Taylor Swift.

'Three Days in June' reflects author Anne Tyler's signature wit and flair for dialogue. This is her 25th novel.

Author Geraldine Brooks explores death and grief in her new memoir, "Memorial Days." It recounts the days, months and years following the sudden death of Brooks' husband, Tony Horwitz.

"Good Dirt" by Charmaine Wilkerson tells the story of a well-to-do Black family who settled on the coast of New England.

Layne Fargo's new novel, "The Favorites," explores the dazzling but brutal world of elite ice dancing.

Journalist Pagan Kennedy spent years tracking down the full story of Martha "Marty" Goddard, and her book reflects that troubling history along with the author's personal experiences and motivation.

Book reviewer Suzanne Perez says Grady Hendrix's new novel, "Witchcraft for Wayward Girls," is a creepy, quirky story of teenaged girls who discover their hidden power.

Rachel Kushner's newest novel, "Creation Lake," tells the story of a seductive American secret agent who infiltrates a rural commune of French subversives.

Jolabokaflod, which translates loosely to "Christmas book flood," is an annual tradition that celebrates books and reading. Every year on Christmas Eve, people in Iceland exchange books and spend the evening reading.

In "Smitten Kitchen Keepers: A Kitchen Counter Conversation," author Deb Perelman riffs on some of her favorite recipes, sharing stories about what inspired it or how she has tweaked, simplified and perfected it over the years.

Danzy Senna's 'Colored Television' is a dark comedy that explores issues of parenting, art, Hollywood, real estate and the racial-identity industrial complex. There's really not a single aspect of modern life that escapes the author's critical eye or searing wit.

Katherine Rundell's 'Impossible Creatures' is the first installment of a planned fantasy trilogy for young readers. It introduces us to the Archipelago, where mythical creatures like unicorns and krakens coexist with humans.

Samantha Harvey's novel "Orbital," which won this year's prestigious Booker Prize, is nearly plotless. But Harvey's writing shimmers as she describes daily life on the International Space Station and six astronauts' view of the world.

At just over 100 pages, Irish author Claire Keegan's novel, "Small Things Like These," is deceptively simple. But her carefully crafted story and characters have readers wrestling with essential moral questions.

Author Julia Phillips uses the bones of a Brothers Grimm fairy tale to ground her novel, "Bear," but fleshes it out with modern characters and sensibilities.

Mason Coile's 'William' offers a Hitchcock-meets-cyber-noir level of intensity. It's definitely one of those stories that, once you start, is impossible to put down.

Fans looking for a lightning-paced thriller won't find that in Laura Dave's "The Night We Lost Him." But what the novel lacks in jaw-dropping plot twists it more than makes up for in soulful romance and family drama.

Author, actor and famous foodie Stanley Tucci has released another memoire, "What I Ate in One Year (and Related Thoughts," which chronicles one gastronomical year in his life.

Book reviewer Suzanne Perez says Rivers Solomon's newest novel, 'Model Home,' confronts heavy topics like race, class, identity and mental health alongside a constant hum of psychological dread.

Celebrity chef Ina Garten's new memoir, "Be There When the Luck Happens," is perfect for fans of foodie memoirs and anyone interested in the tricky business of building a brand.

M.L. Rio's new novella, "Graveyard Shift," centers on five friends who work the late shift in a college town. It's atmospheric and eerie, but at less than 150 pages, it leaves true Rio fans wanting more.

In her newest novel, “There Are Rivers in the Sky,” Elif Shafak weaves characters and storylines together with a single raindrop that falls, freezes, evaporates and reappears across time.

Marcus Kliewer's debut novel began life as a serialized short story on Reddit, where it won an award for Scariest Story of 2021. It's a deliciously twisty haunted house tale with nods to Shirley Jackson and Jordan Peele.

'That Librarian: The Fight Against Book-Banning in America' tells the story of Louisiana school librarian Amanda Jones, who sued harassers for defamation when they attacked her on social media. Jones has led the fight against efforts to censor books in school and public libraries.

Author Helen Phillips says plot points in her latest novel, "Hum," are just slightly exaggerated versions of recent facts or statistics. And that's precisely what makes it so terrifying.

Book reviewer Suzanne Perez says Miranda July's new novel, "All Fours," is a mid-life-crisis story that's part artistic discovery, part bizarre sexcapades — with a whole lot of kinky and sometimes grotesque episodes that are not for the faint-hearted.

At about 600 pages, Chris Whitaker's new novel, "All the Colors of the Dark," takes its time to paint detailed characters and a complex story over 25 years. But its dramatic plot and micro-chapters move the story along at a lightning pace.

The Amazon Originals 'Creature Feature' collection includes six short stories from some of today's best horror novelists, including Grady Hendrix, Josh Malerman and Paul Tremblay.

Book reviewer Suzanne Perez says J. Courtney Sullivan's new novel, "The Cliffs," isn't a ghost story, per se, but the characters dig up and deal with the ghosts of their past.

"Pearce Oysters," a new novel by Jocelyn Takacs, offers a better understanding of the interdependence of nature and man, and readers come away with a deeper respect for those who make their livings on the coast.

Author Liz Moore weaves so much into her new 500-page novel, "The God of the Woods," including class struggles and family secrets. But it never feels confusing or overplotted.

Sager is known for fast-paced thrillers with titles like Lock Every Door and Home Before Dark, and this one stays true to the formula. But it's a formula that works.

"Margot's Got Money Troubles" by Rufi Thorpe tells the story of 20-year-old Margot Millet, the child of a Hooters waitress and an ex-pro wrestler, who gets knocked up by her community college English professor and decides to keep the baby.

KMUW book reviewer Suzanne Perez says "One of Our Kind" by Nicola Yoon is a fast-paced thriller that keeps you guessing until the very end.

Some books are just perfect for summer, like “Love & Saffron” by Kim Fey, or a food memoir like “Taste” by Stanley Tucci. Anything by Kevin Wilson works great, as do psychological thrillers like “The Push” or “The Whispers” by Ashley Audrain.

Book reviewer Suzanne Perez says author Holly Gramazio scores with her debut novel, "The Husbands."

Book reviewer Suzanne Perez says she used to avoid contemporary romance novels. But the latest book by rom-com queen Emily Henry proves what all the fuss is about.

Book reviewer Suzanne Perez says Sloane Crosley's "Grief is for People" is a poignant and smartly written memoir that will resonate with anyone who has experienced a personal loss.

Adam Rapp's newest novel, "Wolf at the Table," promises to be an eerie, serial killer novel but turns out to be a wandering family tale.