1. The Boys of Riverside: A Deaf Football Team and a Quest for Glory By Thomas Fuller
Genre: Sports Nonfiction, Inspirational Biography, Disability Literature
The Boys of Riverside chronicles a deaf high school football team’s gritty journey to defy stereotypes and claim victory. Through camaraderie and resilience, they tackle societal barriers and physical challenges, proving grit transcends sound. A heartening ode to underdog spirit, teamwork, and the power of inclusion, celebrating triumph over adversity in America’s most beloved sport.
2. The God of the Woods By Liz Moore
Genre : Literary Mystery, Psychological Suspense, Family Drama
Moore’s The God of the Woods is an atmospheric, layered tale of a 1975 Adirondack summer camp where a child vanishes, echoing a family’s tragic past. Intertwining dual timelines, it probes guilt, legacy, and nature’s indifferent grip. A haunting exploration of secrets and redemption, rendered in Moore’s signature emotional precision.
Genre: Literary Fiction, Historical Fiction, Satire
Everett’s James is a subversive reimagining of Huckleberry Finn from enslaved Jim’s perspective, recast as James. With biting wit and searing insight, it dismantles Twain’s mythos, confronting racism and agency in antebellum America. A profound, darkly humorous interrogation of storytelling itself—who shapes narratives, who is erased—and a masterclass in reclaiming voice.
Genre: Historical Fiction, Women's Fiction
Hannah’s The Women follows a Vietnam War nurse confronting societal neglect and trauma upon returning home. Through harrowing frontline experiences and postwar struggles, it honors women’s forgotten valor. A visceral, emotionally charged tribute to resilience and sisterhood, blending personal sacrifice with historical reckoning. Hannah crafts an indelible portrait of unsung heroines reclaiming their voice.
Genre: Historical Nonfiction, Collective Biography, Inspirational Nonfiction
McMahon’s The Small and the Mighty spotlights twelve overlooked Americans whose quiet courage shaped pivotal moments from the Revolution to Civil Rights. Through vivid portraits, it reclaims their legacies, proving history is forged not just by giants but by ordinary souls’ extraordinary acts. A vital, stirring corrective to the canon of American heroism
Genre: Literary Fiction, Existential Drama, Immigrant Narrative
Akbar’s Martyr! follows Cyrus, an Iranian-American poet wrestling with addiction and grief, who obsesses over the concept of martyrdom to make sense of his mother’s death. Lyrical and raw, it dissects identity, longing, and the myths we cling to for survival. A haunting debut, blending poetic precision with existential ache.
Genre: Memoir, Inspirational Nonfiction, Culinary Biography
Garten’s Be Ready When the Luck Happens chronicles her leap from White House analyst to culinary icon with candor and charm. Blending kitchen wisdom with life philosophy, she champions grit, adaptability, and seizing serendipity. A nourishing read on reinvention, flavored with behind-the-scenes anecdotes and her signature warmth—a recipe for thriving when opportunity knocks
Genre: Literary Fiction, Humorous Fiction, Domestic Drama
Espach’s The Wedding People follows a disillusioned woman who crashes a lavish destination wedding, colliding with eccentric guests and her own unraveling life. With razor-sharp wit and aching vulnerability, it skewers societal façades while probing loneliness, reinvention, and the chaos of human connection. A darkly comic, poignant ode to life’s messy second acts.
Genre: Literary Fiction, Dystopian Adventure, Quest Narrative
Enger’s I Cheerfully Refuse follows musician Rainy on a perilous voyage across a fractured America’s Great Lakes, seeking solace in a world fraying at the edges. Lyrical and soulful, it blends dystopian grit with tender humanity, exploring love, loss, and defiant hope. A haunting ode to resilience in the face of collapse.
Genre: Historical Fantasy, Dark Fantasy, Gothic Intrigue
Bardugo’s The Familiar plunges into 16th-century Spain, where scullion Luzia unlocks forbidden magic through kitchen witchery. Amid the Inquisition’s shadow, her gifts attract a scheming noble and a haunted mentor. Lush prose weaves ambition, betrayal, and survival in a tale where miracles court mortal peril. A spellbinding, gritty dance of power and secrecy.
Genre: Crime Thriller, Small-Town Noir, Psychological Suspense
Whitaker’s All the Colors of the Dark is a gut-wrenching odyssey of grief and vengeance, as a man haunted by his sister’s disappearance spends decades hunting her killer. Gothic atmosphere, fractured bonds, and moral decay seep through a town steeped in secrets. A masterclass in suspense, blending raw emotion with relentless twists. Bleak yet breathtaking.
Genre: Social Science Nonfiction, Cultural Critique, Investigational Journalism
Gladwell’s Revenge of the Tipping Point revisits his iconic theory through the lens of modern social engineering, dissecting how “superspreaders” and viral narratives shape—and distort—public discourse. Blending sharp analysis with cultural critique, it interrogates the ethics of influence in an age of misinformation. A provocative, timely unpacking of unintended consequences in networked societies.
Genre: Cozy Mystery, Humorous Crime Fiction
Osman’s We Solve Murders delivers a witty, twisty romp as an unlikely duo—a retired teacher and a tech-averse detective—tangle with art heists, eccentric suspects, and deadpan humor. Sharp dialogue and red herrings abound in this breezy whodunit, proving crime-solving can be both clever and charming. A delightful escape for fans of puzzles with personality.
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Coming-of-Age, Magical Realism
Nelson’s When the World Tips Over is a luminous exploration of a fractured family and a teen’s struggle to anchor herself. With lyrical prose and surreal undertones, it delves into grief, identity, and the seismic shifts of adolescence. Heart-wrenching yet hopeful, it captures the chaos of rebuilding when life tilts irrevocably. A gem for lovers of emotionally charged YA.
Genre: Science Fiction, Romance, Satirical Fiction
Bradley’s The Ministry of Time pits a government bureaucrat against forbidden love with a time-traveling expat, tangled in a shadowy agency’s rules. Blending wry satire on bureaucracy with heart-pounding stakes, it asks if love can defy timelines—or the Ministry’s grip. A sharp, inventive mashup of dystopian tension and romantic defiance.
Genre: Historical Nonfiction, Narrative History
Larson’s The Demon of Unrest plunges readers into the chaotic months before the Civil War, dissecting political brinkmanship, ideological clashes, and personal agonies that ignited America’s fracture. Through vivid portraits of leaders and ordinary citizens, he crafts a suspenseful saga of hubris and failed diplomacy. A masterclass in taut, meticulously researched narrative history.
17. Fire Exit: A Novel By Morgan Talty
Genre: Literary Fiction, Family Drama, Indigenous Fiction
Talty’s Fire Exit traces Charles Lamosway’s aching quest to reconnect with his estranged daughter across the Penobscot Reservation’s cultural divide. Lyrical and raw, it dissects identity, belonging, and the scars of separation. A poignant exploration of fatherhood and the invisible borders that fracture families, rendered with Indigenous resilience and heart-cracking humanity.
Genre: Biography, Political Nonfiction
Greenberg’s John Lewis: A Life chronicles the civil rights icon’s journey from sharecropper’s son to congressional stalwart. With meticulous research, it illuminates Lewis’s unwavering commitment to justice, nonviolence, and moral courage. A stirring tribute to a legacy of resistance and hope, bridging activism and governance in a fractured America.
Genre: Literary Fiction, Historical Fiction, Magical Realism
Shafak’s There Are Rivers in the Sky weaves myth and history through interconnected tales spanning centuries, linked by rivers that mirror human longing and memory. Lyrical and sprawling, it traces love, exile, and the fluidity of identity across time. A poetic meditation on nature’s permanence and the ephemeral ties that bind us.
Genre: Psychological Thriller, Domestic Noir, Mystery
Rekulak’s The Last One at the Wedding plunges estranged father Frank into a gilded nightmare as he uncovers sinister secrets at his daughter’s opulent wedding. Amid class tensions and hostile locals, the novel tightens like a noose, blending family drama with relentless suspense. A gripping exploration of trust, deception, and the lengths a parent will go to protect their child, even when estranged.