Librarians Claire and Stephanie talk about some of the 2023 releases that they are excited to add to their “To Be Read” piles!
Evil Eye by Etaf Rum: Etaf Rum’s follow-up to her 2019 debut, A Woman Is No Man, is a complicated mother-daughter drama that looks at the lasting effects of intergenerational trauma and what it takes to break the cycle of abuse. (Claire)
- 2022 Greece Reads author, Etaf Rum
Mothered by Zoje Stage: From the USA Today bestselling author of the international sensation Baby Teeth comes a claustrophobic psychological thriller about one woman’s nightmarish spiral while quarantined with her mother. (Stephanie)
- Our first Greece Reads author, Zoje Stage
Lady Tan’s Circle of Women by Lisa See: The latest historical novel from New York Times bestselling author Lisa See, inspired by the true story of a woman physician from 15th-century China—perfect for fans of See’s classic Snowflower and the Secret Fan and The Island of Sea Women. (Claire)
- historical fiction based on a “real” person!
City Under One Roof by Iris Yamashita: debut from an Academy Award–nominated screenwriter. Takes place in a tiny town in Alaska. All 200 residents live in one high rise building. Town is only accessible via a tunnel and is isolated. Detective goes in to investigate a murder and then gets stranded when a blizzard closes off the tunnel. (Stephanie)
Happy Place by Emily Henry: A couple who broke up months ago make a pact to pretend to still be together for their annual weeklong vacation with their best friends in this fun new novel. (Claire)
- Rom-Com fake romance trope
How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix: Parents die, two adult siblings must sell their house, but the house has a creepy feeling to it. Filled with dolls and puppets. Saw it described as Annabelle and Child’s Play. It’s “hilarious and terrifying” as the blurb says. That’s a hard combination to get right, but it seems it has. (Stephanie)
All That is Mine I Carry With Me by William Landay: A mother vanished. A father presumed guilty. There is no proof. There are no witnesses. For the children, there is only doubt. From the New York Times bestselling author of Defending Jacob. (Claire)
A House with Good Bones by T. Kingfisher: described as “Southern gothic.” We both enjoy Southern. A woman goes home to visit her mother, and everything seems “off.” Her mother seems terrified, she’s painted all the walls white, and then she discovers a jar of teeth in the yard. (Stephanie)
- Creepy / horror movie vibes
All the Sinners Bleed by S. A. Crosby: Southern noir specialist S.A. Cosby (Razorblade Tears) is back with his unique brand of high-octane crime fiction. Titus Crowne is a former FBI agent recently elected sheriff of a small town. When a school shooting shatters the community, Titus must endure the trials of being a Black man in a police uniform in the American South. (Claire)
- Love books about the South in a contemporary setting
All the Dangerous Things by Stacy Willingham: baby stolen out of his crib and the mother hasn’t slept in a year. Case is cold but she is desperate to find him. (Stephanie)
- Love missing persons stories
Dust Child by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai: From the internationally bestselling author of The Mountains Sing, a suspenseful and moving saga about family secrets, hidden trauma, and the overriding power of forgiveness, set during the war and in present-day Việt Nam. (Claire)
- Historical fiction in a different time period
Who We are Now by Lauryn Chamberlain: Four friends. Fifteen years. Graduated college in 2006, they think they will always be close, but entering adulthood changes things. Each of the next years is told from one of their points of view. Drift apart but a tragedy brings them back together. (Stephanie)
- Friendship, including a male… interesting perspective
Enchantment: Awakening Wonder in an Anxious Age by Katherine May: From the New York Times-bestselling author of Wintering, an invitation to rediscover the feelings of awe and wonder available to us all. (Claire)
- Non-fiction pick – enjoyed “Wintering”
The Hundred Loves of Juliet by Evelyn Skye: a modern retelling of Romeo and Juliet. When Helene was young, she dreamed of the perfect man and wrote about him in journals. Grew up, moved on, went through a messy divorce. She decides to move to Alaska where she meets a man… who is the exact person she dreamed up. How? (Stephanie)
I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai: A stirring investigation into collective memory and a deeply felt examination of one woman’s reckoning with her past, with a transfixing mystery at its heart. A successful producer and pod caster returns to teach a class at the boarding school where her roommate was murdered during their senior year. (Claire)
- On many “most anticipated” lists – NPR, Time, Good Housekeeping, Today, etc.
Have you read any of our choices? Have thoughts about our picks? Connect with us at [email protected]. We love hearing from our listeners, and also getting your suggestions for our “To Be Read” pile!
