Alta Journal’s California Book Club
The book: California Against the Sea by Rosanna Xia
Our reviewer says: “Los Angeles Times reporter Xia debuts with a vivid exploration of how communities along the California coast are dealing with rising sea levels…. It’s an unsparing look at California’s contentious battle to cope with a changing climate.” Read more.
The book: Great Black Hope by Rob Franklin
Our reviewer says: “In Franklin’s radiant debut, a queer Black man reckons with his class privilege and drug use in the aftermath of his best friend’s mysterious death…. Readers will be rapt.” Read more.
The book: How Women Made Music: A Revolutionary History from NPR Music, ed. Alison Fensterstock with Ann Powers
Our reviewer says: “Fensterstock, a contributor to NPR’s Turning the Tables draws from it and more than 50 years of the station’s coverage in a rich and resonant collection of essays, interview excerpts, and ephemera…. It’s a buoyant, welcome ode to some of the most influential songstresses of the 20th and 21st centuries.” Read more.
The book: The Letter Carrier by Francesca Giannone, trans. Elettra Pauletto
The book: King of Ashes by S.A. Cosby
Our reviewer says: “A Virginia man is sucked into a brutal drug syndicate in this fitfully inspired crime novel from bestseller Cosby.” Read more.
The book: Notes on Infinity by Austin Taylor
Our reviewer says: “Taylor shines in her intelligent debut about two Harvard students whose lives are upended when they discover a potential cure for aging…. This is a winner.” Read more.
The book: Aftertaste by Daria Lavelle
Our reviewer says: “Lavelle riffs on hungry ghost mythology in her delectable debut…. This inventive tale of food and family is likely to whet readers’ appetites.” Read more.
The book: King of Ashes by S.A. Cosby
Our reviewer says: “A Virginia man is sucked into a brutal drug syndicate in this fitfully inspired crime novel from bestseller Cosby.” Read more.
Good Housekeeping Book Club and Good Morning America Book Club
The book: The Compound by Aisling Rawle
Our reviewer says: “Rawle debuts with an addictive tale of a fiercely competitive and increasingly dangerous reality TV show…. This portrait of a vapid world contains remarkable depth.” Read more.
Good Morning America YA Book Club
The book: The Nightblood Prince by Molly X. Chang
Our reviewer says: “In this beguiling series launch from Chang, two princes from warring kingdoms and one prophesied empress grapple with destiny in an intricately described alternate ancient China.” Read more.
The books: Maine Characters by Hannah Orenstein and Melting Point: Family, Memory, and the Search for a Promised Land by Rachel Cockerell
The book: Culpability by Bruce Holsinger
Our reviewer says: “Holsinger plumbs moral responsibility in the age of AI in this twisty family drama.... This timely tale leaves readers with much to chew on.” Read more.
The book: This Inevitable Ruin by Matt Dinniman
The book: The Reformatory by Tananarive Due
Our reviewer says: “NAACP Image Award winner Due takes an unflinching look at American racism in this masterful work of historical horror…. This harrowing, supernaturally inflected depiction of racism’s unbridled cruelty and the generational trauma it can inflict is sure to stick in readers’ minds.” Read more.
The book: A Different Kind of Power by Jacinda Ardern
Our reviewer says: “Ardern, the former prime minister of New Zealand, discusses her road to public service in this upbeat autobiography.” Read more.
The book: Krik? Krak! by Edwidge Danticat
Our reviewer says: “Arriving one year after the Haitian-American’s first novel alerted critics to her compelling voice, these 10 stories, some of which have appeared in small literary journals, confirm Danticat's reputation as a remarkably gifted writer.” Read more.
The book: The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen
Our reviewer says: “Nguyen’s poignant debut captures the perspectives of, and essence of the bond between, a parent and child, proving that language—and love—can transcend words.” Read more.
The book: Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
Our reviewer says: “Garmus debuts with a perplexing feminist fairy tale set in 1960s Southern California…. The author has a great voice, but contemporary readers will be left wondering who this is for.” Read more.
The book: Jill Is Not Happy by Kaira Rouda
Our reviewer says: “Rouda spins a dark, deliberately paced tale of matrimonial hell…. There are some sick thrills to be had, but this adds up to less than the sum of its parts.” Read more.
The book: Happy Wife by Meredith Lavender and Kendall Shores
Our reviewer says: “TV writer Lavender and former communications consultant Shores debut with a lukewarm Cinderella story turned murder mystery.” Read more.
The book: The Most Fun We Ever Had by Claire Lombardo
Our reviewer says: “Lombardo’s impressive debut follows the Sorenson clan through the 1970s to 2017…. Despite its length and number of plotlines, the momentum never flags, making for a rich and rewarding family saga.” Read more.
The book: Bless the Blood by Walela Nehanda
Our reviewer says: “In this strikingly intimate debut memoir, Nehanda delivers an unflinching account of living with leukemia as a Black, queer, nonbinary person.” Read more.
The book: A Marriage at Sea by Sophie Elmhirst
Our reviewer says: “Journalist Elmhirst debuts with an enthralling story of survival.... It’s an un-put-downable saga of a relationship pushed to the limits.” Read more.
The book: God Help the Child by Toni Morrison
Our reviewer says: “In Morrison's short, emotionally-wrenching novel, a mother learns about the damage adults do to children and the choices children make as they grow to suppress, express, or overcome their shame.” Read more.
The book: TBA
The book: Statistically Speaking by Debbie Johnson
The book: The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
