Harper Collins

I loved and learned from this book. This is a story about the struggles that come with living in a country in turmoil and existing as a religious minority. It’s also a coming-of-age tale about endearing, relatable Jude, who is learning who she is and how to allow herself to be seen in a new place, making this a book that can serve as both a window and a mirror for everyone. - Stephanie

Historic injustices are often treated as lacking any contemporary impact, but this book disabuses anyone suffering under that delusion. In modern-day Silicon Valley, the internment of their Japanese-American ancestors affects protagonist CJ Katsumaya and her family, though they (believably) don’t see eye to eye about it. This historical interconnectedness coupled with CJ’s evolution from an apathetic antihero (wave goodbye to the “model minority” myth) into a woke person of action, makes this book a compelling and thought-provoking read. - Stephanie

I will read anything and everything that Jaswal (Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows) writes. This fantastically written book about three sisters on a journey arranged by their recently deceased mother charmed me. Within a story of sisterhood and family, Jaswal explores an immigrant experience as well as the complexities women go through in different ways. Sisterhood isn’t always about getting along and having everything in common, and Jaswal dives into that in this novel. I will be thinking about the Shergill sisters for a while, finding new things to love about them. - Karena 

“Set in Australia, [this] is a sprawling novel about a thoughtful boy’s premature journey into manhood. Boy Swallows Universe hypnotizes you with wonder, and then hammers you with heartbreak. The events of Eli’s life are often fatal and tragic, but fate and tragedy do not overpower the story. Eli’s remarkably poetic voice and his astonishingly open heart take the day. They enable him to carve out the best of what’s possible from the worst of what is, which is the miracle that makes this novel marvelous.” —The Washington Post

Eerie in the best way with character relationships so well developed you forget the novel is pared down to just two voices. The Luminous Dead follows Gyre's solo journey through empty caves in deep space, with only the voice of her handler over the coms as back-up. Of course neither Gyre nor her handler are as they initially appear, and are the caves truly empty? Starling plays with universal human fears to ratchet up the tension for thrills and chills. - Clara

From meteorology to mystery and mythology, this book has it all. Although the title alludes to the history of a set of islands covering a small fraction of our planet’s surface, Christina Thompson sails the globe in this thrilling exploration of the driven humans who chanced upon the pacific islands. Perhaps one of the most touching points is Thompson’s personal connection to Polynesian society in her Maori husband. - R.H.

This daring debut novel by actress, poet, and activist Amber Tamblyn is a powerful gut-wrenching indictment of sexual violence. A gender role reversal has the effect of immersing the reader into the dark emotional and physical aftermath of sexual assault. Tamblyn's brilliant mix of prose and poetry had me captured from the first page. - Trey

Like Kundera, this novel originated in the Czech Republic and migrated to France. Twice translated, this version of Kundera’s first international hit is superior to the original according to the author himself. The seven fantastic yet grounded tales within its pages are told with the skill of a linguistic master, and leave one feeling there might be a little magic in the mundane. - Aric

This sweeping, gorgeously written novel follows the dynastic Forster family, who in Wright’s telling are the first family in America to invent and popularize soda pop. Wright follows each family member across decades and continents, and they are by turns troubled, ambitious, humorous, heroic, and tragic, but all are written with incredible sympathy and humanity. I adored it. - Stuart

Through the years, Neil Gaiman has written on so many subjects, from books to politics to music. This book is worth the price of admission if only for his perspective on genre writing. Collecting these writings together provides a masterclass in how to write non-fiction: widely and often. - Ivy