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ENSHITTIFICATION. It’s a real thing—the purposeful degradation of the quality in systems in order to maximize profits. And we saw ICT as a boon to society, liberating not oppressing. Sigh. Listen in as we explore enshittification and the implications of all this profit-seeking across all types of information systems.
PREMIUM
A Poisoner’s Tale
Kemp’s deeply researched story pulls in readers, but its narrator stretches the bounds of sympathy and credulity.
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She’s a Lamb!
For readers who enjoy dark, uncomfortable humor and tales of mental spiraling.
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The Sirens
Hart’s second novel (after Weyward) weaves a lyrical story, intricately blending family dynamics with the magic of folklore. For fans of family relationship stories with elements of magical realism, such as the novels of Sarah Addison Allen.
Multi-published Mallery is at her best here. This is a fast read that’s sure to delight her fans and provoke discussion for book clubs.
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Elegy, Southwest
Metaphors abound in Watts’s fiction, but this work solemnly ponders whether accepting negation opens up alternative paths toward the future. Her novel movingly covers multitudinous forms of grief: ecological, political, and familial.
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Happy Land
This is a lyrical and unique work of historical fiction. The Kingdom is based on a real place about which readers will want to know more after reading Perkins-Valdez’s novel. Fans of hidden-history narratives will enjoy her hopeful, empowering tale.
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Loca
With themes of relationships, love, and family, this tale will resonate with readers who have faced hardships and who have had to search for and embrace their identity. A welcome addition to collections.
This often less-read novel, here with annotations by Wells (English, Goucher Coll.), holds many of the strong pleasures of Austen, most centrally her keen characterizations and social observations.
Book clubs will enjoy this wonderful novel about family, friendship and inner strength. It is a must-read for those who like the work of Kristin Hannah and Jojo Moyes.
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Audition
This sleek, provocative novel is sure to confound readers; a must for literary collections and for book club discussions.
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Hot Air
In her latest, Dermansky (Hurricane Girl) distills a potent brew from the sad consequences of power disparities among people. No arena of domestic human emotions is safe from her biting wit and analysis. Mother-daughter, employer-worker, husband-wife, rich-poor conflicts: all get their moment in the spotlight. It’s a laugh-till-you cry experience that will send readers to Dermansky’s backlist for more.
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Persuasion
Redemptive, heartrending, and emotionally powerful, this finely crafted, deeply observant novel is among the treasures of 19th-century British fiction.
Based upon a little-known true event, this haunting and emotional story from pseudonymous Anthony, who has published women’s fiction under another name, could not be timelier. Women in the United States are not the only ones who must fight to protect personal rights, and this powerful novel will remind readers of the fragility of those freedoms.
This debut is a beautiful, if sometimes harrowing exploration of one woman’s journey, not only from one country to another but through the pain and trauma of unimaginable childhood abuse to a life built by her own grit and determination.
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The Burning Heart of the World
This is a fast-moving, relatable story that would be a good addition to a historical fiction section or fiction of special interest to women. Fans of Lisa Wingate and Chris Bohjalian will also enjoy.
In the end, the plot does not matter, really; what makes Rudnick’s book so memorable are the well-drawn friendships among characters, their allegiance to one another, and a surprisingly touching reflection on love, trust, and the passage of time.
Though the set-up is stronger than the landing, getting there is tons of fun in this fast-paced novel.
A sharply written novel with surprise comedic twists. Readers will enjoy this tale of two ex-lovers who are reunited by espionage and who ultimately find true love as they race through the beautiful streets of Italy, trying to stay alive.
PREMIUM
Story of My Life
The excellent writing in Score’s (“Knockemout” series) latest small-town romance pulls readers into Hazel’s new life, featuring snarky humor, lots of banter, and hot chemistry between the well-developed protagonists. Highly recommended.
Ruggle’s sequel to The Scenic Route (and her fourth novel featuring the Pax sisters) is a delight for fans of romantic suspense who also appreciate a sprinkle of humor. The epilogue, featuring an unexpected discovery by the fifth Pax sister, is sure to keep readers anxious for the next book.
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Just Our Luck
Williams (Technically Yours) writes a sexy fake-dating romance with charm, featuring a protagonist navigating the challenges of family expectations and love.
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Scot and Bothered
Kiley’s fans will enjoy the return to a captivating Scottish landscape, but this second-chance romance is less successful than her debut, Kilt Trip.
Beck and Connie are wonderful, delightful characters, and their romance will keep readers turning the pages of the latest from Stein (When Grumpy Met Sunshine).
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While the Duke Was Sleeping
Romance readers will have fun with this Regency series launch from Parish.
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Can’t Help Faking in Love
The vibrant Bangalore setting is an appealing backdrop for this thoroughly enjoyable closed-door, fake-dating romance from Hegde (Match Me If You Can).
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On Her Terms
This is a delightful read for fans of contemporary sapphic romance, especially those who appreciate stories of personal growth alongside romantic development..
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Bad Publicity
A slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers debut to suggest to fans of Katherine Center and Rebecca Serle.
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A Simple Twist of Fate
Asher (Not Your Crush’s Cauldron) writes a sexy paranormal rom-com set in a cozy, magical world; perfect for fans of Juliette Cross, Sarah Hawley, and Erin Sterling.
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The Perfect Rom-Com
Ferguson’s (How To Plot a Payback) charming slow-burn rom-com is full of fun banter, lovable characters, community and family connections, and heart.
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Anywhere You Go
Fans of Roan Parrish’s The Holiday Trap will enjoy Morrissey’s (That Summer Feeling) latest.
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It All Comes Back to You
Wiesner (Wish I Were Here) skillfully builds the protagonists’ narrative in an emotional story about love and found families, keeping readers eagerly turning the page.
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The Launch Date
Slator, a former marketing manager for real-life dating app Bumble, debuts with a slow-burn romance that will satisfy readers who enjoyed Sally Thorne’s The Hating Game.
Lavine turns many of the common romance novel tropes on their heads in this stunning debut. Top-notch banter will have readers laughing out loud as they root for Margot to finally achieve her own happily-ever-after.
PREMIUM
Firebird
Cross (“Stay a Spell” series) mixes royal debauchery, political machinations, and hot sex in her new epic romantasy, a sort of mash-up of TV’s Rome and House of the Dragon. For fans of Carissa Broadbent, Rebecca Yarros, and Sarah J. Maas.
Fans of Mary Robinette Kowal’s The Spare Man and Grace Curtis’s Floating Hotel will love this opening entry in a new space-cruise SF mystery series from Waite (The Hellion’s Waltz).
Qin’s delightful debut is full of witty, snarky characters in a fantastical Calgary; a good pick for urban fantasy readers.
This delightfully magical historical fantasy combines creatures out of folklore (including the lake-dwelling monster Jenny) with a desperate quest, a sad tale of magic leaving the world, and a soul-quaking battle between quiet good and vast evil, all set in a beautiful story of sisterhood and found family among the most disparate of creatures. Readers who love the creatures, magic, and mythic settings of T. Kingfisher’s Thornhedge and Nicola Griffith’s Spear will find something similar and beautiful in O’Neill’s debut.
Kennington’s gripping debut romantasy starts with the risky, disobedient act of a princess, follows with an abduction, and keeps the action going until the blood-soaked end, leaving readers eager for more from the novel’s pair of doomed lovers.
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The Prince Without Sorrow
A taut, character-focused first installment in an epic fantasy series that promises a refreshing look at survival and empire.
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Welcome to the Honey B&B
Equally hilarious and heart-rending, Carlson’s (The Christmas Tree Farm) novel draws on her own experience as a caregiver to provide a devastatingly real novel of deep, quiet faith in the face of a family’s worst fear. Pat Simmons and Katie Powner explore similar themes in Lean on Me and A Flicker of Light.
PREMIUM
Every Deadly Suspicion
Cantore (One Final Target) draws on her real-life experience as a police officer to write compelling thrillers that accurately portray cop life and also offer a deep thread of faith, along with interesting characters. Cantore fans will also enjoy DiAnn Mills, Elizabeth Goddard, and Cara Putman.
With shifting loyalties, a global geopolitical stage, family feuds, the legend of the Scottish selkie, and a forbidden romantic attraction, this novel has many of the best elements of historical fiction. Readers will also notice a few cameos from Sundin’s previous novels. For read-alikes, try the sweeping historical dramas of Amanda Dykes and Cathy Gohlke.
PREMIUM
A Constant Love
Peterson (“Heart of Cheyenne” series) always finds something new to highlight about the western United States, even with her prolific repertoire. She pens excellent villains who serve as foils for her romantic heroes, and each book is like a deep dive into the human psyche. Suggest read-alikes by Amanda Cabot and Sandra Dallas.
PREMIUM
An Overdue Match
Lovingly poking fun at a variety of romance tropes, Monzon (All’s Fair in Love and Christmas) delivers all the swoony feels, along with a message about true beauty and God’s pursuing love, timely in an age of toxic social media comparison traps. Readers will be eager for more books about Little Creek’s side characters and appreciate the zany situations similar to those in the work of Melissa Ferguson and Becca Kinzer.
PREMIUM
The City Beneath Her
A fiercely feminist take on noir for readers enamored with Dorothy B. Hughes and Patricia Highsmith.
PREMIUM
To Catch a Thief
Dodge’s 1952 novel, the basis for the Alfred Hitchcock film starring Cary Grant and Grace Kelly, gets a Library of Congress Crime Classics reissue, with a new introduction and notes by Edgar Award winner Klinger (editor of The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes). Fans of the movie and classic crime fiction will enjoy this story of honor among thieves.
Fans of Dennis Lehane’s Mystic River, as well as readers who appreciate their crime fiction served straight up with no chaser, will be mesmerized by Currie’s latest.
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Big Name Fan
Readers who enjoy cozy sapphic mysteries will find a lot to love in Sam and Bex. Half cozy mystery, half romance, this read is entirely fun.
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One Death at a Time
Full of the witty banter and laugh-out-loud scenarios readers have come to expect from Waxman, this raucous romp around Tinseltown with an odd couple of sleuths will delight readers.
Thielman’s novel offers something for nearly every reader: art history, the French Revolution, the United States’ westward expansion, a treasure hunt, and of course, murder and a good police procedural set in beautiful Yellowstone National Park. May appeal to fans of Dan Brown, Meg Gardiner, and Ace Atkins.
Between the cheeky humor of TV’s Only Murders in the Building and the grim, psychological recasting of facts through fiction and memory (as exemplified by Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl), Winstead’s novel breathes life into stories that, the narrator hints, might be better off dead and buried.
McCluskey’s gripping debut features an isolated island with a brooding, storm-tossed atmosphere, reminiscent of Ann Cleeves’s “Shetland Island” mysteries. The violence and collusion lead to a shocking conclusion.
PREMIUM
Cat Got Your Killer
The 12th “Second Chance Cat Mystery,” following Fur Love or Money, might have a few too many characters, but fans of the series, the author’s “Magical Cats” novels (written under the name Sofie Kelly), or Miranda James’s “Cat in the Stacks” mysteries will enjoy the book.
PREMIUM
Skin
While not as well-known as Koja’s The Cipher, this title’s return to print will be welcomed at libraries looking to fulfill the high demand for extreme horror that spotlights depravity in order to reveal human truths, such as in the works of LaRocca, Alison Rumfitt, and CJ Leede.
PREMIUM
Listen to Your Sister
For fans of character-centered, emotional, and thought-provoking horror, such as Ghost Eaters by Clay McLeod Chapman and A Light Most Hateful by Hailey Piper. Viel’s novel also has some serious Dark Matter by Blake Crouch vibes that will draw in a wider pool of readers.
PREMIUM
Old Soul
Barker’s (The Incarnations) novel offers both sinister ancient evil, such as in Devils Kill Devils by Johnny Compton, and an emotionally resonant, supernatural thriller asking readers to grapple with mortality, akin to Forgotten Sisters by Cynthia Pelayo.
Cassidy’s original and thought-provoking take on the werewolf trope will appeal to fans of fast-paced horror featuring strong characterization, such as classic Dean Koontz, the books documented in Grady Hendrix’s Paperbacks from Hell, and anything by Brian Keene.
Worth picking up for Gay’s introspective yet inclusive introduction alone, this new collection provides accessible entry points into feminism and offers even advanced scholars new ways of viewing the complex, intersectional histories of feminist thought, literature, and action.
PREMIUM
Black Woods, Blue Sky
Ivey takes readers on an emotional literary journey that includes touches of magic woven throughout and the question of whether love is enough to change someone. Recommended for book discussion picks.
PREMIUM
Once Was Willem
An original and expertly written medieval fantasy that’s perfect for fans of RJ Barker, Sebastien de Castell, and Katherine Kurtz and also touches upon the emotional and heartbreaking themes found in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.
Osworth (We Are Watching Eliza Bright) offers a joyously queer urban fantasy about finding power, identity, and family at any age. Perfect for fans of Shaun Hamill’s The Dissonance or Annalee Newitz’s The Future of Another Timeline.
A thought-provoking book serving as a potent biography of a library pioneer and a call to action for library professionals to consider the true cost of systemic biases.
PREMIUM
Emberclaw
Lam concludes the duology that began with Dragonfall in this action-filled novel with the highest of stakes. A delightful dragon story.
Full of insightful information for readers wishing to learn more about pollinators, this field guide is a valuable resource. It will especially delight entomology and ecology enthusiasts, along with residents of the western regions of the U.S. and Canada who are curious about the pollinating insects that live in their area.
PREMIUM
Death at the Sign of the Rook
A treat for audio mystery listeners, with just the right amount of suspense, humor, and intrigue. Atkinson’s many fans will be pleased.
This audio will appeal to listeners seeking a short but cinematic story of witchcraft and womanhood. Recommended for fans of Deborah Harkness and Freya Marske.
PREMIUM
The Au Pair Affair
This is not to be missed for fans of sports romances and authors like Elle Kennedy or Meghan Quinn.
PREMIUM
My Mother Cursed My Name
An absorbing story of generational trauma and family love, full of gentle humor and just the right amount of magical realism.
A heartfelt story that is sure to make an excellent addition to libraries looking to expand their contemporary queer romance collections. (Both Kit and Theo are bisexual.) Highly recommended for fans of Timothy Janovski and Steven Rowley.
PREMIUM
Midnight Rooms
This gothic novel will have listeners on tenterhooks, wondering if Orabella is losing her grip on reality or if she really is trapped in a living nightmare.
PREMIUM
Flashpoint
A fast-paced and intriguing thriller, perfect for Coulter’s many fans or anyone seeking an intricate and suspenseful listen.
PREMIUM
The Examiner
This audio will appeal to listeners seeking a stylistically complex crime novel about creativity, conspiracy, and competition. Recommended for fans of Paula Hawkins, A.J. Finn, and Claire Douglas.
PREMIUM
The Mercy of Gods
A somber, steady tale of alien empire and resistance from within that sets up a promising trilogy.
PREMIUM
Name Your Price
While listeners seeking a more layered story may be disappointed, this rom-com should appeal to those who enjoy lighthearted romances in the vein of Maggie Knox’s All I Want for Christmas.
PREMIUM
Let the Games Begin
This swoony and heartfelt debut would be a great addition to any library’s contemporary sports romance collection. Guaranteed to appeal to fans of authors such as Jasmine Guillory, Denise Williams, or Talia Hibbert.
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