Are you looking for an innovative, well-written, and totally engrossing fantasy series? Look no further. Explore three parallel but very different Londons with Kell, the last Antari, who has the almost extinct ability to travel between the Londons. You're in for some impressive and creative world building, characters you'll want more from (both heroes and villains,) and two more books after this one to keep you going.
Set in a near future (or alternative present?) where abortion and in vitro fertilization are illegal, four women struggle to understand what it means to be a woman under these new laws. Each character has a unique voice in this beautiful, visceral tale, and their stories feel entirely contemporary. Great for lovers of A Handmaid’s Tale, but Red Clocks feels, alas, less speculative.
Dorothy is living a quiet and unhappy life in the suburbs when an escaped frog man walks into her kitchen. What follows is an unlikely romance that explores questions of love, loss, marriage, humanity, and loneliness. This slim novel is packed with charm, and is a good companion to a viewing of The Shape of Water, which it inspired.
Atwood pulls no punches in this tale of toxic friendship. The story centers on the seductive and ruinous Zenia, who is almost Machiavellian in her destructive power. Told through the lens of three women Zenia has hurt, The Robber Bride is like watching a speeding train headed towards a wall — you know disaster is coming but you can't look away.
I love color and art history so this book was a sure thing for me, but even if you don't know your ultramarine from your cobalt, this book is a fascinating read. Learn about the toxic history of lead white, the macabre source for "mummy brown," and the stories behind 73 more colors and pigments. Whether you skip around or read it straight through, I guarantee you'll learn something on every page.
Fans of the podcast will want to pick up this scary novelization, but I would give this book to any fan of a good horror tale. Keisha was certain her missing wife, Alice, was dead, until spotting her in the background in a TV news report. So begins Keisha's job as a truck driver with the mysterious Bay and Creek, and her cross-country journey to find Alice, uncovering a truth hidden in the abandoned places across America.
In four novellas with alternating authors all set in a shared city, Bacigalup and Buckell create a vivid world of outlawed magic, corrupt governments, environmental collapse, and stark class divisions that is both fantastically imaginative and eerily resonant. The four novellas allow us a window into many parts of Khaim, and introduce a rich spectrum of characters. I hope we get more stories set in this shared universe!
The Readymade Thief is one of those books you'll find yourself reading in stolen minutes — in checkout lines, before bed, late into the night. At the center of the story is Lee, lost in the underbelly of Philadelphia and mired in a mystery that touches on urban exploring, secret societies, and, strangely, artist Marcel Duchamp. If you loved The Goldfinch, check this debut novel out.
After a mysterious pocket watch seems to save him from an explosion at Scotland Yard, Thaniel tracks down its maker in search for answers. But the mysteries only deepen when he befriends the mysterious Keita Mori. Questions of fate and free will challenge your preconceptions in this genre-bending historical mystery that blends a complex and charming plot with just a little bit of magic.
No one really knows what caused the Spill, but the result is a supernatural Chernobyl-like isolation zone, complete with mysterious creatures; strange, dangerous landscapes; and a big ol' government blockade. Our main character, Addison, risks her safety and defies the law to photograph the Spill Zone for elite collectors. Get ready for some great mystery, an awesome female protagonist, and a truly spooky art style!
No One Cares About Crazy People is part memoir, part history, part exposé, and completely thought provoking and heartbreaking. Interwoven with the appalling history of mistreatment inflicted on the mentally ill in the name of "care" is Ron Powers' touching personal history with the crippling effects of schizophrenia. This book is for anyone whose life is touched by mental illness (which is all of us).