MacMillan

Jan Grue unfolds some of the universals of human existence via the specifics of his own body and life in this lovely, powerful memoir. With graceful, poetic narrative translated by B.L. Crook, Grue maneuvers in and out of memories, global locations, meditations on right and wrong, quotations philosophic, filmic, and musical, and careful critique of our inaccessible world, ultimately towards a quiet fire of self-determination and joy. A book that will linger in the body, between breaths.  —Jocelyn

Only Maggie Nelson could knit together the lexicon of “freedom” with references from academics, writers, and activists in such alluring fashion. This piece is perennial while being timely with the recent adoption of the word “freedom” by authoritarian and right-wing ideologies. She guides the reader along the passageways of freedom and its negative (through paradoxically sometimes truer interpretation) “unfreedom,” through art, sex, drugs, and climate. —Celeste

“Modern medicine always reflects the colonial politics of its time.” I’m a certified health book freak, always scouring the shelves for authors presenting new, insightful information on the connection between our health and the societies we care for it in. Inflamed is all of that and more. Written in an accessible voice, anyone with a body needs to read this. —MJ

“Cheaply run prisons were a lot like cheaply run wars.” This book sheds light in the darkest corners in America—prison, Silicon Valley, slaughterhouses—revealing what people do when they have to. Unsurprisingly, insight drips onto every page because Dirty Work is unafraid to show cold, candid truths and a heavy hand of nastiness. The book is morally compromised but that’s no fault. It’s complex in that it presents the perspective of those that engage in these activities, and those that suffer. I recommend this for anyone who is interested in the shades of gray that hide in plain sight. —Morgan

Ten years of marriage and love story that won’t quit. A weekend away for a couple at the breaking point. Tragedies and secrets of the past coming to call. You may think you know this story, but Alice Feeney got me, with genuinely shocking (and satisfying!) twists and turns, following her vivid characters through the halls of memory and a remote Scottish get-away. An atmospheric marital thriller with literary notes, perfect to wrap up with as the weather turns cold and the spooky season approaches. —Jocelyn

There is almost nothing quite as potent for storytelling as a big, Irish multigenerational family drama. Although by sight, the Brennans are a close knit New York family, the novel explores the fissures that are created through a lifetime of secrets in love, money, and family and the forgiveness that is required in a messy, complex life. For those who love deep, character-driven books, this debut brings a new voice to the likes of Ann Patchett, Celeste Ng, and Brit Bennett. —Casey

Inti Flynn, an accomplished wolf biologist, is the head of a team attempting to release wolves back into the wild in the Scottish Highlands, thereby restoring ancient forests and stabilizing the ecosystem. Inti also has mirror-touch synesthesia, a condition that forces her to feel everything she sees. Inti’s condition has led to a deep compassion for animals and an intense weariness of other people and as she struggles to simultaneously win the hearts of the local farmers, nurture her wolves, and care for her ailing twin sister, she begins to lose grip on her bearings. Another beautiful, poignant novel from McCohnahy, Once There Were Wolves is at once a murder mystery, an homage to the bond between sisters, and an urgent call to assuage climate change. —Jade

Beautiful World, Where Are You? is Sally Rooney at her Rooney-est, tackling the intricacies of sex, love, and friendship once again. But this time she’s gone existential, incorporating philosophical musings about Marxism and the working class; what it means to be a writer of books about friendship, love, and sex; and where beauty might bloom most bountifully. A must-read for current fans, and a rich entry point for anyone who hasn’t yet dabbled in Rooneyism. Profound, funny, and emotionally sprawling. —Jess

Classicist Brian Muraresku tried to move on from his obsession with dead languages and became a lawyer, but couldn’t stop his mind from wandering back to the ancient world. He became fixated on the Eleusian Mysteries of the Greeks, and a psychoactive concoction imbibed in the chthonic ceremony called the kykeon. Told with a conversational tone, and using years of extensive research, Muraresku’s narrative sheds new light on the origins of religious experience. - Aric

Marzano pens an absorbing and complex investigation of trauma, truth, and the stories we tell ourselves. As Marzano-Lesnevitch shifts from her own narrative to that of a decades-old murder, her attention to minor, seemingly insignificant details brings the twining narratives to life. This modern true-crime classic is both furious and compassionate, and everything I didn't know I needed in a book! - Brooks