Wednesday, July 22, 2026

This month’s best new literary fiction

 
Readworthy by BookBub
This Month’s Best New Literary Fiction
 
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Book cover for Tenderness by Rowan Beaird
On an island, the tense wedding of a former cult member and a wealthy golden boy unfolds
WHY IT’S READWORTHY:
  • Among the guests, rumors swirl, gossip flares, and hidden truths unravel…
  • This “excellent” literary page-turner (Chicago Tribune) is “great for readers who love complicated entanglements and secrets galore” (Booklist)
  • An enthralling novel you won’t put down once you start
Learn more...
Media mentions for Tenderness by Rowan Beaird MEDIA MENTIONS: People, Cosmopolitan, Forbes, Chicago Tribune, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, Booklist, BookPage
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Book cover for The Memory Bookshop by Song Yu-jeong
Enter a mysterious, magical bookstore where pages of memories fill endless shelves…
WHY IT’S READWORTHY:
  • When Jiwon stumbles into The Memory Bookshop, she’s given the chance to revisit three chapters of her life — but to travel to the past, she must give up time in her future
  • An international sensation, this translated novel is perfect for fans of The Midnight Library
  • A powerful and poignant read exploring grief, hope, and memory
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Book cover for Everything Was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt by Ben Reeves
‘Prepare to be astounded… A gorgeous reminder of what really matters’ (People)
WHY IT’S READWORTHY:
  • Travis, also known as Death, lives in a quiet town with only his cat for company — until he makes friends across the hall!
  • Sure to charm and spark meaningful discussion among book clubs
  • Graeme Simsion, author of The Rosie Project, calls it “one of the most original, riveting, and moving books I’ve read in a long while”
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Media mentions for Everything Was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt by Ben Reeves MEDIA MENTIONS: Book of the Month, People, Good Housekeeping, Indie Next List, Library Reads, Booklist
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Book cover for Alan Opts Out by Courtney Maum
A ‘vivid, lacerating, and funny’ satire (Carl Hiaasen) causing a stir in the book world
WHY IT’S READWORTHY:
  • This “socially savvy comedy of manners” (The Boston Globe) is “fresh, provocative, and uproariously funny” (People)
  • One day, successful ad exec Alan Anderson loses his ambition and decides to transform his life — much to his wife’s ire! Can he find happiness and satisfaction outside the pursuit of more?
  • With praise from Elizabeth Gilbert, Nathan Hill, and Yesteryear author Caro Claire Burke, who says, “Reading this book reminded me how much fun a novel can be”
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Media mentions for Alan Opts Out by Courtney Maum MEDIA MENTIONS: The New York Times/The New York Times Book Review, People, The Wall Street Journal, Town & Country, Harper's Bazaar, Los Angeles Times, The Boston Globe, Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, Booklist, Literary Hub
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Book cover for The Great Wherever by Shannon Sanders
This multigenerational family story is ‘a bighearted triumph’ (Kirkus Reviews starred review)
WHY IT’S READWORTHY:
  • One of the most highly anticipated summer releases, recommended by over a dozen publications including NPR, People, and Oprah Daily
  • When Aubrey inherits her father’s share of a Tennessee farm, she begins to uncover its history — while the ghosts of her opinionated ancestors watch her closely…
  • Take it from Tayari Jones: “A pleasure and a treasure. Witty and wise, intelligent and engaging, heartbreaking and heartmending”
Learn more...
Media mentions for The Great Wherever by Shannon Sanders MEDIA MENTIONS: Book of the Month, NPR, Oprah Daily, People, The Washington Post, Town & Country, Harper's Bazaar, Esquire, Real Simple, Elle, The Boston Globe, New York Post, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, Booklist, BookPage, Electric Literature, Literary Hub
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Book cover for Country People by Daniel Mason
In the wilds of Vermont with his family, Miles is swept up in an unusual local legend
WHY IT’S READWORTHY:
  • An eagerly anticipated Good Morning America Book Club pick from the New York Times bestselling, Pulitzer Prize–nominated author of the hit novel North Woods
  • Features a quirky cast of characters, including an eccentric snowflake photographer, an enigmatic tree surgeon, and more
  • “The book of the summer… Full of joy — and exactly the kind of reading experience we could all do with right now” (Mick Herron, author of Slow Horses)
Learn more...
Media mentions for Country People by Daniel Mason MEDIA MENTIONS: Good Morning America Book Club, NPR, The New York Times/The New York Times Book Review, Harper's Bazaar, Chicago Tribune, The Guardian, The Boston Globe, Indie Next List, Library Reads, Kirkus Reviews, Booklist, BookPage
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Book cover for Nothing to My Name by Kangkang Li Kovacs
The tales of three generations of women from one family intertwine across centuries
WHY IT’S READWORTHY:
  • Readers who enjoyed Pachinko shouldn’t wait to meet Ah Xue, Mimosa, and Fei Fei
  • Inspired by the author’s own family history
  • “Lyrical, haunting, and profoundly moving” (New York Times bestselling author Jean Kwok)
Learn more...
Media mentions for Nothing to My Name by Kangkang Li Kovacs MEDIA MENTIONS: Kirkus Reviews, Booklist, Literary Hub
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Book cover for It Will Come Back to You by Sigrid Nunez
‘One of the great writers of our time’ (Los Angeles Times) delivers a Time Best Book of Summer
WHY IT’S READWORTHY:
  • A National Book Award–winning author “dazzles” (The Boston Globe) in this collection of her best short stories
  • Full of wit and acuity that will win over first-time Nunez readers and delight old fans
  • Earned four starred reviews, including one from Publishers Weekly: “[A] masterful career-spanning story collection… A treasure trove”
Learn more...
Media mentions for It Will Come Back to You by Sigrid Nunez MEDIA MENTIONS: Time Magazine, NPR, The New York Times/The New York Times Book Review, Oprah Daily, People, Financial Times, Harper's Bazaar, Los Angeles Times, The Times, The Boston Globe, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, Booklist, BookPage, The Millions, Literary Hub
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Book cover for Villa Coco by Andrew Sean Greer
A ‘relentlessly charming’ New York Times bestseller (The Atlantic) about finding yourself — at any age
WHY IT’S READWORTHY:
  • Seeking a fresh start, a young man moves to the Italian countryside to assist an elderly woman living out her final years in a crumbling villa
  • The latest literary adventure from the Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Less
  • Has won over everyone from Sarah Winman to Elif Batuman to David Sedaris, who raves, “Every sentence in this novel sings”
Learn more...
Media mentions for Villa Coco by Andrew Sean Greer MEDIA MENTIONS: NPR, The New York Times/The New York Times Book Review, The Atlantic, People, Financial Times, Good Housekeeping, Cosmopolitan, The Guardian, The Boston Globe, Indie Next List, Library Reads, Publishers Weekly, Literary Hub
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Book cover for Cool Machine by Colson Whitehead
The wait is over for the latest from the Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Underground Railroad
WHY IT’S READWORTHY:
  • Full of unforgettable characters, poignant insights, and page-turning action, this is “Whitehead at his best” (Oprah Daily)
  • In 1980s New York City, furniture dealer Ray Carney is living a double life — and must risk his family’s safety to rescue one of their own
  • “Electrifying… Every page is incandescent with longing, doubts, calculations, and determination as Whitehead’s magnetic characters are pushed to the limits” (Booklist starred review)
Learn more...
Media mentions for Cool Machine by Colson Whitehead MEDIA MENTIONS: The New Yorker, Time Magazine, TODAY Show, The New York Times/The New York Times Book Review, Oprah Daily, The Atlantic, The Economist, Harper's Bazaar, Esquire, Vulture, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, The Times, The Boston Globe, Library Reads, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, Booklist, Literary Hub
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The Short List: Deals on books everyone's talking about

 
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The Short List
Welcome to the Short List, a curated selection of rare discounts on today’s biggest, buzziest books. Happy reading!
June Baby
June Baby
By Shannon Garvey
The Elin Hilderbrand calls this buzzy new release “the book of the summer” with “everything I want in a beach read,” so you can’t afford to miss it! After tragedy, teenage Ruth is sent to a New England island with nothing but the name of a local woman. Years later, she receives a box that raises questions about their shared past… “A book you’ll want to read on vacation and keep thinking (and talking) about long after you get home” (Women).
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The Windsor Affair
The Windsor Affair
By Melanie Benjamin
Delight in a New York Times bestselling author’s brand-new novel that Kate Quinn calls “as deliciously dishy as an English cream tea and the royal gossip whispered over it!” Discover the rivalry between Queen Elizabeth and American socialite Wallis Simpson — who caused the abdication scandal that put Elizabeth on the throne. “Exceptional” (Kim Michele Richardson, author of The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek).
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Waiting on a Friend
Waiting on a Friend
By Natalie Adler
In this hotly anticipated, “astonishingly brilliant debut” (Patrick Ryan, author of Buckeye), a writer to watch proves “she can do what greats like Ann Patchett… do” (The Minnesota Star Tribune). Renata has always been able to see ghosts. But the person she most wants to talk to won’t appear… “Breathtaking” and one of the best books of the summer according to Oprah Daily!
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Not What It Seems
Not What It Seems
By Lisa Jackson
#1 New York Times bestselling powerhouse Lisa Jackson “knows just how to keep readers guessing and glued to the page” (Publishers Weekly), and her latest is no exception! After a hoarder is found dead on his sprawling Savannah property alongside a polished stone with mysterious, bloody etchings, a series of victims are discovered in disturbingly similar crime scenes…
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No One Aboard
No One Aboard
By Emy McGuire
Sick of the heat? This “riveting, astonishing” thriller (#1 New York Times bestselling author Sarah Pekkanen) will chill you to the bone! A wealthy couple and their two children set off on a sailboat vacation. Three weeks later, the boat is found drifting — and completely empty… “Readers won’t be able to rest until they discover what befell the Camerons” (Publishers Weekly).
  Critics' Choice
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Get Over It, April Evans
Get Over It, April Evans
By Ashley Herring Blake
Get ready to giggle and kick your feet while reading this “absolute delight” (Publishers Weekly) from a USA Today bestselling author who counts Carley Fortune among her many fans. A stay at a quaint New Hampshire resort is supposed to reignite April’s flame, not spark animosity with an unexpected roommate — the woman she believes ruined her engagement!
  Critics' Choice
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The Family Man
The Family Man
By James Lasdun
How does a seemingly loving father turn into a family annihilator? “Highly recommended” (Joyce Carol Oates), this May release gives the “Capote version” (Slate) of one of the most notorious murder cases in recent history — when Alex Murdaugh, a respected attorney in South Carolina’s Lowcountry, was convicted of killing his wife and son. “Not since Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil have I read so vividly wrought an account of the South” (The New York Times).
  Hot New Release
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Thistlemarsh
Thistlemarsh
By Moorea Corrigan
“The perfect escape for A Court of Thorns and Roses and The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue fans” (Parade) awaits in an instant USA Today bestseller. To collect her inheritance, Mouse must renovate a dilapidated countryside manor in just once month — forcing her to accept help from a mysterious faerie! “The kind of book you immediately want to read again” (Sarah Beth Durst, author of The Spellshop).
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January and July
January and July
By Jeff Abbott
A New York Times bestselling author Harlan Coben crowns “one of the finest thriller authors working today” delivers a brand-new stunner! An intel officer pursuing a traitor and a bodyguard searching for a vanished client collide in a sleepy Texas town buzzing with secrets… “Yanks the rug out from under you again and again” (#1 New York Times bestselling author Meg Gardiner).
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