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I had so much fun in P. Djèlí Clark’s alt-Cairo universe, which he introduced in two short novellas, The Haunting of Tram Car 015 and A Dead Djinn in Cairo, that I pounced on the full-length novel when it became available and I wasn't disappointed. Dapper-dressing Agent Fatma el-Sha’arawi is back with both new and old colleagues from the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments, and Supernatural Entities for another case full of murders and magical mischief. — Mecca A.

Joshua Henkin’s novel felt to me like words carved into a glass slate, by which I mean that readers are gently guided from one incredibly vivid scene or conversation to another, but the spaces between them are allowed to breathe and resonate. The characters are the same way: recognizable, relatable, but also occasionally mysterious; living and breathing. As I finished the book an adjective that I’d been searching for finally occurred to me: this novel is Chekhovian, and that, I think, is just about the highest praise I can give a work of literature. — Keith M.

Patricia Lockwood does some of my favorite writing — precise, weird, laugh-out-loud funny, and emotionally resonant. No One Is Talking About This is a phenomenal novel for everyone who interacts with the Internet, and everyone thinking about what it means to exist as a person. — Michelle C.

I loved this book. Granted, I'm 50 years older than the target audience, but it still made me feel so much better. Insightful, funny, playful, and very helpful! — Doug C.

If you’re looking to lose yourself in a fantasy page-turner, this is your stop. Kiva Meridan is the healer for the infamous Zalindov prison; she’s also a prisoner herself, brought in when her father was accused of consorting with rebels. She’s kept herself alive for a decade by keeping her head down, avoiding attachments, and clinging to the few coded communications she’s been able to have with her family on the outside, who promise they’ll find a way to free her. But when the Rebel Queen herself is brought to the prison on the verge of death, Kiva is pulled into circling plots, and finds herself competing to save the crown’s worst enemy and earn her freedom. Noni always seems to have another secret up her sleeve to deal out to the reader at the best possible moment; I’m on pins and needles waiting for book two. — Madeline S.

Leidner's delightfully strange and playful poems constantly break new ground while somehow highlighting the despair of humanity. Employing everything from spoonerisms to haunted epigraphical images, Leidner puts us in his wheelhouse, where Robyn Hitchcock and the ghost of James Tate write the scripts for your next dreams. — Kevin S.

The awesome cover only scratches the surface of how amazing this book is. The characters, the world-building, the twisty plot, and the way connections are revealed throughout the story all added up to make this my favorite read of the year so far, and one of my all-time favorites as well. If you liked Logen Ninefingers from Joe Abercrombie's First Law Trilogy, you will absolutely LOVE Orka from The Shadow of the Gods. And the big reveal at the end! Let's just say the sequel is already my most anticipated read of next year. — Bethany O.

I’m so glad I stumbled across this big, peculiar novel by Israeli author Yaniv Iczkovits. Set in Russia in the late 1800s, The Slaughterman’s Daughter follows a motley crew of characters — from a Jewish housewife on a mission to retrieve her sister’s husband, to a mute ex-soldier with a surprising past, to an accomplished spy in the twilight of his career — whose tangled journeys take them from small-town life to an army base that becomes a haven to the crowded streets of Minsk (and back again). Intricately plotted and masterfully executed, The Slaughterman’s Daughter is a rich and cunning tale. — Renee P.

I had the privilege of standing in line behind William Parker about five years ago at Mississippi Studios. I still regret not buying him that cup of tea. He is, without a doubt, without peer as a composer, bass player, activist, and human being whose time is long overdue. This masterful portrait is a must-read for anyone interested in creative music and the idea of art as a force for social change. — Fletcher O.

Best Book 2021! Compelling mystery. Devastating! — Adrienne C.

A story both beautiful and broken. Small-town people who surprise themselves by living in their town forever, and the tragicomedy that encompasses all our flawed lives no matter where we live. You'll be happy to meet these characters even as they break your heart. — Tracey T.

"The sun wished it was cooler." "The path wished it was shorter." Told through the wishes of inanimate objects that share in the journey, this story of a refugee and her three children is stunningly beautiful in its simplicity and its perfect depiction of emotion in words and pictures. — Gigi L.