We recommend: The best new book releases
The best of new fiction
Old Babes in the Wood: Stories: by Margaret Atwood. This is a short story collection that comprises 15 stories. The heart of the collection features seven vignettes from the lives of a married couple named Tig and Nell. There is a wide range of stories to choose from—from beloved cats, snails and elderly academics to aliens sharing human fairy tales.
NPR has high praise, and describes the book to be “a dazzling mixture of stories that explore what it means to be human while also showcasing Atwood's gifted imagination and great sense of humor”. (March 7)
Hello Beautiful: by Ann Napolitano. This book follows the story of William Waters, whose family is grappling with the loss of his sister Caroline. William, who has grown up in the house surrounded by loneliness, comes across Julia Padavano and her family of three sisters during his freshman year in college—where he experiences familial love for the first time. The dynamic between William and the Padavano sisters is the highlight of the book, and we see how their relationship evolves over the course of three decades.
The Washington Post says the book will “make you weep buckets”, and Napolitano gets you to “contemplate the complex tapestry of family love that can, despite grief and loss, still knit us together”. The New York Times finds the book “radiant and brilliantly crafted”. (March 14)
Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers: by Jesse Q Sutanto. This book is a fun crime and mystery novel. Vera Wong is an old and lonely widow who comes across a dead body in the middle of her tea shop. In the outstretched hand of the man is a flash drive. Instead of safely handing over the flash drive to the police, Vera snatches it up, and we now have an old woman solving the mystery of this murder—because she is confident she can do a better job than the police.
Kirkus Reviews compliments Sutanto for her gentle humour, focus on tender relationships, and calls the book “literary comfort food in the guise of a quirky whodunit”. (March 14)
This month’s poetry pick
Above Ground: by Clint Smith. Clint Smith is back with another poetry collection, and this one looks as promising as his previous literary outings. This collection explores the themes of fatherhood, the lives shaped by our personal lineages, and the childish sense of wonder often lacking in our lives. (March 28)
The best of the non-fiction list
The Miracle Makers: by Bharat Sundaresan with Gaurav Joshi. This book follows the story of the Indian cricket team pulling off a big victory in Australia during their tour for the Border Gavaskar Trophy—handing Australia their first defeat at the Gabba stadium in 32 years. The book offers a first-hand account of what transpired in those three fateful months of the tour—the challenges of the pandemic, the struggles of an injury-ridden team, and the difficulty of taking on Australia in Australia. (March 14)
Who Gets Believed?: When the Truth Isn't Enough: by Dina Nayeri. In this book, Dina Nayeri offers a wide-ranging study on what can be believed in our society. She looks at various case studies in the book and carefully shows how our culture views the truth and what can be considered “believable”—suggesting that it’s often a matter of “performance” and “disbelief is the default”. Dina also shares stories from her life, and explores the lack of accountability in different social institutions due to the difference in who is believed.
The Guardian notes that the book is “an elegant telling of truth to power”, and it is an eloquent “rebuke to heartlessness”. (March 7)
Saving Time: Discovering a Life Beyond the Clock: by Jenny Odell. Jenny Odell offers a wide-ranging work about the various problems that occur in our world due to our conceptions of “time”. She provides a deep dive into the history of time and its use as a tool of domination. The book also offers ways in which we can take a pause in our lives, restore agency, and remain hopeful in a pressure- and time-driven world.
The New York Times calls Odell’s undertaking “massive and ambitious”, and provides a strong argument for our linear understanding of time but points out that sometimes “Odell elides narrative inconveniences or leaves things unexplained”. (March 7)
