10 Books Critics Are Raving About Now

The first novel by the author of the memoir The Bridge Ladies follows two very different sisters, one grounded and rational and the other charismatic and beautiful but struggling with mental illness. Musician and author Patti Smith was enthralled by this story of sisterhood, girlhood and loss, "I love this book. It moves like a souped-up pickup truck."

The new novel by this Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award-winning author is a “captivating tale of love and everyday life amid environmental upheaval and the 2008 financial crisis,” according to a starred review from Publishers Weekly. “Erdrich excels at the slow simmer, and once again she delivers a deliciously seductive masterwork.”

Spanning from the 1960s onward, the latest from The Line of Beauty author deftly examines race, class, and sexuality, featuring “exquisite sensory detail and complex social ritual” scenes that lend the book a “richness and subtlety that sets it apart from most contemporary fiction,” according to Vulture.

In “a rallying cry and a love letter to writing itself,” the National Book Award winner and MacArthur "Genius" takes readers to three conflict zones in an "earnest and intimate exploration of locations of extreme injustice, and of the power of writing to render a more compassionate--and more honest--future,” according to Oprah Daily.

After years of silence, a maid for a wealthy family, finally reveals the secrets she’s witnessed following the death of their young daughter. Described by The Financial Times as “a rich and compelling read...a chilling account of one woman's struggle to find meaning in the menial,” this provocative novel also serves as “an indictment of society's overreliance on the unacknowledged exploitation of its domestic workers.”

In this raw memoir, Lisa Marie Presley reveals her life at Graceland and the complexities of being an American icon's daughter. After her mother’s passing, Riley Keough completed the book using Lisa Marie's recorded reflections, creating a deeply moving tribute to their powerful bond.

Fans of this Nebula winner’s acclaimed fantasy series will devour this latest installment that answers many of their burning questions about the early days of the mysterious Area X with “some of the most vivid writing in the entire series, sinuous and delightfully weird,” according to Kirkus.

Fans of Slate’s former "Dear Prudence" advice columnist will be delighted to learn that the Something That May Shock and Discredit You author has finally applied his trademark literary wit to a full fledged novel brimming with “unique characters whose entertaining dramas over minor rules of social interactions read like Emily Post on her second martini," according to the Washington Post.

The acclaimed author returns with a deeply personal story about his childhood in Rome after his family’s expulsion from Egypt for being Jewish. In a memoir that’s been described as novel-like for its captivating storytelling, he shares memories of biking through the Italian streets of the Eternal City, his deaf mother’s anger, his great uncle’s antics, all while navigating the challenges of coming of age in a new, unfamiliar place.

The late Russian activist, who began working on this memoir after surviving a near fatal poisoning in 2020, reflects on his political career, the many attempts on his life, and the lives of the people closest to him, and the relentless campaign he and his team waged against Putin’s increasingly dictatorial regime. "Genuine.... Patriot reveals...[Navalny's] fundamental decency, his wry sense of humor and his (mostly) cheery stoicism under conditions that would flatten a lesser person." --The New York Times.