New Arrivals for the Week of February 24

A “hugely entertaining and formidably intelligent” collection of 12 short stories. “Sittenfeld’s prose has astonishing ease, and her fleet, brisk dialogue sparkles with humor and mischief,” declared Vogue. “The collection ends with a sweet and stirring sequel to Prep, returning to her boarding school for an alumni reunion—fan service of a kind, but also sheer delight.”

Award-winning author Omar El Akkad delivers a searing critique of the West’s failure to uphold its foundational values of freedom and justice. Drawing from decades of reporting on war, climate change, and systemic oppression, El Akkad confronts the painful reality of privilege and exclusion. Through deeply personal reflections, he grapples with what it means to raise hope amidst disillusionment. Raw and urgent, this nonfiction debut challenges readers to demand a better future and reckon with the moral fractures of our time.

Remember when mixtapes were love letters and your taste in music pretty much defined your whole personality? Deep Cuts promises to transport you back to that glorious era! Set in the early-2000s indie music scene, it follows two Berkeley college students whose creative partnership gets tangled up in love, ambition, and obsession.

A year after giving birth, a woman suffers strange episodes - amnesia, premonitions, and hallucinations. When she vanishes and is found unconscious in Brooklyn's Prospect Park, her visions begin to blur the line between delusion and prophecy. "At once quiet and intense, the novel takes an unexpected turn during its final chapters that begs its audience to reread in search of clues," observed Library Journal. "Perfect for readers who like their literary fiction with an edge of psychological mystery."

A new mother wakes to find her husband gone, leaving behind only a mysterious note. Hours later, he emerges as an armed gunman in central London, taking hostages while the world watches. "McCallister hits another one out of the park," raves Booklist in its starred review. "All the puzzle pieces click together for a satisfying ending."

This funny and revelatory novel by the author of the acclaimed memoir Also a Poet follows a woman who seems to have it all—until her husband urges her to explore what their marriage might be missing. With unflinching honesty and dark humor, Calhoun examines the complexities of modern marriage and the cost of chasing fulfillment.

The Booker Prize-shortlisted Austrian author of A Whole Life, delivers the story of a man opening a café in 1960s Vienna, where strangers come together and form a found family. “Beautiful,” raves Publishers Weekly. “Seethaler’s story bursts with empathy. This is a winner.”

Cristina Rivera Garza’s Pulitzer-winning memoir Liliana’s Invincible Summer exposed the realities of gendered violence through the story of her sister’s murder. Now, she turns the traditional crime narrative on its head with a genre-defying novel that follows a detective and a professor as they piece together a series of murders linked by haunting literary clues scattered throughout Mexico City.

From the chief correspondent of Variety, this sharp and compulsively readable Hollywood novel follows five actresses—an aging icon, a rising star, a former child prodigy, a struggling outsider, and an underdog with something to prove—as they battle for career survival, public approval, and the ultimate industry honor. With insider details, it’s an addictive deep dive into ambition, celebrity, and the complicated bonds that shape women in the spotlight.

The latest romantic caper by the author of Flying Solo follows a podcast producer who reluctantly agrees to host a new dating series—only to find herself drawn to someone entirely off-script. "Holmes clearly knows a thing or two about the world of podcasting, as she's one of the hosts of the popular NPR show Pop Culture Happy Hour, and she fills the book with details that give listeners a peek behind the curtain,” observed Kirkus in its starred review. “An altogether charming and delightful romance full of laugh-out-loud lines."