New Arrivals: The Best Recent Book Releases

Written after World War II but not published until 1977, Carrington’s second novel fuses myth, mysticism, and dream logic into a gender-defiant adventure through Mesopotamia, Transylvania, and the land of the dead. “[Carrington’s] work… remains a marvel,” writes Joy Williams in Book Post. “She was, and remains, forever rad.”

Five soldiers cross into No Man’s Land on a mercy mission—and find a fallen angel instead. What follows is a tense, hallucinatory descent into jealousy, awe, and unraveling faith. “With this vigorous narrative, Kraus breathes new life into the war novel,” writes Publishers Weekly.

From robot actors to forgotten B-movies and password-induced epiphanies, this collection distills 25 years of strange beauty and human error. The Same Bed Different Dreams author blends wit and melancholy in tales that “pay tribute to the legacy of Kurt Vonnegut in the best ways,” according to Publishers Weekly.

Wealthy moms, themed parties, and private school politics take a dark turn in this twisty, addictive novel set over the course of one school year. “[Rosenblum] is carving out a niche as the author of fun, outrageous books about one-percenters behaving badly,” writes Library Journal. “Her latest is a perfect beach read for 2025.”

It starts with dinner, a confession, and a woman named Maggie. What follows is a hilarious and emotionally sharp debut about unraveling, reclaiming, and renaming your life. New York magazine calls it “a hilarious and life-affirming spin on the divorce novel,” while The Times wonders if it might be Heartburn for the 2020s.

A teenager’s first panic attack sends him spiraling through philosophy, myth, and suburban ritual in this wild, cerebral debut. “Pan is the literary equivalent of a benevolent acid trip… funny and conversational… a remarkable sleight of genre,” writes Bookforum.

In wintery 1980s Paris, a sixteen-year-old girl walks toward the address of a much older man. Decades later, a woman tries to understand what that girl knew and what she lost. Set across Oslo, New York, and Paris, this elliptical novel explores time, shame, and the stories we guard to survive. “In precise, lyrical prose, Ullmann creates a captivating portrait of a woman in search of herself,” writes Kirkus.

Former journalist and acclaimed thriller writer Dan Fesperman returns with a twisty tale of redemption and surveillance. A disgraced comedian-turned-politician is recruited by the CIA to infiltrate an Eastern European dictatorship—posing as himself. "Deliciously fun," writes The New York Times Book Review. "Dan Fesperman, wielding a sharp eye for atmospheric detail and a finely tuned ear for comic relief, has proved to be one of the genre's most exciting contemporary writers."

Three former friends reunite in wildfire-ringed Cuernavaca, where a long-buried love triangle and an ecstatic dance ritual begin to reshape reality. "Poignant and compelling, this lyrical translation of Saldaña París' depiction of youth foundering into maturity against the backdrop of chaos, hysteria, and destruction is a solid add for all literary collections," raved Booklist.

First published in 1953 and newly translated, Bessette’s debut charts the disquieting bond between a girl and her mother with clipped prose and near-mythic intensity. Lauded for its radical form and emotional charge, this boundary-pushing novel helped define postwar French experimentalism. “Bessette’s remarkable prose… propels the action without losing sight of the characters’ intense emotions,” writes Publishers Weekly.