What You're Reading: Our Recent Bestsellers

Inspired by the true story of Marguerite de La Rocque, this “lushly painted, surprisingly feminist historical fiction” follows a young woman and her lover marooned on an island after their forbidden relationship is discovered. According to People magazine, “It’s a perfect read for cozying up by a roaring fire—and feeling thankful you’re not the sixteenth-century heroine the story is based on.” This book was featured as Reese Witherspoon’s February Book Club selection.

Ever wonder why housing costs so much or why we can't build enough clean energy? Two leading journalists explain how we got here—and, more importantly, how to fix it. New York Times Opinion columnist David Brooks calls their vision "spectacular" for showing the "good things actually within our grasp."

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.

Publishers Weekly was delighted by this "boldly experimental and emotionally devastating story of estrangement" from the sensational millennial Irish author. "This feels like Rooney's most fully realized work, especially as she channels the modernist styles of James Joyce and Virginia Woolf... Even the author's skeptics are liable to be swept away by this novel's forceful currents of feeling."

In this highly anticipated novel from the Nigerian writer, activist, and Women’s Prize for Fiction-winning author of Half of a Yellow Sun, four women navigate love, identity, and resilience during the pandemic. “Through these fully realized characters, we can more fully understand ourselves and the networks—both recognized and overlooked—that connect us all,” declared Oprah Daily.

In this Tertulia staff pick and Read with Jenna book club selection, a woman lands at LAX, where agents detain her based on a chilling prediction: their dream-surveillance algorithm shows she will harm her husband. Confined to a retention center for "observation," she joins other women also held captive by their own dreams. It’s a deeply human story about privacy, freedom, and resistance in an age of digital surveillance.

This recently International Booker Prize-shortlisted novel is set in Berlin, following an expat couple who have built their dream life around digital success, houseplants, and curated images. But as they grow bored and disillusioned, they grapple with the emptiness of modern aspirations. The Booker judges called it “astute, discomfiting, cringe-making and often laugh-out-loud funny… holds up a mirror to the way so many people aspire to and are let down by today’s off-the-shelf measures of success. A startlingly refreshing read.”

This memoir provides a firsthand look at one of the world’s most influential companies, from private jet trips and political dealings to the toxic culture behind closed doors. It details the unchecked power of tech leaders, the impact of social media on global events, and the personal cost of working in a high-stakes corporate environment.

In Notes to John, a posthumously published collection, Joan Didion shares her deeply personal reflections from therapy sessions starting in 1999. It is an unprecedently intimate account that reveals sides of her that were unknown, but the voice is unmistakably hers--questioning, courageous, and clear in the face of a wrenchingly painful journey.

Awarded the Nobel "for her intense poetic prose that confronts historical traumas and exposes the fragility of human life," the latest novel from the author of The Vegetarian follows a perilous journey to save a pet bird, uncovering a hidden chapter of Korean history and lost voices. "Indelible. . . a meticulously rendered portrait of friendship, mother-daughter love, and hope in the face of profound loss,” declared Publishers Weekly in its starred review. “Kang is at the top of her game."