Friday, May 22, 2026

This month’s best new literary fiction

 
Readworthy by BookBub
This Month’s Best New Literary Fiction
 
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Book cover for John of John by Douglas Stuart
The latest Oprah’s Book Club pick is ‘one of 2026’s literary triumphs’ (The Boston Globe)
WHY IT’S READWORTHY:
  • A highly anticipated, “completely-worth-your-time novel” (The New York Times Book Review) from the Booker Prize–winning author of Shuggie Bain
  • When he returns home to the British Isles, John-Calum becomes caught between his religious father’s expectations and his own desires
  • “So immersive, so all-encompassing, that I felt like I was living in it” (Ann Patchett)
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Media mentions for John of John by Douglas Stuart MEDIA MENTIONS: Oprah's Book Club, The New Yorker, Time Magazine, NPR, CBS Mornings, The New York Times/The New York Times Book Review, Oprah Daily, People, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Associated Press, Vogue, Elle, Vulture, Los Angeles Times, The Times, Indie Next List, Library Reads, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, Library Journal, Booklist, Literary Hub
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Amazon Other formats and retailers
Book cover for Five Weeks in the Country by Francine Prose
In 1857, Hans Christian Andersen visits Charles Dickens’s home in the countryside…
WHY IT’S READWORTHY:
  • “A memorable twist on the classic English country house drama” (NPR) — based on a true story!
  • For five weeks, Andersen must contend with the nine Dickens children, his host’s marital troubles, and more
  • “A sensitive, multilayered portrait of loneliness, betrayal, and longing… Captivating… A richly textured tale” (Kirkus Reviews)
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Media mentions for Five Weeks in the Country by Francine Prose MEDIA MENTIONS: NPR, People, The Wall Street Journal, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, Library Journal, Booklist, Literary Hub
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Amazon Other formats and retailers
Book cover for Ghost Town by Tom Perrotta
‘The Steinbeck of Suburbia’ (Time) takes readers to small-town New Jersey
WHY IT’S READWORTHY:
  • From the New York Times bestselling author of Election and The Leftovers, which were adapted into a hit film and TV show
  • When middle-aged writer Jimmy returns to his hometown, the past comes calling in this “glorious piece of Americana” (Gary Shteyngart)
  • “An atmospheric elegy to innocence lost” (Kirkus Reviews) with praise from Tayari Jones, Emma Straub, and Jess Walter
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Media mentions for Ghost Town by Tom Perrotta MEDIA MENTIONS: The New York Times/The New York Times Book Review, People, The Boston Globe, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, Literary Hub
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Amazon Other formats and retailers
Book cover for The Things We Never Say by Elizabeth Strout
Olive Kitteridge’s Pulitzer Prize–winning author is at her best in this New York Times bestseller
WHY IT’S READWORTHY:
  • Meet dedicated history teacher, devoted father, and caring husband Artie Dam — “someone you may never be able to forget” (Financial Times)
  • In a coastal New England town, a long-kept secret upturns his picture-perfect life…
  • In a starred review, Booklist predicts “Strout fans will flock to her latest, thrilled to meet new characters in her always compelling fictional universe”
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Media mentions for The Things We Never Say by Elizabeth Strout MEDIA MENTIONS: Time Magazine, NPR, The New York Times/The New York Times Book Review, Oprah Daily, The Atlantic, People, Financial Times, Town & Country, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, The Guardian, The Boston Globe, Indie Next List, Library Reads, Publishers Weekly, Booklist, Literary Hub
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Amazon Other formats and retailers
Book cover for Enormous Wings by Laurie Frankel
At 77, the last thing Pepper Mills expects is to become pregnant…
WHY IT’S READWORTHY:
  • Soon after her adult children place her in a Texas retirement community, Pepper learns the shocking news in this “complicated, gutsy, and entertaining” read (NPR)
  • A “one-of-a-kind yet amazingly down-to-earth book” from a “fearless, funny, and endlessly inventive” New York Times bestselling author (Oprah Daily)
  • Annie Hartnett, the author of The Road to Tender Hearts, calls it “a delicious novel… that will warm you from your heart all the way down to your feet”
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Media mentions for Enormous Wings by Laurie Frankel MEDIA MENTIONS: NPR, Oprah Daily, Parade, Los Angeles Times, Indie Next List, Library Journal, Booklist, Literary Hub
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Amazon Other formats and retailers
Book cover for Returns and Exchanges by Kayla Rae Whitaker
This sprawling saga follows a Kentucky family over the course of a decade
WHY IT’S READWORTHY:
  • The Taylors are the picture of the American Dream — but changes are rapidly approaching…
  • With starred reviews from Booklist, Library Journal, Publisher Weekly, and Kirkus Reviews, who calls it “extravagantly intelligent”
  • Erin O. White, author of Like Family, raves, “This novel is smart, funny, loving, and utterly beautiful. I didn’t want it to end”
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Media mentions for Returns and Exchanges by Kayla Rae Whitaker MEDIA MENTIONS: Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, Library Journal, Booklist, Literary Hub
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Amazon Other formats and retailers
Book cover for The Wish by Heather Morris
A ‘wonderful, beautiful ride’ that ‘fans of Jodi Picoult will embrace’ (Booklist starred review)
WHY IT’S READWORTHY:
  • The paths of vibrant, terminally ill teenager Jesse and lonely video game designer Alex collide…
  • The #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Tattooist of Auschwitz delivers another heartrending, through-provoking read
  • A great pick for book clubs
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Media mentions for The Wish by Heather Morris MEDIA MENTION: Booklist
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Book cover for Liar’s Dice by Juliet Faithfull
When her identical twin sister is sent away, Dolores will stop at nothing to bring her home
WHY IT’S READWORTHY:
  • Why are their parents acting as if Mita never existed?
  • Rave reviews from Jamie Ford, Florence Knapp, and Jodi Picoult, who calls this coming-of-age tale “pitch-perfect and full of heart”
  • Written in lush, lyrical prose that will whisk readers away to 1970s Brazil
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Media mentions for Liar’s Dice by Juliet Faithfull MEDIA MENTIONS: TODAY Show, Oprah Daily, Good Housekeeping, The Boston Globe, Kirkus Reviews, Literary Hub
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Amazon Other formats and retailers
Book cover for One Leg on Earth by ‘Pemi Aguda
A bizarre phenomenon plagues the pregnant women of Lagos…
WHY IT’S READWORTHY:
  • When Yosoye becomes pregnant, she’s put on a collision course with a dark truth in this “enchanting” read (NPR)
  • From a National Book Award–nominated author whose writing is recommended for fans of Toni Morrison
  • “Wholly transporting” (Oprah Daily) and “unforgettable” (Publishers Weekly starred review)
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Media mentions for One Leg on Earth by ‘Pemi Aguda MEDIA MENTIONS: NPR, The New York Times/The New York Times Book Review, Oprah Daily, Esquire, The Guardian, The Boston Globe, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, Literary Hub
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Amazon Other formats and retailers
Book cover for Offseason by Avigayl Sharp
‘One of the sharpest and liveliest debuts of the decade’ (Vulture), set at an all-girls boarding school
WHY IT’S READWORTHY:
  • While teaching English in an East Coast town, the unnamed narrator indulges strange obsessions and stories about her past
  • A promising new literary voice enters the scene with this playful and inventive novel
  • “Profound and uproarious, exciting and thought-provoking… You’ve never read anything like it” (Elizabeth McCracken)
Learn more...
Media mentions for Offseason by Avigayl Sharp MEDIA MENTIONS: NPR, People, Financial Times, Vulture, The Guardian, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, Electric Literature, Literary Hub
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Amazon Other formats and retailers
 
   
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