New in Paperback, February 2024

Bodie Kane has always been plagued by questions about a murder that rocked her boarding school in 1995. When she returns to campus as a professor, the doubt she has kept at bay about the investigation comes creeping back. An enthralling mystery, an interrogation of the past, an entrancing campus novel, I Have Some Questions for You is a propulsive page-turner.

Listen to Rebecca Makkai discuss I Have Some Questions for You on our Poured Over podcast.

Darkly entertaining, subtly heartbreaking, but nonetheless a joy to read, Cleopatra and Frankenstein bandies with themes of marriage, mental health and addiction, all on the back of a humorous and deeply human narrative voice.

Beautiful and devastating, this is a tender and timeless tale about queer love, family and secrets. Inspired by the author’s own experiences, this story tugs on the heartstrings with immensely human characters and a genuine examination of love and loss.

A new collection of stories from National Book Award finalist Bora Chung (Cursed Bunny), which should be all you need to know to get on board. These chilling, horror-ish tales are just literary enough to leave a substantial lasting impression.

Stick with us on this one. When Santiago passes away, his mother seeks to bring him back to life. While Santiago’s mother creates Monstrilio, debut author Gerardo Samano Cordova pens a creative, visionary, and fantastic examination of grief and love; parents and children; friends and lovers.

Set in northwestern Queensland, Australia, Alexis Wright crafts a lyrical novel tinged with the harrowing truths of modern civilization. Her cast of characters ranges from heroic to absurd, effortlessly blending reality with the surreal.

The Three of Us will resonate with fans of Such A Fun Age and My Sister, the Serial Killer. It’s a short book, packed with a propulsive plot and loads of laughs, making it a joy to read and re-read.

Ever since Brian’s wife unceremoniously walked out on their relationship seven years ago, his life has felt like the world’s worst merry-go-round. Left to his own devices, Brian spends his days doom-scrolling and wondering where everything went wrong. This heartfelt novel examines what it means to find yourself and let go of the past. Perfect for fans of Matt Haig and Andrew Sean Greer.

Like most 20-somethings, Maddie wants to find her place in the world. Between serving as her ailing father’s primary caregiver and living on the whims of her difficult mother and nightmare boss, she’s ready to make some changes. Smart and touching, this brilliant debut explores what it means to live with an open heart.

From fan-favorite Jordan Harper comes another riveting crime fiction, steeped in relevant, contemporary themes like the #MeToo movement, as well as addressing crimes and iniquities of the entertainment and media industry. This is a story with a full head of steam, and it pulls no punches on the journey.

The title alone should get you, but just in case it didn’t, consider that this spicy romantic crowd-pleaser boasts a cozy fantasy core that will leave you feeling oh-so-good. And if you somehow missed it, be sure to check out the first in the Mead Mishaps series, That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon.

What if you could find out exactly how long the rest of your life would be? Just in case you missed it the first time around, this genre bending novel is back to invite you to question what it means to measure your own life and find out if you’d have the courage to go and make it count.

Steeped in West African mythology, Children of Blood and Bone is riddled with the kind of tangible stakes you can’t look away from. Populated by dynamic characters, propulsive in plot and inventive in magic, this is the kind of book that asks a lot of important questions alongside a breakneck narrative.

The second in the searing Legendborn Cycle series, Bloodmarked sees more action, more intensity and endearing characters who continue to grow into deeply human story vessels. This series is easy to get hooked on.

In a world not unlike our own, 13-year-old Skandar dreams of becoming a respected unicorn rider, but shortly after bonding with his unicorn, he learns an even greater danger is afoot — and it’s up to them to stop it. This adventure of epic proportions is set to take the world by storm.

Author Emma Lord is back with another romantic page turner, this time set against the backdrop of one of life’s biggest adventures – college. This heartfelt story of self-discovery and unexpected love is sure to make readers laugh, cry, and everything in between.

The World-Famous Nine brings an unforgettable setting — a massive department plaza — and packs it with the kinds of mysteries and secrets that you can find in Ben Guterson’s previous series, The Winterhouse Mysteries. It’s good fun, it’s page-turning puzzles and all alongside characters you’ll love to root for.

The Sunny series continues with the titular character settling into life at school and humorously trying to fit in. But underneath all that hilarity is the resonating theme that it’s okay to just be yourself.

Fans of The Wild Robot are sure to enjoy this poignant read about Resilience, an aptly named Mars rover that begins to develop very human-like emotions on its journey around Mars.

To listen to Pádraig Ó. Tuama read a poem is to fall in love with the spoken word. We’ve been big fans of his Poetry Unbound podcast for many seasons. Each listen would cause us to ferret out the poem read and print out for a read and inspiration. Ó. Tuama has conveniently taken 50 poems and put them in a book. We predict many bookmarked and turned downed corners for this journey into the heart and soul of our human condition.

For fans of the kind of natural history found in Hidden Life of Trees and Fuzz, Beaverland is a broad-sweeping narrative detailing the impact the beaver has had on the American landscape, from Native American tribes to the fur trade. Resonating with modern themes, this is a timely and facinating narrative that is packed with intrigue.

Sabrina Imbler assesses the links we can find between human and marine life in their exquisite debut collection of essays. From a mother octopus to a wild goldfish, Imbler’s essays showcase the remarkable displays of survival from our friends under the sea.

Hear more from Sabrina on our Poured Over podcast and find a video edition on our YouTube channel.

A memoir as poignant as it is hilarious, Peggy Orenstein details her journey of hunkering down with a pair of shears at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Chronicling the process of knitting a sweater from scratch with reflections on womanhood to race relations, Orenstein may just convince you to pick up your own set of knitting needles.