Our Most Anticipated New Book Releases of February 2021

The Four Winds
Kristin Hannah 
Perfect for fans of Where the Crawdads Sing, Kristin Hannah’s stunningly beautiful and heart-wrenching dustbowl drama traces the conflicts and challenges faced by Elsa and her family, who journey West in search of a better life. Elsa’s critical choices shape the lives of the people around her for generations to come. “Hannah reminds us that the human heart and our Earth are as tough, yet as fragile, as a change in the wind … A timely novel highlighting the worth and delicate nature of Nature itself.” —Delia Owens, author of Where the Crawdads Sing 

Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America, 1619-2019
Ibram X. Kendi (Editor), Keisha N. Blain (Editor) 
Eighty Black writers and 10 Black poets, 400 years of history, told in five-year increments, this is a work of counterpoint and panorama, a book wholly its own, wonderfully unique. Read it slowly and with intention, allowing the voices and histories to “speak” in conversation, author to author, author to reader. It is indeed the history of African America, but one clear takeaway is that “the true story of America begins here, in 1619. This is our story. We must not flinch.”

Like Streams to the Ocean: Notes on Ego, Love, and the Things That Make Us Who We Are
Jedidiah Jenkins 
The second book from the thoughtful Jenkins after his brilliant debut, To Shake the Sleeping Self — a previous Nonfiction Monthly Pick. Here, he considers what one must do to live a full and authentic life by focusing on questions we must all ask ourselves. As he did in his first book, Jenkins’ gift of self-reflection and observation draws us in and inspires us to do more, try more and be more, and to be grateful for our lives.

The Survivors
Jane Harper 
The Lost Man by Jane Harper was Our Monthly Mystery & Thriller Pick in January 2020 — and for a good reason. Harper writes characters with depth and dimension. Her plots match that standard as well. Family plays as big a role in The Survivors as it did in The Lost Man. Which stands to reason, because isn’t the biggest and toughest mystery always around family? Harper knows how to engage us in the dilemma from the first chapter to the last. Another stunner from Jane Harper that is not to be missed.

Girl A: A Novel
Abigail Dean 
This is a dark story — there is no getting around that. This intense debut is an emotionally complex page-turner, a story of betrayal, alliance, and what it means to survive. If you read Room, Dear Child, or The Girl on the Train, read Girl A, and even if didn’t, read Girl A anyway! You won’t want to miss what will be the most talked-about book of the year.

The Court of Silver Flames (A Court of Thorns and Roses Series #4)
Sarah J. Maas
After years following the epic journey of Feyre, her sister Nesta finally takes center stage in this highly anticipated tale all her own. Now that the war has finally ended, the mesmerizing A Court of Thorns and Roses saga continues, and fiery Nesta is ready to embrace her fight and fate. “Fiercely romantic, irresistibly sexy and hypnotically magical. A veritable feast for the senses.” —USA Today

How the One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House: A Novel
Cherie Jones 
Told from multiple points of view, this captivating debut highlights the disparities and complex relationships between the rich tourists in Barbados and poor locals who struggle with crime, violence, and grief in a tropical paradise. Jones skillfully paints a portrait of colorful characters and their struggle and sacrifice for a good life. An arresting setting, a sophisticated plot, and a whole lot of heart all combine to make How the One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House both a fast-paced and intimate read. Cherie Jones is one to watch.

A Tip for the Hangman: A Novel
Allison Epstein 
The spy thriller, historical fiction queer mashup of your dreams, A Tip for the Hangman is a literary tour-de-force from debut author Allison Epstein. Meticulously researched and beautifully crafted, this novel takes you inside the spy network of Tudor England and illuminates the splendid, twisted lives the spies themselves lead. “Simultaneously moving, unsettling, hilarious, and tragic — a debut that will linger long after the last page is turned.” —Kate Quinn, author of The Alice Network 

The Witch’s Heart
Genevieve Gornichec 
What Madeline Miller did for Circe, Genevieve Gornichec now does for the mother of monsters, Angrboda. Gornichec takes up the mantle with a beautifully wrought feminist retelling of the prophetic witch. Both a love story and a war epic, The Witch’s Heart gives a ringing voice to the oft-silent women of myth and legend.

The History of What Comes Next: A Take Them to the Stars Novel
Sylvain Neuvel 
From the author of the Sleeping Giants trilogy come a new series that centers around powerful women who endeavor to change the course of history. Set against the backdrop of the international space race, these women contend with evil forces who will stop at nothing to push for a dark fallout. A revisionist, speculative novel that explores how progress often comes at the expense of brutality.

My Year Abroad: A Novel
Chang-rae Lee 
A journey of self-discovery and adventure from one of the great novelists of our time. Set in a multiple of periods, My Year Abroad is the story of Tiller as a young, naïve college student who discovers both the joys and sometimes bleak realities of the world on a life-changing trip. So, you’re looking for a good, enjoyable book where the pages just fly by? Read this.

The Bad Muslim Discount: A Novel
Syed M. Masood 
The Bad Muslim Discount is an irreverent, timely and comic coming-of-age novel about two very different families, arranged marriages, Muslim identity and being true to yourself. “One of the bravest and most eye-opening novels of the year. Masood is a whiz at characters and knows the way the world works inside out. A future classic.” —Gary Shteyngart, author of Lake Success 

The Ratline: The Exalted Life and Mysterious Death of a Nazi Fugitive
Philippe Sands 
Phillipe Sand’s Ratline is a grippingly cinematic, historical narrative of forensic research and exquisite detection. Weaving together the stories of a brutal SS officer, the woman who loved and protected him, and the son who could not accept his father’s enthusiastic complicity in crimes of the Third Reich, this is one moving and compelling work that is not to be missed.

How to Avoid a Climate Disaster: The Solutions We Have and the Breakthroughs We Need
Bill Gates 
Innovator, entrepreneur, investor and philanthropist, Bill Gates brings a unique array of perspectives to the issues and urgency of climate change, with a significant ability to access the scientific and technological resources that can provide a viable path to success. How to Avoid a Climate Disaster is Gates’ proposal to the world to grasp the challenges and commit to action. He makes the science clear, the steps practical, and the prospects hopeful for a goal of zero emissions by 2050.