fiction
New books this week: investigating rehab, fighting wildfires, and a Slaughter thriller
Just published this week: A portrait of the lucrative drug-treatment industry; a memoir of a female firefighter; debut fiction from an Emmy-winning TV writer; and a brand new Karin Slaughter thriller.
These ‘Blondes’ are turning 100, and they’re still a lot of fun
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes is about two flappers on the prowl for sugar daddies. First published in 1925, Anita Loos' cheeky comic novel has now been reissued in paperback.
New books this week: unconventional novels and an oral history of Hiroshima, Nagasaki
An oral history of the atomic bomb detonations 80 years ago leads this week's list of publishing highlights, which also includes a handful of novels by authors including Louis Sachar and Jason Mott.
There’s magic at work in this new batch of books
We don't just mean literary sorcery by which words summon worlds for readers, but also literal, honest-to-goodness magic: angels, conjurers, otherworldly attractions and dances of mysterious power.
Here are the 13 books that made the Booker Prize longlist
The prize is one of the most prestigious awards in literature. This year's crop of nominees includes two debut novelists going up against a previous Booker Prize winner.
A young woman is caught between worlds in ‘The Tiny Things Are Heavier’
With this debut novel of an immigrant torn between the U.S. and Nigeria, Esther Ifesinachi Okonkwo takes her place among the writers who have ably investigated the idea of home.
Stacey Abrams warns of autocracy and voter suppression, doesn’t rule out another run
Abrams isn't running for office — but she's not ruling it out, either. "Politics is a tool ... for getting good done, but it's not the only one." Her new thriller is Coded Justice.
Where to start? This week’s new releases are an all-you-can-read buffet
This week, new horror from Silvia Moreno-Garcia, a funny college do-over from Jeneva Rose, and autofiction from Hannah Pittard. Plus, stories about the American South, and a deep dive into the Earth.
New books this week focus on Caitlin Clark, King Tut, and how ‘Democrats Lost America’
Plus: a new novel from Gary Shteyngart, a true story of a shipwreck, and a memoir from a wrongly incarcerated inmate who was exonerated after 28 years behind bars.
NPR staffers pick their favorite fiction reads of 2025 so far
After long days focused on the facts, our newsroom reads a lot of fiction at home. We asked our NPR colleagues what they've enjoyed reading so far this year. Here's what they told us.
6 new books out this week, including true stories of trailblazers
But for many working adults, the summer can often feel the same as the rest of the year. So, maybe our idea of a "summer read" should encompass a wider swath of books? Here are a few out this week.
‘Endling’ is a shape-shifting debut that takes on heavy themes with humor
Maria Reva's virtuosic novel starts out as a straightforward story about a Ukrainian biologist, but morphs into a comic take on war, the mail-order bride business and the plight of snails.
New books out this week offer catastrophes that at least profess to be just fantasies
The new books publishing this week may get quite heavy, laden as they are with family tragedy, psychopathy and heartbreak — but at least they are fiction.
5 dark tales hit shelves this week
Sometimes all it takes to make your day a little brighter is to remind yourself just how dark life can get. Here are four dark novels and a true crime tale.
New books this week cover problematic parents, the ultrarich, and a year without sex
Publishing this week: new fiction from Susan Choi, essays from Evan Osnos and memoir from Molly Jong-Fast. Plus, Melissa Febos reflects on her year of abstinence.
Brand new books: Stephen King’s latest, plus tales of a tired mom and a scary stalker
Holly Gibney is back in King's thriller, Never Flinch. The Stalker follows a manipulative man. Happily ever after is evasive in Consider Yourself Kissed. Plus, new work from Tash Aw and Etgar Keret.
‘Consider Yourself Kissed’ by this rich, relatable story of an overwhelmed mom
This novel stands apart from other tales of mothers stretched too thin. Jessica Stanley weaves family frustrations with British politics and global events because our life and our times are connected.
‘The Stalker’ is one of the most appalling characters in recent American fiction
Paula Bomer's dizzying book is a fascinating look at an absurdly stupid young man in the early 1990s who manages to sustain himself despite having no evidence of a soul.
17 new books our critics can’t wait to read this summer
We asked some of our trusted critics which upcoming books they are most looking forward to. Here are the fiction and nonfiction titles they picked.
‘Heart Lamp’ wins International Booker, with stories of India’s Muslim women and girls
The major writing prize awards the best fiction translated into English. Judges called Banu Mushtaq's short story collection "something genuinely new for English readers."
5 new books this week spotlight Joe Biden, the WNBA, rivers, migrants and autofiction
New books out this week look at everything from pressing political concerns — Original Sin — to perspective-altering riddles about life itself, like in Is A River Alive? and The Book of Records.
‘The Emperor of Gladness’ is a beautiful novel about hard work and found family
Ocean Vuong's sweeping new novel centers on a depressed 19-year-old college dropout who becomes the caregiver to a widow with dementia.
Newly published stories show a different side of Ian Fleming and Graham Greene
The latest issue of "The Strand Magazine" contains rare stories by the iconic midcentury writers Ian Fleming and Graham Greene.
A filmmaker in Nazi Germany strikes a deal with the devil in ‘The Director’
When do compromises turn into full-blown capitulation? Daniel Kehlmann's new novel draws on the true story of German film director G.W. Pabst.
5 new books to check out this week — including Isabel Allende’s latest
My Name Is Emilia Del Valle is the newest novel from the prodigious Chilean expat, now in her 80s. Plus, a personal history of the orange, a Josephine Baker history and having kids in the digital age.
Supermarket displays of oranges will never look the same after reading ‘Foreign Fruit’
In her new hybrid memoir, Katie Goh unravels the multitudes citrus fruit contains, in lockstep with mythologies of colonialism, inheritance and identity.
Canadian writer Canisia Lubrin wins $150K Carol Shields literary prize
The judges of the annual prize for female and nonbinary writers praised Lubrin's debut short story collection, Code Noir, for breaking "new ground in short fiction."
There’s some Revolutionary reading coming your way this week
The second volume in Pulitzer-winning historian Rick Atkinson's planned trilogy on the American Revolution publishes Tuesday. Plus a graphic memoir, short fiction, and "the secret life" of a cemetery.
This terrifying horror novel proves: Nothing is old if you make it new
Nat Cassidy's wildly entertaining novel is a superb example of how to work with clichés. When the Wolf Comes Home might sound like a werewolf novel — but it's an entirely different animal.
AI eavesdrops on your sleep in this nightmarish ‘Dream Hotel’
Laila Lalami's dystopian novel centers on a woman who's been incarcerated because an algorithm flagged her as a crime risk. The Dream Hotel paints a grim picture about the ways our data can betray us.
This new story collection is marvelous — if a bit meandering
Lydia Millet's characters in Atavists interact and have little dramas of their own — the author's talent is on full display here. Not every story is strong, but they work well together.
Looking for a new book this week? Here are 5 wide-ranging options
A true smorgasbord is on offer for readers this week. Care for an inspirational memoir? Reminders of the precarious position of civilization? Early summer read? They're all here.
