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From film costumes to business statistics to the afterlife, 19 reference titles earned starred reviews from LJ since the start of 2023 through the November issue. 

The claustrophobic atmosphere of a raging wildfire and the presence of an unreliable narrator add to this read, which fans of Jane Harper’s Australian novels will want to try.

Readers looking for a contemporary romance with a passionate and grand love story, characters that leap off the page, and an original storyline will relish screenwriter and director Kuang’s debut novel.

Nayler’s compelling sci-fi thriller contemplates human greed and de-extinction through science. Hand it to readers of ecoterrorism thrillers and climate fiction.

This contemporary romance is a must-have for all libraries and for readers who relish a bit of angst and a lot of joy with their happily-ever-afters.

Clark’s second Detective Harriet Foster title (after Hide) provides a compelling plot as well as significant character growth.

Starred titles reviewed in our November 2023 print issue, spanning audio, fiction, SF/fantasy, romance, science, sociology, and more.

Must-read fantasy for readers who appreciate the catharsis of horror; perfect for fans of Whalefall by Daniel Kraus and Such Sharp Teeth by Rachel Harrison.

Fay’s debut is highly recommended for fans of pulse-pounding combos of sci-fi with sympathetic characters and melting hearts, like that from Valerie Valdes, K.B. Wagers, Rachel Bach, and Cat Rambo.

Glass’s funny, sexy, and geeky romance features Samara, an avid gamer, and Aron, a gaming-company CEO. This gem of a novel is highly recommended for all collections.

With its well-crafted, interesting characters and intriguing storyline, this debut novel will fly off shelves.

Readers who like their historical mysteries embellished with plenty of gothic ambience and enhanced with an abundance of dry wit will adore this splendid debut.

Full of political intrigue and impressive worldbuilding, Jacobs’s superb debut launches this space opera trilogy.

Offering a satisfying slow burn that transforms into delightful heat, the dazzling chemistry in this life-altering rom-com shows how love that transcends dimensions is worth the risk. This debut is an essential purchase for romance shelves.

Starred audiobooks reviewed in our September 2023 Audio in Depth issue, spanning mystery and suspense, SF/fantasy, romance, arts, sciences, and more.

The tension ratchets up when crime fiction spins out in soundscapes.

Soundscapes lead listeners into new words and future times.

Swoony lines and great banter only get better on audio.

Horror is amplified when fed directly into the ears.

Starred titles reviewed in our September 2023 print issue, spanning audio, mystery and suspense, SF/fantasy, romance, and more.

Suggest this enjoyable caper with its well-developed characters to Lee Goldberg’s fans.

This prequel to Legends & Lattes is the perfect place for readers to start Baldree’s cozy fantasy series where folks band together for good, and evil is conquered through cleverness and friendship.

Highly recommended for fans of contemporary romances with strong social justice and family themes.

Based on the true unsolved case of Dot King’s death and told from multiple viewpoints, this page-turner of a story with tentacles reaching from Broadway to the White House exposes the influence of money and power.

Guanzon brings a fresh voice and vivid world into the fantasy landscape, and this story will be incredibly popular. Readers will look forward to the next book in this new trilogy.

Katz successfully portrays how romance meets real life in this terrific debut.

Khaw and Kadrey create an excellent grim and gory tale that levels up urban fantasy in this series launch.

The fifth Mercy Carr book combines Halloween, a gothic house, two working dogs, and environmental issues in a superb mystery that emphasizes the search for home.

In this second installment of the “Milagro Street” series, Lopez interweaves history, Hispanic culture, magic, and passion in a modern-day love story.

Starred titles reviewed in our August 2023 print issue, spanning audio, mystery and suspense, SF/fantasy, romance, classic returns, and more.

In this deeply emotional and fast-moving romance, debut author Black writes a sultry story about family, forgiveness, art, and embracing love, even when it’s inconvenient.

Readers of humorous fantasy; those who enjoy seeing superhero stories folded, twisted, and mutilated; and anyone wishing for a righteous villain lair surrounded by intelligent sharks are sure to love Scalzi’s latest, the SFF highlight from the July issue.

Gilliland’s adult fiction debut is a beautifully written, entrancing novel that is a must-buy for all collections and is the romance pick of the month from the July issue.

The historical mystery debut by Yale Law School professor Chua (Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother) is a successful, compelling mash-up of California history, ghost story, family tale, and social commentary.

Starred titles reviewed in our July 2023 print issue, spanning mystery and suspense, SF/fantasy, romance, cookbooks, gardening, and more.

Find help, and maybe answers, across these titles.

Wonderful books on a range of arts and artists.

Inspiration for building an enriched life.

Important reads ranging across multiple subjects.

Make great meals with these tempting picks.

Discover new ideas and explore the world with these titles.

Delve into the past and learn lessons for today.

From flying pirate houses to excoriating studies of society, these 300+ titles are a catalogue of great reading from our pages since the start of 2023 through the June issue.

Don’t miss these great reads, offering a range of characters and writing styles.

Fans will clamor for these top picks.

Stock up on clever, twisty reads that our reviewers enjoyed.

Swoony picks that readers will fall for.

Great reads to buy, know, and share.

Spooky tales that will make readers keep the lights on.

Stock up on fast-paced reads with these winners.

Get swept away to new worlds with these outstanding novels.

Excellent reads across (multiple) universes.

Choice picks from reissues.

Excellent visual reads.

Fall under the spell of language and mood.

Delight in these six star-earning romances on audio, each offering a swoony sonic treat.

Find intrigue, chills, and thrills in these star-worthy crime novels in which skilled narrators add even more power to the twisty tales.

An auditory quest of heart and mind awaits in this star-earning fantasy about androids, robots, and family.

Sink into these four starred horror novels and invite nightmares into your ears.

The summer season of audiobooks shines with these starred choices.

Starred titles reviewed in our June 2023 print issue, spanning mystery and suspense, SF/fantasy, romance, graphic novels, and more.

Valdes delivers with her epic worldbuilding and characterizations in this sharp and poignant novel that's the SFF highlight from the June issue.

The June issue’s romance pick of the month is a hilarious, slow-burn romantic comedy, featuring a full cast of fun, quirky characters and intriguing, likable protagonists. This unputdownable novel will fly off shelves, and readers will clamor for Desai’s backlist.

When Alice Rose Barnes wins the lottery and hires grumpy carpenter Angus Drummond to do extensive renovations on her new house, she doesn’t realize how much he’s going to change her life. Readers will love the banter between Rose and Angus and cheer them on as they slowly build their relationship in this romance debut.

From its resourceful, resilient protagonist to its seamlessly constructed, au courant plot, everything about Ware’s newest novel is guaranteed to keep her fans up way past their bedtimes.

Starred titles reviewed in our May 2023 print issue, spanning mystery and suspense, SF/fantasy, romance, and more.

Borgos writes a compelling story with two timelines and elements of mystery, espionage, and history. This riveting debut has traces of Craig Johnson’s novels, with the personal nuclear fallout in Betty Webb’s Desert Wind.

The SFF highlight from the May issue is a new novella that presents a future where artificial intelligences fight for equal rights and off-planet colonies agitate for independence, as seen through the eyes of the sarcastic, independent AI Scorn. Perfect for “Murderbot” fans. 

Bear’s feminist reimagining of Greek myth allows Medusa’s forgotten fellow Gorgon sisters, Stheno and Euryale, to powerfully reclaim their voices and individuality. A must-read for Greek mythology fans seeking new depth in their tales and those who enjoyed Madeline Miller’s Circe or Pat Barker’s The Silence of the Girls. 

This sweetly angsty novel about two people finding themselves and figuring out a way forward together will appeal to anyone who enjoys reading opposites-attract romances with found family subplots. Fans of the author’s books will absolutely not want to miss this one.

Set against the backdrop of gorgeous international locales, this slow-burn rom-com will appeal to fans of travel and social media story lines as well as the forced-proximity trope. Pair with Love and Other Flight Delays by Denise Williams. 

Cosby, the multi-award-winning author of Blacktop Wasteland and Razorblade Tears, has a unique, powerful voice for social justice and racism. His compelling writing will have readers rooting for his latest unforgettable, flawed hero.

Books about growing a garden, cooking with fruit, crafting and making, and wayfinding through an anxious age feature in this spring edition of LJ’s Life+Style section.

Starred titles reviewed in our April 2023 print issue, spanning mystery and suspense, SF/fantasy, romance, and more.

Great listens are on the playlist with this collection of starred reviews from our March Audio in Depth spotlight.

Starred titles reviewed in our March 2023 print issue, spanning mystery and suspense, SF/fantasy, romance, and more.

Starred titles reviewed in our February 2023 print issue, spanning graphic novels, mystery and suspense, SF/fantasy, romance, and more.

Starred titles reviewed in the January Life+Style issue highlight the best books to learn to make a garden, cherish pets, find a quiet center, and so much more.

Starred titles reviewed in our January 2023 print issue, spanning audio, mystery and suspense, SF/fantasy, romance, and more.

The best audiobooks highlighted in the December Audio in Depth issue include a work of cozy magical realism, a laugh-out-loud memoir, and an extraordinary consideration of wasps.

These titles will captivate with a complex puzzle mystery, an all-woman assassination squad, and a suspenseful police procedural.

Fanciful, fun, and timeless, Beagle’s classic fantasy may be over five decades old, but it remains just as fresh as when it was first published in 1968.

This cinematic, road-trip historical is brought to impeccable and swoon-worthy life by skilled romance narrator, Mary Jane Wells.

Malerman’s latest is a heartfelt coming-of-age tale wrapped in the red viscera of a slasher story.

Starred titles reviewed in our December 2022 print issue, spanning graphic novels, mystery and suspense, SF/fantasy, romance, and more.

Starred titles reviewed in LJ's Life+Style section, spanning cooking, crafts, gardening, travel, and more.

Genre picks in mystery, romance, and SFF that LJ editors highlight this month. 

Starred titles reviewed in our October 2022 print issue, spanning audio, mystery and suspense, SF/fantasy, romance, and more.

The top picks in audio across genres and subjects. Here are titles to know, share, listen to, and add to the collection. 

Romances on audio that deepen characterization and enhance conversations.

Horror listens, as all bumps in the night are even more terrifying when they are inside your head.

Starred reviewed SFF choices that create sound landscapes.

Crime stories to sound out.

September’s “Picks of the Month” showcase great reading. Share these titles with genre fans, add them to booklists, and dive in yourself.

Starred titles reviewed in our September 2022 print issue, spanning mystery and suspense, SF/fantasy, romance and more.

Starred titles reviewed in our August 2022 print issue, spanning mystery and suspense, SF/fantasy, graphic novels, parenting, and more.

Starred titles reviewed in our July 2022 print issue, spanning mystery and suspense, SF/fantasy, horror, Christian fiction, and more.

Starred titles reviewed in our June 2022 print issue, spanning mystery and suspense, SF/fantasy, horror, reference, and more.

These books were selected by LJ reviewers and editors as titles of particular note in the June 2022 issue of the magazine. Along with all the starred reviews in the June issue, these are essential titles to know, buy, suggest, and read.

Essential audiobook titles reviewed in the June 2022 Audio in Depth spotlight.