reviews

The finalists for the Cundill History Prize are announced, the winners of the Ned Kelly Award for Australian crime writing, the shortlist for the Endeavour Award for SFF by Pacific Northwest authors is announced, and the winners of the Rhysling Awards for speculative poetry are announced. The Garnett Girls by Georgina Moore wins an Isle of Wight Book Award. A federal judge has ordered an Arkansas library to stop segregating controversial books into special “social sections.”

The shortlist for the Goldsmiths Prize and the finalists for the Writers’ Trust of Canada Balsillie Prize for Public Policy are announced. Reese Witherspoon announces her first novel, a thriller cowritten with Harlan Coben and due out next fall. Plus, new title bestsellers and interviews with Ta-Nehisi Coates, Kate McKinnon, Lola Milholland, and Kate Conger and Ryan Mac.

All the March 2025 Prepub Alerts in one place, plus a downloadable spreadsheet of all titles from every post.

It is game, set, and match as romances capture readers’ attention and provide swoony delights. Sports romances set pulses racing, romantasy rises, and moms star in rom-coms.

The National Book Award Finalists are announced, as are the longlist for the Saif Ghobash Banipal Prize for Arabic Literary Translation and Audiofile’s October 2024 Earphones Award winners. The 2024 slate of MacArthur Fellows includes writers Ling Ma, Juan Felipe Herrera, Jason Reynolds, and Jericho Brown. Reese Witherspoon selects Society of Lies by Lauren Ling Brown for her October book club. The October book club pick for both Read with Jenna and B&N is The Mighty Red by Louise Erdrich. According to NYT, Jimmy Carter, who turned 100 yesterday, is the most prolific author of all ex-presidents.

Bestselling Chuck Wendig returns with a tale of small-town scares and a mysterious staircase to nowhere, while S.A. Barnes offers more space horror; plus multiple terrifying debuts.

Juliette Cross launches a series featuring a dragon shapeshifter, Venessa Vida Kelley debuts with a historical romantasy about a Coney Island merman, and RuNyx offers a twist on the Hades and Persephone myth, set in a dark academia world.

Chef José Andrés shares life lessons, Admiral William H. McRaven offers advice, and Gretchen Rubin distills her insights into the secrets of adulthood.

Olivie Blake returns with the story of three telepathically and electrokinetically gifted siblings, and Nghi Vo continues the story of Nick Carraway and Jay Gatsby from her acclaimed novel The Chosen and the Beautiful.