Carmen Maria Machado subverts the known world and its expectations in her ingenious debut story collection, Her Body and Other Parties. Reading it is a heady and unnerving, sometimes horrifying, experience that opens up human identity as if it were a flower. From the dark corners of existence, from the cracks between pretensions, Machado conjures monsters and angels that, in the light of her deft yet sensuous prose, become painfully recognizable.

Eight stories make up the collection, and many contain elements of magical realism. Machado melds folklore and fabulist images with the raw realities of love, sex, queerness and alienation. There are also satirical elements in these stories, ironies embedded in the dreamy plots like shards of glass. Nowhere are these shards sharper than in "Especially Heinous," a novella-length send-up of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit that summarizes every episode of the long-running television show. Few writers can successfully blend trenchant wit aimed at machismo and misogyny with truly creepy gothic imagery. In "Eight Bites," a woman is haunted by the blob-like ghost of her former body, which she tried so hard to lose. And in "The Resident," the alienated protagonist finally understands that knowledge "was a dwarfing, obliterating, all-consuming thing, and to have it was to both be grateful and suffer greatly."

Her Body and Other Parties has so many beautiful lines and sophisticated passages that it would be hard to highlight them all. More importantly, though, it demonstrates that literature, when forthright and brave, can simultaneously dig deep within the self and reframe the greater world. --Scott Neuffer, writer, poet, editor of trampset

There's a reason Antonio Tabucchi's For Isabel carries the subtitle A Mandala. Structured in a way that mimics Buddhist iconography, the novel is an investigation, a journey and a prayer. Much like diving into a dream, or walking into a church, For Isabel has an aura of holiness as it moves toward its center: Isabel, a mysterious figure the narrator once knew.

The plot, such as it is, follows the narrator, a Polish author who awakens from death, as he interviews (and sometimes threatens) associates of Isabel in order to find her whereabouts. Each interview makes up a ring of the Mandala, and each one leads further along, providing more clues as to who Isabel is, and who the narrator was. If the spiritual element was removed, For Isabel would read like a crime novella: Isabel has a checkered past, working with revolutionaries and spending time in prison. But the spiritual element is indelible. Planes of existence are crossed, and the dead brought back to life, in order to reach the center of Tabucchi's project.

Luckily, that center is worth its intrigue. Isabel's path through life, and the narrator's path following her, is filled with brilliant twists and turns, spanning continents and lifetimes. Even a clever reader won't be able to guess every direction the story takes, though it would be wrong to say For Isabel has twists. Instead, it invites you into the life of a complicated woman, and a man doing anything to find her. --Noah Cruickshank, adult engagement manager, the Field Museum, Chicago, Ill.

Craig Johnson takes readers on a gripping rail journey into his Wyoming sheriff's past for the 13th novel of the Walt Longmire series (after An Obvious Fact). A photograph of 24 sheriffs--and one deputy--in front of a locomotive triggers a dark memory for Walt. As the lone deputy, he accompanied then-sheriff Lucian Connelly for the 1972 Wyoming Sheriff's Association junket aboard the train The Western Star. The itinerary took the passenger puller from Cheyenne to Evanston and back--but not everyone returned alive.

The decades-old image kindles Walt's memory, and the flames are stoked by a parole hearing in Cheyenne, for which he's en route. Usually just a required formality resulting in denial of parole, Walt attends to fulfill a promise. So word that the mysterious convict's attorneys are petitioning for compassionate release douses Walt's memory fire with lighter fluid.

Offering glimpses of Walt's relationship with his late wife, Martha, and the onset of his career in Absaroka County, The Western Star peels back complex layers that define the beloved sheriff. Series devotees will delight in new pieces to Walt's puzzle while those discovering the series should easily jump right into the man's life. At a baker's dozen of Longmire novels, Johnson shows no signs of skimping on quality. The Western Star combines a thrilling plot, colorful characters, exceptional dialogue and, of course, Johnson's signature humor. Johnson even includes a clever literary tie-in with Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express.

All aboard! The Longmire train is in the station, and you don't want to miss this one. --Jen Forbus, freelancer

Though the late, astonishingly prolific author and playwright Frédéric Dard wrote hundreds of novels, stories and plays, he isn't well known in the English-speaking world. But some of his classic noir titles are finally being translated from French into English, and are sure to appeal to fans of Agatha Christie, Raymond Chandler and Georges Simenon.

The King of Fools opens in the Cȏte d'Azur, where the blasé Jean-Marie Valaise is vacationing alone, having broken up with his longtime girlfriend, Denise. Jean-Marie becomes entranced with an Englishwoman named Marjorie after an accidental meeting, and begins to obsess about her, even after Marjorie departs for England. The reappearance of a repentant Denise distracts Jean-Marie for a few days, but when Marjorie writes him that she'll be heading to Edinburgh, he leaves on a whim to find her.

Dard's beautiful sense of place--contrasting the sunny south of France and the dark rain of Edinburgh--reflects Jean-Marie's shifting mood. It plummets from elation and love into bewilderment and fear as circumstances in Edinburgh come to a dramatic head. With blood on his hands, Jean-Marie is trapped in a nightmare in this unfamiliar city, leaving the reader hanging on Dard's every word, to see how it will resolve.

A slim novel with laconic prose and a stunning plot, The King of Fools will keep many a mystery lover up too late--and waiting eagerly for the next novel of Dard's to be translated into English. --Jessica Howard, bookseller at Bookmans

Victoria and Abdul: The True Story of the Queen's Closest Confidant by Shrabani Basu recounts with intimate and fascinating detail the ascension of Muslim Indian servant Abdul Karim from serving at Queen Victoria's table to becoming her closest friend and teacher, much to the resentment and jealousy of the rest of the royal household.

As a young clerk at the time of British colonial rule in Agra, home of the Taj Mahal, Abdul Karim's good looks, height and regal bearing earned him the position of a royal servant at the Golden Jubilee celebrations. Here Queen Victoria, as "Empress of India," hosted bejeweled Indian princes and princesses. The queen showed no race or class barriers, and protected her Indian servants from the prejudices of the Royal Court. She asked Abdul Karim to teach her Urdu, his native tongue, because she wanted to communicate with her Indian subjects and understand them better.

In this much-anticipated second edition of Victoria and Abdul, Basu includes excerpts from Abdul Karim's diary, which until recently was considered lost with the rest of his royal artifacts. His family smuggled it out of England to India and then to Pakistan during the British partition of India. Everything else pertaining to his relationship with the queen was destroyed by her heirs. Upon her death he was banished from England, a final victory for members of the royal household keen on sabotaging the relationship.

Basu's storytelling is rich and sumptuous, capturing England in its glory, and the sights, sounds and smells of Agra. Victoria and Abdul has been made into a recently released film directed by Stephen Frears and starring Judi Dench. --Shahina Piyarali, writer and reviewer

The problem with current left-wing politics and politicians, according to British author and Guardian columnist George Monbiot (How Did We Get into This Mess?) is in part due to the failure of their worldviews, or what he calls "stories." An inspiring, easily understood political story may overwhelm any factual argument. It can be defeated only by a new, more appealing one. Out of the Wreckage is his ambitious attempt to construct such a story.

"Our challenge is to produce one that is faithful to the facts, faithful to our values, and faithful to the narrative patterns to which we respond." Monbiot writes that the two most successful stories of the 20th century were those of the social democrats and neoliberals. Both, though, have failed, he says, and need to be replaced. He describes the historical rise of these approaches, and the problems they have confronted in more recent years. The values of individualism and extreme competition have been found lacking. We need to expand government services, build inclusive community life, restore respect for each other and the planet, and revive democracy and our confidence in institutions. He analyzes the 2016 U.S. Democratic presidential campaigns (he is a Bernie Sanders fan), and provides a concise four-page summary of ideas that reads like a draft of a party platform. This is a clear, broadly informed and well-presented contribution to the discussion of where our societies need to go next, and how we can make them work for all of us, together. --Sara Catterall

In Sock, part of Bloomsbury's Object Lessons series, which probes the depths of everyday items, essayist Kim Adrian takes a closer look at a consistently overlooked, nearly essential article of clothing: the sock.

Starting with the invention of the hay sock in the Ötztal Alps around 3,300 BCE, and moving through time to the fetishized, cozy slipper-socks worn today, Adrian delves into the history of an object that is donned daily around the globe. Her narrative swells from this pure historical account into a series of related musings on the fragility of the human form as she considers the physical awkwardness of a foot. Adrian also explores how the foot and the sock are connected to desire and human compassion. She uncovers revelatory facts such as how the nerve endings in our feet may explain the prevalence of foot fetishes, and how images of discarded shoes can be emotionally resonant.

Through a discussion of the footwear's material, social and cultural evolution, Sock reflects on the brilliance present in the minutiae of our lives. With piercing wit, idiosyncratic humor and sharply insightful moments of personal examination, Adrian uses the most domestic of items as a lens through which to view the inelegance and wondrousness of humanity. Encompassing the utility of protecting an essentially vulnerable, uncomfortable body and the bonds mothers form with the objects that cover the delicate toes of their babies, Adrian's warm, insightful investigation will give this common object new prominence in any reader's mind. --Alice Martin, freelance writer and editor

Laura Schenone had good reason to fear animals: she was bitten twice by canines in childhood. To her, "Animals... meant meat, milk, cheese, eggs, fish. I believed they should be treated humanely, but they were food, nonetheless." Therefore, it made sense for Schenone (The Lost Ravioli Recipes of Hoboken) to focus her writing career on cooking and food for many years. However, a chance encounter with a woman advocate for--and rescuer of--Irish greyhounds and lurchers, which are mixed-breed sight hounds, sparked Schenone's interest to learn more about the lives of these gentle, graceful, aerodynamic working dogs that are the fastest dogs on earth. When Schenone adopted an abandoned lurcher from County Cork as a companion for her nine-year-old son, she was further inspired to research a network of dedicated animal activists--a small, fervent band of women proponents from Europe and the U.S. The group began by finding homes for street dogs and later broadened their efforts to offer rehabilitation, re-homing and ultimately create a sanctuary for these and other animals.

Captivating personal stories about the rescuers and the challenges and risks of their plight are woven around a history of greyhounds. Schenone explores how the breed emerged and evolved in prominence in England, Australia and Ireland, where the Emerald Isle became the leader in breeding and exporting for the dog racing circuit. This thorough, well-presented narrative investigates animal injustice and abuse and is sure to offer compelling inspiration for animal welfare devotees and advocates worldwide. --Kathleen Gerard, blogger at Reading Between the Lines

John Lennon's opening chords are unmistakable, and the lyrics are familiar worldwide: "Imagine there's no heaven./ It's easy if you try." Countless artists have covered the haunting utopian anthem, and now human rights organization Amnesty International joins the ranks with a picture book illustrated by French graphic artist Jean Jullien.

In the first scene, the earnest-looking gray bird steps off a crowded subway and embarks on a journey. Along the way, it encounters a variety of birds, all of which seem to need comfort. Seagulls stop their squabbling over a fish when the pigeon shares its message ("Nothing to kill or die for"). A rainbow of songbirds find shelter under its wings ("I hope some day you'll join us"). And a pair of fighting hummingbirds make peace after it dive-bombs them with love ("Imagine no possessions").

A robin's-egg blue background predominates in Imagine, making the childlike depictions of birds and flowers pop. The boldly outlined pigeon is appealingly evocative of Mo Willems's pigeon. Jullien (Hoot Owl, Master of Disguise; Before & After; This Is Not a Book), whose work includes illustration, photography, video, costumes, installations and books, also created the Peace for Paris symbol after the terror attacks in Paris on November 13, 2015.

Repackaging the beloved song in a picture book format is a brilliant way to bring much-needed attention back to the simple goal of "living life in peace." After all, Lennon reminds us, music, art and peace have the power to change the world. The sentiment comes at a time when it is needed more than ever: released on the International Day of Peace, Imagine will likely be welcomed by people of all ages and backgrounds. --Emilie Coulter, freelance writer and editor