Long-established subjects receive fresh, exciting consideration in the books we're recommending for our first Shelf Awareness issue of 2025. Brandon Sanderson's epic Stormlight Archive takes "great, thrilling leaps forward" in its fifth installment, Wind and Truth, which considers its expansive fantasy world from fascinating new angles. And journalist Russell Thomas has prepared Tofu: A Culinary History, a "fascinating and thorough" analysis of the bean curd staple that "bursts with compelling facts" about the food's role in culture and media. Plus, Cameron Mukwa "gracefully portrays a Native kid exploring intersecting identities and finding unexpected pillars of strength and encouragement" in Ribbon Skirt, a joyful graphic novel about a two-spirit Anishinaabe tween's process to assemble gender-affirming powwow regalia.
In The Writer's Life, Australian novelist Ella Baxter elaborates on her passion for Chris Kraus's novel I Love Dick and the earth-shattering effect Yoko Ono's Grapefruit had on her. She also breaks open "a perfect sentence" written by Amy Bloom and finds "a true master" at work.