Of all the messianic leaders in world history, Jacob Frank--the subject of The Books of Jacob by 2018 Nobel Laureate Olga Tokarczuk (Drive Your Plow over the Bones of the Dead)--is one that contemporary readers are unlikely to know. Published in Polish in 2014 and now available in an English translation by Jennifer Croft, this magnificent novel, which spans three decades of the 18th century and coincides with the life of a "young man named Mozart," is Tokarczuk's fictional account of Frank, who claimed to be the Messiah. Like all charmers, Frank attracted acolytes and enemies. He converted to Islam and then Catholicism, counseling followers to do the same: "You have to go into the darkness... salvation awaits us only in darkness."

At more than 900 pages, the novel contains dozens of beautifully drawn characters. Paramount among them, aside from Frank himself, are Yente--a frail woman who "didn't exactly die" during a wedding at the novel's start, yet who, in one of many surreal touches, hovers between life and the next world, witness to the narrative proceedings--and Moliwda, a Polish count and polyglot attracted to Judaism and to Frank, the latter in more ways than one. Tokarczuk addresses themes of racism--a bishop incensed by Jewish materiality wants to "get rid of the Jews"--and the dangers of following a charismatic leader. The Swedish Academy singled out this work in Tokarczuk's Nobel citation and, thanks to this sterling translation, English-language readers will discover why. --Michael Magras, freelance book reviewer

Morgan Thomas's profound debut, Manywhere, is partly dedicated to "anyone who's gone looking for themself in the archives." In nine remarkable stories, Thomas adamantly and sublimely commits four centuries of the genderqueer/trans existence to the page. In "The Daring Life of Philippa Cook the Rogue," a contemporary Jamestown reenactor plans to purchase a colonial intersex servant's letters. Thomas brilliantly shuttles readers between the 17th and 21st centuries, inspired by real-life Thomas/ine Hall's 1629 court transcripts that evoke the former century and 2018 e-mails that present the latter. In "Taylor Johnson's Lightning Man," Thomas integrates 1908 newspaper coverage of Frank Woodhull, an immigrant born Mary Johnson who arrives at Ellis Island, with a teen's examination of trans identity. The name in this story's title (perhaps coincidentally) also belongs to award-winning trans poet Taylor Johnson. Thomas once again overlaps past and present in "The Expectation of Cooper Hill," conflating late-1920s Alabama midwifery with a woman's attempt to understand the disappearance of her great-great-grandmother.

In addition to their talents with historical adaptation, Thomas excels in displays of surprising (re)invention. In "That Drowning Place," one sibling assumes the identity of another after a fatal accident. In "Transit," an expelled patient from an eating disorder facility convinces a stranger that they are a vampire. In "Bump," a trans woman, whose married lover has abruptly entered fatherhood, dons a pregnancy prosthesis after a colleague's incorrect assumption. In the poignant "Manywhere," the collection's most bittersweet story, the protagonist lures a stranger home for their aging father, who longs for his imagined daughter.

Though this is Thomas's debut collection, eight of these nine stories were previously published in multiple outlets. Theirs is an unpredictable perspective, ready to illuminate and beguile readers. --Terry Hong, Smithsonian BookDragon

The Christie Affair by Nina de Gramont is an ingeniously plotted historical mystery in the style of an engrossing Agatha Christie thriller--except the character at the center of the mystery is the beloved lady novelist herself. Bringing to glorious life the more intimate roles Christie played, including as a mother, wife, loyal friend and passionate lover, de Gramont's graceful novel will enthrall Christie fans of all persuasions.

The story is set in 1920s England, during the early days of Agatha's rise to literary fame and the implosion of her marriage to Archie Christie. In real life, Agatha's devastation over her husband's demand for a divorce led her to flee her Berkshire home and disappear for 11 days; no one knows where she went, and she took that secret to her grave. Here, de Gramont (The Last September) offers a skillful reimagining of what transpired when Agatha vanished in the dead of night with her typewriter, setting off a media-driven scandal and a country-wide police manhunt. The result is a particularly gripping story, brilliantly embellished by the enigmatic narrator, Nan O'Dea, who also happens to be Archie's mistress.

Although Agatha is at the heart of Nan's narrative, The Christie Affair is a story of two women from vastly different backgrounds struggling to control their own destinies. An accomplished author, de Gramont takes a page from the great mystery writer herself and makes swift work of tying up loose ends as the story reaches its boiling point, leaving readers marvelously entertained and breathlessly connecting the dots. --Shahina Piyarali, reviewer

A pandemic forces three women to rise up against abusive relationships in the empowering thriller The Violence by Delilah S. Dawson (Wicked as They Come). The Covid pandemic may be over in April 2025, but a more frightening disease has replaced it: without warning, afflicted people attack others and have no recollection of doing so. This new plague is aptly named the Violence.

On the day of the first recorded case, Chelsea Martin discovers that the bank account she shares with her abusive husband, David, is overdrawn. He handles all their finances but will blame Chelsea anyway. Sometimes David's violence spills over onto their teenage daughter, Ella, and Chelsea knows it won't be long before the couple's five-year-old daughter is subjected to it, too. As if that's not enough, Chelsea's mother, Patricia--secretive about her own marital problems--stops by to criticize Chelsea's housekeeping skills.

At school, Ella has her own struggles with a boyfriend who shoves her against walls to get his way and a lecherous vice-principal. The Violence compels Chelsea to break her long-suffering yoke of cruelty and save her daughters. This dramatic clash between multiple victims and their abusers is simultaneously horrific and uplifting.

As part of the author's note, Dawson quotes the Narcissist's Prayer: "That didn't happen. And if it did, it wasn't that bad. And if it was, that's not a big deal. And if it is, that's not my fault." These sobering words set the tone for the protagonists' harrowing journey out of personal darkness. The Violence is fiction, but the story is healing enough to belong in the self-help section. --Paul Dinh-McCrillis, freelance reviewer

Elle Cosimano has crafted in heroine Finlay Donovan a flawed yet enormously lovable and sympathetic character. In the first book in the series, Finlay Donovan Is Killing It, the exhausted single mother of two and struggling suspense novelist was mistaken for a contract killer when she publicly discussed the plot of her work-in-progress novel over lunch at a Panera Bread café. This launched Finlay into madcap mayhem that involved the Russian mafia.

In her second misadventure, Finlay Donovan Knocks 'Em Dead, Finlay is still struggling to raise her two young children, meet writing deadlines and juggle the romantic attentions of a handsome law student and a detective in Fairfax County, Va. Her life takes another unexpected detour when, by way of an online mothers' support group, Finlay accidentally learns that someone wants her cheating ex-husband--Steven Donovan, the father of her children--dead. With the help of her reliable nanny sidekick--accounting student Veronica Ruiz, aka Vero--Finlay devises a plan to save Steven's life and flush out who has it in for him. However, Finlay's blundering scheme backfires when she uses public Wi-Fi. She and her plan are outed, embroiling her, yet again, in escalating danger.

Cosimano's plucky heroine continues to shine in a fast-paced, suspenseful mystery with stellar comic timing and wit. Playful snark and revealing secrets make for a roller-coaster plot with so many absurdist twists and turns that readers will be left winded from the excitement--and much laughter. --Kathleen Gerard, blogger at Reading Between the Lines

Like her first two romantic comedies, Alexandria Bellefleur's Count Your Lucky Stars sparkles with humor and wit, but readers will be particularly drawn into this story by the intense yearning shown by the two main characters.

Count Your Lucky Stars opens as Olivia's boss taps her to plan a wedding for Brendon and Annie, the central couple from Hang the Moon, who are frantically searching for a new venue. Margot is a friend and business partner of the groom, and when she shows up at the first meeting between Olivia and the engaged pair, awkwardness reigns.

High school best friends, Olivia and Margot once spent an ill-fated week of romantic and sexual bliss together, but they haven't spoken since Olivia got back together with the boy who would eventually become her ex-husband. Ten years later, Margot is more than happy to pretend to her friends--couples from the first books in the series--that she and Olivia have no uncomfortable history. When a flood forces Olivia to vacate her apartment, Margot offers her spare room and Olivia moves in.

Bellefleur keeps the camera close, ramping up the tension with forced proximity. Demonstrating her skill at characterization, she tailors the speed of the romantic and physical relationships to the couple in each book and, given the history between Margot and Olivia, Count Your Lucky Stars is a bit steamier than the first two. It also has all the makings of a great rom-com: crackling banter, meddling friends, an outspoken cat and an irresistible romance. --Suzanne Krohn, librarian and freelance reviewer

Hester Fox (The Orphan of the Cemetery Hill) returns to historical New England in her fourth novel, A Lullaby for Witches, a haunting story full of long-buried secrets and narrated by two determined women. Told in two timelines, the novel follows Augusta Podos, a museum worker in the present, and Margaret Harlowe, the only daughter in a wealthy family in the 1870s.

Fox lets readers know from the start that Margaret fell in love with a young man, became pregnant out of wedlock and ultimately was murdered, but the circumstances of her death are unclear. When Augusta takes a position at historic Harlowe House in Tynemouth, Mass., she's drawn to a portrait of a woman who can be only Margaret, a woman seemingly lost to time and record. While Augusta slowly pieces together Margaret's past, Margaret describes her life as an independent, wealthy outcast, pregnant and trying to find a path forward for herself and her unborn child.

While A Lullaby for Witches is a gothic mystery at its heart, Fox cleverly weaves in elements of class difference, prejudice, eating disorders, grief and even romance. Margaret is a complicated character, and the magic at work is decidedly unfriendly, but the decisions and obstacles both women face will be recognizable to readers. Fans of Louisa Morgan and Susanna Kearsley will want to pick this up. --Suzanne Krohn, librarian and freelance reviewer

Arctic explorer and environmental activist Will Steger (Think South) founded the Steger Wilderness Center in Minnesota in 1988; it now serves as a base for exploration and as a way to model carbon-neutral solutions and ecological stewardship in the face of climate change. At the Homestead, the heart of the Wilderness Center, head chef Rita Mae Steger--Will Steger's niece--brings the Center's goals to life through simple, sustainably sourced, delicious meals. In The Steger Homestead Kitchen, Will and Rita Mae, along with cookbook author Beth Dooley, share some of those recipes.

Organized into seven sections, including "The Garden," "Simple Comforts," "Fireside Feasts" and "The Homestead Oven," the book's accessible format allows home cooks to bring the Homestead philosophy into their own kitchens. Each section, and many of the recipes, are framed by the Stegers' memories and feature stunning photos of life at the Wilderness Center. With Spaghetti Squash Gratin, Best Ever Turkey Burgers, Beef One Pot and a fire-roasted Baba Ghanoush, the Homestead Kitchen taps into a world of flavors and inspiration. The cookbook reflects the "abundant life" of its subtitle with the inclusion of sweet treats (muffin tops and a zucchini bundt) as well as pantry staples such as yogurt, granola and a cashew beet butter. Whether readers are curious about cooking chicken or corn over an open fire, searching for new bread recipes or in need of ideas to feed a crowd, there is something for everyone across a variety of tastes and dietary requirements. --Michelle Anya Anjirbag, freelance reviewer

Whenever it's time to toast pioneering American social and environmental justice warriors of the modern era, big names from the 1960s and '70s get most of the glory--and unfairly, according to James R. Gaines, former managing editor of Time magazine. He has taken valiant steps to redress this wrong in The Fifties: An Underground History, in which he painstakingly and persuasively shows how the 10 individuals he profiles fought "through the thicket of postwar repressions" to help build what would later come to be known as the gay rights, feminist, civil rights and environmental movements.

Before there was Greenpeace, Rachel Carson and Norbert Wiener were writing about the health and environmental costs of unchecked industrial and technical innovations. Before there was gay rights activist Harvey Milk, the cause had Harry Hay and Frank Kameny, who worked tirelessly to combat their day's "disease" attitude toward homosexuality. Before the 1963 publication of Betty Friedan's The Feminine Mystique launched the second wave of feminism, Pauli Murray, Gerda Lerner and Fannie Lou Hamer presaged intersectionality by recognizing how the fight against sexism shared a spirit with the fight against racism. And before Americans learned of Martin Luther King's dream, the Black GIs Isaac Woodard, Medgar Evers and Robert F. Williams battled white supremacy.

Gaines (Wit's End), a child of the '50s who came of age in the '60s, admits that "my generation had our moments, but looking back, I cannot help feeling that the people like those in this book were the more authentic rebels, in part because they did not think of themselves that way." Readers of The Fifties will. --Nell Beram, author and freelance writer

There is some strange magic afoot in How to Be Normal, the second collection from cultural critic Phil Christman (Midwest Futures). Each essay poses a "how to," such as "How to be Religious (II): Fundamentalism." Christman explains that, as a teenager, he wrote his fundamentalist father a letter, arguing that he should be allowed to listen to a prohibited rock band. From there, Christman tackles Milton's Areopagitica, the history of fundamentalism and the practice of eisegesis, a term perhaps new to readers that Christman defines as a "reading-in, placing a message into the text that simply isn't there." Nine pages pass before he returns to rock music, around the essay's midpoint, but the wandering isn't a failing; it's the point.

With a consistent dose of snark (often in humorous parenthetical asides), Christman is often earnest and always curious. With topics as varied as whiteness, masculinity and bad movies, this collection is excellent for those willing to exchange certainty for a wide-ranging discussion of essentially unknowable things. And it's a collection that inherently implicates reviewers in their own "how to" conundrum: how to recommend a book that resists definition? Is it an academic perspective on pop culture? Is it an unpredictable collection that provokes good questions? Is it equally comfortable in leftist politics and church fellowship? The answer is yes to all. Christman pushes readers to make connections between unexpected or even disparate ideas, often closing with a quiet confidence, an insistence on some greater good that will leave readers thinking--and maybe even feeling hopeful. --Sara Beth West, freelance reviewer and librarian

Margaret Chiu Greanias's inviting Amah Faraway is a heartfelt homage to her Taiwanese heritage that binds multiple generations on either side of the globe. Tracy Subisak (illustrator of Shawn Loves Sharks) elevates the familiar bicultural narrative with vivacious multimedia illustrations.

Kylie of San Francisco and Amah of Taipei "didn't visit each other often enough," but Saturday video chats connected granddaughter and grandmother through stories, songs and speaking "simply and slowly." Kylie, en route to a real-life reunion, can't help complaining to Mama: "GROAN. Why do we have to go?! It's SO. FAR. AWAY!" When she finally arrives in Taipei, everything seems "strange"--Amah's apartment, so many relatives, the food, the city's parks and markets. With Mama's encouragement and Amah's patience and adventurous lead, Kylie eventually changes from reluctant observer to delighted participant.

Greanius (Maximillian Villainous) has created charming bilingual text--the English enhanced with occasional Chinese characters and phonetic transcriptions--that is also an ingenious example of changing perspectives. Halfway through the story, Kylie's hesitant "Should she? Could she?" transforms with a mere punctuation adjustment into "She could! She should!" The book's second half becomes a mirrored repeat of the first half's text, but Kylie and Amah swap places, with Kylie as instigator and Amah her happy enabler. Throughout her bright pages, Subsiak cleverly underscores Kylie's readiness to partake with open-mouthed shouts of joy, animated conversations and a hungry appetite. Greanias's informative back matter also appends a list of Taipei sites and Taiwanese foods (including dishes that have meaning such as uncut noodles signifying long life). From beginning to close, both author and artist proudly celebrate their Taiwanese roots. --Terry Hong, Smithsonian BookDragon

The Supervillain's Guide to Being a Fat Kid by Matt Wallace (Bump) is heartfelt, reassuring and gracefully humorous, and spotlights the benefits of body positivity via a clever protagonist desperate to assert his worth.

Eleven-year-old Max is bullied for being fat. He won't tell teachers ("what they think is bullying is a lot different from what I think it is") or his mom (her getting sad won't help him) so he writes to his hero, a fat supervillain named Master Plan, asking for advice. "Other kids don't see me the way I see me," shares Max, who wants his classmates to give him a chance. What ensues is a dynamic mentor-apprentice relationship that equips Max with the faculty to ward off his nemesis and befriend his crush. As his bullies' attentions drift away, his fear subsides. But soon, he's not sure that being left alone is a big enough goal.

Max's authentic voice shows the difficulties victims of bullying endure--he avoids normal activities (changing for PE class, looking in mirrors) and copes by cooking because it "shut[s] his brain off"--and his struggles ("anything cool is never in my size") acknowledge social discrimination against fat people. Luckily, Master Plan is there to correct harmful stereotypes, like "people of size are weaker or less intelligent" than their thinner peers. This fun, well-paced and smartly structured middle-grade novel is packed with insightful commentary on how simply existing when different can be a challenge. Wallace exemplifies how, with the necessary support system, tools and motivation, kids can regain or maintain self-esteem when allowed to harness their individuality. --Samantha Zaboski, freelance editor and reviewer