#book-recommendations

#book-recommendations

Beach reads are officially back, and it feels like nature is finally inviting us to bring our books outdoors again. In between your escapist fantasy novels and trendy memoirs (I too was roped into the inexplicable Strangers hype), dip into an essay collection by critic Megan O'Grady on art as a necessity as vital as the air we breathe, or a graphic novel that captures the magic only books can wield. Luminary artist Nan Goldin is reissuing a tender photo essay, while Jennifer Higgie brings us a novel of prose poetry that imagines the inner life of an infamous British artist.

Kamrooz Aram is everywhere this year, from Mumbai Art Week to the Whitney Biennial, and critic Aruna D'Souza is grateful. She pens a beautiful meditation on his work, reading his abstract paintings as not simply a denunciation of Western modernism nor a reassertion of Islamic visual motifs, but something else entirely - something gestural, exuberant, riotous, and incomparably his own.

I opened this book thinking, Eh, I'm a little bit of a people pleaser, sure. By the end, so much of my life and my choices had been explained to me in the most graceful, non-shameful way. I can't recommend Clayton's walk through the fawn response enough. It's educational, yes, but if you've ever been ashamed of how you handle conflict, this is a very healing read.

In this collection of essays, reported pieces, and criticism dating back to the nineteen-seventies, Frazier's sharp eye for finding the complex in the quotidian is on full display. From tales about monster trucks and the Maraschino-cherry empire to musings about lantern flies and Lolita, the collection-much of which was published in this magazine-spotlights the vibrancy of topics often under-noticed. In the playful and diligent hands of the seasoned staff writer, these ordinary things feel extraordinary.

I know you probably have a bunch of unread books at home that you already own - maybe entire bookcases full of them - but what fun is that!? Our Scary Mommy team of voracious readers have done all of the research for you and compiled a list of the very best and most exciting new releases coming our way in 2026.

Years ago, I wrote a series of articles for my college newspaper about competing in contests for which I was comically unprepared: arm wrestling, archery, Scrabble. The compulsion to fail dramatically continued into my freelance writing career, when I finagled my way into the front corral at the Los Angeles Marathon. (I stuck with the élites for all of two hundred meters.) My inclination was Plimptonian.

This is an edition of The Wonder Reader, a newsletter in which our editors recommend a set of stories to spark your curiosity and fill you with delight. Sign up here to get it every Saturday morning.

Over the holidays, my plan is to read "Attention Seeking," in which Phillips, a psychoanalyst who is also a brisk and elastic writer, reclaims the titular activity as prosocial, meaningful, and valuable. I'm going to be honest. I don't think I will like this book very much. I anticipate shaking my fist and shouting, "Wrong, wrong, wrong!" But maybe I will instead discover the ways in which I am wrong, wrong, wrong about attention-seeking.

It wouldn't be mid-to-late December without a series of "best of" articles coming out from every outlet that covers culture-and who am I to buck that trend? I get to read dozens of books every year for Jezebel, and I'm here to put all that reading to use by doing one of my favorite things: recommending books. But there are too many books-and I am but one, part-time reader-for me to do a broader "best of" list,

The Brooklyn Public Library has released a list of its 100 favorite books of the year, a wide-ranging collection of fiction and nonfiction, short stories, poetry, and graphic novels for all ages. Curated by BPL's well-read librarians and staff, the list features the best books those librarians read this year - including new releases and old classics. Whether you're looking for something to pass the time over the holiday break or preparing for a New Year's Resolution to read more, BPL's librarians have the best recommendations in the city. Here's just a small selection of their favorite reads!

Brooklyn's librarians have spoken-and they've delivered a reading list with more range than the G train on a good day. The Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) has unveiled its 100 favorite books of 2025, a staff-curated mix of fiction, poetry, memoir, kids' picks and wonderfully odd gems that prove librarians remain the city's most reliable tastemakers.

That cinephile who loves talking politics and film? They'll love comic artist and Hyperallergic contributor Nathan Gelgud's Reel Politik, recommended by Reviews Editor Natalie Haddad. Your favorite tarot reader? Snag them a copy of Symbolorum, a guide to the intricate emblem system of 16th-century Europe, per critic Lauren Moya Ford. And for the Y2K fanatic, Editor-at-Large Hrag Vartanian suggests a visual guide to the decade that doubles as a lookbook. Find more picks for painters, planners, and Prospect Park-goers below.

When you're Werner Herzog, your autumn might be especially busy; this is certainly the case this year. The acclaimed filmmaker received a lifetime achievement award at this year's Venice International Film Festival, and he's also added to his growing bibliography with a new book, The Future of Truth. As one might expect from the filmmaker who coined the term "ecstatic truth," this new volume - translated by Michael Hofmann - is an inquiry into what "true" means in a world where falsehood is ever-present.

Sarah J. Maas' 'A Court of Thorns and Roses' became a sensation, selling over 70 million copies globally and greatly contributing to Bloomsbury's record sales in fiscal year 2023-2024.

One of them will, we hope, be the title you pick up next.

Books that shape individuals often provide critical insights, emotional connections, or cultural understanding, contributing to personal and intellectual growth during formative years.

Any book can be a beach read as long as you're reading and you're on a beach.

Like a fine wine, I like to pair my books with my travels. So I was going to Madrid for the first time and read Death in the Afternoon [by Ernest Hemingway].

Independent presses are crucial champions of diverse literature, often overlooked by major retailers yet producing remarkable works that challenge conventional narratives and celebrate unique voices.

The problem with consuming any culture is that timing is everything. A book you read as a teen and loved might do nothing for you now. A book you quit after 20 pages a few years ago might be your new favorite.

On May 28, Bustle's first-ever Summer Issue went live starring Buccaneers actor Leighton Meester on the cover, emphasizing a theme of finding small pleasures in life.