Featured Title
Maame by Jessica George
For nearly a decade, Maddie has sacrificed her life to be the caretaker for her father and her family. So when she is suddenly given a chance to embrace the independence she’s long dreamt of, she leaps at the chance. She gets an apartment, says yes to social events, starts dating and goes for a promotion at work. But with her new-found independence come the difficulties of reality such as navigating between two cultures or the pressure of people’s expectations. Then there are the questions of where she actually belongs, of what she actually wants, and how she deserves to be treated. It’s a journey that makes for a joyful and memorable debut novel that shouldn’t be missed.
New & Upcoming
The new year brings some interesting new books such as
Big Swiss by Jen Beagin, a debut novel about a transcriptionist for a sex therapist who becomes infatuated with one of his clients. There’s also
River Sing Me Home by Eleanor Shearer, a debut historical fiction novel about a mother’s journey across the Caribbean to find her stolen children in the aftermath of slavery. On the nonfiction side, Christie Tate, the author of
Group, returns with
B.F.F: A Memoir of Friendship Lost and Found in which she reflects on the implosion of nearly all her female friendships. And in
Driving the Green Book by Alvin Hall, the author offers a history of the guidebook that advised Black motorists where it was safe to sleep, eat, and refuel in cities across the USA.
Check This Out!
Check out these 2023 debut novels
What We’re Reading
The Appeal by Janice Hallett
Be aware, reading this does not offer the usual experience of reading a mystery, yet at the same time it does. It’s a meta deconstruction of the traditional mystery told through emails, messages and transcripts and framed by the experience of two people assigned to read the documents with the understanding that they’re supposed to figure out the mystery to help with a court appeal. So you’re reading it at the same time as the characters and you’re privy to their discussions as they work to solve the crime the same as you. It’s a very cool experience. The mystery itself is a classic village mystery plot—there’s a community, a theater group, and a new resident who threatens to upset the apple cart of secrets—so, really, this is sort of meta Agatha Christie. Fans of
The Magpie Murders or
The Word is Murder by Anthony Horowitz would enjoy this.
For More Reading Suggestions:
- 38 New Books We Can’t Wait to Read in 2023 from Today
- January 2023 Earphones Award Winners from Audiofile
- The Most Anticipated LGBTQ+ Books of Spring 2023 from ElectricLit
- 21 Sci-Fi and Fantasy Books to Look Forward to in 2023 from LitHub