18 New Books to Read in January
Find your new favorite book on the January Bar\Heart Book List. We've got thrillers, memoirs, crime, lessons on the good life, sci-fi, dystopia, a trip to hell and more.
Hey, ya’ll!
Are you looking for something new to read? I’ve got you covered! This month’s Bar\Heart Book List has 18 titles published in January that I think deserve to be added to our overflowing #TBR piles.
And I need a tall #TBR pile this time of year. In the summer, there is just so much damned daylight so damned late here at the western edge of the Eastern time zone (seriously! like until 10 p.m.!), that I feel obligated to use it productively. But the early darkness of winter afternoons practically demands that I slow down and read. But I can’t always settle on a title, so I’ll bounce from book to book until a story finally takes hold. Hence, the big #TBR pile.
How do I manage all those books without going broke? Publishers send me some early reading copies, but I also download a lot of samples from Amazon. If I’m still wanting more by the end, I’ll order the book from my local bookstore or put it on my holds list at the library.
How do I pick what’s on the list? I scour publishers’ catalogues and other reading lists looking for topics that interest me and are relevant to our themes of belonging, community and place. I prioritize debut and emerging authors, particularly women+, rather than the blockbusters and bestsellers everyone is already talking about. I also assign bonus points for Midwestern settings.
But mostly, it’s just a list of books publishing this month that I think sound interesting. I have not read these books yet; this isn’t an endorsement.1 So let’s compare notes: Leave me a comment below about which of these you think look most interesting. And if you read one, leave a review here for others.
Happy reading!
Fiction | Crime | Thriller
Age of Vice by Deepti Kapoor
Riverhead Books; Jan. 3, 2023 | Read an Excerpt
Plot: In the shadow ovish estates, extravagant parties, predatory business deals and calculated political influence, three lives become dangerously intertwined: Ajay is the watchful servant, born into poverty, who rises through the family’s ranks. Sunny is the playboy heir who dreams of outshining his father, whatever the cost. And Neda is the curious journalist caught between morality and desire. Against a sweeping plot fueled by loss, pleasure, greed, yearning, violence and revenge, will these characters’ connections become a path to escape, or a trigger of further destruction?
Why I’m Excited: It sounds like a propulsive thriller with an added layer of class commentary. Plus, Roxane Gay just picked it for her January book club.
Critics: “A luxe thriller, set in New Delhi, that rides the line between commercial and literary fiction so adroitly ...The book has echoes of Mario Puzo’s “The Godfather,” in terms of its mobbed-up apex predators, and Vikas Swarup’s “Q & A,” the 2005 novel that was the basis for Danny Boyle’s film “Slumdog Millionaire....It’s easy to see why attention has been paid. As a storyteller, Kapoor is a natural. ”—The New York Times
Fiction | Family Saga
In the Time of Our History by Susanne Pari
A John Scognamiglio Book; Jan. 3, 2023 | Read an Excerpt
Plot: Twelve months after her younger sister Anahita’s death, Mitra Jahani reluctantly returns to her parents’ home in suburban New Jersey to observe the Iranian custom of “The One Year.” Ana is always in Mitra’s heart, though they chose very different paths. While Ana, sweet and dutiful, bowed to their domineering father’s demands and married, Mitra rebelled, and was banished.
When Mitra is suddenly forced to confront hard truths about her sister’s life, and the secrets each of them hid to protect others, mother and daughter reach a new understanding—and forge an unexpected path forward. Inspired by her own Iranian-American heritage, the acclaimed author weaves a beautifully crafted story of mothers and daughters, secrets and lies, and defying expectations—even when those choices come with an irrevocable cost.
Why I’m Excited: Is it okay to say I like the cover? If I were in a bookstore, I’d definitely pull this one off the shelf to learn more. Plus, I love a family saga and Amy Tan’s sign off is promising.
Critics: This jewel of a novel is a universal tale that naturally leads to self-reflection and conversations about the changing relationship between mothers and daughters, and the choices we make, good and bad, early in life and late, which determine our identity." —Amy Tan, New York Times bestselling author of The Joy Luck Club
Fiction | Dark Humor
The Bandit Queens by Parini Shroff
Ballantine Books; Jan. 3, 2023 | Read an Excerpt
Plot: Geeta’s no-good husband disappeared five years ago. She didn’t kill him, but everyone thinks she did—no matter how much she protests. But she soon discovers that being known as a “self-made” widow has some surprising perks. No one messes with her, no one threatens her, and no one tries to control (ahem, marry) her. It’s even been good for her business; no one wants to risk getting on her bad side by not buying her jewelry. Now that Geeta’s fearsome reputation has become a double-edged sword, she must decide how far to go to protect it, along with the life she’s built. Because even the best-laid plans of would-be widows tend to go awry.
Why I’m Excited: The premise is compelling and it promises dark humor. Plus the critic’s reviews of this debut make it just sound fun.
Critics: “This funny, feel-good read is a rollicking ride rife with memorable characters involved in ill-fated hijinks. It also serves up commentary on class, power dynamics and the role of women in society, with a feminist history lesson to boot.”—Good Housekeeping
Nonfiction | Memoir | Midwest
The Love You Save: A Memoir by Goldie Taylor
Hanover Square Press; Jan. 4, 2023 | Read an Excerpt
Plot: With echoes of Maya Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings and Tara Westover’s Educated, Goldie’s Taylor's debut memoir shines a light on the strictures of race, class and gender in a post-Jim Crow America, while offering a nuanced, empathetic portrait of a family in a pitched battle for its very soul. Profoundly moving, exquisitely rendered and ultimately uplifting, The Love You Save is a story about hidden strength, perseverance against unimaginable odds, the beauty and pain of girlhood, and the power of the written word.
Why I’m Excited: I love a memoir, and the former MSNBC political contributor, who grew up in St. Louis and Atlanta, has quite the story.
Critics: "In The Love You Save Goldie Taylor weaves a vibrant retelling of her youth and by proxy a side of America that is rarely seen on the page. Instead of pathologizing hardship, Taylor celebrates survival and gives the readers a front row seat to a fascinating and poignant life. Deeply honest, it is an important cultural document wrapped in a memoir. Words are powerful, the pen can be our best weapon and here Taylor shows us that she survived and thrived because of them."—Mikki Kendall, New York Times bestselling author of Hood Feminism
Fiction | Mystery | P.I.
Everybody Knows by Jordan Harper
Mulholland Books; Jan. 10, 2023 | Read an Excerpt
Plot: As a “black-bag” publicist tasked not with letting the good news out but keeping the bad news in, Mae works for one of LA’s most powerful and sought-after crisis PR firms, at the center of a sprawling web of lawyers, PR flaks, and private security firms she calls “The Beast.” They protect the rich and powerful and depraved by any means necessary. After her boss is gunned down in front of the Beverly Hills Hotel in a random attack, Mae takes it upon herself to investigate and runs headfirst into The Beast’s lawless machinations and the twisted systems it exists to perpetuate.
Why I’m Excited: If it gets too crime-y and noir-y, I’ll put it down. But the critics are saying the Missouri-based writer’s latest book is a tour de force and his break out.
Critics: "Combining the brutality of James Ellroy with the poetic sensibility of Raymond Chandler, Harper takes the reader on a searing journey into L.A.’s underworld where truth and righteousness have become irrelevant and only power has currency. This neo-noir is a must read."—Publishers Weekly
Fiction | Historical | Black America
Moonrise over New Jessup by Jamila Minnicks
Algonquin Books; Jan. 10, 2023 | Read an Excerpt
Plot: It’s 1957, and after leaving the only home she has ever known, Alice Young steps off the bus into all-Black New Jessup, where residents have largely rejected integration as the means for Black social advancement. Instead, they seek to maintain, and fortify, the community they cherish on their “side of the woods.” In this place, Alice falls in love with Raymond Campbell, whose clandestine organizing activities challenge New Jessup’s longstanding status quo and could lead to the young couple’s expulsion—or worse—from the home they both hold dear.
Why I’m Excited: The University of Michigan graduate uses fiction to rethink what we know about desegregation. I read to immerse myself in new worlds and ways of thinking, and this promises to do just that.
Critics: "My favorite novels light up my brain with things I hadn’t considered before – and this one does exactly that. The deep complexity of the American Civil Rights movement; the various, sometimes opposing approaches of its leaders to desegregation; the gains and inevitable casualties that social progress can claim. With compelling characters and a heart-pounding plot, Jamila Minnicks pulled me into pages of history I’d never turned before."—Barbara Kingsolver
Fiction | Atmospheric | Family Saga
Ghost Music by An Yu
Grove Press; Jan. 10, 2023 | Read an Excerpt
Plot: A gorgeous and atmospheric novel of art and expression, grief and survival, memory and self-discovery, Ghost Music animates contemporary Beijing through the eyes of a lonely yet hopeful young woman and gives vivid color and texture to the promise of new beginnings.
Why I’m Excited: There is just something about the cover and the description of the book being atmospheric that pulls me in. Ghost Music could be my next favorite book — or I could put it down. I don’t often enjoy Capital L Literary Fiction that is more about style then story.
Critics: “Spellbinding and atmospheric . . . With its quiet, dreamy bending of reality and its precise depiction of many different strains of alienation, Ghost Music is an evocative exploration of what it means to live fully—and the potential consequences of failing to do so.” – New York Times Book Review
Nonfiction | Happiness | Self-Help
The Good Life: Lessons from the World’s Longest Scientific Study of Happiness by Drs. Robert Waldinger and Marc Schulz
Simon & Schuster; Jan. 10, 2023 | Read an Interview
Plot: What makes a life fulfilling and meaningful? The simple but surprising answer is: relationships. The stronger our relationships, the more likely we are to live happy, satisfying, and overall healthier lives. In fact, the Harvard Study of Adult Development reveals that the strength of our connections with others can predict the health of both our bodies and our brains as we go through life.
Why I’m Excited: You will rarely find self-help or pop psychology on my lists. Like horror and bodice-rippers, it’s just not my genre. But I’m interested in the world’s longest scientific study of happiness. I might also just watch the Ted Talk.
Critics: “Fascinating. . . . Combining intensive research with actionable steps, this penetrating testament to the power of human connection offers gems for almost anyone looking to improve their happiness.” — Publishers Weekly
Fantasy, Paranormal
Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo
Flatiron Books; Jan. 10, 2023 | Read an Excerpt
Plot: Find a gateway to the underworld. Steal a soul out of hell. A simple plan, except people who make this particular journey rarely come back. But Galaxy “Alex” Stern is determined to break Darlington out of purgatory—even if it costs her a future at Lethe and at Yale.
Why I’m Excited: Bardugo is a well known YA author, but hadn’t written adult fiction until 2019’s Ninth House. That book was a juggernaut — and one of my favorites of the year. Hell Bent is the sequel, and I can’t wait to find out what Alex, now a sophomore at Yale, is doing next. Fingers crossed it’s one of my faves of 2023.
Critics: "Thrilling ... fascinating supporting players ... The taut plot, often grisly magic, lavish scene-setting, and wry humor combine to make this just as un-put-downable as the first installment. Readers will be wowed." –Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Fiction | Thriller
The Survivalists by Kashana Cauley
SoftSkull Press; Jan. 10, 2023 | Read an Excerpt (click on “what’s inside”)
Plot: In the wake of her parents’ death, Aretha, a habitually single Black lawyer, has had only one obsession in life—success—until she falls for Aaron, a coffee entrepreneur. Moving into his Brooklyn brownstone to live along with his Hurricane Sandy-traumatized, illegal-gun-stockpiling, optimized-soy-protein-eating, bunker-building roommates, Aretha finds that her dreams of making partner are slipping away, replaced by an underground world, one of selling guns and training for a doomsday that’s maybe just around the corner.
Why I’m Excited: It had me “coffee entrepreneur.” I just know it’s going to be a madcap adventure sending up everything I remember about living in Brooklyn.
Critics: "[A] lethally witty debut . . . One might expect a novel about gun-toting, conspiracy-minded loners to lampoon its key players, but the book succeeds because Cauley appears as curious and empathetic toward the survivalists as she is toward her protagonist . . . Cauley, a former writer for The Daily Show With Trevor Noah, displays an enviably versatile sense of humor. The novel is most fun when her wit bolsters the narrative’s sociopolitical underpinnings, as when she describes a 'house full of mysterious, unexplainable rich-people' paraphernalia, 'like gazebos.' Funny because they’re true, such jabs give the book its verve but also its depth. " —Laura Warrell, The New York Times Book Review
Nonfiction | Essays
Black and Female: Essays by Tsitsi Dangarembga
Graywolf Press; Jan. 17, 2023 | Read an Excerpt
Plot: At once philosophical, intimate, and urgent, Black and Female is a powerful testimony of the pervasive and long-lasting effects of racism and patriarchy that provides an ultimately hopeful vision for change. Black feminists are “the status quo’s worst nightmare.” Dangarembga writes, “our conviction is deep, bolstered by a vivid imagination that reminds us that other realities are possible beyond the one that obtains.”
Why I’m Excited: Well, the New York Times Book Review calls it a masterpiece. I want to know what this urgent new voice has to say.
Critics: “[A] masterpiece. . . Dangarembga writes with intimacy and compassion; there’s a sharp poetic crack to the work that keeps the story from muddying in melancholy, as it might in the hands of a less cinematic writer.” —The New York Times Book Review
Fiction | Dystopia
I Keep My Exoskeletons to Myself by Marisa Crane
Catapult Books; Jan. 17, 2023
Plot: In a United States not so unlike our own, the Department of Balance has adopted a radical new form of law enforcement: rather than incarceration, wrongdoers are given a second (and sometimes, third, fourth, and fifth) shadow as a reminder of their crime—and a warning to those they encounter. Kris is a Shadester and a new mother to a baby born with a second shadow of her own. Grieving the loss of her wife and thoroughly unprepared for the reality of raising a child alone, Kris teeters on the edge of collapse. But with time, she can make a new life for herself and the kid, supported by a community of fellow misfits who defy the Department to lift one another up in solidarity and hope.
Why I’m Excited: The title pulled me in, and I like a mildly dystopian setting, such as 2018’s The Rending and the Nest by Kaethe Schwehn. Plus, it’s a debut, so I’ll at least give a chance and see if it holds me.
Critics: "An intimate, poetic debut . . . Reminiscent of the tenderly ironic confessional voice of Melissa Broder’s novels and the rendering of an eclectic community's search for connection and survival in Emily St. John Mandel's Station Eleven, this novel skillfully probes the complexities of loss, love, and injustice. Writing fiction that convincingly leans toward hope is a challenging task, but Crane does so with self-assured, muscular grace. An anthem for queer love and solidarity that rises above the dystopian cacophony." —Kirkus Reviews
Nonfiction | History
Master Slave Husband Wife by Ilyon Woo
Simon & Schuster; Jan. 17, 2023 | Read an Excerpt
Plot: The remarkable true story of Ellen and William Craft, who escaped slavery through daring, determination, and disguise, with Ellen passing as a wealthy, disabled White man and William posing as “his” slave. With three epic journeys compressed into one monumental bid for freedom, Master Slave Husband Wife is an American love story—one that would challenge the nation’s core precepts of life, liberty, and justice for all—one that challenges us even now.
Why I’m Excited: This story is so bonkers I first assumed it was fiction. It. Is. Not. I can’t wait to read this. In fact, a lot of this month’s reading list is about rethinking and contextualizing what is taught about Black history. I’m definitely into that.
Critics: “Tells one of the most important stories of American slavery and freedom … with prose that is suspenseful, brilliantly detailed, historically precise and simply gorgeous.” – Imani Perry, author of bestselling book South to America: A Journey Below the Mason-Dixon to Understand the Soul of a Nation
Sci-Fi | Thriller
Please Report Your Bug Here by Josh Riedel
Henry Holt; Jan. 17, 2023
Plot: A college grad with the six-figure debt to prove it, Ethan Block views San Francisco as the place to be. Yet his job at hot new dating app DateDate is a far cry from what he envisioned. Reeling from a breakup, Ethan decides to view his algorithmically matched soulmate on DateDate. He overrides the system and clicks on the profile. Then, he disappears. One minute, he’s in a windowless office, and the next, he’s in a field of endless grass, gasping for air. When Ethan snaps back to DateDate HQ, he’s convinced a coding issue caused the blip. As Ethan embarks on a wild goose chase, moving from dingy startup think tanks to Silicon Valley’s dominant tech conglomerate, it becomes clear that there’s more to DateDate than meets the eye.
Why I’m Excited: Riedel was the first employee at Instagram, so you know he’s got stories. And as someone who has covered tech on and off since the 1990s, I’m always interested in workplace dramas that showcase how bananapanckes that world can be.
Critics: "Please Report Your Bug Here is a gripping literary thriller that forces us to confront our complicity in the technologies reshaping human connections, and it asks how far we will go to maintain those connections. Dark, funny, and highly inventive, Riedel’s debut is as addictive as the apps it criticizes."―Vulture
Nonfiction | Sociology | Medical
Rough Sleepers: Dr. Jim O’Connell’s Urgent Mission to Bring Healing to Homeless People by Tracy Kidder
Random House; Jan. 17, 2023 | Read an Adapted Article
Plot: Nearly forty years ago, after Jim O’Connell graduated from Harvard Medical School and was nearing the end of his residency at Massachusetts General Hospital, the chief of medicine made a proposal: Would Jim defer a prestigious fellowship and spend a year as a doctor to homeless citizens? Jim took the job because he felt he couldn’t refuse. But that year turned into his life’s calling—to serve the city’s unhoused population, especially the “rough sleepers,” borrowing the British term for people who sleep on the streets, in the rough.
Why I’m Excited: I will read anything Kidder writes. He is a Pulitzer Prize winner and a hero of longform journalism. Seriously, I sobbed when I read an article adapted from this book. It’s just so beautiful and human and honest and respectful and hopeful.
Critics: “The nightmare of homelessness can seem both overwhelming and slightly abstract to the safely housed. That abstraction vanishes in the pages of Rough Sleepers. Tracy Kidder has reported the hell out of important stories before, but never more finely and relentlessly. It’s a story full of hard questions, a story with many heroes.”—William Finnegan, author of Barbarian Days
Nonfiction | Pop Culture | Sociology
The Status Revolution: The Improbable Story of How the Lowbrow Became the Highbrow by Chuck Thompson
Simon & Schuster; Jan. 17, 2023
Plot: “This isn’t a book about designer brands or orgies of overindulgence,” Thompson writes. “Even if I cared about them, the preferences of the rich, famous, and gauche have already been covered more exhaustively than a guy in my tax bracket could ever hope to fake.”
With his signature wit and irreverence, Thompson explains why everything we know about status is changing, upends centuries of conventional wisdom, and shows how the new status revolution reflects our place in contemporary society.
Why I’m Excited: I just want to know the improbable story — and Thompson promises to be a good guide.
Critics: "Fusing cultural anthropology, cutting-edge neuroscience and an impressive knowledge of Ferrari interior car design, Thompson has written a highly original book that is both eye-opening and hilarious. This is one writer who can keep a lot of balls in the air." — Joe Queenan, Wall Street Journal columnist
Fiction | Family | Midwest
Central Places by Delia Cai
Ballantine Books; Jan. 31, 2023 | Read an Excerpt
Plot: Audrey Zhou left Hickory Grove, the tiny town in central Illinois where she grew up, as soon as high school ended, and she never looked back. She moved to New York City and became the person she always wanted to be, complete with a high-paying, high-pressure job and a seemingly faultless fiancé, Ben. But if she and Manhattan-bred Ben are to build a life together, she’s got to take him home. But returning to Hickory Grove is . . . complicated. Over the course of one disastrous week, Audrey has to confront the past before she undoes everything she's worked toward and everything she's imagined for herself. But is that life really the one she wants?
Why I’m Excited: The reviews are lukewarm, but I think this debut sounds like a charming, elevated pink book. Plus, I read the author’s Deez Links newsletter, and liked her writing style. Bonos points for the Midwest setting.
Critics: “It’s a Hallmark movie plot with a literary bend, and Cai’s musings on being a person of color in a small town add a refreshingly nuanced layer to a classic story.”—Buzzfeed
Nonfiction | Human Rights | Tech
Cobalt Red: How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives by Siddharth Kara
St. Martin’s Press; Jan. 31, 2023
Plot: Cobalt is an essential component to every lithium-ion rechargeable battery made today, the batteries that power our smartphones, tablets, laptops, and electric vehicles. More than 70 percent of the world’s supply of cobalt is mined in the Congo, often by peasants and children in sub-human conditions. Billions of people in the world cannot conduct their daily lives without participating in a human rights and environmental catastrophe in the Congo. In this stark and crucial book, Kara argues that we must all care about what is happening in the Congo—because we are all implicated.
Why I’m Excited: It has the trifecta of starred reviews: Library Journal, Kirkus and Publisher’s Weekly. And, it seems like a problem we need to stare in the face.
Critics: "Kara, who traveled the country, entering mines and speaking to workers at every level of the labor chain, exposes slavery, child labor, forced labor, and other ongoing horrors and crimes. Extensively researched, this piercing narrative is muckraking journalism at its finest. " ― Booklist, starred review
While I am a voracious reader, even I can’t finish 18 books in a month. Honestly, I won’t read even a third of them.
The geek in me really wants to read "Please Report Your Bug Here" !