THE NEAR IMPOSSIBILITY OF LOVE, dissected in this pitch-perfect tale of a gay Florida mom who finds it hard to connect with her son, and even harder to connect with herself. Rich in observation and gorgeous prose. B PLUS

WITH TEETH
Riverhead Books
2021

AN ENGLISH COZY WITH DRAGONS, and talking cats, and all sorts of paranormal foes and friends. But also with a marvelous troupe of older lady sleuths somewhere between Agatha Christie and Agatha Raisin. Charming and fun! B PLUS

COMING UP ROSES – A COZY MYSTERY (WITH DRAGONS): A BEAUFORT SCALES MYSTERY, BOOK 6
Kim M. Watt
2021

HILARIOUS AND HEARTBREAKING MEMOIR of a difficult childhood and a complicated family, invigorated by a sharp eye for the everyday details of how a rebellious Gen X childhood played out for a Black girl in a mostly white community. B PLUS

THE UGLY CRY
Viking
2021

POWERFUL, TENSE, WITTY novel from the incomparable Percival Everett combines forms from the detective thriller to the Southern grotesque to classic horror to tell a horrifying, necessary story about race in the United States. SOLID A

THE TREES
Graywolf Press
2021

THE ROAD TO GLOBAL CYBERCATASTROPHE laid out in a snappy near-ish future science fiction thriller. Sharp writing and strong characterization buoy a high-energy, high-concept plot. A MINUS

THE INSECURE MIND OF SERGEI KRAEV
Liu Book Group
2021

HELEN FRANKENTHALER’S EXTRAORDINARY career, captured in microcosm in this deep dive into her first ten years as a professional painter. Mixing art criticism and biography, this generous, engaging look at one of the greats enchants. B PLUS

FIERCE POISE
Penguin Press
2021

SAVAGELY INSIGHTFUL NOVEL about motherhood, daughterhood, and the infinite number of stress points in families blends the structure of a psychological thriller with poetic, almost philosophical prose. B PLUS

THE PUSH
Pamela Dorman Books
2021

CHARMING ROMANTIC MYSTERY finds intrigue in both the silent film industry and 1920s high society. Well crafted plot, engaging writing, memorable characters! B PLUS

THE BARONET UNLEASHED (STELLA HART BOOK 3)
Falstaff Books
2021

MIND, BODY, AND THE ZEITGEIST: the always brilliant Alison Bechdel shines with another autobiographical graphic memoir, this time an exploration of her lifelong love/hate relationship with fitness (and literature, philosophy, daytime TV)… B PLUS

THE SECRET TO SUPERHUMAN STRENGTH
Mariner Books
2021

A CHARMING FAIRY TALE of a couple on a train to nowhere mixes the sweet and the unsettling in nearly equal measure, but love of all kinds always holds center stage. B PLUS

PEACES
Riverhead Books
2021