A WOMAN NAVIGATES MIDLIFE, menopause, political alienation, her mother’s aging and her daughter’s growing up. Cleverly observed comedy of manners takes on white liberal culture and its discontents. B PLUS

WAYWARD
Knopf
2021

DAZZLING SCOTTISH THRILLER with a touch of the classic Gothic shines most in its characterization and psychological suspense. B PLUS

MIRRORLAND
Scribner
2021

A CANDID, INTIMATE MEMOIR of a woman’s struggles with addiction and mental illness, written with utter frankness and without pretension. From Wharton Business School to survival sex work, the author tells it like it is. SOLID B

LONG WAY OFF
BookBaby
2021

CYNICAL, SEXY, SATIRICAL novel set at an international writers’ festival skewers the pretensions of the literary community, but asks bigger questions about meaning and connection as well. B PLUS

MONA
Straus and Giroux
2021

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