Facts by day, fiction by night! At the end of a long day in the newsroom, many of our journalists head home and escape into novels of all types. We asked our NPR colleagues what fiction they've enjoyed reading so far this year, and these are the titles they shared. (You can also check out their nonfiction picks here; and sign up for our Books newsletter for weekly recommendations.)
A Bad, Bad Place by Frances Crawford
The opening chapter of A Bad, Bad Place is delivered in a short burst. We are presented with three characters — Janey, her nana, Sid Vicious (the rescue dog) — and one heck of a predicament. As 12-year-old Janey states: "It's Sid's fault that I found the dead body." It becomes her job to unwind the mystery of her discovery in her rough neighborhood in 1979 Glasgow, Scotland. Recalling what she saw (and admitting what she didn't tell police) is key. Frances Crawford shapes this world with such care and love, even in tough circumstances. Read this book. — Shannon Rhoades, supervising senior editor, Weekend Edition
A Perfect Hand by Ayelet Waldman
The hero of A Perfect Hand is Miss Alice Lockey, lady's maid to Lady Jemima Alderwick. Alice falls in love with Charlie Wells, who is the valet to the eccentric Lord Wynstowe, but for the two to be together, they must devise a plot to bring about an unlikely romantic union between their employers, who, naturally, hate each other. What starts as a classic marriage plot, though, evolves into a very different, more complex story. Alice, you see, has been reading about the burgeoning women's rights movement in her 19th-century England. And maybe, just maybe, she has begun to imagine a future for herself that — gasp! — might not involve marriage after all. — Samantha Balaban, senior producer, Weekend Edition
Cherry Baby by Rainbow Rowell
This is the first novel I've read that asks: How do you navigate being fat in a GLP-1-crazed world? And on top of unwanted fame and changing marital expectations? Fortunately, Cherry, Rainbow Rowell's hero, is proudly fat and fierce, which helps when her husband, Tom, creates a semi-autobiographical comic with a character who looks so much like Cherry (double chin and all) that strangers recognize her. It becomes a hit, and Tom goes to Hollywood, leaving Cherry behind with the dog. But she refuses to stay downtrodden — I found Cherry's spirit irresistible. — Emiko Tamagawa, senior producer, Here & Now
Cry Havoc by Rebecca Wait
There's a whole genre of books set in quaint British boarding schools (the Harry Potter series, Tom Brown's School Days, etc.). Cry Havoc is nothing like any of them. Set in a dilapidated, fifth-rate girls school in the 1980s, this dark and hilarious novel follows a teenage student, Ida Campbell, as she eats inedible school dinners, rooms with a hostile and self-destructive roommate and grapples with a bizarre epidemic that causes members of the student body to jerk their arms and legs uncontrollably. The book also contains one of the most brilliant, side-splitting scenes set at a school play ever written. — Chloe Veltman, correspondent, Society & Culture Desk
Dear Monica Lewinsky by Julia Langbein
This is the only novel of the hundreds I have read where I reread the ending three times: It was that satisfying! Julia Langbein's comic romp takes us through the summer of 1998, when a college student is out of her depth in a study abroad program surveying the iconography of minor medieval French churches. She's also out of her head with desire for one of her teachers, mirroring a certain political scandal erupting in the U.S. Who's she gonna call on decades later when the teacher's retirement sends her into a middle-aged tailspin? Saint Monica Lewinsky, of course! Insightful, hilarious and, in the end, everybody gets exactly what they deserve. — Melissa Gray, senior producer, Weekend Edition
Discipline by Larissa Pham
Discipline follows the story of an artist whose relationship to her work has been ruined by a lecherous older professor. When she writes and publishes a revenge-plot book about a character much like him, he reads it — and the two have an astounding confrontation about what happened between them. I enjoyed the taut style and the meditation on harm, justice and truth — a really great debut. — Liam McBain, producer, It's Been a Minute
Enemies to Lovers by Alisha Rai
Pick this one up if you're looking for a gulpable, plotty adventure. Meet the unlikely crime-solving duo: Krish is an upstanding citizen, while Sejal was born into a crime family and makes a living running small cons on bad men. Their worlds collide when Krish's FBI agent brother disappears while investigating a crime syndicate. Sejal is his only lead in the case, and the two reluctantly team up. Romance and high jinks ensue as they embark on a cross-country road trip filled with car chases and shared hotel rooms. Pairs well with popcorn. — Lauren Migaki, senior producer, Society & Culture Desk
The Fourth Princess: A Gothic Novel of Old Shanghai by Janie Chang
I love a good story that mixes two women who are orphans, a mysterious guardian, a dilapidated gothic mansion with secrets of its own — that throws in a dash of Chinese superstition, romance and, of course, murder. The first woman in the story, Caroline, was born to what she thought were fabulously wealthy parents, but she finds out after they die that they were broke. So she decides to assume the identity of a dead, wealthy friend, marries well and lives a glorious life. The other, Lisan, is found wandering the streets of Shanghai as a child — a wealthy man takes her in. Caroline ends up hiring Lisan — and a tale ensues full of lies, secrets and daring escapes. — Jeanine Herbst, news anchor
Ghost Town by Tom Perrotta
Tom Perrotta's latest novel is a memory piece set in the summer of 1974. Jay Perry, a once serious writer who has struck it rich with a kids book series-turned-TV show featuring a paranormal crusader called Ghost Teacher, is invited back to his suburban New Jersey hometown, which he left some 50 years earlier. Most of the novel follows the life of young "Jimmy" during the life-changing summer when he lost his mother, experimented with sex and a Ouija board, and learned the consequences of hanging out with the wrong guys. Perrotta's view of strip mall suburbs as places where banality, goofiness, grace and tragedy converge is singular. — Maureen Corrigan, book critic, Fresh Air
Into the Blue by Emma Brodie
This book is for everyone who loves a rom-com but secretly hungers for the rom-traum — aka the kind of romance that makes you suffer a little (or a lot!). Into the Blue is the perfect blend of sexy, angsty and gut-wrenching. It follows AJ Graves, an aspiring comedy writer, and Noah Drew, the broody scion of an acting family, as they fall in love in the summer of 2000. The duo is doomed to feel the ache of that unforeseen connection for the decade to come. Their journey is twisted over tangled years of yearning and (seemingly) insurmountable external challenges. It's tragically compelling and deliciously poignant. Angsty lovers, feast away! — Kalyani Saxena, associate producer, Here & Now
The Jellyfish Problem by Tessa Yang
When marine biologist Josephine "Jo" Ness receives a call from an old friend about a massive, glowing jellyfish terrorizing an island off the coast of Maine, she can't help but see it for herself. Whether it's Jo's obsession with jellies, her nostalgia for that particular friendship or an escape from the grief she has been drowning in since the death of her best friend, dive buddy and jellyfish research partner, Aldo, something is pulling her to that island. The scientific discovery of a lifetime awaits. But if Jo gives in to that thing pulling her into the dark waters, will she be able to leave? — Dhanika Pineda, assistant producer, Weekend Edition
John of John by Douglas Stuart
The latest novel from Booker Prize winner Douglas Stuart sweeps you away to the remote islands of the Scottish Hebrides. Cal returns to his conservative small town after textile college. Cal is gay, which he keeps a secret from his family, and you learn very quickly that his father, John, who is a farmer and a weaver, is keeping secrets too. Stuart's characters are so lovable, even when they're treating each other poorly. I was particularly taken by Cal's tender relationship with his sassy grandmother, Ella, who always has her hands in the other characters' lives. It's a beautiful novel about duty, faith and the isolation of keeping secrets from the people closest to you. — Anna Bauman, producer, Fresh Air
Lady Tremaine by Rachel Hochhauser
The most familiar iteration of "Cinderella" is full of flat characters like the one-dimensional wicked stepmother. Rachel Hochhauser's novel, instead, breathes life, dimension and cultural context into her Lady Tremaine. We first meet this stepmother outdoors hunting — possibly poaching — with her falcon, a welcome and heartening echo of Agnes in Maggie O'Farrell's Hamnet. Tremaine's story is one about what it means to gain and lose privilege in a world where money and men are the only protections. It's a triumphant ode to the countless lost histories of women who gave their all to fight for the dignity of other women — stepdaughters included — in predatory patriarchal societies. — Tayla Burney, director, Network Programming and Production
Last Night in Brooklyn by Xochitl Gonzalez
Last Night in Brooklyn is a bittersweet fever dream of a novel — a sticky summer something that sits somewhere between a telenovela and Succession. For 26-year-old Brooklyn native Alicia Canales Forten, observing the life of her glamorous and enigmatic neighbor beats coming to terms with her withering personal relationships. But this neighbor, dubbed La Garza, quickly turns Alicia's life (and Brooklyn itself, circa 2007) into something she no longer recognizes. Xochitl Gonzalez's prose is warm enough to seduce but cool enough to rip it all away — lest any of us gets too comfortable looking into the proverbial neighbor's window. A truly gorgeous read! — Ivy Buck, production assistant, Society & Culture Desk
The Missed Connection by Tia Williams
To start, I must say this is my favorite Tia Williams book. If you know this author, you know she excels at writing dynamic characters in her romances. This time is no different. In this book, Sasha sits next to a dreamy man on a plane, but they miss the chance to exchange contact info. With a connection this strong, she has to find him, right? Well, that's exactly what she sets out to do with the assistance of a detective who previously helped her during a traumatic time. That search sets Sasha off on an exciting, funny, freeing and even a little bit sexy adventure, which she hasn't had in a while. — Brittney Melton, Up First newsletter writer
New Skin by Sarah Wang
New Skin by Sarah Wang opens with Linli Feng at home in Los Angeles, reluctantly taking care of her mom, Fanny, who is recovering from an infection after too many back-alley plastic surgeries. What starts as an obligatory stint at home spirals into chaos, with Fanny competing on a reality TV show to fix her botched face, while Linli navigates their tortured relationship amid the shadowy underworld of bargain-basement beauty. It's not just dark comedy and body horror — it's also a compelling meditation on immigration, labor and intergenerational trauma. The writing is beautiful, and I couldn't put it down. — Neena Pathak, senior editor, It's Been a Minute
Offseason by Avigayl Sharp
I had no idea what I was in for when I cracked this open. Sure, I got the gist from the jacket copy: A young woman, her personal and professional aspirations a fresh shambles, tries a new tack with a fill-in gig teaching at an all-girls school, in a seasonal tourist town that's past its annual sell-by date. But this synopsis utterly fails to capture what awaited me. In fairness, I can't imagine a synopsis that could have. Avigayl Sharp's slim, mischievous shape-shifter of a debut novel rendered me a bit of a shambles myself, swinging from giggles to cringes, from dread to discomforting recognition, to the occasional thousand-yard stare. More than one passerby interrupted my reading to ask whether I was OK; in truth, I still may not be. — Colin Dwyer, contributor to NPR's The Book Ahead
On the Calculation of Volume (Book IV) by Solvej Balle, translated by Sophia Hersi Smith and Jennifer Russell
What would you do if you were stuck repeating a single day of your life? Would you learn all the sounds it makes? The changes in air pressure? Would you explain to your partner what has happened every morning, as time creates a division between you? Maybe you would try to move through each day with an objective, with the aim of seeing different places and experiencing changing seasons. Or maybe you would look for a way out of the day, for rifts in the loop. These are the explorations that wash over Tara Selter in On the Calculation of Volume. Now on its fourth installment to be translated into English, each book is a journey through November 18ths that will make you admire the details in your own days. — Lillian King, producer, Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!
The Paris Match by Kate Clayborn
I've long admired Kate Clayborn for her crystalline prose and deeply heartfelt stories. Here, she delivers one of my favorite recent romances with the introduction of practical-minded Layla Bailey, who's in Paris for the wedding of her former husband's sister. She's determined to be the dutiful, amicable ex. But Griffin Testa — the frustrating, broody best man — sees through her carefully constructed defenses. Layla and Griffin have their swoony moments, but they also have real, grown-up conversations about the pain they're harboring and how to be together. These are adults who are putting in the work, and the emotional payoff is well worth it. — Wailin Wong, co-host, The Indicator from Planet Money
Railsong by Rahul Bhattacharya
Railsong is a sweeping novel set in 20th-century India. Charu is a young girl growing up in government housing. Her father, a railway employee, fights against convention and gives her the made-up, caste-less surname of Chitol — setting her up for an extraordinary life. The novel follows her journey from modern-day West Bengal to Mumbai, as she tries to find her own place in the world amid personal and political upheaval. This book made me nostalgic for a life and time I've never known. — Anandita Bhalerao, associate producer, Digital Platforms
Rebel English Academy by Mohammed Hanif
This tale is made up of quite a cast of characters: a lusty, drunk intelligence officer, men who seem to spontaneously combust, a runner who can't escape the rape she experienced, and a gay man living in a mosque who only wants to teach revolution in English and, maybe, fumble about in a darkened movie theater with a stranger. Author Mohammed Hanif, always droll, takes a headline from Pakistan from the 1970s — the hanging of a populist leader, who was also a feudal lord — and turns it into a saturated, layered snapshot of a time and place. You don't need to be interested in Pakistan or South Asia to read Hanif. Just bring your curiosity and your willingness to see the multitudes contained in one person, and one place. — Diaa Hadid, correspondent, International Desk
The Shampoo Effect by Jenny Jackson
Told from multiple perspectives, The Shampoo Effect is the story of a writer infiltrating (or dating into) a tight-knit group of adults who have been friends since childhood. The plot — which is mostly about domestic life, parenthood, relationships and its entanglements — has lots of twists and turns. A surprise pregnancy! A scandalous past! It's a quick read, but delightfully satisfying. — Elissa Nadworny, correspondent and guest host
She Waits Where Shadows Gather by Michelle Tang
Mostly happily married, Carlos and Avery move from Canada to their native Philippines, dreams in tow. He wants to sell his childhood home; she hopes to expand their family. But Carlos' parents just want him to figure out why his grandfather, who died 10 years ago, has returned to the house. Tragedy strikes before anyone gets what they want, trapping the family in the horrors of their superstitions, secrets and sacrifices. Michelle Tang's debut novel introduces the unfamiliar reader to Filipino folklore in a page-turner where faith, love, skepticism — and ghosts — must play nice to survive. This cozy gothic horror is the perfect book for readers who can't abide an unsolved mystery, or for those who will stay up all night entrusting their nightmare's doom to the dawn. — Nikki Birch, video producer
Son of Nobody by Yann Martel
Academia noir, as a subgenre, tends toward the fantastical. Yann Martel's latest novel, Son of Nobody, set at a major research university, is dark, but it's also entirely realistic in its portrayal of shattered scholarly aspirations and shattered families. No vampires or mystical portals to other realms. Harlow Donne is a grad student, husband and father who heads off to the U.K. on a classics fellowship, leaving behind his wife and young daughter. Whether he does or does not make an important discovery while there is a major plot point. Regardless, Harlow learns the price of abandonment. — Jason DeRose, religion correspondent, National Desk
This House Will Feed by Maria Tureaud
Meshing gothic horror and history, this book challenges everything you thought you knew about the Irish potato famine, also known as the Great Hunger. The story follows Maggie O'Shaughnessy, a famine survivor who agrees to pose as an eccentric aristocrat's dead daughter for food and shelter, only to find herself trapped in a haunted estate. The author brilliantly incorporates real historical documents and invokes the supernatural and Irish folklore to open readers' eyes to the devastating reality of this period of mass starvation. — Julie Rogers, senior manager, Research, Archives & Data strategy
This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me by Ilona Andrews
This is a fun read for anyone who has ever imagined themselves inside a beloved book (and let's be honest, my fellow Hufflepuffs, who hasn't?). Modern-day normie Maggie wakes up to find she has been magically transported into the world of her favorite fiction series. But unlike other literary protagonists stuck in this common plot device, Maggie lands in fantasyland with no transferable skills, allure or, even, clothing. Gambling her extensive fangirl knowledge of the original series' timeline, which changes with every butterfly she steps on, Maggie has to save the kingdom she knows is doomed without becoming a main character herself. Be warned that this is Part 1 of a series in progress. — Liz Baker, producer, National Desk
This Story Might Save Your Life by Tiffany Crum
When podcast hosts Benny and Joy start a survival-story-themed podcast, they have no idea it will become a massive hit. Their lives are busy with tours, captivated audiences and new episodes when one day, Joy and her husband, Xander, go missing. Benny is the main suspect, and he'll do anything to prove his innocence. He begins a whirlwind investigation to find out what happened to his best friend. This Story Might Save Your Life has the standard trappings of a thriller, but it's also a surprisingly warm treatise on friendship and found family. — Hafsa Fathima, assistant producer, Pop Culture Happy Hour
Vigil by George Saunders
Vigil is about ghosts and regrets. It's also about climate change! In it, a parade of restless spirits comes to visit a dying oil company CEO. Some want him to repent for his many lies. Others reinforce his feeling that he has nothing to apologize for. The plot moves through time and space (ghosts aren't bound by the same rules as the living). This book left me disturbed in a good way. It demands that the reader confront big questions: What does it mean to lie? What do we owe each other? At what point is it too late to apologize? — Rebecca Hersher, climate correspondent, National Desk
Villa Coco by Andrew Sean Greer
Before I read Andrew Sean Greer, I'd never stopped to ponder the rich relationship between humor and honesty. As he did in his Pulitzer Prize-winning book, Less, Greer uses an American abroad to explore how many years, and sometimes miles, you must put behind you before your confusion, despair and grief can become funny stories. And believe me, this sunny book is packed with hysterical stories from some of the most vivid and entertaining characters: You'll wish you could pull them from the pages and plop them around a dinner table. But the line that stayed with me the longest was this: "The price for seeing things as they really are. It is our youth." As honest, hilarious and heartbreaking as life itself. — Elena Burnett, producer, All Things Considered
We Will See You Bleed by Ron Currie
Rather than a sequel to his celebrated Canuck-noir novel, The Savage, Noble Death of Babs Dionne, Ron Currie goes back in time to paint Waterville, Maine, in the summer of 1984. It's a mill-town revolt in the early days of globalization — the death of an industry and of a way of life for local Franco-Americans — and the birth of Babs' not-quite-benevolent crime syndicate. It's a brilliant Maine thriller, unfolding 40 miles and an entire world away from the state's much chronicled rocky coast. — Graham Smith, senior producer, Investigations Desk
Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke
A hugely popular tradwife influencer — think Ballerina Farm's Hannah Neeleman — awakens one morning, in what appears to be 1855, and must actually live the life she has been cosplaying on Instagram. This premise couldn't feel more perfectly targeted to skewer today's cultural and political moment if it were designed in a lab. It's a thriller that keeps you guessing to the final twist, but it's also an unexpectedly complex meditation on power, control, ambition, motherhood — and the fundamentally contradictory demands placed on women, whether or not they wake before dawn each day to bake sourdough. — Shannon Bond, correspondent
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