This is an interesting mix of fantasy and dark humor. Su and Emerald are sisters, but they don’t exactly see eye to eye. Su is content to live in Singapore as the perfect wife of a conservative politician, while Emerald lives a life of hedonism as a beautiful and charming sugar baby in New York City. Oh, and they were both once snakes living in the Tang Dynasty in China. After decades, it takes Emerald having a violent encounter in Central Park for Su to board a flight to New York City, and for the pair to reconcile. But when Emerald moves to conservative Singapore with Su, the eccentric sister may out them both.

What the booksellers had to say:

“Incredible and atmospheric. Having transcended their original forms as snakes, Emerald and Su have spent centuries calling one another ‘sister’ and taking care of each other as family does. A beautiful tale of the bond between two women and their separate but similar journeys to accept themselves as they are.” — Katie O’Brien-Smith, Watchung Booksellers, Montclair, NJ

“O.O. Sangoyomi’s debut is a fast-paced page turner set in 15th-century West Africa, featuring a young woman who finds herself undergoing extreme changes in her social status in a short time. It’s riveting and fascinating — a great piece about women finding their power.” — Preet Singh, Eagle Eye Book Shop, Decatur, GA

This debut collection of stories take place across the South. Across North Carolina mountains, Florida marshes, and big souther cities, Black women and men contend with an ever elusive sense of belonging. A mother and her preteen daughter face simultaneous pregnancies, a Texan man tries to find love despite his family’s curse, and more.

What the booksellers had to say:

“Each story in Make Your Way Home is absolutely remarkable. Like sinking into warm water, each story envelops you completely in the characters, bringing them and the setting to life. This is a book that aches with longing and with history.” — Katherine Nazzaro, Porter Square Books, Cambridge, MA

This is the story of Oscar Wilde’s wife and son in the years before and after his infamous trial for homosexuality. During an idyllic holiday in the English countryside, Oscar Wilde develops a strong attachment with a young poet and Constance begins to suspect her husband’s affections lie elsewhere. When the truth (or some part of it) is exposed, Constance and her sons are left in ruin, forced to hide their identities in exile. As the years go by, and one son enlists in WWI while the other searches for answers about his family, they all must come to terms with what they lost and who they want to be. — Rachel Brittain

What the booksellers had to say:

“This book fully immerses us in the Wildes’ world. As we are tossed from one timeline and character to another, the reader has conflicting experiences of wonder and despair. Oscar Wilde’s life unravels and his family is tangled up and dragged down by his recklessness. This novel is a beautifully written tragedy.” — Trish O’Neill, MacIntosh Books & Paper, Sanibel, FL

Growing up, La Tray knew himself to be Indian, even though his father always denied it. When he goes to his grandfather’s funeral and sees so many obviously Indigenous relatives, his heritage becomes undeniable. He sets out to learn more about his people, thereby learning more about himself. He does research, speaks to elders, and joins the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians’ struggle to become federally recognized.

What the booksellers had to say:

“As an unenrolled Indigenous person raised by white parents, that part of my identity has always been tricky for me. La Tray’s beautifully written account of taking ownership over his own identity, interwoven with the historical and contemporary issues facing Indigenous communities (the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians in particular), makes for one of those rare books that truly is both deeply personal and profoundly universal.” — Lane Jacobson, Paulina Springs Books, Sisters, OR