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Starred Review

Shut Up and Read

by Jeannine A. Cook

In her powerful memoir, Shut Up and Read, Jeannine A. Cook (It's Me They Follow) explores the value of conversation, the necessity of listening, and the struggles and triumphs of her journey as a bookseller, writer, and community organizer. Cook brings readers into her conversations (verbal and written) with her ancestors and patron saints, including the namesakes of her three bookstores: Harriet Tubman, Josephine Baker, and Ida B. Wells.

Cook opened Harriett's Bookshop in Philadelphia weeks before the 2020

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Lady Tremaine

by Rachel Hochhauser

In Lady Tremaine, a brilliant feminist novel, Rachel Hochhauser recasts Cinderella's evil stepmother as not so evil after all.

Lady Tremaine, daughter of a brewer, widow of a nobleman, and parent of two daughters and a stepdaughter, spends her days playing pretend. "For the sake of presentability, all our lives were a performance," she notes. She pretends her dead husband did not leave their estate in never-ending debt. She pretends to know how to mother, pretends she doesn't have to poach birds off royal

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Bartleby

by Matt Phelan

Matt Phelan's Bartleby is a quietly subversive picture book whose literary cleverness may sail past its young readers but will delight adults who recognize its affectionate nod to Herman Melville's "Bartleby, the Scrivener." Phelan recasts Melville's famously resistant clerk as a polar bear in a red bowler hate who prefers distance to belonging and contemplation to compliance. "Everyone says NO sometimes," the book opens. "Bartleby says, 'I PREFER NOT TO.' He says it a lot."

At school, Bartleby sits apart

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I Am the Ghost Here

by Kim Samek

Emmy-nominated writer and television producer Kim Samek's fascinating I Am the Ghost Here gathers 12 quirky, poignant stories laced with intriguing speculative elements. Certain notable narrative threads repeat: women concerned about being good mothers or good Thai daughters, environmental degradation, reality TV. All feature female protagonists, and most are written in first person, as if Samek is returning agency to women facing otherwise impossible, out-of-control challenges.

A 36-year-old mother turns

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Shelf Discovery

Say You'll Remember Me

by Abby Jimenez

Now in Paperback: In this poignant romance, a sexy veterinarian and the woman whose kitten he saved must navigate substantial obstacles to their relationship.

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Konfidenz

by Ariel Dorfman

This reissued 1995 novel tells a satisfyingly disorienting story of the unexpected political intrigue a woman discovers when she's brought to Paris to reunite with her lover.

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Fire Exit

by Morgan Talty

Now in Paperback: On the boundary of Maine's Penobscot reservation, a solitary man wrestles with questions of truth, family history, and what is owed to the next generation.

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Spoiled Milk

by Avery Curran

The horrors of coming-of-age meet ectoplasm and spiritual mediums in a boarding-school gothic that confronts fear, longing, authority, and death.

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The Primrose Murder Society

by Stacy Hackney

A woman is drawn into a dangerous homicide investigation by her true crime-obsessed 10-year-old in this marvelous mystery set in a historic Richmond, Va., apartment building.

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The Lost Robot

by Joe Todd-Stanton

A little broken robot discovers that it still deserves love in this hopeful and tenderly illustrated children's picture book.

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Good Dirt

by Charmaine Wilkerson

Now in Paperback: Charmaine Wilkerson's powerful second novel explores family, resistance, and skilled craftsmanship through the story of a handmade jar known as "Old Mo."

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Indie Pubs Caucus: March is Indie Press Month! Celebrate with these titles from independent publishers!
Shelf Awareness

Media Heat

Thursday, March 12, 2026

CBS Mornings: John Grisham, author of The Widow: A Novel (Doubleday, $32, 9780385548984). 

Today: Valerie Bertinelli, author of Getting Naked: The Quiet Work of Becoming Perfectly Imperfect (Harper Wave, $29.99, 9780063429086).

Good Morning America: Dr. Amy Shah, author of Hormone Havoc: A Science-Backed Protocol for Perimenopause and Menopause (Harvest, $30, 9780063420854).

Kelly Clarkson Show: Viola Davis and James Patterson, authors of Judge Stone: A Novel (Little, Brown, $32, 9780316579834).

Drew Barrymore Show: Phil and Lily Rosenthal, authors of Just Try It! Someplace New! (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, $19.99, 9781665942652).

Tonight Show: Ruthie Rogers, author of Table 4 at The River Cafe: Conversations about Food and Life (Gallery Books, $36, 9781668055892).

Jimmy Kimmel Live: Bunnie Xo, author of Stripped Down: Unfiltered and Unapologetic (Dey Street, $29.99, 9780063445192).

Wednesday, March 11, 2026

Today: Jenn Lueke, author of Don't Think About Dinner: Save Time and Money with 125+ Easy, Nourishing, Delicious Recipes for Every Meal (Morrow Cookbooks, $35, 9780063425798). 

The View: Valerie Bertinelli, author of Getting Naked: The Quiet Work of Becoming Perfectly Imperfect (Harper Wave, $29.99, 9780063429086).

Tamron Hall: Amy Smilovic, author of Almost Reckless: A Creative and Pragmatic Approach to Taking Risks (Portfolio, $35, 9780593854792).

Tuesday, March 10, 2026

All Things Considered: Sarvat Hasin, author of Strange Girls: A Novel (Dutton, $29, 9798217179527).

Fresh Air: Jamilah Lemieux, author of Black. Single. Mother.: Real Life Tales of Longing and Belonging (Roc Lit 101, $32, 9780593447543).

Good Morning America: Liza Minnelli, author of Kids, Wait Till You Hear This! (Grand Central, $36, 9781538773666).

Also on GMA: Valerie Bertinelli, author of Getting Naked: The Quiet Work of Becoming Perfectly Imperfect (Harper Wave, $29.99, 9780063429086). She also appeared on the Drew Barrymore Show.

Also on GMA: Robin Arzon, author of Eat to Hustle: 75 High-Protein Plant-Based Recipes (Voracious, $35, 9780316594271).

Today: Phil and Lily Rosenthal, authors of Just Try It! Someplace New! (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, $19.99, 9781665942652).

Also on Today: Amy Jo Burns, author of Wait for Me: A Novel (Celadon, $28.99, 9781250399304).

The Kelly Clarkson Show: Corinne Bailey Rae, author of Put Your Records On (Rocky Pond Books, $18.99, 9780593533024).

Monday, March 9, 2026

Good Morning America: Viola Davis and James Patterson, authors of Judge Stone: A Novel (Little, Brown, $32, 9780316579834). They also appeared on The View.

Also on GMA: Jalen Hurts, author of Better Than a Touchdown (Flamingo Books, $19.99, 9798217040308).

Today: Kathie Lee Gifford, co-author of Nero and Paul: How the Gospel of Grace Defeated the Ruler of Rome (Thomas Nelson, $29.99, 9781400336661).

Fresh Air: Rhae Lynn Barnes, author of Darkology: Blackface and the American Way of Entertainment (Liveright, $39.99, 9781631496349).

Watch What Happens Live: Christina Applegate, author of You with the Sad Eyes: A Memoir (Little, Brown, $32, 9780316594929).

Thursday, February 26, 2026

The View: Lisa Rinna, author of You Better Believe I'm Gonna Talk About It (Dey Street, $29.99, 9780063425330).
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