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The beginning of the year means the publishing schedule is ramping back up in time for spring. Here are four thought-provoking new books your patrons are going to be hearing about in the news.
 Fly, Wild Swans: My Mother, Myself and China by Jung ChangIn this follow-up to her wildly successful family memoir, Wild Swans, the author traces her journey from China to America, as well as her family’s journey and the history of modern China. What makes this story even more powerful is the fact that all of Chang’s books have been banned in China, making it politically and logistically impossible for Chang to visit her dying mother in the hospital. This is a highly personal memoir and a poignant history of China. Featured in The New York Times, NPR. |
 Call Me Ishmaelle by Xiaolu GuoMoby Dick retold from the perspective of a cross-dressing female sailor. Okay, you need more of a description than that? After the death of her parents and infant sister, Ishmaelle disguises herself as a cabin boy and eventually boards the Nimrod, a whaling ship led by Captain Seneca, an obsessive Black man haunted by a tragic past. Yes, there’s a great white whale in this story, but the bigger story is the feminist narrative that stands apart from the male violence of the whaling industry, as well as the exploration of nature and gender. Featured in Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, The Washington Post |
 This Is Where the Serpent Lives by Daniyal MueenuddinThis is Pulitzer Prize-finalist Daniyal Mueenuddin’s debut novel: a story of contemporary Pakistan where the fortunes of a dozen characters are inextricably linked as they struggle to choose between their inner morality and the decisions that will allow them to survive the political and social systems of their country. (This was also one of Book Riot’s most-anticipated titles of 2026!) Featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post |
 Vigil by George SaundersJill Blaine has ushered three hundred and forty-three souls to the afterlife, but none of her charges have been like oil company CEO K.J. Boone, who is on his deathbed with zero regrets for how he’s lived his life. But his final hours are filled with people and animals (both real and otherworldly), all looking for answers and a reckoning from a man who has lived a large and complicated life. This novel takes on greed, capitalism, absolution, and the consequences of progress. Featured in The Guardian, The New York Times |
