New Releases Tuesday: The Best Books Out This Week 

A man named Gil walks from New York to Arizona to recover from a failed love. After he arrives, new neighbors move into the glass-walled house next door, and his life begins to mesh with theirs. In this warmly textured, drily funny, and philosophical account of Gil’s unexpected devotion to the family, Lydia Millet explores the uncanny territory where the self ends and community begins ― what one person can do in a world beset by emergencies. Dinosaurs is both sharp-edged and tender, an emotionally moving, intellectually resonant novel that asks, In the shadow of existential threat, where does hope live? 

Reasons to read it: Millet’s writing is beautiful as always and Dinosaurs is overall a thought-provoking and contemplative novel that asks how we can show up for ourselves and those we care about. If you loved Millet’s National Book Award-nominated A Children’s Bible, you’ll want to pick this one up.

What does the future hold for those born in the years of the Dragon, Tiger, and Goat?

In present day New Orleans, Xuan Trung, former beauty queen–turned-refugee after the Fall of Saigon, is obsessed with divining her daughters’ fates through their Vietnamese zodiac signs. But Trac, Nhi, and Trieu diverge completely from their immigrant parents’ expectations. Successful lawyer Trac hides her sexuality from her family; Nhi competes as the only woman of color on a Bachelor-esque reality TV show; and Trieu, a budding writer, is determined to learn more about her familial and cultural past.

As the three sisters each begin to encounter strange glimpses of long-buried secrets from their ancestors, the story of the Trung women unfurls to reveal the dramatic events that brought them to America. Moving backwards in time, E.M. Tran takes us into the high school classrooms of New Orleans to Saigon beauty pageants to twentieth century rubber plantations, traversing a century as the Trungs are both estranged and united by the ghosts of their tumultuous history.

A “haunted story of resilience and survival” (Meng Jin, Little Gods), Daughters of the New Year is an addictive, high-wire act of storytelling and mythmaking, illuminating an entire lineage of extraordinary women fighting to reclaim the power they’ve been stripped of for centuries.

Reasons to read it: Those of us who love multigenerational tales will appreciate how this one mixes it up a bit by going backwards in time. The different points of view throughout allow for a fully fleshed out view of the Trunk women, and the emphasis on Vietnamese food offers an almost multi-sensory experience.

Months after the devastating battle between the Sons of St. Druon and the witches of Haxahaven, Frances has built a quiet, safe life for herself, teaching young witches and tending the garden within the walls of Haxahaven Academy. But one thing nags; her magic has begun to act strangely. When an opportunity to visit Paris arises, Frances jumps at the chance to go, longing for adventure and seeking answers about her own power.

Once she and her classmates Maxine and Lena reach the vibrant streets of France, Frances learns that the spell she used to speak to her dead brother has had terrible consequences — the veil between the living and the dead has been torn by her recklessness, and a group of magicians are using the rift for their own gain at a horrifying cost.

To right this wrong, and save lives and her own magical powers, Frances must hunt down answers in the parlors of Parisian secret societies, the halls of the Louvre, and the tunnels of the catacombs. Her only choice is to team up with the person she swore she’d never trust again, risking further betrayal and her own life in the process.

Reasons to read it: The sequel to The Witch Haven comes just in time for spooky season. This continues Frances’ story in the early 1900s as she travels from New York City to Paris, France where she learns the terrible consequences of her actions. Speed through the first in the series if you haven’t already and then pick up this one for the magical combination of witchiness + 1913 Paris.

A young chef whose dreams were cut short savors every last minute as she explores food and adventure, illness and mortality in this stunning, lyrical memoir and family story that sweeps from Pakistan to New York City and beyond

Fatima Ali won the hearts of viewers as the season fifteen “Fan Favorite” of Bravo’s Top Chef. At twenty-nine years old, she was a dynamic, boundary-breaking chef and a bright new voice for change in the food world. After the taping wrapped and before the show aired, Fati was diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer. Not one to ever slow down or admit defeat, the star chef vowed to spend her final year traveling the world, eating delicious food, and making memories with her loved ones. But when her condition abruptly worsened, her plans were sidelined. She pivoted, determined to make her final days count as she worked to tell the story of a brown girl chef who set out to make a name for herself, her food, and her culture. 

Including writing from Fatima during her last months and contributions by her mother, Farezeh, and her collaborator, Tarajia Morrell, this deftly woven memoir is an inspiring ode to the food, family, and countries Fatima loved so much. Flashing between past and present, readers are transported back to Pakistan and the childhoods of both Fatima and Farezeh, each deeply affected by the cultural barriers they faced, shaping the course of their lives. From the rustic stalls of the outdoor markets of Karachi to the kitchen and dining room of Meadowood, the acclaimed three-star Michelin restaurant where Fatima apprenticed, Fati reflects on her life and her identity as a chef, a daughter, and a queer woman butting up against traditional views. 

This triumphant memoir is at once an exploration of the sense of wonder that made Fatima so special, and a shining testament to the resilience of the human spirit. It is, at its core, a story about what it means to truly live, a profound and exquisite portrait of savoring every moment.

Reasons to read it: This heartrending memoir will take you through Fatima Ali’s life and her love of food, though her eyes, her mothers, and one of her collaborator’s. Ali was truly extraordinary and reading her memoir will illustrate exactly why she came to be a Top Chef fan favorite. Mohsin Hamid, author of The Last White Man and Exit West said “Savor is moving, heartbreaking, and defiantly hopeful.”

When Cassie Klein goes to an off-campus bar to escape her school’s Family Weekend, she isn’t looking for a hookup — it just happens. Buying a drink for a stranger turns into what should be an uncomplicated, amazing one-night stand. But then the next morning rolls around and her friend drags her along to meet her mom — the hot, older woman Cassie slept with.

Erin Bennett came to Family Weekend to get closer to her daughter, not have a one-night stand with a college senior. In her defense, she hadn’t known Cassie was a student when they’d met. To make things worse, Erin’s daughter brings Cassie to breakfast the next morning. And despite Erin’s better judgement — how could sleeping with your daughter’s friend be anything but bad? — she and Cassie get along in the day just as well as they did last night.

What should have been a one-time fling quickly proves impossible to ignore, and soon Cassie and Erin are sneaking around. Worst of all, they start to realize they have something real. But is being honest about the love between them worth the cost?