The best new books to read this week: Talent, Maid, and more
This morning, my weather app announced that it “feels like” negative (yes, negative) 22 degrees outside. Which prompted me to feel like burrowing under no less than one dozen blankets and reading all day. Even if it’s not frigid where you are, I highly recommend doing the same. If your TBR pile needs a refresh, check out the best new books hitting shelves this week:
1Talent by Juliet Lapidos, out January 22nd
Talent is a slow-paced but thought-provoking novel about Anna, a woman struggling to finish her dissertation, and Helen, a quirky antiquarian who might have a cure for her unending writer’s block. It’s a clever existential read for a cold winter’s day.
2Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother’s Will to Survive by Stephanie Land, out January 22nd
By day, Stephanie Land worked as a maid. By night, she wrote about it—all of it. Her memoir about putting in long hours as a single mom in poverty is honest, unapologetic, and beautifully written.
3Unmarriageable: Pride and Prejudice in Pakistan by Soniah Kamal, out January 22nd
A retelling of Pride and Prejudice set in Pakistan? We’re sold. If the Jane Austen classic is one of your favorites, you’ll love Soniah Kamal’s cultural twist on the story. And if you’re new to Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy, prepare to fall in love with Alys Binat and Mr. Darsee.
4Holy Lands by Amanda Sthers, out January 22nd
Holy Lands is about Harry, a man who trades his job as a doctor in the states for a life of raising pigs in Israel. You’ll laugh, cry, and read this little gem of a book in one sitting. Then you can watch the movie, which stars James Caan, Rosanna Arquette, and Jonathan Rhys Meyers.
5Learning to See: A Novel of Dorothea Lange, the Woman Who Revealed the Real America by Elise Hooper, out January 22nd
If you don’t know much about the late photographer Dorothea Lange, this powerful and captivating novelization of her life will make you want to learn everything you possibly can. Suggest it as your next book club read ASAP.
6The Current by Tim Johnston, out January 22nd
It wouldn’t be a winter reading list without a thriller. The Current, an atmospheric novel about a road trip gone wrong and the memories it conjures, is seriously suspenseful.
