Hello, feminist reader friends! Each month, I provide Ms. readers with a list of new books being published by writers from historically excluded groups. The aims of these lists are threefold:

1. I want to do my part in the disruption of what has been the acceptable “norm” in the book world for far too long—white, cis, heterosexual, male;
2. I want to amplify indie publishers and amazing works by writers who are women, Black, Indigenous, Latinx, APIA/AAPI, international, queer, trans, nonbinary, disabled, fat, immigrant, Muslim, neurodivergent, sex-positive or of other historically marginalized identities—you know, the rest of us; and
3. I want to challenge and encourage you all to buy, borrow and read them! 

Happy new year, feminist readers! I hope you’ll make it a goal to carve out time to read, and I’m here to share the top books we are excited about this year.  

This year, I’m joined by Violet Pandya in completing the list and as we enter a new year and an even more uncertain future than last year, it’s clear that some of us need to read more than others, but we all need to read for relaxation, inspiration and knowledge. 

I’m proud to say that I’ve always focused on small presses, independent and university publishers, debut writers and, of course, authors of the global majority. By this, I mean writers who are women, queer, aro/ace, intersex, trans, nonbinary or gender expansive; those who are fat, neurodivergent, poly, sex workers, immigrants, justice-involved or speak English as a second or third language; those who, for any number of reasons, have been marginalized or excluded. 

While I do include books from major publishers, it’s only because of the author’s talent or reputation, or because an imprint is doing valuable work. Because of this focus, you may notice that I’ve not included some of the year’s most talked-about books on this list. It’s not that I think they are undeserving or that you shouldn’t read them; I just want to shine a light on those that are just as deserving (or more so), but that might not have the funding or marketing machines behind them. Every year, I also unintentionally miss some or release dates may change, especially for those publishing later in the year. Apologies in advance, but we do what we can!

We’ve scoured catalogs and websites, searched our favorite authors, kept up with socials and tried to get through as much email as we can to find the gems that we know Ms. readers will love and learn from. We look for feminist, queer, anti-racist, anti-colonial, original, radical and reflective books. Subversive books. Books that’ll make you think and feel. It’s a lot of work, but as a librarian and Ms. Feminist Know-It-All, it’s what I do! And it’s labor I love. 

So, here are the top 94 books we’re looking forward to in 2026. 

Whether these or others, be sure to read. Read and encourage others to do so. Give books to others. Read one and pass it on. Visit and support your local libraries. But please read. Read as though your life (or someone else’s) depends on it. Because it just might.

January

Kokun: The Girl from the West 

Written by Nahoko Uehashi. Translated by Cathy Hirano. Europa Editions. Out Jan. 13. 

The first in a series, Kokun is an ecofeminist epic fantasy by the highly regarded Japanese anthropologist and storyteller Nahoko Uehashi. With a focus on agrarian resources in a threatened empire, Kokun sounds unconventional and timely.

*

We Inherit the Fire: A Novel

By Kagiso Lesego Molope (San). McClelland & Stewart. Out Jan. 13. 

As someone with a soft spot for South Africa’s history and beauty, I am excited about the latest novel by Kagiso Lesego Molope, which is set at the end of the turbulent apartheid era. It centers on a mother and daughter as they come to terms with a violent past and move into a fragile future.

*

A Black Queer History of the United States

By C. Riley Snorton and Darius Bost. Beacon Press. Out Jan. 20.

I always like to cover the latest volumes in Beacon’s ReVisioning History series, and this one is especially exciting. I’ve learned from the individual work of Snorton and Bost in the past, so I’m eager to see what good trouble they get into together.

*

Discipline: A Novel

By Larissa Pham. Random House. Out Jan. 20

Larissa Pham’s buzzy debut centers on an author of a revenge fantasy who encounters the older professor she had a relationship with years before. The affair didn’t end well, and now he is back in touch after reading the book.

*

Getting to Reparations: How Building a Different America Requires a Reckoning with Our Past

By Dorothy A. Brown. Crown. Out Jan. 20.

History shows that the U.S. is capable of providing reparations for harms to communities, and in her latest book, Dorothy A. Brown explores why Black Americans have yet to receive restitution and how this could finally be achieved.

*

Land, Language, and Women: A Cherokee and American Educational History

By Julie L. Reed (Cherokee). University of North Carolina Press. Out Jan. 20. 

By focusing on women’s roles, land, and language, historian Julie L. Reed explores Indigenous educational practices and reframes how we think about Indigenous schooling and survivance. 

*

Moving Mountains: Asian American and Pacific Islander Feminisms and the 1977 National Women’s Conference

By Judy Tzu-Chun Wu with Adrienne A. Winans. University of Washington Press. Out Jan. 20.

Judy Tzu-Chun Wu’s latest book examines the seminal 1977 National Women’s Conference and the underexplored yet invaluable contributions and feminisms of Asian American and Pacific Islander women.  

*

A Brief History of a Long War: Ukraine’s Fight Against Russian Domination

Written by Mariam Naiem. Illustrated by Yulia Vus and Ivan Kypibida. Ten Speed Press. Out Jan. 27.

Here, historian Mariam Naiem presents the history of Russian aggression against Ukraine in graphic novel format to highlight the resistance and perseverance of the Ukrainian people.

*

The Hour of the Wolf: A Memoir

By Fatima Bhutto. Scribner. Out Jan. 27.

Journalist and writer Fatima Bhutto has penned this memoir reflecting on loss, longing and the Jack Russell terrier who helped her heal. 

*

On Sundays She Picked Flowers

By Yah Yah Scholfield. Saga Press. Out Jan. 27. 

This Southern Gothic debut promises a haunted house in the woods of southern Georgia, replete with ghosts, haints and horrors.  

*

Persona

By Aoife Josie Clements. LittlePuss Press. Out Jan. 27.

What happens when a trans woman finds pornography of herself online that she has no memory of making? In her debut novel, Aoife Josie Clements explores internet toxicity, capitalistic greed and other horrors. 

*

The Summer My Mother Had Green Eyes

Written by Tatiana Țîbuleac. Translated by Monica Cure. Deep Vellum. Out Jan. 27.

I am equally eager and terrified to read this coming-of-age story from Moldovan writer Tatiana Țîbuleac, which focuses on a mother and son’s complicated relationship. 

*

February

The Company of Owls

By Polly Atkin. Milkweed Editions. Out Feb. 3. 

Longlisted for the 2025 Wainwright Prize in Nature Writing, Polly Atkins’s memoir explores chronic illness, the lessons of nature and the joy we can find in unexpected places.

*

The Glowing Hours

By Leila Siddiqui. Hell’s Hundred. Out Feb. 3.

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is one of my all-time favorite books, and this gothic horror tells the story of Shelley’s work on the novel from the perspective of her Indian maid. 

* 

The Pohaku: A Novel

By Jasmin Iolani Hakes . HarperVia. Out Feb. 3.

I enjoyed Jasmin Iolani Hakes’s debut Hula, so I am excited to read this multigenerational saga of women protecting the history and heart of the Hawaiian people.

*

Second Skin: Inside the Worlds of Fetish, Kink, and Deviant Desire

By Anastasiia Fedorova. Catapult. Out Feb. 3.

More than just a peek into taboo subjects we’re curious about, Second Skin promises to take readers on a well-researched journey into fetishes, kinks and how we can own our sexuality.

*

Who’s Watching Shorty?: Reclaiming Myself from the Shame of R. Kelly’s Abuse

By Reshona Landfair. Legacy Lit. Out Feb. 3.

Reshona Landfair, referred to as “Jane Doe” during her testimony at R. Kelly’s trial, was just 14 years old when she was assaulted by the singer. Here, she recounts her story to empower others to come forward.

*

It’s No Wonder: The Life and Times of Motown’s Legendary Songwriter Sylvia Moy

By Dr. Margena A. Christian. Da Capo. Out Feb. 10.

If you’ve ever listened to the music of Motown, you’ve no doubt heard the words of Sylvia Moy, the first woman hired as an in-house songwriter and producer. Through interviews and research, Dr. Margena A. Christian highlights Moy’s undeniable impact.  

*

The Mixed Marriage Project: A Memoir of Love, Race, and Family

By Dorothy Roberts. Atria/One Signal Publishers. Out Feb. 10. 

In her memoir, Dorothy Roberts details her experiences growing up in an interracial family in 1960s Chicago and explores the research her parents conducted on the topic, making surprising discoveries along the way.

*

Patchwork Dolls

By Ysabelle Cheung. Blair. Out Feb. 10. 

Ysabelle Cheung’s debut collection of stories sounds haunting, with stories of a girl selling her facial features and a woman who can’t rid herself of her dead husband’s clones. 

*

Citizenship: Notes on an American Myth

By Daisy Hernández. Hogarth. Out Feb. 17.

I’m pretty sure Daisy Hernández has written the book that we all need to read right now. In it, she asks who gets to be a citizen, how we got to where we are today and how we can move forward.

*

A Hymn to Life: Shame Has to Change Sides

Written by Gisèle Pelicot. Translated by Natasha Lehrer and Ruth Diver. Penguin Press. Out Feb. 17.

Like me, you may have followed the headlines about the horrific sexual assaults Gisèle Pelicot suffered at the hands of her husband and other strangers. This is her story of survival and courage.

*

On Morrison

By Namwali Serpell. Hogarth. Out Feb. 17.

This is Toni Morrison, explored and explained by Namwali Serpell. I’m not sure what else I need to say about this one. 

*

A Body Made Home: They Black Trans Love

By K. Marshall Green. The Feminist Press at CUNY. Out Feb. 24.

I’ve been anxiously awaiting this debut memoir in which K. Marshall Green reflects on his journey from “Baby Girl” to “Black Boi.”  

*

The Iron Garden Sutra

By A.D. Sui. Erewhon. Out Feb. 24.

I’ve never read A.D. Sui, but the tag line for the first book in this scifi series is, “In outer space, no one can hear your prayers,” and that’s all I needed.

*

Kin: A Novel

By Tayari Jones. Knopf. Out Feb. 24.

To be honest, I started reading this one as soon as I got the galley—I couldn’t help myself!—and I fell in love. It’s Tayari Jones, so you will too.

*

March

The Beginning Comes After the End: Notes on a World of Change

By Rebecca Solnit. Haymarket Books. Out Mar. 3.

Rebecca Solnit’s latest is a follow-up to Hope in the Dark, in which she looks back on the dramatic changes in the world since 1960.  

*

Black Evidence: A History and a Warning

By Candis Watts Smith. W. W. Norton & Company. Out March 3. 

Political scientist Candis Watts Smith reckons with an ongoing pattern in the U.S.: the avoidance and denial of the racial oppression Black people experience every day, followed by a reckoning, only to repeat the process repeatedly throughout history.  

*

City Like Water: A Novel

By Dorothy Tse. Graywolf Press. Out March 3. 

From the author of Owlish comes this story of a spooky future where people keep disappearing. Underneath the nightmare is a message we should all heed before it’s too late.

*

Good Woman: A Reckoning

By Savala Nolan. Mariner Books. Out March 3.

These twelve essays span themes of women’s conditioning, traditional gender roles, sex and politics. Nolan blends memoir, research and history to create a book that Brittney Cooper says, “will change you.”

*

The Valley of Vengeful Ghosts: A Novel

By Kim Fu. Tin House. Out March 3.

After her mother dies, Eleanor buys a house to grant her mother’s last wish. Of course, she gets more than she bargained for, and I love a good haunted house story!

*

Black. Single. Mother.: Real Life Tales of Longing and Belonging

By Jamilah Lemieux. Roc Lit 101. Out March 10.

Here, Jamilah Lemieux presents essays and interviews focused on Black single motherhood. I’m eager to read her insights, critiques, and perspectives on this much-misunderstood and maligned topic. 

*

Shut Up and Read: A Memoir from Harriett’s Bookshop

By Jeannine A. Cook. Amistad. Out March 10.

I’m thrilled that Jeannine Cook is back with this memoir detailing her founding of Harriet’s Bookshop and how it survived the COVID pandemic to become the thriving ecosystem it is today.

*

Whidbey: A Novel

By T Kira Madden (Kanaka ‘Ōiwi (Native Hawaiian)). Mariner. Out March 10. 

As a big fan of T Kira Madden’s memoir, Long Live the Tribe of Fatherless Girls, I’m eager to read her debut novel about three women and the dead man tying them together.

*

The Future That Was: A History of Third World Feminism Against Authoritarianism

By Durba Mitra. Princeton University Press. Out March 17.

Historian Durba Mitra has written this long-overdue examination of Third World feminism, including its origins, shortcomings and visions for the future.

*

Darkology: Blackface and the American Way of Entertainment

By Rhae Lynn Barnes. Liveright. Out March 24.

This is one of the books I’m most intrigued by this year. Long overdue, it’s a history of blackface and minstrelsy that David Blight has called a “masterpiece.”

*

Python’s Kiss: Stories

By Louise Erdrich (Turtle Mountain Chippewa). Harper. Out March 24.

I’m a fan of Louise Erdrich’s work, so of course her latest is on the list! This is a collection of stories written over the last twenty years, supplemented by artwork from Aza Erdrich Abe. 

*

Together We Fight: Surviving Peru’s Campaign of Coercive Sterilizations

By Ñusta Carranza Ko. University of California Press. Out March 24.

Here, Ñusta Carranza Ko examines the campaign of sterilization of impoverished, rural and Indigenous women undertaken by the government of Alberto Fujimori in Peru. 

*

The Divining Season

By Gwendolyn Paradice (Cherokee-Caucasian). Aunt Lute. Out March 31.

Having recently moved to Larissa, Texas, young Emily is unsure where or how she fits in. She has her fears and quirks, but so does Larissa in this story of missing girls, intergenerational trauma and unresolved conflicts.

*

Event Horizon

Written by Balsam Karam. Translated by Saskia Vogel. Feminist Press. Out March 31. 

In her English-language debut, Balsam Karam tells the story of a world where women and girls are relegated to the Outskirts, with no rights or legal status. After she’s framed for starting a riot, Milde is sent into a black hole as a punishment – and an experiment. 

*

Expecting Inequity: How the Maternal Health Crisis Affects Even the Wealthiest Black Americans

By Khiara Bridges. The MIT Press. Out March 31.

By now, you’ve heard the stark statistics about Black maternal health in the U.S. Here, Khiara Bridges shows that this is the case even among the wealthiest Black Americans. 

*

Hip Hop Studies and Queer Black Feminism

Edited by Elaine B. Richardson, Gwendolyn D. Pough, and Treva B. Lindsey. University of California Press. Out March 31.

This edited volume of essays explores the current moment through the lenses of queer Black feminism and hip hop. It includes contributions from Moya Bailey, shea wesley martin, Andreana Clay and more.

* 

April

The Edge of Space-Time: Particles, Poetry, and the Cosmic Dream Boogie

By Chanda Prescod-Weinstein. Pantheon. Out April 7. 

This is the first of several science books I’ve included this year. In this one, cosmologist and particle physicist Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein explores the wonders of the cosmos through Black feminist, anti-colonial and historical frameworks. 

*

My Dreadful Body 

Written by Egana Djabbarova. Translated by Lisa C. Hayden. New Vessel Press. Out April 7. 

In her debut novel, Egana Djabbarova tells the story of a young woman whose neurological disorder makes her life in a strict Muslim Azerbaijani community in Russia even more challenging, but also brings unexpected liberation. 

*

No!: The Art and Activism of Complaining

By Sara Ahmed. Feminist Press. Out April 7.

It’s Sara Ahmed empowering me to say NO. Yes, please!

*

Tailbone: A Novel

By Che Yeun. Bloomsbury Publishing. Out April 7.

This debut is set in Seoul at the outset of the 2008 global financial crisis. As the main character flees her home of abuse, she encounters new challenges at a boarding house for single women. 

*

The Violence: My Family’s Colombian War

By Adriana E. Ramírez. Scribner. Out April 14.

In The Violence, Adriana E. Ramírez relates her family’s history against the backdrop of Colombia’s brutal civil war. It’s being heralded as a tour de force, and I am eager to read about a part of global history I know little about. 

*

The Vanishings: Eight Stories 

By Kavi Yaga. TRP: The University Press of SHSU. Out April 15. 

This collection of eight stories was chosen by Kaveh Akbar to win The George Garrett Fiction Prize: Judge’s Choice. Centered on South Indian life in the 21st-century, this volume is described as haunting, unsettling and gripping.

*

Cultural Capital Doesn’t Pay the Rent: A Queer Memoir

By Jessica Lawless. PM Press. Out April 21.

Jessica Lewis, co-founder of the Seattle-based self-defense collective Home Alive, has written this memoir full of ‘80s and ‘90s queer anti-capitalist anarcho-punk care and healing. Sign me up.

*

Drag Thing: A Memoir of Mania and Mirrors 

By Gabe Montesanti. Arsenal Pulp Press. Out April 21. 

This is the memoir of a bipolar Midwestern drag king who evolves into a “drag thing,” exploring the fluidity, art, intensity and rebellion of survival.

*

Magdalena Is Brighter Than You Think

By Grace Spulak. Autumn House Press. Out April 21. 

Selected by K-Ming Chang, this debut collection won the 2025 Rising Writer Prize. It’s described as exploring queerness, trauma, gender and resilience through characters on the margins of the New Mexican landscape. 

*

All Flesh: A Novel

Written by Ananda Devi. Translated by Jeffrey Zuckerman. FSG Originals. Out April 28.

I’m not sure what to make of this story of corpulence, indulgence, embodiment, torment and revenge, but I know I want to devour it. 

*

The Gloria Wekker Reader 

Written by Gloria Wekker. Edited by Chandra Frank, Nancy Jouwe, and Mikki Stelder. Duke University Press. Out April 28.

If you’re new to Gloria Wekker’s work, as I was, this volume of interviews, essays, letters, and more will be an excellent introduction to the Afro-Surinamese Dutch theorist and activist.

*

Minerva 

By Keila Vall de la Ville. Regal House Publishing. Out April 28.

As the only child in a queer poly family, Minerva’s life is an enigma in the face of her patriarchal, politically oppressive country. As her life is upended, Minerva must decide what’s most important to her moving forward. 

*

When the World Sleeps: Stories, Words, and Wounds of Palestine

Written by Francesca Albanese. Translated by Gregory Conti. Other Press. Out April 28.

In her latest book, Francesca Albanese shares stories of ten people she encountered during her time in Jerusalem as the first woman to serve as United Nations Special Rapporteur for the Occupied Palestinian Territory that profoundly affected her.

*

May

A Brief History of the Universe (And Our Place in It) 

By Dr. Sarah Alam Malik. William Morrow. Out May 5. 

In this book, award-winning particle physicist Dr. Sarah Alam Malik offers an accessible exploration of the history of the cosmos and how human curiosity continues to shape that history and our futures.

*

The Instigators: How Black Women Have Been Essential to American Democracy

By Atima Omara. Harper. Out May 5. 

Political strategist, leader and agitator Atima Omara wants you to know that Black women are the ones who will save our democracy and help us build the truly liberatory world so many of us envision for our futures.

*

Farewell Tangier

Written by Salma El Moumni. Translated by Lynn E. Palermo. Seagull Books. Out May 6.

After a young woman’s private photos of herself are unknowingly shared online, she flees the oppressive traditional culture of Tangier, Morocco. This debut takes on the male gaze, sexual harassment and the policing of women’s bodies. 

*

Electric Shamans at the Festival of the Sun 

Written by Mónica Ojeda. Translated by Sarah Booker. Coffee House Press. Out May 12.

The latest novel by National Book Award finalist Mónica Ojeda tells the story of two friends who flee their pasts in Guayaquil, Ecuador, to lose themselves at a weeklong festival at the base of an active volcano. 

*

They Marched Under The Sun: A Novel 

Written by Cris Judar. Translated by Lara Norgaard. Fonograf Editions. Out May 12. 

This novel follows two young women for the months leading up to their eighteenth birthdays. Seemingly complete opposites, the women face violence, tradition, embodiment, ritual and more.

*

Entangled States: A Life According to Quantum Physics

By Karmela Padavic-Callaghan. Beacon Press. Out May 19.

Part memoir, part science lesson, queer millennial physicist Karmela Padavic-Callaghan uses the physics around us to illuminate their life of migration, gender expectations, healing, and more.

*

An Expanse of Blue 

By Kauakanilehua Mahoe Adams (Kanaka ‘Ōiwi (Native Hawaiian)). Heartdrum. Out May 19.

Not usually one for romances, I can’t deny my intrigue with this novel-in-verse of a Native Hawaiian girl’s search for truth, belonging, and love amid secrets, lies and loss.

*

I Would Die If I Were You: Notes on Art and Truth-Telling 

By Emily Rapp Black. Counterpoint. Out May 19. 

From disability to devastating loss, Emily Rapp Black has faced experiences that others cannot fathom. In this memoir-guide-craft book, she offers wisdom on the healing power of artmaking.

*

Plastic, Prism, Void

By Violet Allen. LittlePuss Press. Out May 19.

I just have to share the description that sold me on this one: “…this riotous enemies-to-lovers romantasy roars off the page in the genre-exploding, galaxy-spanning, quick-quipping retro nostalgia futuristic thrill ride of a lifetime.” !!

*

People Who Live Alone Talk Too Much 

By Sofi Stambo. Restless Books. Out May 26.

Winner of the 2024 Kellman Prize for Immigrant Literature, this book’s title stood out to me because I live alone and (probably) talk too much. The collection of stories sounds relatable and hilarious.

*

Pretend You’re Dead and I Carry You: A Novel

By Julián Delgado Lopera. Liveright. Out May 26.

Julián Delgado Lopera’s debut novel, Fiebre Tropical, was a hit, so I’m not going to miss his latest life-giving queer romp through Colombia. 

*

June

Dreams in Which I’m Almost Human: A Memoir

By Hannah Soyer. Red Hen Press. Out June 2. 

In her debut memoir, Hannah Soyer speaks candidly about disability, identity and how we construct our own versions of ourselves. 

*

The Home of the Drowned: A Novel

Written by Elin Anna Labba (Sámi). Translated by Elizabeth Clark Wessel. University of Minnesota Press. Out June 2.

I covered Elin Anna Labba’s first book about forced Sámi displacement and loved it. I am excited about her debut novel, which also speaks to this history and its devastating intergenerational effects.

*

Mad Eden: A Novel

By Morgan Thomas. MCD. Out June 2. 

This debut is described as “deliciously destabilizing,” and who couldn’t use some of that right now? It’s about a trans healthcare worker whose life and relationship might just go off the rails.

*

Sublimation 

By Isabel J. Kim. Tor Books. Out June 2.

This debut is being pitched to Severance fans (that’s me!) as a story of futuristic immigration and how the choices we make (and don’t make) can haunt us for the rest of our lives. 

*

Seagulls

By Nina Chayka. Black Lawrence Press. Out June 9. 

A selection for the Black Lawrence Press Immigrant Writing Series, Seagulls is a collection of linked stories inspired by those from Ukrainians and Russians affected by the war.

*

Time Also Will Make It Interesting: Selected Journals

Written by Red Jordan Arobateau. Edited by Cameron Awkward-Rich. Nightboat Books. Out June 9.

I was thrilled to see this book of writings and art by Red Jordan Arobateau being published by Nightboat. I didn’t know Red personally, but those who did were touched by his candor, wisdom and vision. 

*

Under the Neem Tree: Stories 

By Rania Mamoun. The New Press. Out June 9. 

This is Sudanese writer Rania Mamoun’s first book to be published in the U.S. The collection of stories blends memoir and fiction to create Mamoun’s unique, intimate voice.

*

A Way Home: A Memoir of Losing Yourself, and the Beauty of Returning

By Cinelle Barnes. Little A. Out June 9. 

I loved Cinelle Barnes’s first memoir, Monsoon Mansion, and was shocked to learn of her traumatic brain injury in 2023. In her latest memoir, she shares her experience of memory loss, recovery and resilience.

*

Femmephilia: Love Letters to Trans Mermaids, Queer Mothers, and Marilyn Monroe

By Sophie Lewis. Haymarket Books. Out June 16.

In her latest book, Sophie Lewis takes on femmephobia, making the case for a femmephilia that celebrates femme-ness in all its manifestations and honors femme labor, love and liberation. 

*

Given Away: A Novel

By Nahid Rachlin. Red Hen Press. Out June 16.

Set in 1930s Iran, this novel traces the life of a 10-year-old girl forced into marriage, motherhood and child-rearing. Based on Rachlin’s family’s history, Given Away explores Iranian women’s resistance to patriarchy and tradition. 

*

Medea Sang Me a Corrido 

Written by Dahlia de la Cerda. Translated by Heather Cleary and Julia Sanches. Feminist Press. Out June 16. 

International Booker Prize–nominated author of Reservoir Bitches is back with this “punk revival” of Medea, and I am here for it.

*

Sex in Public: The Transformative Social Power of Our Erotic Lives 

By Angela Jones. Seal Press. Out June 16.

I can’t wait to see what sociologist Dr. Angela Jones has to say about how we can take the private shame and taboo away from sexuality and transform it into an empowering foundation for societal change.

*

Lovers of the Empire: Vol. 1 

By Yudori. Fantagraphics. Out June 23.

Yudori’s Raging Clouds was one of my 2025 Best of the Rest, so I am happy to see her next graphic novel coming so soon. This one, too, looks to be a period piece of unexpected connections and imaginative discoveries.  

*

The Summer of the Serpent 

Written by Cecilia Eudave. Translated by Robin Myers. Soho Press. Out June 30.

Set in 1977 Guadalajara, Mexico, this story sounds surreal, strange and totally satisfying. Multiple voices tell us weird things are happening, but we’re assured it’ll all come together by the end. 

*

July

The Weight of One Pomegranate

By Brynne Rebele-Henry. Soho Teen. Out July 7. 

Being a fan of Brynne Rebele-Henry’s previous fiction and poetry, I am eager to get my hands on her latest, a YA novel of love and loss. 

*

The Body of the Thing 

By Karishma Jobanputra. And Other Stories. Out July 14.

This short story collection by British Indian writer Karishma Jobanputra explores motherhood, embodiment, sex, illness and death. I have no idea what to expect from it, but I know I can’t wait.

*

Tending to Our Wounds: A Diasporic Memoir 

By Edna Bonhomme. Haymarket Books. Out July 21.

This memoir explores Black life in the US, Haiti and Germany through the lenses of racism, colonialism, history and legacies of woundedness.

*

August

Silencio

Written by Clyo Mendoza. Translated by Christina MacSweeney. Seven Stories Press. Out Aug. 4.

Clyo Mendoza’s second book to be translated into English, Silencio examines narcotrafficking and violence against women through alternating between the real and imaginary. 

*

Triage 

By Claudia Rankine. Graywolf Press. Out Aug. 4.

It’s Claudia Rankine, so I’m going to read it. She’s brilliant. 

*

Piñen: Stories 

Written by Daniela Catrileo. Translated by Jacob Edelstein. FSG Originals. Out Aug. 11.

This collection of stories centers on the lives of Mapuche youth in Santiago de Chile. The volume sounds vibrant, intimate, candid and expansive.

*

Searching for Jane Crow: Black Women and Mass Incarceration in America from the Auction Block to the Cell Block

By Talitha L. LeFlouria. Beacon Press. Out Aug. 11. 

Based on extensive archival research, the latest book by renowned historian Talitha L. LeFlouria examines Black women in a carceral system designed to protect and uplift slavery and those who benefited from it. 

*

Dreams of Ayn Ara 

Written by Sara Abou Ghazal. Translated by Katharine Halls. Feminist Press. Out Aug. 18.

This English-language debut novel is focused on the continuing effects of the 1948 Nakba and the literal and symbolic displacement of hundreds of thousands of people. 

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Unprecedented Times: A Novel

By Malavika Kannan. Henry Holt & Co. Out Aug. 18.

With Unprecedented Times, the new Gen Z novel is born! Malavika Kanna’s distinct voice and fresh perspective will make this coming-of-age story worth checking out.

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Hello, Limerence: A Novel 

By Momo Yamaguchi. Mariner Books. Out Aug. 18.

This debut novel about an “overworked, undersexed young woman in Tokyo” sounds like just the unhinged (and frighteningly relatable) story we’ll need this year. 

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Changing Gender

By Susan Stryker. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. Out Aug. 25.

I have no idea what Susan Stryker will say about the state of gender in today’s world, but I definitely want to find out. I think she’ll do what she always does: distil her wisdom into reflective ideas and connections that will enlighten my approach to moving through the world. 

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Fall

Refusal: Black Women Workers and Emancipatory Struggle

By Keona Ervin. Verso. Out Sept. 29.

Here, Keona K. Ervin uses Black women’s labor and their refusals of racial capitalism and extraction as case studies in how liberation can be achieved for us all. 

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The True Confessions of First Lady Freeman: A Novel

By Deesha Philyaw. Mariner Books. Out Sept. 29

It’s Deesha Philyaw’s first novel after her hit story collection, The Secret Lives of Church Ladies, so of course I’m looking forward to this one! You should be, too.

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Desire Lines

By Kristen Millares Young. Red Hen Press. Out Oct. 6. 

Kristen Millares Young’s debut memoir explores womanhood, motherhood, liberation and embodiment with an eye toward uncovering truths that awaken and enlighten.