The best new books out today 📚

It's the Tuesday Book Drop

Hello, book lovers! Each week, dozens of new releases hit the shelves. Here are our favorites. ❤️📚 –The BuzzFeed Books team Literary Fiction Credit: Tin House, Knopf, Avid Reader Press, Grove Press Justine by Forsyth Harmon (Tin House) "Celebrated illustrator Forsyth Harmon makes her writing debut with Justine, a compact but powerful illustrated novel. In (pitch-perfect) 1990s Long Island, teenager Ali is enchanted by Justine, the impossibly cool and beautiful cashier at her local Stop & Shop. Ali just can't figure out if she wants Justine, or wants to be Justine — or maybe a little of both. It's a bittersweet, nostalgic coming-of-age story." —Arianna Rebolini   Get it from Bookshop for $18.35 or Amazon for $17.95 The Committed by Viet Thanh Nguyen (Grove Press) "Nguyen's 2015 Pulitzer Prize–winning novel, The Sympathizer, was an immersive anonymous narrative about a North Vietnamese spy embedded in a South Vietnamese platoon during the Vietnam War. In this hotly anticipated follow-up, our wry double agent has just arrived in Paris as a refugee. I'm having a hard time reading anything right now, but The Committed might just be the first book I finish in 2021— it's that compelling." —Tomi Obaro   Get it from Bookshop for $24.84 or Amazon for $22.95 Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro (Knopf) "In his first novel since winning the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2017, Ishiguro embarks on an exploration of humanity and technology, through the perspective of Klara, an Artificial Friend observing the world as it passes through the store where she stands on display, waiting to be purchased. She's intent on fulfilling her life's (insofar as she has a life) purpose of making her owner happy, so she spends her time trying to parse what human happiness means. This core question and those it bleeds into — what it means to be happy, what it means to love, what it means to connect — drive this compelling, revelatory story." —Arianna Rebolini   Get it from Bookshop for $25.76, Target for $22.01, or Amazon for $20.99 Infinite Country by Patricia Engel (Avid Reader Press) "When teenage sweethearts Elena and Mauro have their first daughter, the pair decide to leave an increasingly dangerous life in Bogota and head to Houston, Texas. But as their visa expiration nears — and their family grows — they face an impossible decision, moving again and again in an effort to avoid having their undocumented status discovered. It's a poignant depiction of a family trying to survive in a system designed against them." —Arianna Rebolini   Get it from Bookshop for $23, Target for $14.95, or Amazon for $14.95 Mystery & Suspense Credit: Berkley Books A Game of Cones by Abby Collette by Nalini Singh (Berkley Books) "Bronwyn Crewse has put her heart and soul into bringing her family's ice cream shop back to its former glory, but the arrival of a big city developer puts all the local businesses at risk. When the developer later turns up dead and Bronwyn's best friend is the number one suspect, she takes it upon herself to discover the truth." —Shyla Watson   Get it from Bookshop for $14.72, Target for $12.04, or Amazon for $12.04 Historical fiction Credit: Blackstone Publishing, Scribner The Rebel Nun by Marj Charlier (Blackstone Publishing) "In the sixth century, women have three choices in life: sex work, motherhood, or a nunnery. But as the church begins to reject and vilify women within its ranks, Clotild, a king's daughter, leads an uprising of nuns to battle against the forces of the patriarchy. But with excommunication and even death growing more and more possible, will this rebel nun be able to change history?" —Kirby Beaton   Get it from Bookshop for $25.75, Target for $27.99, or Amazon for $25.19 Vera by Carol Edgarian (Scribner) "Vera, the 15-year-old daughter of the owner of San Francisco's most legendary brothel, has always had to be scrappy and resourceful, even as a child. But the great earthquake of 1906 shakes even Vera, who now finds herself an orphan and guardian to her little sister, Pie. Teaming up with a former enemy, Vera is forced to imagine a new world for herself among an unlikely band of survivors." —Kirby Beaton   Get it from Bookshop for $24.84, Target for $19.96, or Amazon for $19.96 Fantasy & Sci-Fi Credit: Tordotcom Burning Girls and Other Stories by Veronica Schanoes (Tordotcom) "These 13 consuming show the darkness and danger in fairy tales. My favorite story from the collection, "Among the Thorns," retells the most disturbing fairy tale from the Brothers Grimm, "The Jew in the Thorns," where the torture and eventual murder of a Jewish man is used as comic relief. Schanoes humanizes the tale by telling it from the man's daughter's perspective and the vengeance she seeks. The heartbreaking title story, "Burning Girls," won the Shirley Jackson Award for best novella and combines elements from Jewish mysticism and "Rumplestiltskin" with historical events like the anti-Jewish pogroms in 19th century Poland and the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire. Not all the stories in this collection are historical fantasy, though. The punk rock "Ballroom Blitz" occurs in a rock club/bar where 12 brothers have been cursed to stay in a bar forever unless the same 12 girls dance with them for 101 nights. These fun, heartrending, and imaginative short stories reveal new truths about classic fairy tales." —Margaret Kingsbury   Get it from Bookshop for $23.91, Target for $22.09, or Amazon for $22.09 Nonfiction Credit: Random House, Dutton Feelings: A Story in Seasons by Manjit Thapp (Random House) "Manjit's graphic memoir delivers on the promise of its title: It is a tender journey through one year of the author's life, exploring the ways our natural environment — specifically the shifting seasons — shape our emotions and experiences. It's a dreamy, intimate, relatable, and gorgeously illustrated narrative." —Arianna Rebolini   Get it from Bookshop for $20.23, Target for $18.69, or Amazon for $18.69 But You're Still So Young: How Thirtysomethings Are Redefining Adulthood by Kayleen Schaefer (Dutton) "Kayleen Schaefer's latest is a sharp and empathetic investigation into what being in your thirties means today  Weaving together personal history, original reporting, and cultural analysis, Schaefer tackles five of the major milestones we've been told define adulthood — finishing school, leaving home, getting married, gaining financial independence, and having kids — and explores their modern significance, presenting a compelling argument that these achievements aren't actually as meaningful as we've been led to believe. Read an excerpt — Why Are Millennials So Worried About Moving Back In With Their Parents? — and check out my live conversation with Kayleen this Thursday at 7 p.m. ET." —Arianna Rebolini   Get it from Bookshop for $23, Target for $21.66, or Amazon for $21.66 Romance Credit: Sourcebooks Casablanca, St. Martin's Griffin, Forever Yes & I Love You by Roni Loren (Sourcebooks Casablanca) "Unbeknownst to the people of New Orleans, Hollyn Tate is actually Miz Poppy — an entertainment journalist who knows everything there is to know about the city. Hollyn loves the anonymity of her job, especially given her social anxiety, but when her boss asks her to start making videos and show readers the woman behind the curtain, she finds herself out of her depth. Aspiring actor Jasper Deares is looking for a way out of his career rut, and when he discovers that the cute girl he spotted at the coffee shop needs some on-camera tips, he offers to help, hoping her finger on the pulse of the entertainment industry can be the career boost he needed. But after weeks of spending so much time together, he gets much more than he bargained for." —Shyla Watson   Get it from Bookshop for $13.79, Target for $14.99, or Amazon for $13.49. Float Plan by Trish Doller (St. Martin's Griffin) "After the sudden death of her fiancée, Anna finds herself living a very different life than the one she has planned. She struggles to cope with her grief for several months when she's reminded about a sailing trip the two of them were supposed to take together. On a whim, she sets out to sea on her own, but quickly realizes she needs help — that's where Keane comes in. Anna hires the professional sailor — who's dealing with his own twist of fate — and an unexpected romance settles between them, proving that love finds a way, even when you least expect it." —Shyla Watson   Get it from Bookshop for $15.63, Target for $12.31, or Amazon for $12.31 Accidentally Engaged by Farah Heron (Forever) "All Reena Manji wants to do is turn her love of baking into a career and get her matchmaking, meddlesome parents off her back. After losing her job, she hears about a cooking contest with a reward that would mean finally doing what she loves for a living. But... the contest is for couples only. She accidentally ropes in her hot new neighbor to help, and before you know it they're pretending to be a couple for a studio network. Things get complicated when their fake relationship turns real...especially when she learns he not only works for her father but is who her family wanted her to marry all along." —Shyla Watson   Get it from Bookshop for $14.71, Target for $11.89, or Amazon for $11.89 Young Adult & Middle Grade Credit: Make Me a World, Simon & Schuster, HarperTeen, Wednesday Books, John Joseph Adams, Little Brown, Graphix Home Is Not a Country by Safia Elhillo (Make Me a World) "Elhillo's novel-in-verse follows Nima who, as a child of an immigrant, struggles to fit into her suburban town. Luckily she has a best friend who seems to understand, but Nima can't help imagining what her life would have been like if she would have been born in her mother's country. Would she be happier? When the rug is pulled out from under her, Nima begins to explore another life she could have had, living by another name, while searching for what identity truly means. Elhillo's novel-in-verse is absolutely stunning. It's a poignant, powerful story that's emotional in many places and uplifting in others — and one that cracks open the layers of a mother-daughter relationship. (Don't miss Safia Elhillio's Instagram Live Q&A with BuzzFeed Books!)"  —Farrah Penn   Get it from Bookshop for $16.55, Target for $14.39, or Amazon for $14.39 Yolk by Mary H.K. Choi (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers) "Jayne Baek is attending fashion school in New York City and struggling with an eating disorder, and she can't seem to move on from her deadbeat boyfriend. Her sister June seemingly has it all: She's rich, and she has a job in finance and a giant apartment. But when June is diagnosed with uterine cancer, Jayne moves in, and these estranged sisters begin to get to know each other better. This is a compelling, emotional story that dives deep into different kinds of relationships and the flawed, messy sisters at the center of it all who struggle with understanding one another." —Farrah Penn   Get it from Bookshop for $18.39, Target for $16.99, or Amazon for $16.99 Once Upon a Quinceañera by Monica Gomez-Hira (HarperTeen) "Carmen Aguilar's summer consists of an unpaid internship that forces her to perform in her spoiled cousin's extravagant quinceañera. But things get worse when she discovers her dance partner will be Mauro Reyes, the ex who caused her so many problems in the past. Is it going to be the summer of disasters, or will Carmen get her happily ever after? Carmen's sharp, hilarious dialogue paired with an emphasis on complex family situations that are worth figuring out make this book both heartfelt and fun." —Farrah Penn   Get it from Bookshop for $16.55, Target for $15.99, or Amazon for $15.99 Down Comes the Night by Allison Saft (Wednesday Books) "This is truly the bisexual gothic-y enemies-to-lovers fantasy of my dreams. After being dismissed from the Queen's Guard and separated from the girl she loves, Wren is summoned to Colwick Hall, an estate owned by the reclusive Lord Alistair Lowry, to cure a servant from a mysterious illness. When she arrives, she discovers, to her dismay, her patient is Hal Cavendish. Not only is he not a servant, but he's also a killer and a sworn enemy of her kingdom. She could heal him and commit treason against her kingdom, or she could kill him, which goes against the ethics of being a healer. Regardless, as she spends more time in the crumbling mansion, she realizes that deception has infected both kingdoms — and the facts she's been taught are less than truthful." —Rachel Strolle   Get it from Bookshop for $17.47, Target for $16.99, or Amazon for $16.99.  The Conductors by Nicole Glover (John Joseph Adams/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) "After the Civil War, Hetty Rhodes, formerly a conductor on the Underground Railroad, settles in Philadelphia with her husband Benjy. Together, they solve murders and mysteries that would otherwise be left untouched by the authorities, but the murder of a friend leads them to more questions about their world, and the lies that reside in it." —Rachel Strolle   Get it from Bookshop for $14.71, Target for $13.99, or Amazon for $13.94 Simon B. Rhymin' by Dwayne Reed (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers) "Simon Barnes is a fifth grader in Chicago that dreams of becoming a world-famous rapper (Notorious D.O.G.), even if right now he tries to stay low at school and at home. But an assignment might lead him to showcase his rhymes in class -- an  oral presentation on something that affects their community -- with the help of his neighborhood crew." —Rachel Strolle   Get it from Bookshop for $15.63, Target for $13.59, or Amazon for $13.59 Allergic by Megan Wagner Lloyd and Michelle Mee Nutter (Graphix) "Maggie might be the star of this graphic novel, but she's certainly not feeling like one in her own world. Her parents are getting ready for a new baby, her younger brothers are twins and are in their own world. But maybe a puppy could help her feel a little less alone? But when they go to pick one, she has a horrible allergic reaction, and has to discover the perfect pet without breaking into hives." —Rachel Strolle   Get it from Bookshop for $11.95, Target for $11.99, or Amazon for $11.69 Now in paperback: Sharks in the Time of Saviors by Kawai Strong Washburn:The Flores family — ex-footballer father Augie, hustling mother Malia, kids Dean, Noa, and Kaui — are native Hawaiians constantly struggling to make ends meet in the state with the highest cost of living. When middle child Noa appears to acquire some mystical healing powers, the family takes advantage of it to eventual devastating effect. Alternating perspectives among the family members over the course of a decade, Washburn has written a vivid, heartbreaking portrait of a family rocked by economic precarity. —Tomi Obaro   Becoming by Michelle Obama: Obama's memoir chronicles her childhood on Chicago's South Side, her years as a working mother, and her time spent as the first lady — and the life-changing work she's done along the way. —Arianna Rebolini   Valentine by Elizabeth Wetmore: Elizabeth Wetmore's weighty, affecting debut takes place in 1970s Odessa, Texas, a beautiful but dismal oil town plagued by racism and misogyny that's only heightened by the roughnecks passing through. At the center is Glory, a 14-year-old Mexican girl who survives a brutal rape by Dale, a roughneck who leaves her for dead. The impact of this horrific event radiates through the community as it gears up for a trial against Dale, in a town dead set on privileging a white rapist over a Mexican child. Wetmore's characters are so rich, her prose so masterful, that it's hard to believe Valentine is a debut. —Arianna Rebolini   Minor Feelings by Cathy Park Hong: In a series of roving pieces ranging from her experiences growing up in LA in the aftermath of the 1992 riots to an obituary of sorts for the late poet Theresa Hak Kyung Cha — raped and murdered at just 31— Hong writes with great nuance about what it means to be "Asian American," while acknowledging the inherent vagueness of such a broad term. Minor Feelings immediately feels in conversation with other works by poets-turned-breakout prose writers like Maggie Nelson and Claudia Rankine. And judging by their enthusiastic blurbs, these writers agree. —Tomi Obaro   In Five Years by Rebecca Serle: Dannie Cohan is on track to create the future she's been dreaming of — she's a successful lawyer in a loving relationship — but the night after her boyfriend proposes, she wakes up five years in the future in a different apartment, next to a different man. An hour later, she wakes again, back in 2020, convinced it was a dream — until four years later when she meets the man she saw in her dream. —Arianna Rebolini Find these titles and other BuzzFeed Books favorites on our Bookshop page. BuzzFeed, Inc. 111 E. 18th St. New York, NY 10003 We hope you love the products we recommend! Just so you know, BuzzFeed may collect a small share of sales from the links in this email. View our privacy notice and cookie policy Unsubscribe