It’s a new quarter and that means new fiction and nonfiction picks have been selected for you courtesy of Bestsellers Club! Four fiction picks are available for you to choose from: diverse debuts, graphic novel, historical fiction, and international fiction. Four nonfiction picks are available for you to choose from: biographies, cookbooks, social justice, and true crime. Our fiction and nonfiction picks are chosen quarterly and are available in regular print only. If you would like to update your selections or are a new patron who wants to receive picks from any of those four categories, sign up for Bestsellers Club through our website!

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Below you will find information provided by the publishers and authors on the titles we have selected from the following categories in fiction: diverse debuts, graphic novel, historical fiction, and international fiction and the following categories in nonfiction: biographies, cookbooks, social justice, and true crime.

Acronym definitions

• BIPOC: Black, Indigenous, and people of color.
• LGBTQ+: Lesbian, gay, transgender, queer, and more.

Fiction Picks

Diverse Debuts: Debut fiction novel by a BIPOC author, LGBTQ+ author or an author from another marginalized community.

I hope you find what you’re looking for: a novel by Bsrat Mezghebe

The year is 1991. Eritrea is on the verge of liberation from Ethiopian rule and in Washington, D.C.’s tight-knit Eritrean community, change is in the air. Thirteen-year-old Lydia and her family are grappling with what peace after decades of war might mean for their future, just as they welcome Berekhet—a distant cousin newly arrived from Ethiopia to attend medical school in the States. With him comes a barrage of new ideas Lydia must confront for the first time, about the stories of nationhood and family she was raised on.

Meanwhile her mother, Elsa, a former rebel fighter, and the family matriarch, Mama Zewdi, must grapple with regrets long buried in the time their country has been at war. Elsa’s path from Eritrea to D.C. was paved with courage and loss, and figures from her past on the front lines of battle begin to resurface. Mama Zewdi, who runs a successful injera business out of her apartment, finds herself reexamining her place in their little family for the first time, while Lydia, emboldened by Berekhet, becomes committed to uncovering the secrets of her and her mother’s past—including the truth about her father, who was martyred in the war.

A loving ode to an immigrant community on the cusp of a new age, I Hope You Find What You’re Looking For boldly asks: How does our past define our present? And what stories must we let go of to be truly free? – Liveright

Graphic Novel: Fiction novel for adults of any subgenre with diverse characters depicted by color illustrations, sketches, and photographs.

Deep Cuts / words, Kyle Higgins & Joe Clark ; artists, Danilo Beyruth, Helena Masellis, Diego Greco, Ramon K. Perez, Juni Ba, Toby Cypress ; colors, Igor Monti ; letters, Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou.

From the smoke-filled clubs of 1917 New Orleans to the neon glow of 1968 Los Angeles, Deep Cuts is inspired by true events and follows the trailblazers who bled for the music that moved their souls.

When a jazz legend’s death makes headlines, rising musicians Barry and Alice set out to honor the idol they never met. Their search uncovers the forgotten legacies of five extraordinary artists whose intertwined lives helped define the sound of an era, but whose names have largely been lost to time.

From the smoke-filled clubs of 1917 New Orleans to the neon glow of 1968 Los Angeles, Deep Cuts is inspired by true events and follows the trailblazers who bled for the music that moved their souls. Each chapter riffs off the last—musicians trading melodies across generations, shaping and echoing one another’s lives in a grand composition of rhythm, risk, and revelation culminating in one soulful crescendo. Deep Cuts introduces readers to the shared, “found family” legacy that is built note-by-note, bar-by-bar, into a song that never ends for those who know that good music never dies.

Nods to true life historical figures throughout music history are in abundance within the pages of Deep Cuts. Characters are inspired by Louis Armstrong, Fats Waller, Dizzy Gillespie, Nat “King” Cole, Charlie Parker, Duke Ellington, Chick Corea, Count Basie, Wayne Shorter, and many more. Elements of their struggles, successes, and personal style are intermixed into amalgams that illustrate some of the most notable flashpoints in America’s music history.

The story is rich with additional atmosphere and historical easter eggs including references to, and fictionalized versions of: the 1926 Hot Peppers sessions, real kidnapping of Mary McElroy, rock magazine Crawdaddy, the writing of Hunter S. Thompson and Tom Wolfe, the streets of New Orleans, New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, The Wizard of Oz, and even down to Frank Early’s Saloon in old Storyville. – Image Comics

Historical Fiction: Historical fiction novel written by a BIPOC author, LGBTQ+ author or an author from another marginalized community, with main character(s) from a marginalized community.

Now I Surrender: a novel by Álvaro Enrigue ; translated by Natasha Wimmer.

A woman’s desperate flight from an Apache raid unfolds into a sweeping tale of the Mexico–US border wars.

Orchestrated with a stunningly imagined cast of characters, both historical and purely fictional, Now I Surrender radically recasts the story of how the West was “won.” In the contested borderlands between Mexico and the United States, a woman flees into the desert after a devastating raid on her dead husband’s ranch. A lieutenant colonel in service to the fledgling Republic, sent in pursuit of cattle rustlers, discovers he’s on the trail of a more dramatic abduction. Decades later, with political ambitions on the line, the American and Mexican militaries try to maneuver Geronimo, the most legendary of Apache warriors, into surrender. In our own day, a family travels through the region in search of a truer version of the past.

Part epic, part alt-Western, Now I Surrender is Álvaro Enrigue’s most expansive and impassioned novel yet. It weaves past and present, myth and history into a searing elegy for a way of life that was an incarnation of true liberty—and an homage to the spark in us that still thrills to its memory. – Riverhead Books

International Fiction: Fiction novel originally written in another language with main character(s) from marginalized communities.

Sisters in Yellow: a novel by Mieko Kawakami ; translated by Laurel Taylor and Hitomi Yoshio

Hana has nothing – she’s fifteen years old and living in a tiny apartment in a suburb of Tokyo with her young mother, a hostess at a local dive bar. They have no money, no security. Then Kimiko appears.

Kimiko is older, a bright light in Hana’s dark world. Together they set up Lemon, a bar that, despite its shabby setting and seedy clientele, becomes a haven for Hana. Suddenly Hana has a job she loves, friends to share her days with, and the glittering promise of money. She feels like a normal girl. She feels invincible.

But in the narrow alleys of Sangenjaya, nothing is as it seems. Soon all of Hana’s hope, her optimism, and her drive will be pushed to the limit . . .

A story of enduring friendship and deep betrayal, Sisters in Yellow is a masterpiece of teenage dreams and adult cruelties that confirms Mieko Kawakami as one of the great writers of her generation. – Knopf

Nonfiction Picks

Biography pick

Happiness included: Jan Brady and beyond by Eve Plumb with Marcia Wilkie [and a foreword by Christopher Knight].

It’s finally time for Jan, Jan, Jan!

As Jan Brady, America’s most memorable middle child on the beloved TV sitcom, The Brady Bunch, Eve Plumb has been an enduring icon of American pop culture for over 60 years. Now in an engaging, intimate memoir, she shares the behind-the-scenes story of her colorful and impressively versatile Hollywood career and revelatory recollections of her off-camera life along the way—complete with many photos from her private archives.

Recognized world-wide as Jan Brady, the wonderfully misunderstood middle sister on television’s The Brady Bunch, actress Eve Plumb has embraced the association that seemed destined at age 10 when she was cast on The Brady Bunch. The iconic 1970s TV series has been in perpetual reruns for five decades and is well known by three generations of children and adults. Her engaging memoir reveals that her stint on The Brady Bunch was only the beginning of her TV career, a young lady with the confidence and spunk that her on-screen character often humorously lacked.

Eve Plumb’s six decades as a TV and stage actress reads like a veritable history of the golden age of TV. Her long career began when a talent agent in her Los Angeles neighborhood suggested that the six year old audition for a national TV commercial. She was cast and many commercials followed (including Barbie commercials). Within a year, Eve was being cast in guest star roles, often multiple episodes, in the top TV series of the 60s and 70s: Gunsmoke, Lassie, Family Affair, Mannix, The Big Valley, It Takes a Thief, The Virginian, and Here’s Lucy.

Following five seasons of ABCs anchor Friday night show, The Brady Bunch, and recording albums and touring nationally with The Brady Kids singing group, Eve was cast as the lead role in Dawn, Portrait of a Teenage Runaway, at age 17. A dramatic departure from the sweet Brady family, the NBC hit TV movie came with a “parental discretion” warning in the opening titles. The movie’s success sparked the highly-rated sequel with Eve Plumb: Alexander: The Other Side of Dawn.

Continuous guest star roles filled her young adult life as an actress on highly rated TV shows, including The Facts of Life, One Day at a Time, Fantasy Island, Love Boat, Wonder Woman, and a multi-episode sitcom called The Brady Brides, featuring Eve as a young newlywed, along with Maureen McCormick from the original series.

Eve brought her acting experience to the New York stage. Tony-winning Broadway Producer Ken Davenport cast Eve in the lead role for the Times Square debut of Miss Abigail’s Guide to Dating, Mating, and Marriage, with a six month run. She also appeared on stage in NY and regionally in “Love, Loss and What I Wore.”

Eve’s recent television credits include A Holiday Spectacular for Hallmark, Law and Order: SVU, Blue Bloods, Bull, Grease Live!, Crashing, a recurring role on Hulu’s The Path, and as the voice of Big Judy on Praise Petey.

Today, Eve is a talented visual artist, with thirty-five years of experience, whose oil paintings have been displayed and sold in galleries here in the U.S. and Europe. Chock-full of Brady Bunch nostalgia and the skinny on countless classic TV shows with recollections straight from the set, this is Eve Plumb as you’ve never seen her. – Citadel

Cookbook pick

Don’t think about dinner : save time and money with 125+ easy, nourishing, delicious recipes for every meal by Jenn Lueke.

Save time, money, and energy with strategic meal planning, grocery lists, and kitchen prep. With over 125 recipes, Don’t Think About Dinner eliminates decision fatigue and makes healthy living effortless, delicious, and even fun!

Whether you want to improve your health, cut down food waste (and spending), reduce your mental load, or build new kitchen skills, Don’t Think About Dinner provides everything you need to confidently approach every meal of the day—from shopping and stocking the pantry to storing and reheating leftovers, and everything in between.

As a college student, Jenn was struggling with health problems and tired of quick-fix “healthy” recipes that relied on obscure, expensive ingredients that often spoiled before she could finish them. Overwhelmed and frustrated, she felt further from her health goals. So, she made a plan. Or rather, a list—filled with plants and proteins, plus simple recipes to make the most of them. This became the framework for her hugely successful business—and transformed her life.

In this engaging, cleverly organized book, Jenn expands on the content that has captivated millions of devoted follows. Unlike a typical cookbook, this comprehensive handbook offers strategies, tools, tips, meal plans, and more, plus over 125 delicious recipes. Jenn includes a wide range of adaptable dishes that suit any vibe, budget, or dietary need, from breakfast and lunch to appetizers, dinner, drinks, snacks, and desserts, including:

Goat Cheese and Kale High-Protein Egg Muffins, a quick, satisfying reheatable breakfast
Barbecue Chicken Chopped Salad, more filling and budget-friendly than the one from your favorite food chain
Street Corn-Inspired Shrimp Skillet, a high-protein dinner done in 30 minutes
Sheet Pan Butternut Squash Mac and “Cheese,” a delicious, plant-powered wonder
Fudgy Sweet Potato Brownies—so good you’ll forget about the box mix

Don’t Think About Dinner is designed to streamline the way you cook and think about your meals. With a fully stocked kitchen and plan in place, you’ll be amazed at how much easier it is to cook nourishing, budget-conscious, standout meals. – William Morrow Cookbooks

Social Justice pick

Children of the state: stories of survival and hope in the juvenile justice system by Jeff Hobbs

For many kids, a mistake made at age thirteen or fourteen—often resulting from external factors coupled with a biologically immature brain—can resonate through the rest of their lives, making high school difficult, college nearly impossible, and a middle-class life a mere fantasy. In Children of the State, Jeff Hobbs challenges any preconceived perceptions about how the juvenile justice system works—and demonstrates in brilliant, piercing prose: No one so young should ever be considered irredeemable.

Writing with great heart and sensitivity, Hobbs “offers finely wrought portraits of the teenagers in juvenile hall, as well as the educators and counselors trying to help them find safe passage back to—and through—the real world” (Los Angeles Times). While serving a year-long detention in Wilmington, Delaware, a bright young man considers both the benefits and the immense costs of striving for college acceptance while imprisoned. A career juvenile hall English Language Arts teacher struggles to align the small moments of wonder in her work alongside its statistical futility. A territorial fistfight in Paterson, New Jersey, is called a hate crime by the media and the boy held accountable seeks redemption and friendship in a demanding Life & Professional Skills class in lower Manhattan. Through these stories, Hobbs creates intimate portraits of these individuals as they struggle to make good decisions amidst the challenges of overcoming their pasts, and also asks: What should society do with young people who have made terrible mistakes? – Scribner

True Crime pick

The carpool detectives: a true story of four moms, two bodies, and one mysterious case by Chuck Hogan

A lot of us like to think we could solve a mystery. Can these four moms actually do it?

In 2020, Marissa, Jeannie, Samira, and Nicole find themselves at a familiar crossroads: when motherhood takes charge of their lives, they begin grappling with their own identities. Their thriving careers seem like a lifetime ago, and as their children become more independent, they struggle to find purpose. But when they meet at a bowling night fundraiser for their kids’ school, they discover a shared interest in true crime that crystalizes around a mysterious double homicide that took place in their hometown a decade earlier: A couple in their 60s vanished overnight from their home and mysteriously shuttered their family business, leaving millions of dollars unaccounted for. Initially believed to have absconded with the money, they went from suspects to victims when their bodies were discovered in their car at the bottom of a steep ravine. And then the case turned cold.

But what if the moms could solve it? What if they could bring a killer to justice and give closure to a grieving family?

The four women have no connection to the case and no law-enforcement background, but the determined group find themselves in incredible and often dangerous situations–digging for evidence in prohibited ravines, scouring potential crime scenes for blood splatter, and sifting through pages and pages of dense police files. As they get more and more entangled in this complex investigation, they also find themselves in real danger—and with information that could blow the case wide open.

An emotional and often terrifying odyssey through a DIY criminal investigation, The Carpool Detectives is the ultimate wish fulfillment for any true crime fanatic, an absolutely thrilling read for armchair sleuths and mystery fans alike. – Random House

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