New Books for January 2025
Small, Independent, and University Press, and Author-published Books
NewPages learns about many wonderful book titles each month to share with our readers. You can read more about some of these by clicking on the link to their blog post. If you are a publisher or author looking to be listed here and featured on our blog, social media, and in our weekly newsletter, please visit our FAQ page.
Behind You is the Sea, Susan Muaddi Darraj, HarperVia
A collection of interconnected stories following Palestinian American families in Baltimore. Read the book review here.
The Canine Collection, Laura Shell, Black Bed Sheet Books
A collection of four horror/paranormal stories featuring our beloved canines. See blog post here.
Clear, Carys Davies, Scribner
A story of lives unexpectedly intertwined during the final stages of the infamous Scottish Clearances. Read the book review here.
Close to Home, Michael Magee, Farrar, Straus & Giroux
A sudden act of violence expands into a startling portrait of working-class Ireland. Read the book review here.
Come One Thing Another, Cory Lavender, Gaspereau Press
“Informed by his family’s lore, Lavender recounts the ‘crackling murmur’ between generations.” Read the book review here.
Corn Dance: Inspired First American Cuisine, Loretta Barrett Oden & Beth Dooley, The University of Oklahoma Press
Amply illustrated and adapted to bring the taste of Native tradition into the home kitchen, this cookbook is an inspiring journey into the Indigenous heritage, and the exhilarating culinary future, of North America. See blog post here.
Dancing Backwards Towards Pluperfect, Koss, Diode Editions
Debut poems that endeavor to “address a traumatic past and to make ‘some beautiful things.'” Read the book review here.
Feeding Ghosts, Tessa Hulls, MCDxFSG Books
A graphic memoir exploring ‘the effects intergenerational trauma can have on those with no first-hand knowledge of the suffering that began it all.’ Read the book review here.
Fire Exit, Morgan Talty, Tin House
A story about Charles, whose history is a tangled web of events that hold him to the truths he must continue to live through. Read the book review here.
gutter rainbows, Melissa Eleftherion, Querencia Press
The overarching metaphor provides “a visual and visceral vocabulary for experiences of trauma and the challenges faced by girls.” Read the book review here.
Language Like Water: Poems, Nancy Gerber, Finishing Line Press
Language Like Water explores the conflicts, challenges, and connections in a daughter’s relationship with her mother over the span of a lifetime. See sponsored blog post here.
A Man of Two Faces, Viet Thanh Nguyen, Grove Press
A memoir of larger stories of refugeehood, colonization, and ideas about Vietnam and America. Read the book review here.
Meet Me at the Library: A Place to Foster Social Connection and Promote Democracy, Shamichael Hallman, Island Press
Libraries have a unique opportunity to bridge socioeconomic divides and rebuild trust. But in order to do so, they must be truly welcoming to all. See blog post here.
The Muslims of Darürrahat, trans. by Çiğdem Pala Mull, ed. by Sharon Carson, The Digital Press at the University of North Dakota
First published in serialized form in the Central Asian newspaper, Tercuman, this is story’s first publication in English. See blog post here.
Night Watch, Jayne Anne Phillips, Alfred A. Knopf (2023); Vintage (2025)
A novel about the lack of freedom and trauma women endure during times of war and its long-term impacts; 2024 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. Read the book review here.
Orbit, Samantha Harvey, Grove Press
The story of six astronauts and cosmonauts as they circle around the Earth sixteen times in the course of one day. Read the book review here.
Rendered Paradise, Susanne Dyckman & Elizabeth Robinson, Apogee Press
“The poems sometimes convey the perspective of one of the poets, and at other times reflect the viewpoints of the artists.” Read the book review here.
The Senator, Maya Golden Bethany, Rising Action Publishing Company
A satisfying read for “anyone needing an infusion of progressive populism.” Read the book review here.
The Silver Squad: Rebels with Wrinkles, Marty Essen, Encante Press LLC
When two high school sweethearts reunite at the local senior living center, they decide to embark on a journey across the country as vigilantes. See sponsored blog post here.
To Save and To Destroy: Writing as an Other, Viet Thanh Nguyen, Belknap Press
Personal and political essays that express “heartfelt solidarity with refugees and those in exile.” Read the book review here.
Why We Eat Fried Peanuts: A Celebration of Family and Lunar New Year Traditions, Zed Zha, illus. Sian James, becker&mayer! kids (Quarto)
Food plays a vital role in the celebration, with fried peanuts serving as a special snack tied to the family’s traditions. See blog post here.
Worlds End, George Myers Jr., Paycock Press
A tale about a time-obsessed historian & naturalist who wants his ephemeral life’s work included in the town’s time capsule. See blog post here.
More Notable New Books
Poetry
Fabulosa, Karen Rigby, Jackleg Press
In Which, Denise Duhamel, Rattle Poetry
The Infinite Field, Alice Templeton, Sixteen Rivers Press
Past Lives, V. Joshua Adams. Jackleg Press
Red Studio, Murray Silverstein, Sixteen Rivers Press
Seeds of Hope: Hope River 2 – Poems from Young Teens, Sixteen Rivers Press
Women Twice Removed, Christina Lloyd, Sixteen Rivers Press
Fiction
Dog Days, Keum Suk Gendry-Kim, Drawn & Quarterly
An End of Troubles: An Anthology, History Through Fiction
Energy Wars: The Awakening, Jodi Dee, Jodi Dee Publishing
Go On Pretending, Alina Adams, History Through Fiction
The Martha’s Vineyard Beach and Book Club, Martha Hall Kelly, Ballantine Books
One Hundred Pearls, Barry Michael Cole, Livingston Press
Villages, Robert Inman, Livingston Press
The Wretched and Undone, J. E. Weiner, History Through Fiction
Nonfiction
Alia Caracalla, Daniel Cordier, Swan Isle Press
Aram’s Notebook, Maria Àngels Anglada, Swan Isle Press
Celia in the Revolution, Elena Fortún, Swan Isle Press
The Gift of Work: Overcoming Workplace Burnout and Finding Satisfaction in Your 9-to-5, Tarthang Tulku, Dharma Publishing
Q&A, Adrian Tomine, Drawn and Quarterly
Rome: Pedestrians Beware, Rafael Alberti, Swan Isle Press
See December 2024 book titles here.
To discover more great books from small, independent, and university presses, visit the NewPages Guide to Publishers as well as our Books Received monthly roundup. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to stay up to date!