Amy Jo Burns is the author of the memoir Cinderland. Her writing has appeared in The Paris Review Daily, Tin House, Ploughshares, Gay Magazine, Electric Literature, Literary Hub, and The Paris Review Daily, and the anthology Not That Bad.
The Seekers of Deer Creek (2026) Thao Thai "The Seekers of Deer Creek is the most achingly beautiful novel I've read in a long time. An emotionally intricate story of two wayward sisters fighting to claim their birthright, it's also a seductive page-turner about art, forbidden love, identity, and longing. Thao Thai is a true virtuoso in the language of the heart, and I'd follow her anywhere."
Skylark (2026) Paula McLain "From its very first moment, Skylark held me so close it felt like we shared a heartbeat. Intimate and sweeping, this novel celebrates the rare kind of bravery that resounds for centuries through the streets of our beloved cities and in our bleakest times of war and fear. I'm convinced no one in the world can write like Paula McLain. Vital and prescient, she is absolutely one of the finest writers of our age."
The Briars (2026) Sarah Crouch "The Briars has exactly what I love most in a novel: a strong woman thriving in a foreboding landscape. I couldn't put it down. This mystery had me guessing until the very end, and every page was rich, daring, and wise."
Girls with Long Shadows (2025) Tennessee Hill "Singular, striking, and sly, Girls with Long Shadows seduced me from its first sentence to its last. This book has so much scathing beauty in it I could feel the scrape of a knife on every page. What a delicate, hot-blooded tempest of a debut."
Pearce Oysters (2024) Joselyn Takacs "There's nothing I love more than a family drama steeped in love and complication, and Pearce Oysters delivers it note for note. Not only is this story a staggering account of all we lost in the BP oil spill, it also reminds us of what remains at stake around dinner tables across the country: what it means to fight for a legacy, and why we stay together in the midst of our fiercest trials. Full of wit, grit, and longing, this novel captured my whole heart."
Wild Ground (2024) Emily Usher "A hypnotic story of both beauty and betrayal . . . Reading this book is like holding a heartbeat in your hands. It's bare, melodic, and thrums with a bold and aching pulse."
Rednecks (2024) Taylor Brown "Just like its namesake, Rednecks is dressed in grit, moxie, and charm. The West Virginia Mine Wars' secret history turns urgently prescient in Taylor Brown's steady hands. Every single page sings with writing that is lyrical, agile, and bold. A matchless novel."
What the Mountains Remember (2024) Joy Callaway "Joy Callaway never fails to bring the past to life in brilliant color. This book has it all: the lush mystery of the mountains, the dauntless resolve of a woman at work, and the breathtaking art of building something that will last for generations. I absolutely loved it."
The Wonder State (2023) Sara Flannery Murphy "Reading this novel was like finding a haunted passageway through the fiercest heart of the Ozarks. It's full of creepy houses, broken promises, and the kind of thorny secrets that bind a small town for generations. Provocative, melodic, and surprising, The Wonder State led me into its sparkling dark and still hasn't let me go."
Maddalena and the Dark (2023) Julia Fine "From its first sentence, this novel curled its crooked little witch's finger around my heart and still hasn't let go . . . Maddalena and the Dark completely seduced me with its menace, and it is undoubtedly Fine's best yet."
The Love Scribe (2023) Amy Meyerson "As soon as I turned the first page, I inhaled The Love Scribe in one delicious swoop. Amy Meyerson has written a clever investigation of romance that reads like a most beloved fable, and she completely charmed me with her wide-open heart. Clear-eyed and life-affirming, The Love Scribe is the perfect novel for anyone who has ever wondered if it's worth it to fall in love."
The Night Shift (2022) Natalka Burian "Full of luster and heart, The Night Shift swept me into its labyrinth from the moment Jean Smith stepped into her first shortcut through New York City. This novel is a triple threat: a time-traveling rhapsody, an homage to found family, and an anthem for the night owl. In short, a total treat from beginning to end."
So Happy for You (2022) Celia Laskey "Celia Laskey's sly thriller completely transfixed me from beginning to end. Tart and playful, this tale of a wedding weekend gone fatally wrong is part psychological game, part societal inquest, and part best friend break-up from hell. I loved this trim and thrashing read."
Trashlands (2021) Alison Stine "I felt every single word of this prescient novel deep in my blood. Inventive, expansive, and wild at heart, Trashlands proves that a mother’s love will outlast all else, even the earth’s ruin. Alison Stine writes like no other—with trademark ferocity and covert warmth as her characters make miracles out of what the rest of the world threw away. Stunning, through and through."
The Ballad of Laurel Springs (2021) Janet Beard "The Ballad of Laurel Springs sets the resonant violence of family secrets to the music of the mountains. With tenderness and grit, Janet Beard celebrates the harmonies of survival that run generations deep. Never has it felt more necessary—or more electric—for a story to be heard through song."
Tin Camp Road (2021) Ellen Airgood "Tin Camp Road taught me that a life truly blooms once it reaches its breaking point. Fierce and tender, this story tests the wilds of one woman's heart as she fights to claim a home for her daughter. In it, Ellen Airgood reminds us what it means to live off the land not only in body, but in spirit. This novel made me ache, hold my breath, and ultimately rejoice in its final moments. Every word holds the echo of a hallelujah."
A Million Things (2021) Emily Spurr "Swept me into its thrall so immediately that I didn’t realize I’d been holding my breath until I reached the end...Fresh and slim, this novel pierces like a bullet and soothes like a psalm."
This Close to Okay (2021) Leesa Cross-Smith "Leesa Cross-Smith is the most intimate and tender writer on my bookshelf. Once I started reading This Close to Okay, I couldn't stop. Weekend reading at its finest, this story about chance strangers in the mist will spark every ember in your chest and leave you breathless. Cross-Smith's wondrous and nimble heart beats true on every page."
