Six sad books by funny women

Sydney Rende is a writer and editor. You can read her work in The New York Times Style Magazine, Carve Magazine, Joyland, and elsewhere. She has an MFA in fiction from Syracuse University.

Rende's debut short story collection is I Could Be Famous.

At Lit Hub she tagged six sad books by funny women "who give grief and humor the equal respect they deserve." One title on the list:

Lorrie Moore, Who Will Run the Frog Hospital?

Nobody has as much fun with words as Lorrie Moore does. This little coming-of-age novel, published in 1994, follows Berie Carr and her best friend Sils as they navigate adolescence while working at Storyland, a fairytale-themed amusement park, for the summer. The book jumps between the past and present, where adult Berie is arguably depressed while visiting Paris with her husband, whom she probably doesn’t love anymore. Lorrie Moore’s comedy is always right on time. Her word play is unmatched. And this story of adolescent friendship, love, and loss is both relatable and original. We have Lorrie Moore’s language and humor to thank for that.

Read about the other entries on the list.

Who Will Run the Frog Hospital? is among Brittany Ackerman's seven books about teen friendships.

--Marshal Zeringue

Seven books that grapple with the gig economy

Anandi Mishra is a Sweden-based critic and communications professional. She has worked as a reporter for The Times of India and The Hindu. One of her essays has been translated to Italian and published in the Internazionale magazine. Her essays and reviews have appeared in the Public Books, The Atlantic, Los Angeles Review of Books, Virginia Quarterly Review, Popula, The Brooklyn Rail, Al Jazeera, among others.

At Electric Lit Mishra tagged seven books that "show us the varied relationships people have with money, who gets to make it, and at what cost to themselves." One title on the list:

Flesh by David Szalay (2025)

Istavan, Flesh’s shy, reticent protagonist, moves through life in search of nothing much. He’s introverted but never not working, often in conversations with others, but never speaks much himself. Instead of looking for his next assignment, work finds him and delivers him to the next stage in life. Through a series of jobs starting from a drug delivery agent to a war soldier to a pub bouncer to a driver to a business owner and back to being a pub bouncer again, Istavan’s life is shown through vignettes of various jobs he holds in different stages of life and how it impacts him. No matter what the life situation, he is forever that lonesome outsider trying to make ends meet. Szalay’s portrait of Istavan’s rags-to-riches life is singular in the way it is told. Szalay often skips the more intense parts of Istavan’s experiences, leaving them to the reader’s imagination. The resultant book is racy, remote, and roiling, capturing the way work dominates the lives of those of us who have nothing to lose because we come from nothing.

Read about the other entries on the list at Electric Lit.

--Marshal Zeringue

Five books & plays that take you deep inside the ivory tower

Screenwriter Nora Garrett’s debut film, After the Hunt -- directed by Luca Guadagnino and starring Julia Roberts, Ayo Edebiri, Andrew Garfield, Michael Stuhlbarg and Chloë Sevigny -- is set on the campus of Yale University.

At Bustle Garrett tagged "five college-set works that informed After the Hunt." One title on the list:

The Idiot by Elif Batuman

What this novel really captures is that awkward, early phase of college where you've gotten into an elite institution that you thought would give you the sense of identity you wanted — and you're still finding yourself awkward, bumbling, and estranged from the ability to feel yourself at the apex of your intelligence, even in these rarefied spaces. I think that the shame of that and the attempt to work through it is a reference for Maggie, but just generally a reference for that tender identity point.

Read about the other entries on the list.

The Idiot is among Isabelle McConville's ten notable campus novels, Christine Ma-Kellams's seven books about unconventional situationships, Lauren Hutton's ten books about young women in (and out) of love, and Katherine Heiny's eight best books about modern dating.

Also see Elise Juska’s list of eight of the greatest campus novels ever written, Ali Lowe's list of six of the best campus crime novels, Kate McCusker's five top campus novels, Michael Woodson's ten top campus novels, and K.D. Walker's eight top campus novels set in grad school.

--Marshal Zeringue

"CrimeReads" -- best traditional mysteries of 2025

One novel on the CrimeReads list of the best traditional mysteries released in 2025:

Murder Takes a Vacation, Laura Lippman

Stalwart mystery author Lippman takes up the Agatha Christie mantle in her newest novel, Murder Takes a Vacation, in which Tess Monaghan’s longtime sidekick, Mrs. Blossom, gets her turn in the spotlight. The action sees Blossom head to France for a once-in-a-lifetime cruise; her interest is sparked by a man on board, but, naturally, the man soon turns up dead in Paris, and the ship begins looking more like a vipers’ nest, as Blossom unspools a mystery among the passengers. The new novel adds a welcome layer of depth to the character and constructs a worthy mystery for her to solve, all set against the splendors of a voyager’s France.

Read about the other entries on the list.

Murder Takes a Vacation is among CrimeReads's top twenty crime novels, mysteries, and thrillers of 2025 and Sue Hincenbergs's eight mysteries and thrillers featuring older sleuths and criminals.

The Page 69 Test: Murder Takes a Vacation.

--Marshal Zeringue

The 15 best locked room murder mysteries

Emily Burack is the Senior News Editor for Town & Country, where she covers entertainment, culture, the royals, and a range of other subjects. Before joining T&C, she was the deputy managing editor at Hey Alma, a Jewish culture site.

At Town & Country she tagged fifteen of the best locked room murder mysteries, including:

One By One by Ruth Ware

The cofounder of a trendy London-based tech start-up organizes a weeklong trip for the team in the French Alps, but soon they’re snowed in the rustic ski chalet—sans one coworker, who hadn’t returned from the slopes. One by one, the group dwindles further.

Read about the other entries on the list.

One by One is among Alexa Donne's six chilly And Then There Were None inspired thrillers, Carolyne Topdjian's five top hotel thrillers and mysteries, Bonnie Kistler's six best office thrillers, Sandie Jones's six mysteries with large casts of characters, Allie Reynolds's seven chilling winter thrillers, and Louise Candlish's ten hardest characters in literature to love.

--Marshal Zeringue

Eleven top titles about road trips

At PopSugar Helen Carefoot tagged eleven great books about road trips, including:

The Mostly True Story of Tanner & Louise by Colleen Oakley

For most books about road trips, you can almost always find a pair of unexpected characters setting off together. In "The Mostly True Story of Tanner & Louise," a 21-year-old works as a live-in caregiver for an elderly woman who insists she doesn't want help, but quickly reveals herself to be more than her young charge bargained for when she announces they're leaving town in the middle of the night. Promise, the unlikely duo have an easy chemistry that makes this buddy story a breezy read.

Read about the other entries on the list.

--Marshal Zeringue

Five top books for K-Pop fans

Giaae Kwon is the author of I’ll Love You Forever: Notes From a K-Pop Fan. In the essay collection, she

explores her personal history as a bbasooni (K-pop stan) alongside the evolution of the K-pop industry. In doing so, she uncovers the cultural and political forces that birthed the K-pop idol and paints a compassionate portrait of fandom — a much-needed counterweight to all the ink spilled about its harmful excesses.

At Bustle Kwon tagged "five books that every bbasooni should read," including:

Flowers of Fire by Hawon Jung

Korea is still a patriarchal society with rigid gendered standards, and we see this play out through K-pop and fandom constantly. Flowers of Fire is a look at the #MeToo movement that, to my surprise, got pretty good traction in Korea starting in 2018. This isn’t an easy read, but I think it’s vital — Jung’s writing is accessible, and she doesn’t sensationalize or try to appeal to emotions, simply telling the stories of Korean women and telling the truth of what women go through. For example, I’d known for a while how bad the problem of molkas (hidden cameras) were in Korea, but I had no idea how bad. Jung doesn’t shy away from portraying reality, but Flowers of Fire avoids veering into totally hopeless and bleak territory, as Jung highlights the work that women activists have done and continue to do.

Read about the other books on the list.

--Marshal Zeringue

Seven fantasy titles with dangerous alliances and deadly pacts

The son of a librarian, Chris M. Arnone's love of books was as inevitable as gravity. He holds an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Missouri - Kansas City. His cyberpunk series, The Jayu City Chronicles, is available everywhere books are sold.

His work can also be found in Adelaide Literary Magazine and FEED Lit Mag. You can find him writing more books, poetry, and acting in Kansas City.

At Book Riot Arnone tagged seven top fantasy books with dangerous alliances and deadly pacts. One title on the list:

City of Last Chances by Adrian Tchaikovsky

This epic fantasy novel is grand in scale while small in geography, focusing on a single city under harrowing occupation. Every aspect of culture in Ilmar is under the thumb of the occupying force and is being pushed aside. When one of their high officials is killed while venturing into a magical portal, the entire city is upended. Someone is responsible, and a hunt for the killer soon becomes full civil unrest. Alliances shift and break in mere moments throughout this politically complicated

Read about the other entries on the list.

--Marshal Zeringue

Seven books for fans of "The Pitt"

At People magazine senior books editor Lizz Schumer tagged seven books for fans of the HBO medical drama, The Pitt. One title on the list:

While Justice Sleeps by Stacey Abrams

Between her job as a law clerk for Justice Howard Wynn and a difficult family life, Avery Keene is balancing a lot. Things get even more intense once Justice Wynn falls into a coma and Avery discovers that he left specific instructions for her to serve his legal guardian and power of attorney.

As she dives into her role, she finds Wynn’s research on a high-profile merger between a Biotech company and genetics firm that would change medicine completely. As she continues to uncover more secrets, Avery must use Wynn’s research to bring justice to light.

Read about the other titles on the list.

While Justice Sleeps is among Otho Eskin's five novels about the end of democracy and Brittany Bunzey's eight best legal thrillers.

--Marshal Zeringue

Seven titles that complicate stories about the South

Grace Gaynor is a writer from Louisville, Kentucky. She is a Feminist Press apprentice, an editorial intern at Electric Literature, and a reader for Bicoastal Review. She studied English and GWS at Hollins University and earned an MFA in creative writing from Virginia Tech.

At Electric Lit Gaynor tagged seven "books, each of which adds a new texture, layer, and contradiction to the story of what the South really is, will resonate with readers who love and live in deeply complex, complicated places." One title on the list:

Southernmost by Silas House

Garth Greenwell calls Southernmost a “novel of painful, finally revelatory awakening, of fierce love and necessary disaster.” Opening in the midst of a flood of biblical proportions, Southernmost is a story about destruction, prejudice, and forgiveness that follows Asher, an evangelical preacher, as he endures a crisis of faith. As the narrative unfolds, it demonstrates the propensity for change that is possible in the South, how it has the potential to become a place that celebrates and protects its most vulnerable populations.

Read about the other entries on the list.

--Marshal Zeringue

The 25 best historical fiction titles of all time

At Oprah Daily Charley Burlock and Bethanne Patrick tagged the twenty-five "most transportive historical novels across eras and continents, from ancient Greece to 1960s Saigon." One title on the list:

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, by Junot Díaz

Junot Díaz’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel might begin in the early 2000s—an era that’s alarmingly close to qualifying as historical—but it earns its place here through its sweeping portrait of the Dominican Republic in the 1940s and the ghastly Trujillo dictatorship. The de León family is doubly cursed: by the supernatural fukú that stalks their bloodline and by the more concrete horrors of colonialism and tyranny. At its center is Oscar, an endearingly awkward, sci-fi-obsessed dreamer from New Jersey, longing for love and a story of his own. Díaz tells it all in an electrifying voice that crackles with street slang, comic-book bravado, and academic footnotes. You’ll fall in love with the characters and come away knowing more about Dominican history—as well as the intricate rules of Dungeons & Dragons.

Read about the other entries on the list.

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao appears among Renée Branum's seven top novels about family curses, Wajahat Ali's eleven books on loving a country that doesn’t love you back, Carrie V Mullins's eleven favorite unreliable narrators, Saskia Lacey's fifty incredible literary works destined to become classics, Samantha Mabry's five books that carry curses, Susan Barker's top ten novels with multiple narratives, BBC Culture's twelve greatest novels of the 21st century, Emily Temple's fifty greatest debut novels since 1950, Niall Williams's top ten bookworms' tales, Chrissie Gruebel's nine best last lines in literature, Alexia Nader's nine favorite books about unhappy families, Jami Attenberg's top six books with overweight protagonists, Brooke Hauser's six top books about immigrants, Sara Gruen's six favorite books, Paste magazine's list of the ten best debut novels of the decade (2000-2009), and The Millions' best books of fiction of the millenium. The novel is one of Matthew Kaminski's five favorite novels about immigrants in America and is a book that made a difference to Zoë Saldana.

The Page 99 Test: The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao.

--Marshal Zeringue

Five dark academia classics

Christopher J. Yates is the author of the novels Black Chalk, Grist Mill Road, and The Rabbit Club.

Black Chalk was an Indie Next Pick that was also named a best book of the year by NPR, and a “must read” by the Boston Globe, BBC.com, and the New York Post.

Grist Mill Road was an Entertainment Weekly "Must Read" and one of the NPR Book Concierge's "Best Books of the Year."

At Bustle Yates tagged his "five favorite books set in dark, dusty campus corridors. They’re the original dark academia tales...." One title on the list:

Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov

If I could convince just one reader to dive into this remarkable, mazelike novel, I would consider my time on Earth well spent. The story is structured around a poem, named Pale Fire, written by a professor at the fictional Wordsmith College. It contains 999 lines — its author, John Shade, was murdered before he could pen the final sentence. Shade’s neighbor, a fellow Wordsmith professor named Charles Kinbote, is our narrator, having taken it upon himself to interpret the poem on the reader’s behalf. Kinbote is the most fascinating unreliable narrator in the history of literature — a lunatic, a narcissist, and perhaps an exiled king from a land named Zembla. He is also absurdly funny as, page by page, he manages to make Shade’s last poem all about himself.

Read about the other entries on the list.

Pale Fire's John Shade is among John Mullan's ten best fictional poets. The novel appears among Brian Boyd's ten best Vladimir Nabokov books, David J. Peterson 's five best books with invented languages, Jane Harris's five best psychological mysteries and Edward Docx's top ten deranged characters. It is one of Tracy Kidder's six best books as well as the novel Charles Storch would save for last. It is one of "Six Memorable Books About Writers Writing" yet it disappointed Ha Jin upon rereading.

--Marshal Zeringue