- The Confessions of Frannie Langton, Sara Collins: Well-paced, and the elements of the plot slowly builds up to the ending.
- Recipe for Persuasion, Sonali Dev: This is being billed as a rom-com but for me, it wasn’t as funny as I expected. Still good, but set your expectations appropriately.
- Small Days and Nights, Tishani Doshi: Quiet and introspective. The writing definitely puts you in the mood for the story.
- Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line, Deepa Anappra: A sad story lightened only by being told through the eyes of a child.
- Waste Tide, Chen Qiufan (translated by Ken Liu): The concept and main plot points were really interesting, but overpowered by the level of technical detail the writing went into at points. This was a struggle to get through and I almost didn’t finish it.
- The Glass Hotel, Emily St. John Mandel: I will absolutely be re-reading this at some point. Her writing is so absorbing and the story weaves around itself in a satisfying way. If you never picked up her last novel, Station Eleven, definitely give this one a try. (Now is maybe not a great time to read Station Eleven for the first time.)
If you only read one: Hands down, The Glass Hotel. Worth buying if your library’s holds list is too long.