Elizabeth McCracken, Olga Tokarczuk, Olivia Nuzzi, and more: 22 new books out today!

December marks the winding down of the year’s releases, but there’s still a lot to be excited by. Elizabeth McCracken has released a craft memoir, a gift to anyone who isn’t lucky enough to be her student at Michener. Olga Tokarczuk’s new novel is coming out to many a rave review already. And, yes, Olivia Nuzzi’s memoir is already dominating the discourse… because who amongst us isn’t curious?

There are many more new releases to choose from below, so happy December to you all, and happy reading!

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Elizabeth McCracken, A Long Game: Notes on Writing Fiction
(Ecco)

“The book is intellectually rigorous with its philosophical and artistic deliberations on the art of fiction writing, and it is also full of tender humor, understanding, and respect for writers at any stage of their careers.”
–Yiyun Li

Olga Tokarczuk, trans. by Antonia Lloyd-Jones, House of Day, House of Night
(Riverhead)

“The book is at once simpler and, at the same time, infinitely more complex than it at first appears. An exquisitely constructed, mercurial gem.”
–Kirkus

Olivia Nuzzi, American Canto
(Avid Reader Press)

“A mesmerizing firsthand account of the warping of American reality over the past decade as Donald Trump has risen to dominance—from a participatory witness who got so far inside the distortion field that it swallowed her whole.”
–From the publisher

Lauren Rothery, Television
(Ecco)

“A timely and timeless novel for readers of Joan Didion and Gary Indiana. An excellent first book.”
–Stephanie Wambugu

Sudhir Hazareesingh, Daring to Be Free: Rebellion and Resistance of the Enslaved in the Atlantic World
(FSG)

“A revelatory history of enslaved people’s resistance and self-emancipation, across the Atlantic world and beyond.”
–From the publisher

Matt Greene, The Definitions
(Holt)

“Brilliant and revelatory … The story is thoroughly satisfying, as controlled and complete as a perfectly crafted sentence.”
–Shelf Awareness

Christoffer Carlsson, trans. by Rachel Willson-Broyles, The Living and the Dead
(Hogarth)

“I just don’t know anyone else who writes quite like this. All the makings of a page-turning thriller, but with an emotional depth that is truly rare.”
–Frederik Backman

John Darnielle, This Year: 365 Songs Annotated
(MCD)

“An illuminated manuscript. These songs, released from their recordings, stand even more vividly as stories: self-contained, richly colored, extending their private inks into the wider world.”
–Patricia Lockwood

Ingvild Rishøi, trans. by Diane Oatley, Winter Stories
(Grove)

“The past meets the present as promises, regrets, and betrayals intertwine; relationships that are over but not forgotten surface for characters tracing the choices that led to their current crucible moments—all while Rishøi finds light amid the darkness of a Norwegian winter.”
–Booklist

Justine Champine, Needle Lake
(Dial Press)

“Needle Lake is girlhood at its most chillingly relatable … Beautiful and deliberate prose pulses like an invigorating nightmare.”
–Marissa Higgins

Samuel Miller McDonald, Progress: How One Idea Built Civilization and Now Threatens to Destroy It
(St. Martin’s Press)

“This is a wise book, and hopefully its wisdom will rub off.”
–Bill McKibben

Tarpley Hitt, Barbieland: The Unauthorized History
(Atria)

“More than the story of a toy, Barbieland is the story of the twentieth century. As fun as it is informative—you’ll never look at a doll the same way.”
–Malcolm Harris

Matthew Pearl, The Award
(Harper)

“With cheek and wit, Pearl delivers a serpentine-coiled plot and convincing characters that make this novel hard to put down.”
–Library Journal

Daniel Maurer, The Future of Travel
(Melville House)

“A rare combination of meticulous research and engaging readability.”
–Dean MacCannell

Peter Handke, trans. by Krishna Winston, The Ballad of the Last Guest
(FSG)

“Perceptive…a dense and thorough exploration of one man’s grappling with change and loss … Enlightening.”
–Publishers Weekly

Neil Shea, Frostlines: A Journey Through Entangled Lives and Landscapes in a Warming Arctic
(Ecco)

“A captivating exploration of the Arctic … Shea sketches moving scenes in lyrical prose that emphasizes the interconnectedness of living things.”
–Publishers Weekly

Tory Henwood Hoen, Before I Forget
(St. Martin’s Press)

“Hoen crafts a moving tale of family, heartache, and the connections that endure.”
–Booklist

Trent Preszler, Evergreen: The Trees That Shaped America
(Algonquin)

“Preszler’s well-researched and often poignant account is strewn with intriguing trivia. History and nature buffs alike will find much to enjoy.”
–Publishers Weekly

Lovell Holder, The Book of Luke
(Grand Central)

“A novel of quiet growth and resiliency against the wild and propulsive backdrop of reality TV. The most fun you’ll have reading all year.”
–Steven Rowley

Davey Davis, Casanova 20, or Hot World
(Catapult)

“Davey Davis is a master of moods, beauty rippling into unease like—as in one of Davis’s own metaphors—a firework display reflected on dark and shifting water.”
–Torrey Peters

Gareth Russell, The Six Loves of James I
(Atria)

“Gareth Russell cannot write an uninteresting book … James is that most interesting of men—one whose best acts contribute to his own destruction. It is a warts and all story told with compassion.”
–Philippa Greggory

Fátima Vélez, trans. by Hannah Kauders, Galapagos
(Astra)

“Vélez stuns with her corporeal descriptions and baroque literary allusions. This is a knockout.”
–Publishers Weekly