17 paperbacks coming out this February.

Literature
Katie Yee

February 2, 2023, 11:04am

All hail the paperback release.

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Free Love

Tessa Hadley, Free Love
(Harper Perennial, February 7)

The HarperCollins Union has been on strike since November 10, 2022. Literary Hub stands in solidarity with the union. Please consider donating to the strike fund.

“The stories of break and repair in this novel are wonderfully unpredictable.”
–Minneapolis Star Tribune

Jessamine Chan, The School for Good Mothers
(Simon & Schuster / Mary Sue Rucci Books, February 7)

“Jessamine Chan’s infuriatingly timely debut novel, The School for Good Mothers, takes this widely accepted armchair quarterbacking of motherhood and ratchets it up to the level of a surveillance state … chilling … clever.”
–The New York Times

Weike Wang, Joan Is Okay
(Random House, February 7)

“Wang has created a compelling character, utterly distinct, and the novel is carried by her dispassionate, clear-eyed, and often drily amusing narration.”
–Harper’s

Kris Manjapra, Black Ghost of Empire

Kris Manjapra, Black Ghost of Empire
(Scribner, February 7)

Black Ghost of Empire is a historical, literary masterpiece, which feels like the wrong word to describe a book so tangibly useful and appropriately terrifying.”
–Kiese Laymon

Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson

Isabel Wilkerson, Caste
(Random House, February 14)

“A trailblazing work on the birth of inequality … Caste offers a forward-facing vision. Bursting with insight and love, this book may well help save us.”
–O, the Oprah Magazine

Courtney Maum, The Year of the Horses: A Memoir

Courtney Maum, The Year of the Horses
(Tin House, February 14)

“Maum’s journey of healing and salvation in reconnecting to equine culture—including riding lessons and pursuing competitive polo—is wittily engaging and uncompromisingly forthright.”
–Shelf Awareness

groundskeeping

Lee Cole, Groundskeeping
(Vintage, February 14)

“Cole has a sharp eye for the way physical surroundings reflect their inhabitants’ characters and circumstance.”
–The Washington Post

Leonard Mlodinow, Emotional: How Feelings Shape Our Thinking

Leonard Mlodinow, Emotional
(Vintage, February 14)

“Most of this smart, trim volume is about the science of emotion rather than how to use it, but he doesn’t miss the opportunity to dole out advice and provide opportunities for self-reflection.”
–The Wall Street Journal

Anne Tyler, French Braid
(Vintage, February 21)

“Captivating … The rich melody of French Braid offers the comfort of a beloved hymn.”
–The Washington Post

Lucy Foley_The Paris Apartment

Lucy Foley, The Paris Apartment
(William Morrow, February 21)

The HarperCollins Union has been on strike since November 10, 2022. Literary Hub stands in solidarity with the union. Please consider donating to the strike fund.

“With characters suspicious and unlikable in their own way and a fun twist, you’re in for a dark and moody escape.”
–NPR

Jeanette Winterson, 12 Bytes
(Grove Press, February 21)

“Through well-paced and articulate prose, Winterson makes granular tech know-how remarkably accessible … This is full of insight.”
–Publishers Weekly

in love_amy bloom

Amy Bloom, In Love
(Random House, February 21)

“Bloom has a talent for mixing the prosaic and profound, the slapstick and the serious, which makes the book, despite its depressing subject matter, a pleasure to read.”
–USA Today

noviolet bulawayo glory

NoViolet Bulawayo, Glory
(Viking, February 28)

“An absurd yet captivating examination of themes such as toxic masculinity, hero worship, and performative change.”
–TIME

Sarah Moss, The Fell

Sarah Moss, The Fell 
(Picador, February 28)

“The astonishing thing is that Moss can write so compassionately about human frailty while her own work is as close to perfect as a novelist’s can be.”
–The Sunday Times

Pankaj Mishra, Run and Hide

Pankaj Mishra, Run and Hide
(Picador, February 28)

“Mishra is a masterful eyewitness to the modern world, equally unafraid of nuance, earnestness and absurdity.”
–San Francisco Chronicle

Sara Nović, True Biz

Sara Nović, True Biz
(Random House, February 28)

“A coming-of-age story that explores the complexities of community and the ways in which language defines us.”
–Kirkus

marlowe

John Banville, Marlowe
(Holt McDougal, February 28)

“It’s vintage L.A., toots … The results are Chandleresque, sure, but you can see Banville’s sense of fun.”
–The Washington Post

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