Arabelle Sicardi’s essay collection THE HOUSE OF BEAUTY launched this week to great acclaim. Sicardi sat down for a Q&A with Ms. Magazine, discussing how “beauty is a labor issue,” and was a guest on the Trust Me podcast. Excerpts from the collection appeared in Allure and Business of Fashion. Sicardi has now embarked on a multi-city book tour that includes stops at Books are Magic in Brooklyn and “perfume swaps” in New York and LA. Norton published THE HOUSE OF BEAUTY on October 14, 2025.

Kim Willis’ NO FAIR MAIDENS was announced in The Bookseller this week, who reported the 11-way auction that preceded the sale. NO FAIR MAIDENS “recounts [Willis’] journey through the oldest mythologies of Great Britain, bringing magical heroines to the fore who restore our strength, wonder and connection to the place we call home.” Interviewed for the article, Willis said: “NO FAIR MAIDENS isn’t just a rejection of the false stories that suppress female power. It’s a rallying cry to all women, across the ages, who dare to live differently; offering us a mandala of wild heroines born of this soil, who together can guide our path and reawaken the spirit of the land. The fact we don’t know our own mythology tells us that some crime has occurred here. It’s time we shared that wisdom once again.” Doubleday UK will publish the book in 2026.

David McCullough’s posthumous collection, HISTORY MATTERS, is drawing wide acclaim ahead of its publication next week. Publishers Weekly praises it as “an enjoyable and warmhearted valedictory hymn to the American spirit,” while the Associated Press calls it “an enjoyable complement to McCullough’s canon” and a reminder of why he was “one of the greatest historians of our time.” The Boston Globe writes: “In his previous books, McCullough is delivering a classroom lecture… In this collection, he is at your dinner table, talking over a plate of asparagus and passing the butter.” National Review emphasizes McCullough’s belief that “knowledge of history was foundational for citizenship and patriotism,” and the Washington Examiner deems it “a delightful primer” for those anticipating America’s 250th anniversary. LitHub featured the book among its “Most Anticipated of 2025,” while Wall Street Journal columnist Peggy Noonan commended its “seriousness and simplicity” that “make for beauty.” Lastly, a warm review from Kirkus reads: “McCullough made a fine career of storytelling his way through past events and the great men (and occasional woman) of long-ago American history. In that regard, to say nothing of his eschewing modern technology in favor of the typewriter (‘I love the way the bell rings every time I swing the carriage lever’), he might be thought of as belonging to a past age himself. In this set of occasional pieces, including various speeches and genial essays on what to read and how to write, he strikes a strong tone as an old-fashioned moralist…At his best here, McCullough uses history as a way to orient thinking about the present, and with luck to good ends: ‘I am a short-range pessimist and a long-range optimist. I sincerely believe that we may be on the way to a very different and far better time.’ A pleasure for fans of old-school historical narratives.” HISTORY MATTERS will be published by Simon & Schuster on September 16, 2025.

Leigh Radford’s debut novel ONE YELLOW EYE recently published to glowing reviews. Chicago Review of Books included it on their list of “12 Must Read Books of July 2025,” writing: “Leigh Radford has crafted a book that offers both chills and heartbreaking moments.” Daily Mail also recommends the novel for summer: “Setting this zombie story apart is its deep dive into the mysteries of the human heart. Gripping, grisly and wonderfully written.” ONE YELLOW EYE was published by Gallery Books on July 15, 2025.

Ling Ling Huang’s new novel, IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, is receiving lots of praise ahead of its highly anticipated release. BookPage has given it a starred review, calling it “a frightening, enlightening powerhouse of a book.” In a review for Shelf Awareness, editor Elizabeth DeNoma writes: “IMMACULATE CONCEPTION is a dazzlingly ambitious feat of storytelling…Huang's style is as captivating and distinctive as the story itself, with incisive prose that is alternately evocative, funny, and caustic…a simmering rumination on covetousness, resilience, and atonement…[It] is a virtuosic work beaming the spectrum of human emotions through a prism of indifferent technology.” The book also received a nod on Shelf Awareness’ “Reading with…” feature with Kevin Nguyen, who calls it a “ twistily structured send-up of the art world.” Goodreads recommends the book to viewers of SEVERANCE on its “What to Read Based on Your Pop Culture Obsessions” round up. Elle and Reader’s Digest featured the book on their must-read lists for 2025. Lastly, the novel is a May Book Club Pick for both Aardvark Book Club and The Good Housekeeping Book Club. IMMACULATE CONCEPTION will be published by Dutton on May 13, 2025.

Ahead of publication, Ling Ling Huang’s IMMACULATE CONCEPTION is receiving high praise. Booklist has given it a starred review, where Cari Dubiel writes: “Huang’s sophomore outing is just as brilliant and unsettling as NATURAL BEAUTY…[She] is a master of mixing the speculative with the contemporary, harnessing near-future possibilities to show us just how far humanity will go to achieve the impossible while ignoring very real consequences.” The novel was featured on best new books of spring round ups by Bustle and Harper’s Bazaar. The Portland Tribune also covered the upcoming release in a digital article. IMMACULATE CONCEPTION will be published by Dutton on May 13, 2025.

James Comey’s third book in his Nora Carleton series, FDR DRIVE, received a starred review in Publishers Weekly with the following praise: “Comey’s ripped-from-the-headlines plot…never loses steam. This proves that Comey the crime novelist is here to stay.” The novel will be published by Mysterious Press on May 20, 2025.

SEE FRIENDSHIP by Jeremy Gordon received praise from The New York Times Book Review: “Gordon’s smart novel on the warping effects of nostalgia and technology asks us to follow some Forsterian advice from a century ago: Only connect.” Upon its release, the debut novel was featured on Book Riot’s “New Releases and More for March 4, 2025,” Literary Hub’s “Laila Lalami! Alanis Morissette! 24 new books out today,” Town & Country’s “The 49 Must-Read Books of Spring 2025,” and Chicago Review of Books’ “12 Must-Read Books of March 2025.” Furthermore, Jeremy Gordon discussed “Grief, Connection, And His Novel ‘SEE FRIENDSHIP’” with Defector Media and “Media Jobs, Male Loneliness, and Modern Malaise” with Interview Magazine. SEE FRIENDSHIP was published on March 4, 2025 by Harper Perennial.

Advance praise for THE BOMBSHELL by Darrow Farr includes blurbs from Chang-Rae Lee, who calls it “sexy, kinetic and dazzling” and “an amazing, unforgettable novel”; Adam Johnson, who praises it as “lush, cinematic and propulsive[…]filled with sex, violence, glamor and a true revolutionary spirit. It’s a towering literary achievement. THE BOMBSHELL is certain to be the debut of the year, a true must-read”; Gabriela Garcia, who hails it as “[A]n electrifying exploration of personal and political revolution… [A] complex, unflinching portrait of youthful transformation and the dangerous allure of fame that announces Darrow Farr as an exciting new voice to watch”; and Emma Knight, who declares: “THE BOMBSHELL will explode into your psyche and keep you happily captive until the last word. Farr’s complicated heroine, by turns overconfident and touchingly vulnerable, will force you to constantly reassess your convictions. I didn’t want this fascinating, nuanced, beautifully drawn novel to end.” Publishers Lunch also selected the novel as one of its “Buzz Books 2025: Spring/Winter” list picks. THE BOMBSHELL will be published by Pamela Dorman Books on May 27, 2025.

THE TELLER OF SMALL FORTUNES by Julie Leong is celebrating a highly successful release. The debut novel is #16 on the Indie Bestseller trade paperback fiction list and #118 on USA Today’s Best-selling Booklist. Since publication, it has also been featured on a number of round ups, including Parades’ “The 22 Best New Book Releases This Week: Nov. 5-11, 2024,” Goodreads’ “6 New Books Recommended by Readers This Week,” Screen Rant’s “10 Biggest Fantasy Books Coming Out in November 2024,” Paste Magazine’s “The Best New Fantasy Books of November 2024,” Book Riot’s “The Best New Books of November 2024, According to Indie Booksellers” and finally, Library Journal’s “Book Pulse (Librarians and Booksellers Suggest).” Ace published the book on November 5, 2024.