GO BACK TO WHERE YOU CAME FROM by Wajahat Ali published this week to positive media attention. NPR reviewed the book, writing: "Ali doesn't pull any punches when expressing his righteous anger against things like the moderate Muslim trope, mass incarceration, systemic racism, socio-economic inequality, and more. Scathing political commentary about both Republicans and Democrats is supported with requisite data and historical facts. He leavens and seasons all of that skillfully with comedy, popular cultural references from the U.S. and Pakistan, and a deeply warm affection for the family and friends who've always been there for him.” Ali was also interviewed by Jean Guerrero for The Los Angeles Times, who praises the book as “funny and heart-wrenching…Ali’s tale is a hopeful one. It is also a love letter to America, despite many of its citizens giving him the send-off in his title…In the end, Ali’s book is about the power of storytelling to reroute history.” W.W. Norton & Company published the book on January 25, 2022.

GOD: AN ANATOMY by Francesca Stavrakopoulou published this week to critical acclaim. Karen Armstrong reviewed the book for The New York Times, praising it as a “a long, detailed and scrupulously researched book….[that is] packed with knowledge and insight.” Meanwhile, Publishers Weekly awarded the book a starred review, raving: “Biblical scholar Stavrakopoulou convincingly argues for understanding the Christian God as an embodied being in this fascinating comparative mythology...Stavrakopoulou writes with the fluidity of a seasoned storyteller, using ample footnotes, but never getting weighed down by academic jargon. This is a provocative tour de force.” Knopf published the book on January 25, 2022.

Book Passage is hosting a special live virtual event for Charles Cumming on January 20 at 3pm EST to celebrate the publication of BOX 88, where Cumming will appear in conversation with Dan Fesperman to discuss the book. The Mysterious Bookshop will also be holding a virtual live event on January 26 at 4pm EST, where Cumming will appear in conversation with Mick Herron. Mysterious Press published BOX 88 on January 11, 2022.

THE STARS ARE NOT YET BELLS by Hannah Lillith Assadi is one of Lit Hub’s “Most Anticipated Books of 2022.” Lit Hub Book Marks Editor in Chief Dan Sheehan writes: “National Book Foundation 5 Under 25 honoree Hannah Lillith Assadi’s wonderful first novel, Sonora, was one of the most beautifully wrought debuts of recent years, so I’m tremendously excited to read her sophomore effort.” The book was also selected by Zibby Owens for Good Morning America as a must-read title for January. Riverhead Books published the novel on January 11, 2022.

Charles Cumming’s BOX 88, the first book in his new Lachlan Kite series, has received starred reviews from Booklist (“[A] compelling thriller…threading coming-of-age themes into a complex espionage plot …that suggests there will be much more to discover within the recesses of BOX 88”), Kirkus (“The plot…is intricate but coherent, taking readers down a chilling road of recent history, vividly depicted. The result is a believable plot undergirded by complex characters and profound questions. The gold standard in espionage fiction”), and Publishers Weekly (“Well-timed action scenes match focused glimpses into the world of spycraft. This outing cements Cumming’s place in the top rank of espionage writers”). The book has also been named one of Parade’s most anticipated reads for 2022. Mysterious Press will publish BOX 88 on January 11, 2022.

OUT OF OFFICE by Charlie Warzel and Anne Helen Petersen published this week to a wealth of positive press. Warzel and Petersen were interviewed for Entrepreneur Magazine. They also appeared on Good Morning America, and the Vox Conversations podcast, and Petersen appeared on Microsoft’s WorkLab podcast. Bloomberg Businessweek calls the book a “deeply researched tour through America’s broken work landscape” that “[sketches] out a vision of what a better future might look like…[serving] as a prescient, rough guide for how companies and works can have a healthier relationship with each other moving forward.” Lastly, Financial Times praises OUT OF OFFICE as "an impassioned plea for remote working. It will not only make you happier and healthier, but a better friend, member of your local community and more equal partner." Knopf published the book on December 7, 2021.

Adam Soto’s debut novel THIS WEIGHTLESS WORLD published this week to positive acclaim. Kirkus praises Soto’s “finely drawn” characters and “philosophically thorny conflicts,” adding: “Amid the discovery of alien life, [THIS WEIGHTLESS WORLD is] a touching meditation on humanity.” The book also received a glowing blurb from Locus’ Ian Monde: "Soto brilliantly inverts the inherently outward aspect of the first-contact trope—the idea of seeking salvation in the stars—by forcing his characters to look inward, to question their acquiescence on issues like climate change, police brutality, and the smothering influence of Big-Tech...It's precisely Soto's refusal to be 'weighted' down by decades of genre tradition, to instead turn the trope on its head and in doing so remind us that no-one but ourselves is coming to save us, that makes THIS WEIGHTLESS WORLD such an exciting and radical novel." Astra House published the book on November 9, 2021.

Publishers Weekly awarded BOX 88 by Charles Cumming a starred review, proclaiming: “[An] excellent spy thriller from bestseller Cumming…Well-timed action scenes match focused glimpses into the world of spycraft. This outing cements Cumming’s place in the top rank of espionage writers.” Harper Collins will publish the book on January 1, 2021.

Celebrated poet Yrsa Daley-Ward’s first work of prose, THE HOW, received a stunning review from Nayantara Dutta for NPR. She raves: “I have followed Daley-Ward’s poetry for years, through her books and popular Instagram page – for its tenderness and warmth…[THE HOW] feels like a meditation and a guide, a therapy session and a cup of chamomile tea…This is a book to be taken in slowly, in the minutes before bedtime, or to return to in times of need. It's a map that takes us from where we are to where we want to be, and has helped me feel hopeful and prepared to start the journey.” Yrsa Daley-Ward spoke with Rachel Cargle on November 3 in a virtual event sponsored by The Strand and Elizabeth Bookshop & Writing Center to promote the book. She also spoke at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow on November 1, where she delivered an electric new poem to open the proceedings. In the poem, Daley-Ward exhorted world leaders to hold themselves accountable for the outcomes of the conference: “Nothing will be saved without you. It is important to begin with the fact. This is your invitation to lead with light.” Penguin Books published THE HOW on November 2, 2021.

Alan Cumming spoke with Anthony Mason of CBS News about his new memoir, BAGGAGE, which details his Hollywood career. The book also received a glowing blurb from Nigella Lawson: “Everything that makes Alan Cumming so engaging as a person and a performer - his cleverness, kindness, charm, wildness and, above all, authenticity - shines from every page of this wonderful, witty and wise book.” Dey Street Books published the memoir on October 26, 2021.