BROTHER, SISTER, MOTHER, EXPLORER by Jamie Figueroa was shortlisted for the 32nd Annual Reading the West Book Award, in the Debut Fiction category. The winners will be announced on June 7 via a virtual ceremony on Zoom. Catapult published the novel on March 2, 2021.

PARIS IS A PARTY, PARIS IS A GHOST by David Hoon Kim was shortlisted for the VCU Cabell First Novelist Award. Farrar, Straus and Giroux published the novel on August 3, 2021.

THE FINAL REVIAL OF OPAL & NEV by Dawnie Walton was shortlisted for the VCU Cabell First Novelist Award. 37 Ink published the novel on March 30, 2021.

HOW YOU GET FAMOUS by Nicole Pasulka received a starred review from Booklist. Reviewer Emily Dziuban writes: “Like its subjects, this first book by journalist Pasulka is a national treasure. Authentically, sensitively, and expansively recording the personal and sociopolitical realities of drag in Brooklyn from 2011 to 2021, this compendium preserves the people, places, and evolving culture that made drag famous…The book’s impressively broad lens is matched by its zoom-in on the details of drag. Readers will learn drag-specific lexicon and cultural competencies that make this subculture unlike any other and influential beyond any expectations.” Simon & Schuster will publish the book on June 7, 2022.

The Irish Times wrote a glowing review for VERY COLD PEOPLE by Sarah Manguso. Reviewer Mary O’Donnell writes: “Manguso has written a delicately controlled, subtle novel which never shouts its horror. The tone is understated, the writing etched and therefore powerful. Gradually, memorably, she reveals the vipers in the social and familial undergrowth.” Hogarth published the novel on February 8, 2022.

Rebecca Stott’s debut novel DARK EARTH received a starred review from Publishers Weekly. They rave: “Stott follows up the memoir IN THE DAYS OF RAIN with an impressive narrative set in the aftermath of the Roman Empire…Stott concretely captures the brutality of the women’s world, their deep resourcefulness, and the power of the stories that sustain and endanger them. This is a memorable achievement.” Random House will publish the novel on July 19, 2022.

Danielle Steel’s latest novel, BEAUTIFUL, will make its debut on the New York Times Bestseller list for the week of May 8, 2022. It will debut at number 2 on both the Hardcover Fiction and the Combined Print & E-book Fiction lists. Delacorte Press published the book on April 19, 2022.

THE FINAL REVIVAL OF OPAL & NEV by Dawnie Walton is the winner of the 2022 Aspen Words Literary Prize. The prize jury raves: “As innovative in form as it is soulful in delivery, THE FINAL REVIVAL OF OPAL & NEV is a dazzling exploration of the spectacular and eerie complications of the way race, gender and punk rock necessarily collide…Dawnie Walton blurs the lines between revelation and realization in a book that witnesses, and really undulates under, the weight of professional and personal secrets, while picking away at the very real desire for American progress with few substantial models for reciprocal American reckoning.” The novel was also featured on The Seattle Times’ list of must-read paperbacks for spring, and lauded by Danyel Smith in her interview with The New Yorker: “[THE FINAL REVIVAL OF OPAL & NEV] is just – the genius of that book is not lifted up high enough.” 37 Ink published the book on March 30, 2021.

The audio edition of VANDERBILT by Anderson Cooper was included on Booklist’s “Listen Up: Long Summer Listens” feature, as one of three titles in the “Family Epic” bundle. Heather Booth writes: “Finish the summer with Anderson Cooper’s family retrospective about how ‘no one can make money evaporate into air like a Vanderbilt’ and you may find yourself more appreciative of simple summer pleasures unencumbered by fame and fortune.” Harper published the book on September 21, 2021.

Tomi Obaro’s highly anticipated DELE WEDS DESTINY received a glowing review from Booklist. Reviewer Enobong Tommelleo writes: “Obaro’s debut novel immerses the reader in the highs and lows of being a Nigerian. She skillfully provides enough context for readers outside of the culture while also writing for Nigerian readers who will see themselves, their mothers, and their aunties in the three protagonists. The three women are complex characters with satisfying arcs, and each displays a different aspect of the diverse groups that make up Nigerian society. But the beauty of the novel lies in their friendship and the complexities of the mother-daughter relationships. A perfect choice for fans of Tayari Jones and Bernardine Evaristo.” Knopf will publish the novel on June 28, 2022.