Our January Lit List
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Hello! New year, new books added to your TBR. If you're looking for some recommendations on which to prioritise, the team shares some books they're currently reading and loving. Every month, look forward to a curated list of titles - from the hard-hitting bestsellers to the underrated gems you might have missed.
In January, we are loving: Asian authors, rainy weather, social media detoxes, girl power, street food, book clubs, performance art, inner healing, healthier eating and whimsical worlds! What are you reading this month?
Look out for these books at a bookstore near you!
A glittering, bold, darkly funny novel about two sisters—one in New York, one in Singapore—who are bound by an ancient secret. Razor-sharp, hilarious, and raw in emotion, Sister Snake explores chosen family, queerness, passing, and the struggle against conformity. Reimagining the Chinese folktale The Legend of the White Snake, this is a novel about being seen for who you are—and, ultimately, how to live free.
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From the New York Times notable author of The Old Woman with the Knife comes a bracingly original story of family, marriage and the cultural expectations of motherhood, about four women whose lives intersect in dramatic and unexpected ways at a government-run apartment complex outside Seoul. A trenchant social novel from an award-winning author, Apartment Women incisively illuminates the unspoken imbalance of women’s parenting labor, challenging the age-old assumption that “it takes a village” to raise a child.
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Villains of Lore #01: Blood of Hercules
The overnight viral sensation, Blood of Hercules, for fans of Rebecca Yarros and Sarah A. Parker, is a sarcastically funny, dark fantasy romance reimagining of Hercules. I’m just a girl. And it turns out, I’m Hercules. I’m struggling to survive in a Titan infested world where Spartans, immortals who have god-like powers and obscene wealth, rule over all. A shy-stammering foster child with nothing, I keep my head down and focus on excelling in school. Then it happens. My blood test reveals I’m part of the powerful elite. I’m one of them. A Spartan. Forced to attend the Spartan War Academy, I undergo the most harrowing test of all time to see if I have what it takes to be an immortal.
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The Hurricane Wars #02: A Monsoon Rising
Two hearts circle each other in the eye of the storm in this highly-anticipated follow-up to the New York Times bestseller, The Hurricane Wars—prepare for more enemies-to-lovers romance, magical adventures, and political schemes in this Southeast Asian-inspired world. After a lifetime of war, Alaric and Talasyn were thrust into an alliance between their homelands that was supposed to end the fighting; however, being married to their sworn foe feels far from peaceful. The Hurricane Wars aren’t over. It’s time to choose what—and who—to fight for. The world holds its breath amidst a whirlwind of new magic and old secrets that could change everything.
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For Gemma's whole life, as far as she knew, all her grandparents—and thus her ties to Taiwanese culture—were dead. Until one day, she learns that her grandfather has just recently passed with a clue to a treasure hunt that Gemma hopes will lead to her inheritance. There's just one major problem: to complete the hunt, she has to go to her grandfather's home in Taiwan. And the only way Gemma can get there is by asking her ex and biggest high-school rival, Xander, for help. Soon Gemma discovers that the treasure hunt is about much more than money—it's about finally learning about her family, her cultural roots, and maybe even finding true love.
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From the author of the New York Times and USA Today Bestselling If He Had Been With Me comes a captivating novel about navigating―and protecting―the loves and friendships that sustain us. Perfect for readers looking for a contemporary teen romance with characters who have a passion for music and performance art. How can Ramona be true to her feelings and herself without losing the very relationships that make her heart sing?
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+ Reading List
Revolutionary Algorithms is a sharp, compelling manifesto on the cultural power of TikTok. In these thoughtful and cogent essays, Akers interrogates how the TikTok ban and the multiple genocides happening around the world are deeply intertwined; how the app can empower creators, amplify social movements, and document abuses of power; and how the popularity of the platform, the development of AI, and an environment of digital censorship have combined to create the socio-political momentum that pushed the ban through Congress. She writes for those who love the app and those who hate it, addressing the good, bad, and sometimes uncanny parts of maneuvering and communicating in a digital space.
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The author of the international bestseller Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before? returns with this highly anticipated follow up, a handbook for dealing with various mental health challenges in the moment they occur—from an evening alone to an anxiety attack to a triggering event—offering “break in case of emergency” advice. In this essential guide, she teaches how to navigate life’s toughest occurrences while they’re happening, rather than moments or even years after the fact. What if we could learn to harness our emotions and stay present in the moment, processing and choosing how to respond to a situation? The possibilities for improving our lives is breathtaking.
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A series of interviews with Noam Chomsky, the world's greatest living public intellectual, about the pressing issues of our time. The interviews in this volume with the world's greatest public intellectual alive, and one of the most cited scholars in modern history. They extend and update discussions on some of the most pressing world problems, such as the climate crisis, the consequences of the ongoing war in Ukraine and the rising nuclear risk, while exploring at the same time the features of the emerging new world order and looking at the dangerous new hot zones around the globe.
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Benji Xavier is beloved by millions of fans for his sardonic humor and enthusiastic approach to cooking, but he’s best known for his creative recipes and realistic approach to healthy eating. By swapping high-calorie ingredients like sugar, full-fat dairy, and fatty meats for healthier, lower-calorie ingredients, he creates lighter versions of your favorite recipes that are delicious but also less calorie dense. Benji's approach to cooking is proof that it's possible to eat leaner and lighter, and also develop a healthier relationship with food.
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