These Are The Eight Books That I Caught HuffPost Editors Reading

Writer Naira Kuzmich was a young MFA graduate and Ph.D. candidate when she died at only 29 of lung cancer. Her short story collection, “In Everything I See Your Hand,” was published in 2022, several years after her death in 2017, and stands as a testament to the talent lost. Her stories are full of lines with the sort of intensity and striking vigor veteran writers dream of. This short book contains 10 stories about the experiences and lives of immigrants living within the Little Armenia neighborhood of Los Angeles.

“It's one of the most captivating reads I've had in years. Kuzmich captures the stories of the mosaic Armenian American immigrant community in Los Angeles with candor, compassion, wit and sharp insight. Her examination of the human experience echoes that of John Steinbeck and William Saroyan; her characters come to life on the page as they navigate familial ties, loss, regret and resilience alongside generational trauma, memory, displacement and futurity. Kuzmich's death at 29 is a profound loss for the literary community and makes her stunning collection that much more remarkable and important.” — Haley Zovickian, shopping writer

In the beginning there was Adam and Eve — at least that’s how some of the creation tales begin. But even before Eve, there was another created woman who lived in the Garden of Eden with Adam named Lilith. Except Lilith didn’t want to serve Adam and believed them to be equals. Thus her refusal to play submissive to Adam cost her eternity in Paradise. But before her banishment, Lilith took a bit of fruit from the Tree of Knowledge and is now gifted with wisdom and the ability to see the cruelties around her, notably the truth about God’s wife, Asherah, who is missing. Lilith will stop at nothing to right the wrongs done to her, Eve, Asherah and the other women she encounters throughout time who have been villainized and discarded like she was.

“I am getting back into my reading routine with ‘Lilith’ by Nikki Marmery. It's a retelling of the biblical story from the villain's perspective. Following the character through ancient history possessing a very current feminist mindset has been a highly enjoyable read so far.” — Adam Schubak, growth strategist

In an unnamed wealthy Northeastern beach town, Alex retreats for the summer. She’s a call girl who agreed to spend the month of August with a man she recently met named Simon. He’s a wealthy middle-aged man who feels entitled to date the 20-something Alex, except he has no clue what she actually does for work. While staying in the affluent enclave, Alex notes everything about the place and people living there. She observes how completely unguarded the residents seem to be and the degree of smugness with which they leave their homes unlocked, their beach bags unattended, and the keys to cars laid out in the open. But during a party one evening, Alex’s facade slips and Simon decides to send her away. Except Alex has nowhere to go, and instead of boarding a train back into the city, she quickly cons her way into joining another group en route to that idyllic and carefree beach town where she hopes she can get a piece of all that glittering wealth for herself.

“I'm in the middle of ‘The Guest’ by Emma Cline right now! I'm definitely behind on the craze because I feel like it was big last year, but I feel like we’re in an era right now of ‘scamming the rich’ stories and I’m loving this one so far — normalize messy and problematic women!” — Alexandra Niforos, operations associate

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Colson Whitehead’s creative and original story follows Ray Carney, a self-made man who’s “just a little bent when it comes to being crooked.” He’s the owner of his own furniture store on 125th Street in Harlem, but despite his legitimate business operation, he can’t seem to escape the profitable, if not dangerous, criminal underground of the city, nor his lineage to a notable hustler. Carney’s life takes a turn following his accidental involvement with a heist at the famed Hotel Theresa, a historically vibrant landmark known as the “Waldorf of Harlem.” His lucrative double life continues to evolve against a backdrop of a 1960s New York that’s reeling with racism, corrupt cops and a cast of dubious, yet vibrant, characters whom Carney has no choice but to do business with.

“I’m a big proponent of multilayered novels that use an engaging plot as a way to drive home deeper meanings, and Whitehead has so expertly done that with this book. What initially seems like a nail-biting heist novel reveals itself as a social commentary on racial dynamics and generational wealth. I appreciate the way Whitehead weaves the story in a way that’s not entirely linear, revealing characters and backstory like dropped clues, and how he’s managed to craft such a rich and immersive glimpse into Harlem culture during the ’50s and ’60s.” — Tessa Flores, shopping writer

Brilliantly complex, well-researched and radically contemporary, Selby Wynn Schwartz’s “After Sappho,” is a defiant and imaginative debut. The author uses a collection of vignettes that are both historical and fictionalized to play with the lives of famous Sapphists, pulling them into new stories to create something that’s radically contemporary, brilliantly complex and defiant. The stories feature some of the world’s most well-known lesbians from the 1800s through the late 1920s, with appearances by Virginia Woolf, Gertrude Stein, Sarah Bernhardt and many more. Schwartz leans on literary references to the Roman myths of Cassandra, and historical nods to Sappho, who was one of the very few Greek poets of antiquity — both characters she uses as the leading feminist voices throughout the novel. It begins with the narrator announcing that the “first thing we did was change our names. We were going to be Sappho,” setting up a non-linear collection of stories from women who are fighting for their creative, intellectual and bodily freedom.

“It's been a while since I've read a vignette-style book and was skeptical when I first picked up ‘After Sappho.’ I'm surprised at how quickly it has drawn me in and how richly it is able to convey so many different historical women's stories while seemingly weaving them into one. I'm about halfway through and can't put it down!” — Lourdes Avila Uribe, senior shopping writer

Author Ali Hazelwood, who has a Ph.D. in neuroscience, is best known for her nerdcore romance series “The Love Hypothesis,” but in February, she published “Bride,” her first foray into the “romantasy” genre. The novel follows the vampire Misery Lark, who had been traded as a hostage in a human-vampire treaty in order to keep the peace between the two species. Being raised within the human territories as a vampire from a very high-ranking family meant that Misery never quite fit in with either group. But when her fellow foster sister and the one human she does care for goes missing, she willingly becomes a part of a new exchange, between the werewolves and vampires. Misery suspects her best friend is in the were territory, and agrees to marry the alpha of the werewolf pack in order to infiltrate what she believes to be enemy lands. What she isn’t banking on is that the Prime Werewolf, whom she meets on their wedding day, is actually a strikingly handsome, kind and intelligent man.

“I devoured this book in two days. This is the first book by Ali Hazelwood I’ve read, but won’t be the last. It’s sexy, funny and quirky in a way only a scientist and romance author can deliver. Hazelwood’s experiment into paranormal romance is a success!” — Emily Bond, HuffPost Books contributor

Keith Haring was one of the defining artists of the 1980s New York art scene and would go on to become an international figure that took on an almost prophetic-like and mystical status. The artist, known for his bold and bright contemporary work, lived an exuberant and fascinating life, befriending and brushing shoulders with the likes of Jean-Michel Basquiat, Madonna, Andy Warhol and other visionaries. Brad Gooch’s biography of the late artist, “Radiant: The Life and Line of Keith Haring,” is a sweeping study of Haring’s life and work from early childhood and adolescence to the underground graffiti art scene of New York and eventually on to his pop culture success.

“Most of us have seen Keith Haring's work, but who was he really? How did he spin the bold, whimsical doodles he plastered across New York City into pop art superstardom? And what did we lose when he died of AIDS just a few years into his fame? Gooch does a beautiful job of uncovering the man behind the beloved graffiti and offers us the first truly intimate look at one of the most important artists of the 20th century.” — Noah Michelson, editorial director of HuffPost Personals

Did the ill-fated Marie Antoinette actually proclaim, “Let them eat cake,” or was she always doomed to be remembered in history as the flamboyant and frivolous queen of France? There were many scandals and whispers about the Austrian-born Marie who would be thrust into the Parisian courts like a curiosity, and ultimately a scapegoat for an aristocracy that had long subjugated the lower classes. Antonia Frasier’s biography is a highly detailed and fascinating portrait of the once-privileged queen, distinguishing the propaganda from the truth, all the way through to Antoinette’s brutal end.

“I’m only mildly embarrassed to say I was inspired by Sofia Coppola's coffee table book to pick up this (some might say) definitive modern biography of Marie Antoinette by Antonia Fraser. It was Coppola's inspiration for her film, and it's easy to see why. Fraser deftly captures the essence of Versailles and Marie Antoinette, painting a sympathetic yet honest portrait of a young woman living in circumstances that were largely out of her control. It's insightful and, while slightly daunting in size, a very worthwhile read for any history lover.” — Uribe