Armchair (time) travel
Novels that play with the concept of time always make for an exciting read. Whether you're looking for a Groundhog Day–style time loop, an accidental trip to the past, a romantic Outlander-like experience, or an absorbing mystery, take your pick of the following outstanding reads.
Recently Released
Check out these buzzworthy titles:
Cuyahoga by Pete Beatty
Released October 6
Dear Child by Romy Hausmann
Released October 6
The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson
Released October 6
Missionaries by Phil Klay
Released October 6
Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse
Released October 13
The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow
Released October 13
Ring Shout by P. Djèlí Clark
Released October 13
Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M. Danforth
Released October 20
To Hold Up the Sky by Liu Cixin
Released October 20
The Dead Are Arising by Les Payne
Released October 20
What We're Reading
See what else the Book Geniuses recommend.
The Snow Collectors by Tina May Hall
"When a woman discovers a body clutching pages from a 19th-century diary, she begins a harrowing investigation. The perfect mystery to prepare for the coming winter months." —Emily
Things in Jars by Jess Kidd
"Bridie Devine, a female detective in Victorian England, works to locate a missing girl who has unnatural powers." —Jessica
Ring Shout by P. Djeli Clark
"An inventive and powerful novella about a group of women fighting the reign of terror unleashed by the KKK, who have literally turned into a monster." —Laura
Invisible Girl by Lisa Jewell
"The lives of multiple residents of a London neighborhood intertwine in the investigation into a missing teen girl, taking the reader on a suspenseful trip until a rapid ending!" —Mary
Magic Lessons by Alice Hoffman
" A 'Practical Magic' prequel focusing on ancestor Maria Owens in 1600s Salem when the family curse began." —Gina
Memorial Drive by Natasha Trethewey
"Former U.S. Poet Laureate Natasha Trethewey, winner of a Pulitzer Prize, writes an achingly beautiful memoir. Her stepfather killed her mother and Trethewey explores pain, memory, and trauma by revisiting the past." —Lillian
Bestiary by K-Ming Chang
"Visceral, lyrical, and full of magic: a unique tale that follows the lives of three women from the same Taiwanese-American family." —Emily
A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik
"Set at a not-so-typical magical school where failure means death (quite literally from the monsters roaming the school)." —Gina
Talking to Strangers by Malcolm Gladwell
"A fascinating book about the assumptions we make when talking to strangers, and how we can improve future interactions with strangers." —Jessica
The Distant Dead by Heather Young
"Told through the voices of several residents, a murder consumes a faded small town and a young boy is caught at the center of the mystery." —Laura
The Cold Millions by Jess Walter
"Set in the developing American West of the early 1900s, this story of two brothers explores the harsh lives of laborers as well as the widening disparities between the haves and have-nots." —Mary
The Exiles by Christina Baker Kline
"Engrossing story of female British convicts who are transported to an Australian penal colony in the 1840s." —Anne
Night. Sleep. Death. The Stars. by Joyce Carol Oates
"Oates probes grief, racism, marital discord, and other family issues as a widow and five adult children deal with the unexpected death of the family patriarch." —Lillian
The Lions of Fifth Avenue by Fiona Davis
"Family ties, secrets, and crimes hidden in the history of the iconic New York Public Library come to light." —Anne
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