February 2026 – Under the Eye of the Big Bird by Hiromi Kawakami

For February something briefer but profound, a book that maintains a lightness while contemplating grave and wondrous futures.

‘Hiromi Kawakami’s Under the Eye of the Big Bird, a novel in stories translated from Japanese by Asa Yoneda, is a masterpiece of speculative fiction. Few books hold attention the way this one does, resonating with both the present moment and fears of a perhaps not-too-distant future. It is an intimate, complex, and raw exploration of what it means to be human, of the strengths and weaknesses of the species, and what that means for our survival and our extinction. . . '– Justine Payton, The Master’s Review

Hiromi Kawakami’s Under the Eye of the Big Bird tells the story of humanity’s evolution on an epic scale that spans as far into the future as the human imagination could possibly allow. In each of its chapters, separated by eons but gracefully unified under the crystalline clarity of Asa Yoneda’s seemingly timeless translation, a variegated cast of posthuman characters each interrogate what it means to be not an individual or a nation but an entire species, that unit of being we currently and urgently struggle so much to grasp, much to the cost to the planet we live on and our own survival.

January 2026 – Moon Witch Spider King by Marlon James

Our longer than typical January pick and the start to a quarter of genre fiction is Marlon James' Moon Witch Spider King, the sequel to one of the most loved and most challenging books of my pre-pandemic book club. The following pull quote proposes a theory I agree with and want to test out:

“More than 1,200 pages into James’ trilogy, one thing is clear: Moon Witch, Spider King is even better than Black Leopard, Red Wolf. . . .Not only could you read Moon Witch, Spider King first without missing a beat; it might even be a better introduction to James’ world.”—AV Club

So let's dive in midway to this Rashomon-style tale told thrice with its middle installment, and join me in longing for the still unannounced third and final volume (though perhaps it too will be structured such that it could be a first entry).

“James is such a ferociously powerful and fast-paced storyteller that one rarely has time to worry about the grander scheme of the plot. . . .Galvanized by a vernacular writing style modeled on the oral tradition of African griots, the scenes are ribald, declamatory, and quick to confrontation. Events are so crazed and swirling they become almost hallucinatory [...]” —The Wall Street Journal

“This is work that both meets the immersive worldbuilding standard in books by Tolkien and Martin and brings to the genre a voice unlike anything seen before. . . .” —The Boston Globe

In Black Leopard, Red Wolf, Sogolon the Moon Witch proved a worthy adversary to Tracker as they clashed across a mythical African landscape in search of a mysterious boy who disappeared. In Moon Witch, Spider King, Sogolon takes center stage and gives her own account of what happened to the boy, and how she plotted and fought, triumphed and failed as she looked for him. It’s also the story of a century-long feud—seen through the eyes of a 177-year-old witch—that Sogolon had with the Aesi, chancellor to the king. It is said that Aesi works so closely with the king that together they are like the eight limbs of one spider. Aesi’s power is considerable—and deadly. It takes brains and courage to challenge him, which Sogolon does for reasons of her own.

October 26th 2025 – Yan Vol. 1 by Chang Sheng

A standout of Taiwan’s rising comics scene, Yan Vol. 1 is a genre-bending journey from master storyteller Chang Sheng. The echoes of Peking Opera performances 30 years past linger in the shadows of a story that unfolds across eras—starting with a tragedy in the richly detailed world of late 20th-century Taiwan, stepping into the present day, and glimmering with the foreboding rise of a dystopian tomorrow.

September 21st 2025 – The Empusium by Olga Tokarczuk

September 1913. A young Pole suffering from tuberculosis arrives at a health resort in the Silesian mountains. Every evening the residents gather to imbibe the hallucinogenic local liqueur and debate the great issues of the day: Monarchy or democracy? Do devils exist? Are women born inferior? War or peace? Meanwhile, disturbing things are happening in the guesthouse and the surrounding hills. Little does the newcomer realize, as he tries to unravel both the truths within himself and the mystery of the sinister forces beyond, that they have already chosen their next target.

August 31st 2025 – Flashlight by Susan Choi

One summer night, Louisa and her father take a walk on the breakwater. Her father is carrying a flashlight. He cannot swim. Later, Louisa is found on the beach, soaked to the skin, barely alive. Her father is gone. She is ten years old. Shifting perspectives across time and character and turning back again and again to that night by the sea, Flashlight chases the shock waves of one family’s catastrophe, even as they are swept up in the invisible currents of history. Flashlight spans decades and continents in a spellbinding, heart-gripping investigation of family, loss and memory.

July 27th 2025 – Memory Piece by Lisa Ko

1. Music from the book.

June 22nd 2025 – James by Percival Everett

May 25th 2025 – The Mighty Red by Louise Erdritch

March 25th 2025 – We Do Not Part by Han Kang