December 2023’s Must-Read Book Releases

New York Times theater critic Alexis Soloski publishes her debut novel this month — borrowing from her subject expertise. The psychological thriller follows an actress turned junior theater critic who gets drawn into a dangerous game that blurs the boundaries between reality and the stage.

Doherty is a commercial, editorial, and art photographer who exalts the mundane to the point of transcendent, stunning incomprehension. This month, he’s releasing his first photo book, including a short story by Lauren Cook.

In the early ‘70s, Fear of Flying was an unlikely bestseller that galvanized a generation of women to pursue pleasurable sex, or as Jong coined it: “the zipperless f*ck.” Now, 50 years later, the book is being rereleased with a new, surprisingly vulnerable forward by Jong’s own daughter and an introduction by Taffy Brodesser-Akner, whose novel-turned-excellent-Hulu-series Fleishman Is in Trouble was influenced greatly by Jong.

Irish writer Louise Kennedy — whose acclaimed debut novel Trespasses made a splash last year — is back with a short story collection. Her heroines may be etched by poverty, but their tenacity is abundant through stories that deals with the psychological aftermath of the Troubles, abortions, and abandoned husbands.

Music journalist Dylan Jones traces the life and legacy of one of New York City’s greatest acts of all time: The Velvet Underground. Drawing from material from Lou Reed, John Cale, Mo Tucker, Andy Warhol, Jon Savage, David Bowie, Mary Harron, and more, Savage’s work is a goldmine.

Former NYLON editor-in-chief Gabrielle Korn has written a dystopian love story for a world ravaged by climate change era and SheEOs. Ava and her girlfriend live in what’s left of Brooklyn in the year 2050 and are on the waiting list for startup-funded weatherized housing run by a girl boss.