5 New Book Releases To Add To Your Reading List Immediately

With a fresh list on Tuesdays.

Hello, book lovers! Each week, dozens and dozens of new releases hit the shelves. Below are some of the reads BuzzFeed Books writers and contributors loved the most:

1. Ties That Tether by Jane Igharo

Berkley

Ties That Tether by Jane Igharo is about Azere, a twentysomething-year-old Nigerian woman who has a one-night stand with Rafael, who just happens to be white. As their fling blossoms into something more, Azere is forced to confront her past, her family's expectations, and the challenges of being with someone from a different background. This book is full of heart, and is all about family, identity, and what it means to belong. —Shyla Watson

2. A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik

Del Rey

A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik is the first book in a new fantasy series that’s very different from her previous books, but just as excellent. Monsters prey upon magical teens, and in order to keep them safe, parents send them to a heavily fortified magical school. Monsters aren’t supposed to be able to get into the school, but they find ways to slither in and eat the student body anyway. El is one of the students at the school; she’s sarcastic, she excels at destructive spells, she’s biracial, and she grew up poor. She doesn’t have a tight-knit group of friends, and friends are really important in this school because they help protect your back. Orion is her exact opposite. He’s rich, privileged, and white. He has a very tight group of friends, and he’s the school hero. He has a tendency to kill monsters and save the student body, and he drives El nuts. I loved this book. It’s such a nail-biter, it’s funny, it’s thought-provoking, and it’s such a good read. —Margaret Kingsbury

3. Skyhunter by Marie Lu

Roaring Brook Press

Skyhunter is the first book in a new young adult science fiction series by Marie Lu. Talin is a refugee and Maran Striker, which is an elite fighting force that protects the Maran borders from the evil Federation. As a child, the Federation attacked her home and damaged her vocal cords, and she speaks using sign language. Red is one of the Federation’s mutations. He can take to the skies and become a weapon for the Federation. Mara captures him and Talin believes that he may hold the key to defeating the Federation. This book has great friendship dynamics. It’s an action-packed, fun read that’s also very smart. —Margaret Kingsbury

4. Sleep Donation by Karen Russell

Vintage

Sleep Donation by Karen Russell is a dystopian novella that was originally released in 2014 but is being published in paperback for the first time this year, and it is (unfortunately) very relevant. It’s about a pandemic of insomnia that is spreading rapidly around the world and killing a lot of people. It follows Trish Edgewater, who works at Slumber Corps, which searches for people who are not dealing with insomnia and asks them to donate their healthy sleep, but she’s starting to question the ethics of this endeavor as she sees a separate but related pandemic resulting from an infectious nightmare that is transmitted from these donations. It’s a really inventive story, and an interesting idea to consider — what dreams mean to us, what sleep means to us and our consciousness — but it’s also a really sharp examination of how humanity can be its own worst enemy: how people get greedy and use vulnerability in a situation like this to take advantage of others. It is a quick read, and I highly recommend it if you’re looking for something that kind of reflects what we’re going through. —Arianna Rebolini

5. Dear Justyce by Nic Stone

Crown Books for Young Readers

Dear Justyce by Nic Stone is the follow-up to her NYT bestselling novel Dear Martin, in which the main character, named Quan, writes to Justyce — who was the main character in Dear Martin — as he awaits his trial, pleading not guilty for the shooting of a police officer. It is very topical, emotional, and a book that will sit with you long after you finish. —Farrah Penn

For more new release recommendations from this month, click here, or browse all of our favorites in our Bookshop collection. What's the best book you read this week? Tell us in the comments!