“We Used to Live Here” by Marcus Kliewer

Finding true fright in literature can be tough, but Marcus Kliewer’s psychological horror novel “We Used to Live Here” is sure to shock any reader with its mind-bending plot. Once you start the book, it’s impossible to put it down. As a slow-paced reader, I frequently chase the high of finishing the novel in under 48 hours.

The story follows queer couple Eve and Charlie as they set out to flip an old, picturesque house tucked deep in the woods. When a family arrives claiming they used to live there, they refuse to leave once inside. Their visit triggers a series of events so wildly unexpected that it’s best left unspoiled. “We Used to Live Here” is utterly chilling and immersive, and its inclusion of Morse code at the end of each chapter will turn you into a master at decoding it.

— Amelia Knust, Music Editor

“Heart the Lover” by Lily King

If you loved “Writers & Lovers,” I have exciting news for you — Lily King’s new book is more related to the beloved novel than you may realize upon reading the blurb. I won’t give any spoilers, but the two books have much more in common than just their author. 

I read “Heart the Lover” one day over fall break. I started at 8 a.m. and finished at 7 p.m., and I was sobbing very hard by the end. The story follows Jordan — a nickname given to her by her two male classmates, whom she ends up in a love triangle with — during college and long after. The book is split into alternative timelines, detailing her adventures with fellow English students and best friends Sam and Yash, as well a fast forward to Jordan’s family life after marrying her husband and having two sons. The book is much more than just a romance — it’s an intellectual, literary examination of life, love and loss.  

— Alexa Donovan, Editor-At-Large

“Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating” by Christina Lauren

These days it’s hard to find a book that feels light and easy but still manages to pull you in completely. Christina Lauren’s “Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating” does just that. It’s captivating enough to make you willingly skip the latest “Love Island” episode just to keep reading. 

The novel follows Hazel, a delightfully unfiltered elementary school teacher, and Josh, her calm, quietly grounded friend. When they reconnect years after college, Josh and Hazel start out by setting each other up on a series of terrible blind double dates. The more they date other people, the more they start to fall for each other. Lauren’s writing sparkles with humor and heart, filled with some truly inspirational quick-witted banter. What makes the books so captivating isn’t the romance, it’s the joy. The book brims with optimism, making you smile without even realizing it. For a few hundred pages, it makes you forget about real life altogether — and honestly, I didn’t miss “Love Island” one bit. 

— Rhea Kohli, Staff Writer

“So Far Gone” by Jess Walter

Now more than ever, we’re too familiar with political talk at Thanksgiving with that one crazy uncle going from zero to one hundred real quick. “So Far Gone” by Jess Walter, released this past June, explores the implications of such arguments gone too far. 

Protagonist Rhys Kinnick, a retired environmentalist and journalist-turned-hermit, has lived off the grid since he punched his Christian nationalist son-in-law, Shane, at Thanksgiving some years prior. Seven years later, a woman brings his two grandchildren to his doorstep with instructions from his daughter for him to take care of them. But, the kids are quickly kidnapped from him and brought to a compound outside Spokane, full of more militaristic Christian nationalists, presumably to be brought back to their father. Kinnick recruits a zany cast of characters — old friends, an ex and that ex’s ex — to get his grandchildren back and put his family back together. All the while, Walter paints a revealing portrait of America today, and where our political divisions may be taking us.  

— Joe Paladino, Staff Writer

Contact the Arts desk at [email protected].