Katy Hays is a writer and adjunct Art History professor in California, where she teaches rural students from Truckee to Tecopa.
She holds an MA in Art History from Williams College and pursued her PhD at UC Berkeley. Having worked in curatorial and research roles at major art institutions, including the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and The Clark Art Institute, Katy brings an insider's knowledge of the workings of museums and galleries as well as in-depth research into the fascinating history of fortune-telling to The Cloisters, her first novel. She lives with her husband and dog, Queso, in Olympic Valley.
The Stone Witch of Florence (2024) Anna Rasche "Magical in every sense of the word, Rasche's debut stole my heart. A feast of a novel, The Stone Witch of Florence is erudite, transportive, and addicting. It's that precious and rare type of story--the kind that makes you want to fly through its pages while simultaneously savoring every word. Bottom line: The Stone Witch of Florence is a gem."
Strange Folk (2024) Alli Dyer "Delicious and haunting, Alli Dyer's Strange Folk invites readers into a world where extraordinary folk magic finds itself fighting against the ordinary evil that hums through the Appalachian community of Craw Valley. An atmospheric novel that somehow manages to be both sultry and homey at the same time, Strange Folk is a story that deftly weaves family legacy, uncanny inheritances, and the perennial question of how a place can shape who we become. Perfect for fans of Sarah Penners' The Lost Apothecary and Chloe Benjamin's The Immortalists."
I Need You to Read This (2024) Jessa Maxwell "No one expects their dream job to end up a nightmare, but that's precisely what happens to Alex Marks in Jessa Maxwell's latest perfectly plotted whodunnit, a novel that asks us point blank what price we're willing to pay for our ambition, because it just might be our life. With a crackling pace and series of irresistible twists, it's impossible to know who to trust at the New York Herald, especially when one of your co-workers might be a murderer. It's a killer job, if you can survive."
Ladykiller (2024) Katherine Wood "Full of sun, sex, money, and greed, not since Gone Girl have unreliable narrators been this fun."
The Astrology House (2024) Carinn Jade "A locked room thriller full of delicious secrets and deadly desire, Jade's expertly paced debut will have you racing for the end, heart in your throat. Addictively readable, this novel made the Virgo rising in me rethink every couples' weekend I've ever attended while my Sagittarius moon couldn't help but cheer for the chaos. If you love Lucy Foley, Carinn Jade is about to become your new favorite author."
Middletide (2024) Sarah Crouch "Middletide is the rarest of novels: a blistering page-turner and a dazzling love letter to the natural world. Tautly plotted, lushly atmospheric, and gorgeously written, Crouch's debut is stunning. Readers will feel the moss under their feet and smell the petrichor in the air, but they will never guess the twists hidden in this Pacific Northwest forest."
The Final Act of Juliette Willoughby (2024) Ellery Lloyd "Expertly paced and extraordinarily plotted, Ellery Llyod's new novel mixes academic ambition and family secrets with explosive results. The Final Act of Juliette Willoughby is a deliciously erudite thriller that makes even a trip to the archives seem fun, if deadly. Truly, the perfect thing to read after you've finished watching Saltburn."
The Main Character (2024) Jaclyn Goldis "All aboard this glamorous thriller! A novel with more twists than a train winding through the Italian countryside, THE MAIN CHARACTER will surprise even the most eagle-eyed reader. Goldis has mixed the family drama of Knives Out with the locked room atmosphere of Murder on the Orient Express and the resulting cocktail is like an Aperol on a hot summer's day: perfect."
The Incorrigibles (2024) Meredith Jaeger "A story of immense strength and beauty, The Incorrigibles illustrates the way in which women fighting for justice can unite across historical and class divides. A novel for anyone who has ever found themselves a frustrated, lonely voice shouting for what's right, this book offers one message: hope. Jaeger is a master storyteller."
The Stars Turned Inside Out (2024) Nova Jacobs "Nova Jacobs's novel is a gripping murder mystery. But it's also so much more - it's an invitation into the secretive world of CERN, an exploration of the limits of science, and a haunting reminder of how easily we can be made to believe the unthinkable. A dark and absorbing novel, The Stars Turned Inside Out will leave you questioning everything you thought you knew about the scientific method and academic competition."
The Last Verse (2024) Caroline Frost "Told with the perfect amount of twang, The Last Verse pulls readers deep into the timeless allure of Music City and the raw female ambition that lights up the intimate stages of Nashville. An irresistible southern gothic dripping with atmosphere, Frost deftly weaves together class tensions, the struggle for country music stardom, and the vulnerability demanded of every artist trying to hit it big. A perfect read for fans of Taylor Swift or Kacey Musgraves."
The Divorcees (2024) Rowan Beaird "A stunning debut, Rowan Beaird's The Divorcees is a glittering desert mirage behind which lurks a shocking web of secrets. Despite the new friendships and lives being built at the Golden Yarrow, each woman on the ranch harbors a truth they aren't willing to share: that they're playing a part and they're willing to do whatever it takes to keep the fiction alive. Tense, dark, and richly layered, lovers of Patricia Highsmith will devour this compulsively readable, standout novel."
Mother-Daughter Murder Night (2023) Nina Simon "A lively and tender story of family that Simon deftly transforms into an edge-of-your-seat murder mystery... One part The Maid and one part family drama a la The Nest, Mother-Daughter Murder Night is a resounding and impressive triumph."
Alchemy of a Blackbird (2023) Claire McMillan "A dazzling kaleidoscope of surrealist voices animates this beguiling novel of artistic ambition, perseverance, and friendship. Set against the backdrop of the Second World War's great artistic exodus, Alchemy of A Blackbird insists on the essential role art plays in the lives of its two dynamic female protagonists - Lenora Carrington and Remedios Varos. McMillan transports us to the magical, uncanny world of the Surrealists by deftly using tarot--a practice vital to the art of both Carrington and Varos - to shape her narrative in unexpectedly dramatic and evocative ways. I wanted to linger along the French Riviera and get a coffee in Veracruz, Mexico with her incredible ensemble cast of characters. And maybe, if I was lucky, have them offer me a tarot spread, too."
Old Enough (2023) Haley Jakobson "Haley Jakobson's Old Enough is an absolute snack. Full of humor and heartache, Jakobson makes the hard thing look easy: crafting a novel that explores the messy way we navigate who we were and who we're becoming with tenderness and grace. Part campus novel, part coming of age story, Old Enough is about the secrets we keep from others (and ourselves) and how community can transform our lives. A novel for anyone who's lost a friend, found themselves, and survived their twenties, Old Enough is a gem."
The Night Flowers (2023) Sara Herchenroether "Haunting and compulsively readable, The Night Flowers is impossible to put down. A novel that is as much ghost story as mystery, Herchenroether has crafted a truly original narrative that unfolds with a shocking array of twists and turns against the backdrop of the Gila National Forest. Every voice in the chorus that makes up this novel sings a siren song of suspense you won't be able to resist. I devoured it."
The Enchanted Hacienda (2023) J C Cervantes "The warmth and humor of The Enchanted Hacienda immediately cast a spell over me. A novel full of heart and family, The Enchanted Hacienda crafts a charming story of family, love, legacy, and self-discovery. If I could have moved in with Harlow and the entire Estrada clan, I would have done so without hesitation. Exhibiting the rarest of alchemies, The Enchanted Hacienda is a delightful, funny, and uplifting novel with the perfect amount of heat."
Endpapers (2023) Jennifer Savran Kelly "Achingly evocative and thoroughly satisfying, Jennifer Savran Kelly's Endpapers follows a genderqueer bookbinder through post-9/11 New York as she searches the city for answers about a long-hidden love letter and the outlines of her own identity. Part historical mystery, part meditation on the shifting nature of creativity and self, Endpapers is a story that bursts with warmth, community, and the sometimes-heartbreaking decisions we make when we begin to stitch together the spine of our lives."
