This year, we’re sending valentines to our favorite authors and book characters. Whether they make us laugh, cry, think, or all of the above, they ensure our hearts will always be between the pages. February may be the shortest month of the year, but it’s packed with great new books to read.
Fiction
Oromay By Baalu Girma, translated by David Degusta and Mesfin Felleke Yirgu
At the end of 1981, Tsegate Hailemaryam is sent to Asmara as the head of propaganda for Ethiopia’s Red Star Campaign against Eritrean insurgents. He falls in love with the city while navigating propaganda, war, and personal turmoil. Seeing the brutality of battle firsthand, he grows increasingly disillusioned. Vivid battle scenes, espionage, intrigue, and moral dilemmas paint a haunting picture of authoritarianism and betrayal in this powerful anti-war novel. The Ethiopian government banned it days after its 1983 publication and Girma disappeared mere months later. It is widely believed he was murdered by the regime in retaliation for this book, finally available in English. Available February 4. // Library catalog link here.
I Got Abducted by Aliens and Now I’m Trapped in a Rom-Com By Kimberly Lemming
Dorothy Valentine is doing field work for her PhD in wildlife biology when she’s almost eaten by a lion. At the last minute, she (and the lion) are kidnapped by aliens and crash land on a planet full of dinosaurs. While trying to find a way back to Earth, she starts a relationship with two different aliens. The three work as a romantic trio, but they have to survive first, and then Dory has to decide if she even wants to go home again. Full of scifi and rom-com tropes, this raucous and raunchy romp is a sheer delight. Available February 18. // Library catalog link here.
Greenteeth By Molly O’Neill
Jenny Greenteeth (an oddly endearing lake monster), Temperance Crump (a cunning witch), and a goblin go on a quest to fight a malevolent force threatening their home. Steeped in British folklore and Arthurian legend, this rich fantasy mixes eerie magic, adventure, and found family. Balancing sadness and violence with warm-hearted joy, it’s darker than most cozy fantasy, but perfect for fans of mythic quests. Available February 25. // Library catalog link here.
The Café with No Name By Robert Seethaler, translated by Katy Derbyshire
When war orphan Robert opens a café, it becomes a gathering place for laborers, dreamers, and lost souls. Through everyday joys and sorrows—love, loss, and the quiet passage of time—the café fosters an unlikely family in its regulars and staff. Set against a rapidly changing Vienna in the 1960s and 70s, this international bestseller is a quiet meditation on community and change, resilience and connection, and the beauty of ordinary lives. Available February 25. // Library catalog link here.
Nonfiction
Fearless and Free: A Memoir By Josephine Baker, translated by Zafar Anam and Sophie Lewis
Josephine Baker was a ground-breaking performer. Perhaps most famous for her banana skirt, she was also a spy in the French Resistance and a civil rights activist, speaking at 1963’s March on Washington. French journalist Marcel Sauvage interviewed her multiple times over 15 years. Her responses to his questions were compiled into her memoir, released in France in 1949. Finally available in English, her own life is told in her own charming and poetic voice, sure to win her many new fans, 50 years after her passing. Available February 4. // Library catalog link here.
Talk to Me: Lessons from a Family Forged by History By Rich Benjamin
Growing up, Benjamin didn’t understand his Haitian immigrant mother’s rage and emotional disconnection. She, in turn, did not understand his physical pain caused by sickle cell anemia and the weight of coming out in the 1980s. As an adult, he traveled to Haiti and investigated the life his family never talked about, learning about his grandfather’s brief time as Haitian president before being forced to resign in a coup. His family, including Benjamin’s mother, was kidnapped and smuggled to the United States to live in exile. Blending memoir with history, the result is a deeply affecting exploration of family, survival, and the hidden costs of political turmoil. Available February 11. // Library catalog link here.
You Didn’t Hear This From Me: (Mostly) True Notes on Gossip By Kelsey McKinney
From The Epic of Gilgamesh to The Real Housewives, McKinney examines the role gossip plays in human connection. Despite being taught that gossip is a sin, McKinney hosts the popular podcast, Normal Gossip and started to think about why we gossip. Blending personal story with research, she explores the good and bad sides of talking about others and the power it has on both a personal and global level. Smart and funny, it will find fans beyond her many listeners. Available February 11. // Library catalog link here.
Waste Wars: The Wild Afterlife of Your Trash By Alexander Clapp
This hard-hitting exposé of the global waste trade uncovers how the affluent nations of the Global North offload their trash onto poorer countries under the guise of recycling. Investigative reporting across five continents reveals the human and environmental toll of this system, from toxic shipbreaking in Turkey to hazardous e-waste processing in Ghana. This fascinating and disturbing blend of history, economics, and personal stories lays bare the dark underbelly of consumer capitalism and challenges readers to confront the devastating consequences of unchecked waste disposal and environmental injustice. Available February 25. // Library catalog link here.
Middle Grade
Crumble By Meredith McClaren, illustrated by Andrea Bell
Emily’s family can bake their emotions into desserts and have one cardinal rule—never bake a bad feeling. But when her Aunt Gina dies, Emily and her mother are lost in their grief and Emily decides to break the rules and bake, with widespread unintended consequences. This poignant graphic novel offers a heartfelt exploration of grief, magic, and healing. Available February 25. // Library catalog link here.
Teen
Capitana By Cassandra James
This swashbuckling fantasy follows Ximena Reale, a cadet at La Academia de los Cazadores, determined to rise above her infamous pirate lineage. When the legendary pirate Gasparilla resurfaces and kidnaps the queen, Ximena seizes the chance to prove her loyalty to the Luzan Empire—but her journey challenges everything she believes. Rivalries, high-stakes action, and a slow-burning romance with her competitor, add to the excitement. Inspired by 18th century Latin America, this first installment of a duology explores imperialism, legacy, and self-discovery in a thrilling adventure. Available February 4. // Library catalog link here.
Jennie Rothschild is a collection engagement librarian for Arlington Public Library.