BOOKS
PAGE TURNERS
“Sacrament”
By Susan Straight
Counterpoint
October 2025, 352 page
Straight’s latest novel follows a group of nurses working at a San Bernardino hospital at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. As the nurses struggle with the skyrocketing number of patients, one of their daughters goes missing, pushing all of them to their breaking points.
Straight is a distinguished professor of creative writing.
“The Adventures of Lion Man”
By John Jennings, Yvette Lisa Ndlovu, Bill Campbell, Damian Duffy, and David Brame
Rosarium Publishing
June 2025, 124 pages
In 1947, Orrin C. Evans created Lion Man, one of the world’s first Black superheroes. Readapted and remixed for modern times, the new collection includes the original 1947 story, reprinted for the first time, as well as three brand new stories.
Jennings is a professor of media and cultural studies.
“The Dream Hotel”
By Laila Lalami
Pantheon
March 2025, 336 pages
Upon landing at LAX, Sara is pulled aside by Risk Assessment Administration agents who, using data from her dreams, have determined she is at risk of harming the person she loves most: her husband. Exploring the seductive nature of technology, Lalami’s novel asks how much of ourselves must remain private if we are to stay free.
Lalami is a distinguished professor of creative writing
“Performing Vulnerability”
By Emily L. Hue
University of Washington Press
June 2025, 310 pages
In “Performing Vulnerability,” Hue explores how diasporic Burmese artists navigate the intricate intersections of art, politics, and humanitarianism, providing a critical look at the economic and social value placed on representations of suffering and the ethical implications within the global arts and humanitarian markets.
Hue is an associate professor of ethnic studies.
“Ten Sleep”
By Nicholas Belardes ’23
Erewhon Books
June 2025, 288 pages
In “Ten Sleep,” Belardes offers a supernatural modern-day western about a young trio on a 10-day cattle drive across the Wyoming prairie. The dangers mount as they are led through a canyon haunted by ancient mysteries and savage beasts who existed long before humankind.
Belardes earned an MFA in creative writing and writing for performing arts.
“Jill Is Not Happy”
By Kaira Rouda
Scarlet
June 2025, 256 pages
Jack and Jill may lead what seems like an enviable life, but they’ve grown distant in recent years. Newly empty nesting with their daughter Maggie away at college, the couple embark on an ill-fated road trip in this thriller, resurrecting their darkest secrets and driving each other to the edge.
Rouda is a student in the UCR Palm Desert low-residency MFA program.