It’s the first Tuesday of January, so the first books of the year are coming out. Here are five books I’m definitely buying and reading this month with details from the publishers.

All of these books are available now or ready for some pre-order action.

I’ll be sharing more of my own thoughts on each of these books in the coming days and weeks.

Which books are you excited to read this month?

Happy reading to all!

Knock at the Sky: Seeking God in Genesis After Losing Faith in the Bible by Liz Charlotte Grant (out today!)
In the beginning was a work of art.
What does Bible study look like after inerrancy? Do you have to give up studying Scripture when you no longer believe in its literal interpretation? Can you still believe this book is sacred even while renegotiating your relationship to the church? In Knock at the Sky, Liz Charlotte Grant offers compelling answers to these questions and more in this deeply personal commentary on the book of Genesis.
Braiding together encounters with the natural world, Jewish midrash, and art criticism, Grant makes familiar Sunday school stories strange and offers a fresh vision for reading Scripture after deconstruction. For those who have known the book of Genesis as a weapon in the culture wars, Grant interprets the Bible's inspired book of beginnings as a work of art. Lyrical, insightful, and highly original, Knock at the Sky offers readers a capacious model for seeking God through Scripture even as one's faith continues to evolve.
"In this book, you too have permission to question the sacred without fearing . . . unbelief. Knock loudly. . . . Reject answers that do not admit complication. Seek the resonance at the base of the story. The seeking is the point. Because there, in your wandering, God is."
Yeonnam-Dong’s Smiley Laundromat by Kim Jiyun (out today!)
“For readers who loved Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Book Shop, this heartwarming Korean bestseller tells the story of a mysterious diary left in a laundromat brings together patrons from all walks of life.
Yeonnam-Dong's Smiley Laundromat is a place where the extraordinary stories of ordinary people unfold. Situated at the heart of rapidly gentrifying district of Seoul, the laundromat is a haven of peace and reflection for many locals.
And when a notebook is left behind there, it becomes a place that brings people together. One by one, customers start jotting down candid diary entries, opening their hearts and inviting acts of kindness from neighbours who were once just faces in the crowd.
But there is a darker story behind the notebook, and before long the laundromat's regulars are teaming up to solve the mystery and put the world to rights.
Instantly capturing the hearts of readers around the world, this is a novel about the preciousness of human relationships and the power of solidarity in a world that is increasingly cold, fast-paced, and virtual.”
The Parachutist by Jose Hernandez Diaz (out January 14, 2025)
In The Parachutist, Jose Hernandez Diaz weaves a breathtaking tapestry of poetry that delves into the heart of the Chicano experience. Diaz's poetic voice shines brightly, capturing the tension between inherited struggles and present-day privilege, translating the untold stories of his ancestors into vivid, surreal verses. This collection is a tribute to those who, due to circumstance, could not tell their stories, as if the speaker is furiously documenting the poetry they never had the chance to create.
Against the backdrop of Southern California and the mystical landscapes of Mexican mythology, Diaz's poetry blurs the lines between reality and fantasy. His characters-whether skeletons, astronauts, or mariachi musicians-move through a world where the ordinary is imbued with magic. The speaker navigates landscapes filled with myth and memory, from the quiet fields of Mexico to bustling Los Angeles streets. At its core, The Parachutist is a testament to the enduring spirit of resilience. With its surrealism, cultural references, and deeply human insights, this collection invites readers to reconsider the boundaries of reality while exploring the intersections of imagination, culture, and personal history.
Black in Blues: How a Color Tells the Story of My People by Imani Perry (out January 28, 2025)
A surprising and beautiful meditation on the color blue--and its fascinating role in Black history and culture--from National Book Award winner Imani Perry
Throughout history, the concept of Blackness has been remarkably intertwined with another color: blue. In daily life, it is evoked in countless ways. Blue skies and blue water offer hope for that which lies beyond the current conditions. But blue is also the color of deep melancholy and heartache, echoing Louis Armstrong's question, "What did I do to be so Black and blue?" In this book, celebrated author Imani Perry uses the world's favorite color as a springboard for a riveting emotional, cultural, and spiritual journey--an examination of race and Blackness that transcends politics or ideology.
Perry traces both blue and Blackness from their earliest roots to their many embodiments of contemporary culture, drawing deeply from her own life as well as art and history: The dyed indigo cloths of West Africa that were traded for human life in the 16th century. The mixture of awe and aversion in the old-fashioned characterization of dark-skinned people as "Blue Black." The fundamentally American art form of blues music, sitting at the crossroads of pain and pleasure. The blue flowers Perry plants to honor a loved one gone too soon.
Poignant, spellbinding, and utterly original, Black in Blues is a brilliant new work that could only have come from the mind of one of our greatest writers and thinkers. Attuned to the harrowing and the sublime aspects of the human experience, it is every bit as vivid, rich, and striking as blue itself.
Kitchen Hymns by Padraig O’Tuama (out January 28, 2025)
Written by the engaging host of the popular show, Poetry Unbound, the poems of Kitchen Hymns are finely honed melodies of survival--shaped with both humor and anger, force and conviction.
Pádraig Ó Tuama'sKitchen Hymns opens with a question: "Do You Believe in God?" -- but the bee, "gone extinct," cannot answer, and the grass calls believe "a poor verb." This collection trades belief for language, and philosophy is grounded in form and narrative. Kitchen Hymns is structured like a ghost mass, where even if God is a "favorite emptiness," longing still has things to say: Jesus and Persephone meet at Hell's exit and discuss survival; someone believes more in birds than belief; hares carry messages from the overworld to the underworld. A study in lyric address, Kitchen Hymns speaks to a shifting "you" an unknown you; the strange you; a lover, a hated other; the you of erotic desire; the you of creation and destruction. Large themes are informed by and contained in a poetics of observation, humor, trauma, dialogics, lament, rage and praise. Delivered in finely honed melodies, shaped with force and conviction, Kitchen Hymns "reckon[s] with the empty," and becomes "busy with a body / not a question."

Charlotte Donlon is a writer and spiritual director whose work centers on helping people explore themes of belonging through art and spirituality. Her approach resonates with individuals from diverse faith backgrounds, including those uncertain about their beliefs. She employs a universal framework of belonging and connection to foster meaningful, soulful conversations.

In 2020, Broadleaf Books published Charlotte's first book, The Great Belonging: How Loneliness Leads Us to Each Other. Her second book, Spiritual Direction for Writers, is slated for release by Eerdmans in January 2026.

As the founder of several initiatives, including Belonging through Art™, Spiritual Direction for Writers®, Spiritual Direction for Belonging®, and Parenting with Art®, Charlotte has established herself as a thought leader in the intersection of creativity and spirituality. Her essays have been featured in prominent publications such as The Washington Post, The Christian Century, Christianity Today, Catapult, and The Millions, among others.

Charlotte's academic background includes a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing and a certificate in spiritual direction, equipping her with the skills to guide others in their creative and spiritual journeys.

Her nonjudgmental approach and inclusive language have made her work accessible and appealing to a broad audience, regardless of their faith tradition or spiritual inclinations. For those interested in staying updated on Charlotte's latest work, news, and insights, subscribe here.