A memoir by Nora Ephron with a theme of women aging. I had only heard of her fiction works, so I was surprised to see this. Check out "I Feel Bad About My NecK'k" >> https://amzn.to/48UOn7I

Sidelined from a fast-paced career during the pandemic, Author Chloe Dalton retreats to her English country house. After encountering an abandoned baby hare, Dalton overcomes her conflict about intruding on nature and tries caring for it. Read our review of Raising Hare >> https://bit.ly/4hJVd2c

Check out "Tablets: Secrets of the Clay" by Dunya Mikhail. I met the author at Diwan, an arts conference held in the Arab American National Museum. She spoke on Iraqi writing specifically. >> https://amzn.to/4oCrUAN

“We know where your brother goes to school,” Epstein said. “You must never let a soul know what goes on in this house.” He later says, “And I own the Palm Beach Police Department, so they won’t do anything about it.” - From Virginia Giuffre's memoir. Watch for our review > https://bit.ly/4nmWoWy

On our list of Best Young Adult books, the reader recommended "The Torch Trilogy" by Moira Buffini was one of the best YA fantasy series. Check out more here >> https://bit.ly/4kcafhB

“I began to do the worst thing I’ve ever done in my life: I drafted other girls into Epstein’s sickening world.” “The faces of girls I recruited will always haunt me. I know their pain, and I will never get over playing a role in causing it.” From Virginia Giuffre's memoir. Watch for our review

“In New York City, they reserved afternoons for hunting. At 3:00 p.m., when the high schools let out, they’d be on the street, looking for pretty girls to approach.” - From Virginia Guiffre’s posthumous memoir, “Nobody’s Girl.” Keep an eye out for our review coming soon > https://bit.ly/4nmWoWy

Virginia Guiffre’s posthumous memoir, “Nobody’s Girl” reveals a life marred by sexual abuse and trauma. Released on October 21, 2025, the memoir quickly jumped to number one for Kindle sales and hit the number four position on Amazon’s sales list October 23.

I met Anan at Diwan, a conference held in the Arab American National Museum. She founded the museum! Now I see she's an author, too. Check out "The Wandering Palestinian" > https://amzn.to/3KZmMs2

"The Book Thief" by Marcus Zuzak is narrated by Death and set in Nazi Germany, this celebrated title tells the story of Liesel stealing books while learning to read. Around 600 pages, it's much longer than a typical YA novel, but made our list of the Best Young Adult Books >> https://bit.ly/4kcafhB

Any new under-the-radar poetry books I should be aware of?

I met Susan at the Diwan conference, and she gave a great talk on how to submit to literary journals and publications. Check out "Behind You Is The Sea: A Novel" by Susan Muaddi Darraj > https://amzn.to/3KFD1dM @susanmd.bsky.social

How did Han Kang manage to portray such an unusual premise and extend what started out as a short story into a full-length novel, going on to win the prestigious International Booker Prize? Our reviewer Kate Jones explores this in her review of "The Vegetarian" > https://bit.ly/3L8v9kX

This week I’m looking for a hidden gem illustrated novel or memoir to promote in my newsletter. We include manga, manhwa, etc. Please leave recs!

I want you to read books written by people I regard as real socialists — not Democrats who call themselves socialists to differentiate their personal brand from self-described liberals and progressives. Check out my list > https://bit.ly/4nDTIoz

On our list of the Best Young Adult Books is Ling Ma's "Severance." A combination of coming-of-age and satire, this novel prompts readers to reflect on the nature of work, survival and truly living. Read more >> https://bit.ly/4kcafhB

I’m looking for underappreciated memoirs to promote in my newsletter. Please comment!

I think going viral should still be a goal because every piece of content you create is a chance to "go viral." If you can afford it, you should have a content program anyway. Why not use it for thoughtful, opinionated pieces that might get shared? Check out more in Forbes >> https://bit.ly/48yrC9e

I'm writing an article on problematic authors, meaning you risk contributing to a net negative impact if you support their work. Any not-so-obvious people you think I should include? If so, what's your argument?

I heard about this book through the panel episode of the Bad Faith podcast where Briahna Joy Gray and the author discuss the U.S. political left's response to Ezra Klein's "Abundance" book. Check out "How China Escaped Shock Therapy" by Isabella M. Weber > https://amzn.to/4pf1TZv

What are some underrated books by famous authors?

Does "The Bell Jar" hold up over 60 years after it was first published? What lessons can we learn from Sylvia Plath's only full-length novel? Take a look at our review of Sylvia Plath's "The Bell Jar" by Eleanor Jones >> https://bit.ly/3Id066v

Sharing this new memoir about travel and agency of the self after the author connected with us on Threads. Check out Heidi K. Brown's "The Map I Draw: A Memoir of Travel as a Passport to Self" >> https://amzn.to/3JY1r1N

What’s your favorite literary fiction title right now? Maybe we can promo it in our newsletter.

A guy with severe depression and a string of failed jobs becomes a basketball coach at a high school for people with mental illness. I'm not a sports fan, but the premise intrigued me. Check out "Head Fake" by Scott Gordon > https://amzn.to/46cJOTm

We connected with the author of this recently published modern Hamlet that focuses on Ophelia, specifically the trauma of having a racist conservative father, underscored with the repercussions of 9/11. Check out Bridget Weldon's "Elsinore" > https://amzn.to/46mNtxT

On our list of The Best Young Adult Books is the reader-recommended series "The Nahx Invasions," a 2-book dystopian series by G. S. Prendergast. Check out our list here >> https://bit.ly/4kcafhB

My review of O Beautiful was just published on The Rauch Reviews. josephrauch.com/therauchrevi...

Every week I promote one literary fiction and one nonfiction book (usually memoir or political) in my newsletter. Drop yours here, and I’ll consider it. We prioritize hidden gems and self-published authors.

Found out about this interesting teen/horror-themed poetry collection by seeing the author on X. It's already getting great reviews! Check out "Sad Boy" by Chris Schneider > https://amzn.to/4lTDPZi

"The author paints himself as a cruel, ugly person from the get-go. Young Eire spends his idle hours inflicting cruel pranks on animals, as well as people with physical and intellectual disabilities." Read more from our review of "Waiting for Snow in Havana" by Carlos Eire > https://bit.ly/4lXto7c

What have you been reading lately? Post it here. If it’s underappreciated and within our scope, we’ll promote it on our newsletter and other social channels.

September is National Suicide Prevention Month, and at the Rauch Review, we're reading "Words Make a Way Through Fire: Healing After My Brother's Suicide" by Cyra Sweet Dumitru. Order this powerful memoir today > https://amzn.to/4mDgtbE

I'll be attending the Diwan conference in Dearborn on September 19. Say hi if you're there.

Calling my writer/author colleagues: I'm writing an article on whether it's possible to define "good writing" with any degree of objectivity. Do you have ideas of relatively objective good writing? If so, please tell me, and I'll see if I can feature you in the piece.

I want to be understanding about some of my friends preferring to read low-quality hyper commercialized smut over my own novels, but it's hard sometimes.

We published our list of the best young adult books including "The Other Side of Summer" by Emily Gale. After a bombing kills 13yo Summer’s brother, his guitar is somehow intact. She doesn’t think anything will lift her out of loneliness…until she plays the guitar. Read more> https://bit.ly/4kcafhB

Who’s your favorite literary author right now? If I haven’t heard of them, I’ll consider adding their books to my newsletter promo list.

Like me, Kyle is an author who loves reviewing books as well. Please support him by purchasing "Whalers," a literary/thriller novel about a teacher who becomes the prime suspect in a missing person case that rocks a town with a history of whaling > https://amzn.to/3VhSeUb

There is a power of reading about other people’s experiences with anxiety. The more open we are about how anxiety influences our lives, the better we’re able to normalize it and perhaps feel less alone. Check out our list of the best books about anxiety > https://bit.ly/4n7QNnr

Posted on Quora about the best book review websites, including Goodreads, Rauch Review, and a few of my favorite book blogs >> https://bit.ly/41Hez12

Any new under-the-radar poetry books I should be aware of?

Bristol connected with us on Bluesky to share her book, "Afterward." Check it out here > https://amzn.to/4fHs8n9 @bristolvaudrin.bsky.social‬

The Rauch Review's list of the best young adult books includes Nikki Grimes' "Ordinary Hazards." So many are victims of abusive caretakers, undertreated mental illnesses & betrayal. These hazards are ordinary. What isn’t ordinary: Grimes’ writing ability and journey > https://bit.ly/4kcafhB

Been spending more time on Quora, and I answered a thread about do's and don'ts when writing multiracial characters from my own writing experience. One of my thoughts: find references! Read more > https://bit.ly/4febX06

My colleague and I just finished writing the format for our theater reviews! Once I have budget, I'll be excited to start hiring freelance reviewers for select plays and musicals.

This week I’m looking for a hidden gem illustrated novel or memoir to promote in my newsletter. We include manga, manhwa, etc. Please leave recs!

In anime circles, the “Cowboy Bebop” name needs little introduction. A late 90s juggernaut that was instrumental in helping Japanese animation cross over to the West, the show spawned a manga series. Read more in our review >> https://bit.ly/47cReb4

Loving the "King of the Hill" revival and how they just made it season 14 in the regular show instead of making a new thing. Not a fan of Ronny Chieng voicing Kahn. Just get a non-celebrity Laotian voice actor who can do something realistic yet close to the OG.

We were looking for hidden gem memoirs, and Hannah reached out to us on Threads. Check out "I'll Pray For You: And Other Outrageous Things Said to Disabled People" by Hannah Setzer > https://amzn.to/40M9TGT