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The Thinking Reader’s List
From existential questions to messy human connections, these books go beyond plot to explore meaning, memory, and everything in between

American Fantasy/ Emma Straub
A themed cruise reunites a 1990s boyband with thousands of devoted fans. Annie, newly divorced and reluctantly onboard, feels out of place — until seeing them perform awakens something she thought she had long outgrown.

Into the Blue/ Emma Brodie
In 2000, aspiring writer AJ Graves meets Noah Drew, heir to a famed acting dynasty, and forms an intense bond — until he vanishes. Years later, reunited onscreen, they confront buried truths as love, ambition, and past secrets collide.

King of Gluttony/ Ana Huang
Handsome, gifted, and widely adored, Sebastian Laurent — heir to a culinary empire — seems untouchable. But beneath his charm lie hidden demons. Only Maya Singh, his rival and secret obsession, has ever seen through him — and remains impossible to forget.

Why Do We Exist?/ Hakeem Oluseyi (with Nils Johnson-Shelton)
The universe created everything — stars, cells, minds, and meaning — yet remains indifferent, governed by its own laws. Dr. Hakeem Oluseyi explores these through nine realms, blending physics, philosophy, and personal journey to ask why we exist — and whether hope endures.

Yesteryear/ Caro Claire Burke
A modern American homemaker, admired online for her idyllic pioneer lifestyle, suddenly finds herself in 1805 — cold, filthy, and afraid — forced to question whether her reality is a hoax, a staged spectacle, or something far more sinister.