The Anomaly, written by French author Hervé Le Tellier and skillfully translated by Adriana Hunter, is one of those truly mind-blowing books you can’t stop talking about after you’ve read it, as many of my friends and family members can attest. I brought it with me on a ski trip to Vermont and spent hours reading it by the fire, engulfed in the book’s beautiful prose and gripping plot (yes, it has both!). Part high-literature, part-thriller, part-science-fiction, and just the right amount of questioning-the-meaning-of-life philosophy, this novel combines all my favorite genres. If you want to truly immerse yourself in the storyline, read this book on a Paris to New York flight (bonus points if it’s Air France)—but fully expect to experience an existential crisis before you land. —Hannah Towey, associate transportation editor
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
Like many people, I was totally enamored with this book in 2023. It came with me on a weekend camping trip to Long Island, where I was grateful to have nothing to do between campfire coffee in the morning and hot dogs on skewers at lunch—I got to dig in for uninterrupted hours at a time. I’ll never forget laying on the beach as my mom, sister, and brother-in-law napped beside me, desperate to wake someone up and tell them about the chapter I’d just read. The book completely immerses you in the world of these characters, and the video games they design (and a number of US cities along the way), but I won’t forget staring out at the North Long Island Bay in between pages. —Megan Spurrell, senior editor
The Shards by Bret Easton Ellis
