Dear Wags,

Shake it off, you have a life to lead. We keep telling you to delete the apps and not to wallow. Yet here we find you, moping in some designated “safe space.” Give yourself a sharp pinch and look around. The people who love you? Still here. The things that make you laugh? Waiting for you to rediscover. Great books? There are too many for us to recommend each week. Here are a few that will make your brain go all tingly. Now get reading. You’ll be glad you did.

Yours Ever,

Iggie J. Reilly

The City and its Uncertain Walls by Haruki Murakami

Murakami (Norwegian Wood) is a superstar, and news of his first novel in six years caused some eggheads to explode in anticipatory joy. If you like Murakami’s dreamy, melancholic worlds, this will be familiar territory—especially since it’s an expansion of a novella the 75-year-old maestro published in 1980. As always, the plot toggles between the real and fantastical, with an unnamed narrator ruminating about a love lost in the first bloom of youth. Now a middle-aged librarian in a remote town, he’s haunted by visions that guide him to a mysterious walled city where unicorns roam and shadows slip free of their owners. Meant as a companion piece to 1985’s Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World it’s a moody, lyrical trip.—Nao Yasutani

The New India by Rahul Bhatia

Once hailed as the world’s largest democracy, India has lurched toward authoritarianism under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Bhatia, a formidable reporter, chronicles how Modi’s Hindu populist Bharatiya Janata Party rose to power and fostered a climate of fear and division (supporters refer to themselves as bhakt, or among the devoted. Opponents labeled naxal—traitors to the faith). Nationalism, religious fervor, and disinformation have combined to polarize a great nation. Bhatia details oppressive tactics, which include media crackdowns and the targeting of religious minorities; he’s also meticulous in detailing how such policies hurt everyday citizens. It’s an urgent work of journalism, and possibly a portent of what’s to come in the U.S. and Europe.—Lata Mehra

Every Arc Bends its Radian by Sergio de la Pava

De la Pava delivers an existential detective story in the tale of Riv, a private investigator who flees New York for Colombia after a tragedy. As soon as he arrives in Cali, he is pulled into the search for a brilliant young heiress, who is missing and presumed dead. The investigation entangles him with a sinister cartel run by the enigmatic Exeter Mondragon. While dodging bullets, Riv wrestles with bigger philosophical questions, pondering the nature of purpose, resilience, and fate. If that’s heady territory for a crime thriller, de la Pava pulls it off, crafting a strikingly original look at life’s profound mysteries.—Florentino Ariza

The Name of this Band is R.E.M.by Peter Ames Carlin