Feel Free by Zadie Smith: “Gathering in one place for the first time previously unpublished work, as well as already classic essays, such as, ‘Joy,’ and, ‘Find Your Beach,’ Feel Free offers a survey of important recent events in culture and politics, as well as Smith’s own life.”

The House of Impossible Beauties by Joseph Cassara: “Burned by her traumatic past, Angel is new to the drag world, new to ball culture, and has a yearning inside of her to help create family for those without. When she falls in love with Hector, a beautiful young man who dreams of becoming a professional dancer, the two decide to form the House of Xtravaganza, the first-ever all-Latino house in the Harlem ball circuit.”

I Am, I Am, I Am: Seventeen Brushes with Death by Maggie O’Farrell: “I Am, I Am, I Am is Maggie O’Farrell’s astonishing memoir of the near-death experiences that have punctuated and defined her life. In taut prose that vibrates with electricity and restrained emotion, O’Farrell captures the perils running just beneath the surface, and illuminates the preciousness, beauty, and mysteries of life itself.”

Also this month: We’ll interview Edwidge Danticat (!) and Shelley Fairweather-Vega, and we’ll review The Ruin of Kasch by Roberto Calasso and call me zebra by Azareen Van der Vliet Oloomi.