Composer Tina Davidson, who lived in Philadelphia for about 25 years, offers a memoir that isn’t the story of a solitary artist obsessed with a craft, but rather the worldly, spirited life that informs the art. Peter Burwasser reviews.

In her second book, Philadelphia photographer Hinda Schuman’s sensitive and unflinching lens documents the lives of two women struggling to rebuild their lives after incarceration. Anndee Hochman reviews.

This book by longtime Daily News columnist Ellen Cassedy explores the roots of a modern movement for women workers’ rights—a fight that continues today. Anndee Hochman reviews.

In a new book that promises to infuriate and illuminate in equal measure, Brett H. Mandel traces the roots of Philly’s notorious corruption, from the days of William Penn to Bobby Henon’s 2023 sentencing. Pamela J. Forsythe reviews.

South Philly author Alicia DeFonzo explores gripping parallel histories in her first book: her grandfather’s WWII service and the unexpected legacies pulling on her own life. Harrison Tsui reviews.

The real-life diary of a stroke survivor and Philly sports lover who entered an assisted-living facility in Delaware County in the 1990s inspires debut novelist Chris Eagle’s Dwell Here and Prosper. Stephen Silver reviews.

This debut novella from Philly writer Monica Robinson is inspired by a story ripe for re-imagining: the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice—with a queer, Southern Gothic twist. Jordan Cameron reviews.

Philly novelist Chris Lombardi tackles the legacy of James Joyce—and perhaps all creative, eccentric people who have the benefit of being men—in this intricate novel, casting new eyes on Joyce’s daughter Lucia. Michael R. Fisher reviews.

A recent translation by Laura Nagle brings the early work of Prosper Mérimée to English. Songs for the Gusle brims with 19th-century Romantic spirit while keeping a game afoot in the footnotes. Helen Walsh reviews.

Seven stories that were originally published individually come together in this new collection from Philly indie publisher Frayed Edge Press. The diverse collection is unified by vivid characters and urban settings. Crystal Sparrow reviews.