Epilogue Books

Beyond All Reasonable Doubt, Jesus Is Alive! by Melissa Lozada-Oliva

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Beyond All Reasonable Doubt, Jesus Is Alive! by Melissa Lozada-Oliva
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This is a short story collection that is always honest. The stories move through themes of growing up, messy relationships, and the awkward and painful process of becoming an adult. There’s some body horror, some nonlinear storytelling, and a few second-person narratives that pull you in. The horror feels like late-night scary stories that are unnerving in a specific but familiar way. The strangest moments are very relatable (any other stress poopers?). Each story is different, but they share a common thread that keeps the collection together. The women at the center are messy, funny, and deeply human. The novel balances THE HORRORS with the curiosity of being alive. Beyond All Reasonable Doubt is understanding of what it’s like to move through the world in a body that feels both powerful and vulnerable.

Beyond All Reasonable Doubt, Jesus Is Alive! by Melissa Lozada-Oliva, (List Price: $26, Astra House, 9781662601828, September 2025)

Reviewed by Chloe, Epilogue: Books Chocolate Brews in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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Heroes’ Feast Legends of the Table (Dungeons & Dragons) by Kyle Newman

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Heroes' Feast Legends of the Table (Dungeons & Dragons) by Kyle Newman
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Tell me why the best recipe for tomato soup EVER is in a D&D cookbook?? Heroes’ Feast is my roommate and I’s go-to cookbook, so I’m super pumped for this second edition! All the recipes are themed around D&D classes, blending together lore, whimsy, and darn-good flavors. In the spirit of the game, these dishes are exciting to share with friends and family. I can’t recommend these cookbooks enough, whether you’re a nerd, a foodie, or both.

Heroes’ Feast Legends of the Table (Dungeons & Dragons) by Kyle Newman, (List Price: $40, Ten Speed Press, 9780593838273, September 2026)

Reviewed by Flora, Epilogue: Books Chocolate Brews in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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How We Disappear by Thomas S. Mullaney

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How We Disappear by Thomas S. Mullaney
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While reading How We Disappear, I saw a post that said, “You don’t need to wash your water bottle or your bed sheets or anything. Everything will eventually become clean because of a great big fire.” In a weird and funny way, it connects to one of the book’s main ideas: everything we make, use, and value will eventually disappear. The book blends technology, history, biology, photography, and archival science with personal reflections about the author’s late father. By “archiving” his father’s life through the objects left in his bedroom, the author explores how memories are preserved and how they are fragile pieces of (mis)information. It encouraged me to think about what people leave behind and whether our attempts to preserve ourselves actually work.

How We Disappear by Thomas S. Mullaney, (List Price: $26.99, W. W. Norton & Company, 9781324020783, June 2026)

Reviewed by Chloe, Epilogue: Books Chocolate Brews in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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Air by Christian Kracht

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Air by Christian Kracht
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Christian Kracht’s Air unfolds through two storylines that gradually echo one another. The novel doesn’t rush to explain how Paul and Ilder connect. Instead, it lingers within the tension of their possible relationship. Air is a story and also a puzzle. It artfully combines sci-fi with a historical tale, in which Kracht creates a novel that is hard to pin down. I had very little idea what was actually going on, but that never felt like a problem. Part of the enjoyment of Air is its unpredictability while moving through the story alongside the characters, who often seem just as unsure of the world around them. That shared confusion turns the reading experience into a journey, where atmosphere and relationship matter more than explanations. I just wish I had the opportunity to read this book on a snow day.

Air by Christian Kracht, (List Price: $24.99, Liveright, 9781324094586, July 2026)

Reviewed by Chloe, Epilogue: Books Chocolate Brews in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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The Body Riddle by Sam K. MacKinnon

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The Body Riddle by Sam K. MacKinnon
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The Body Riddle is a coming-of-age story that happens later in life. It captures the uncertainty of stepping into a new body and the panic of wondering if a decision can be right even after years of thinking it through. Lex’s experience is shaped by constant change and stagnant repose, learning how to navigate their worldview as they uncover new truths about themselves. At the center of the story is the importance of gay community. Even when Lex is unsure, withdrawn, or lashes out, the people around them continue to show up. As a transmasc autistic character, Lex is deeply unsure of their own importance, shaped by years of not being out or fully honest about who they are. This self-doubt makes them an unreliable narrator at times. The Body Riddle is less about having answers and more about allowing yourself the time and care to keep asking questions, even when you think you should already know who you are.

The Body Riddle by Sam K. MacKinnon, (List Price: $21.99, House of Anansi Press, 9781487013912, May 2026)

Reviewed by Chloe, Epilogue: Books Chocolate Brews in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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Collapse by Édouard Louis

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Collapse by Édouard Louis
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When you have a relative who is simply a bomb waiting to go off, their death is both complicated and almost nothing at all. This is what Louis exposes with his brother. Delving into the details of compassion and violence from others’ perspectives, it doesn’t take long to realize his trajectory was a painfully common one. Instead, it is the approach and awareness Louis has of his own emotion, and lack thereof, that make this a meaningful read. This is not a title to open up lightly, not if you aren’t prepared to hear what is both a poetic and distant unraveling of a troubled life. The trauma of his brother doesn’t justify his mistakes though; it can only help to better understand them. Instead of excusing or even solely blaming his brother for the abuse and addiction, Louis allows the question of responsibility to linger even far past the final page, acknowledging there is no possible clean answer for a life that is fraught.

Collapse by Édouard Louis, (List Price: $26, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 9780374616830, June 2026)

Reviewed by Oliver, Epilogue: Books Chocolate Brews in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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Livonia Chow Mein by Abigail Savitch-Lew

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Livonia Chow Mein by Abigail Savitch-Lew
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Livonia Chow Mein is a slow burn that turns into a book full of drama that makes it impossible to put down. Grappling with intertwined story lines of belonging and togetherness, the Brownsville community finds ways to fight back against systemic racial disparities in its communities. It follows a myriad of people throughout the book as the histories that have once plagued the town are slowly discovered and brought to light. Livonia Chow Mein portrays immigrants in America grappling with the dreams that brought them here, only to discover that becoming their truest selves sometimes means letting go of old ideals and embracing an unexpected new path. It became impossible for me to believe I was just reading. The vivid imagery and clear, deliberate prose made me feel as if I was also working to change this town for the better.

Livonia Chow Mein by Abigail Savitch-Lew, (List Price: $29, Simon & Schuster, 9781668075234, April 2026)

Reviewed by Chloe, Epilogue: Books Chocolate Brews in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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A Death Doula’s Guide to a Meaningful End by Jane K. Callahan

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A Death Doula's Guide to a Meaningful End by Jane K. Callahan
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A heartfelt look at a difficult subject, this book explores end-of-life care in a positive and honest way. Stories of personal experiences and lists of resources are masterfully woven together to confront the reality of death in a manner that should be more common than it is. Callahan doesn’t offer strict solutions or pretend to have all the answers; instead, she provides important insight and empowers the reader to find what will work for them when the time comes. The value of this conversation is not to be overlooked, and this book is a great addition for those both new to and already familiar with death acceptance.

A Death Doula’s Guide to a Meaningful End by Jane K. Callahan, (List Price: $21.99, Chicago Review Press, 9781556528262, April 2026)

Reviewed by Oliver Ditenhafer, Epilogue: Books Chocolate Brews in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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The Oldest Bitch Alive by Morgan Day

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The Oldest Bitch Alive by Morgan Day
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A perfect blend of absurdity and philosophical musing, this novel takes on the perspectives of Gelsomina, an elderly French Bulldog, and the worms that are killing her. Controlled from the outside by the confines of her owners and now from the inside, Gelsomina provides us with beautiful meditations on autonomy, love, and the meaning of life. There is a stark contrast created by the pairing of heavy introspective text with base desire and the simple reality of existing that serves to better carry these complex themes, and it carries them well. The nauseating intimacy of parasitism is not to be forgotten and can even be found in the most surprising of places, like reflections on the glass house Gelsomina lives in. I find it almost hard to believe this is a debut novel, and I am ecstatic to see experimental works like these published.

The Oldest Bitch Alive by Morgan Day, (List Price: $28, Astra House, 9781662603372, March 2026)

Reviewed by Oliver, Epilogue: Books Chocolate Brews in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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Nadezhda in the Dark by Yelena Moskovitch

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Nadezhda in the Dark by Yelena Moskovitch
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This is truly what novels written in verse should be. Beautiful and devastating in equal measure, Moskovich reminds us that writing can be at its best when experimented with. Told over the span of one night, and arguably one sentence, this book is a blend of both styles and cultures. Following the Ukrainian Jewish narrator as she rests by her Russian lover in the dark, there are no words exchanged. Instead, what lies in the space between is history, both their own and that of their cultures. There is no clean plot, no clean anything left in their world. There is a series of vignettes: lesbian sex, folk tales, institutional antisemitism, Soviet jokes, the invasion of Ukraine. Through all of it though, is a love that, while it cannot fix their problems, shines beyond reason and uncertainty.

Nadezhda in the Dark by Yelena Moskovitch, (List Price: $17.95, Dzanc Books, 9781938603518, January 2026)

Reviewed by Oliver, Epilogue: Books Chocolate Brews in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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Horses by Jake Skeets

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Horses by Jake Skeets
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Opening with the death of almost 200 horses, this collection doesn’t pull any punches. Skeets explores the beauty of living in the Navajo Nation without ignoring the grief. The tragedy is even made an active participant in the pleasures that are still found. He finds a way to reflect these things in the layout of the text and use of punctuation as well, demonstrating an impressive understanding of poetry both as a visual and oral tradition. Everything is purposeful and heartfelt. An important read for everyone, these poems are a striking meditation on the end of the world as we know it and the creation of a new one in the process.

Horses by Jake Skeets, (List Price: $18, Milkweed Editions, 9781639551521, March 2026)

Reviewed by Oliver, Epilogue: Books Chocolate Brews in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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When Trees Testify by Beronda L. Montgomery

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When Trees Testify by Beronda L. Montgomery
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I studied trees for my senior project in undergrad, and I remember the looks I would get when I tried to explain how magical these living beings are. My work explored plant autonomy and the ways humans interpret nature’s agency, but When Trees Testify deepens that understanding in ways I could have never imagined. The book’s poetic assertion that the breath of loved ones can remain alive through scientific processes is an astounding observation. It redefines the boundaries between the human and the natural. It reminds us that our actions are linked to the lives of the ecosystems we shape. When Trees Testify presents trees not as passive organisms, but as active participants—beings with resilience and a shared history.

When Trees Testify by Beronda L. Montgomery, (List Price: $27.99, Henry Holt and Co., 9781250335166, January 2026)

Reviewed by Chloe Strong, Epilogue: Books Chocolate Brews in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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House of Day, House of Night by Olga Tokarczuk

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House of Day, House of Night by Olga Tokarczuk
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House of Day, House of Night is a reversal of a common narrative structure; here, the setting, the rural Polish town of Nowa Ruda, is the main character, and the townsfolk are the setting within which the town’s legacy is formed. Each story fragment contributes to the never-ending cycle of life and death, of dreams and waking — from an old lady next door with elusive platitudes, to a gender-dysphoric monk on a journey to canonize a saint, to a knifemaking cult that worships the process of decay. Tokarczuk’s brilliant prose highlights the struggles of returning to a post-World War Poland, of feeling like a stranger in your own home, of sensing the ceaseless draw of entropy. Universal and bittersweet, this novel is a work of anthropology: a future classic in my book!

House of Day, House of Night by Olga Tokarczuk, (List Price: $28, Riverhead Books, 9780593716380, December 2025)

Reviewed by Catherine Pabalate, Epilogue: Books Chocolate Brews in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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The Definitions by Matt Greene

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The Definitions by Matt Greene
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A captivating, dystopian-esque story, The Definitions questions what truly makes one’s identity theirs. After a supposed virus ravages humanity and leaves people with no memory of themselves, victims of this virus are sent to the Center where they relearn things like ethics, language, and art. With no knowledge of who they were before arriving, the narrator waits for memories to return and to be released. But definitions aren’t adding up, and the ethical dilemma solutions seem skewed, and we learn there is something sinister going on. This is a quick read that you won’t want to put down until you find the real reason the patients are there.

The Definitions by Matt Greene, (List Price: $17.99, Henry Holt and Co., 9781250399342, December 2025)

Reviewed by Gabriela Warner, Epilogue: Books Chocolate Brews in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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Hellions by Julia Elliott

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Hellions by Julia Elliott
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Swampy Southern Gothic at its finest. These stories are lush, each driven by magical, wicked, wholly-alive characters so deeply rooted in their surroundings—or their desires—its difficult to see where person begins and wild ends. Discerning and empathetic, Elliott’s eye for the strange wonders that bring folklore and fairytale to life is unmatched.

Hellions by Julia Elliott, (List Price: $17.95, Tin House Books, 9781963108064, April 2025)

Reviewed by Miranda Sanchez, Epilogue Books Chocolate Brews in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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