10 books with strong Philly ties for your spring reading list

The publishing industry is blooming this spring with a spate of new works from Philadelphia writers. Local authors are releasing memoirs, romance, and suspense, and publishing essays in iconic literary franchises.

Here are seven works with Philly ties, plus three bonuses with a Brotherly Love connection that should be on your TBR list.

On the heels of Cook’s first novel, It’s Me They Follow — that the Harriett’s Bookshop owner swore was not autobiographical — Shut Up and Read is a memoir that is all about Jeannine A. Cook. Released in March, Shut Up and Read is a behind-the-scenes look at Cook’s quest for creative freedom and is part confessional, part call to action, and part love letter.

Retired Chestnut Hill marketing executive A.E.S. O’Neill’s third book, Funeral of Lies, is set against the backdrop of current Philadelphia politics. (Those of us who keep up with City Hall happenings may even recognize a few of the fictionalized characters in the novel.) The 278-page thriller is a dark exploration of what ambition and loss can do to the human spirit, revealing a world where public image collides with private pain. Available now on Kindle.

Taschen released Rocky. The Complete Films in January in honor of the iconic film’s 50th anniversary. The 320-page coffee-table book is a combination of glossy images from the Amazon MGM and the Academy of Motion Pictures Library of our favorite (fictional) Philadelphia fighter. Archival interviews accompany sports photographer Neil Leifer’s images, uncovering the making of the film. Stallone fans will enjoy a foreword penned by the actor.

South Philly romance writer K.L. Walther will release her fourth novel We’re A Bad Idea, Right? this week and the young adult novel promises to be a fun read. In the fast-paced piece of chick lit — loosely based on 1983’s Risky Business — 18-year-old rule-following Audrey fake-dates her best friend to help him get his girlfriend back. And it works, until the fakers catch real feelings. Fans of the New York Times and USA Today best-selling author will recognize characters from her previous book, While We Were Young.

Fat Swim is a new short story collection from West Philly-based writer, Lambda Literary Award nominee, and cofounder of the community hub for literary writers Blue Stoop, Emma Copley Eisenberg. It’s her second book. Eisenberg’s interconnected tales speak to her characters’ dealings with their body image and sexuality. Set to release April 28, the 240-page hardcover is already on Playboy, Literary Hub, and LGBTQ Reads’ most anticipated books of 2026 lists. Think of it as the edgier twin to Copley’s 2024 novel, Housemates.

Ambler writer and mom Sara Nović’s third book, Mother Tongue: A Memoir, traces her rise from a teen who hid her hearing impairment to a deaf rights activist. Nović has made a name for herself advocating for American Sign Language in a world where cochlear implants may one day be the norm. Mother Tongue is scheduled for a May 5 release. True Biz, Nović’s 2022 bestseller, was the 2024 Free Library of Philadelphia’s One Book One Philadelphia pick.

Essays from former Bala Cynwyd librarian — and occasional Philadelphia Inquirer op-ed writer — Roz Warren are included in the beloved Chicken Soup for the Soul series’ latest title, Chicken Soup for the Soul: Being Grandma. The March release features 101 stories from new grandmas and a few warm-hearted ones from their grandchildren, surely a moving read for old school and new school grandmothers alike.

In North Philadelphia native Sadeqa Johnson’s historical fiction novel released in February, Keeper of Lost Children, Johnson introduces readers to South Philadelphia serviceman Ozzie Phillips, whose quest to find himself and his daughter is written against the backdrop of post-World War II Philadelphia. This was when the John Wanamaker stores and Strawbridge’s were the happening shopping destinations and Pearl Bailey performed at Ridge Avenue’s Pearl Theater.

Celeste Ng’s 2022 New York Times bestseller, Our Missing Hearts, is the Free Library of Philadelphia 2026 One Book, One Philadelphia pick. The dystopian novel is about a 12-year-old biracial Chinese American boy and his quest to be reunited with his mother in an authoritarian America.

The February release of Tayari Jones’ long-awaited fifth book, Kin, was the same day Oprah Winfrey named the historical fiction novel her 121st Oprah Book Club pick. The next day, Uncle Bobbie’s Coffee & Books hosted Jones at Greene Street Friend’s School, the fourth stop on Jones’ 24-city U.S. tour. Like her 2018 novel, An American Marriage, Kin is told through a dual point of view. But instead of a couple trying to work out heavy issues, two motherless girls in the Jim Crow South are trying to find themselves.