Ah, spring. The sun is shining, the weather is warming, the buds are blooming and COVID-19 vaccines are going into arms, finally.
We’re all ready to put an end to this cabin fever, but that doesn’t mean you’re off reading duty. This spring brings not just flowers, but a whole bouquet of must-read books including personal stories from musician Brandi Carlile and actor Seth Rogen; buzzy novels from Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney, Kristen Arnett and Kaitlyn Greenidge; and the last work by Eric Jerome Dickey after his death in January.
So go outside and enjoy the weather if you must, but keep your nose in these 20 upcoming books.
“Raft of Stars,” by Andrew J. Graff • Release date: March 23 • In the summer of 1994, two young Wisconsin boys, mistakenly believing they’ve committed a deadly crime, flee into the woods in this nostalgic coming-of-age story.
“A Little Devil in America: Notes in Praise of Black Performance,” by Hanif Abdurraqib. (Photo: Random House)
“A Little Devil in America: Notes in Praise of Black Performance,” by Hanif Abdurraqib • Release date: March 30 • A personal meditation in essays on Black artistic performance in the U.S. and how its inextricably woven in to the fabric of American culture.
“Of Women and Salt,” by Gabriela Garcia • Release date: March 30 • A Cuban immigrant mother and daughter in Miami, grappling with the daughter’s addiction, reckon with their family’s legacy back to a 19th-century Cuban cigar factory.
“Libertie,” by Kaitlyn Greenidge • Release date: March 30 • The Whiting Award–winning author of “We Love You, Charlie Freeman” returns with the story of a young Black girl coming of age in Reconstruction-era Brooklyn, inspired by the life of one of the first Black female doctors in the U.S.
“The Five Wounds,” by Kirstin Valdez Quade • Release date: March 30 • This debut novel from the National Book Critics Circle Award winner is set in a small New Mexico town, where Amadeo Padilla’s daughter Angel shows up unannounced, and pregnant, during Holy Week.
“Broken Horses,” by Brandi Carlile. (Photo: Crown)
“Broken Horses,” by Brandi Carlile • Release date: April 6 • The singer, songwriter and Grammy winner opens up in an intimate memoir, from her impoverished and dysfunctional childhood through the events that shaped her life and art.
“Caul Baby,” by Morgan Jerkins • Release date: April 6 • The “Wandering in Strange Lands” author makes her fiction debut with a novel about the Melancon, a powerful Harlem family of female healers known for their caul, a precious layer of skin that is the source of their power.
‘We know who the racists are’: Don Lemon talks new book and the bittersweet benefit to Trump
“Good Company,” by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney • Release date: April 6 • The author of bestselling novel “The Nest” returns with a tender, bighearted story of the bonds of marriage and friendship. Everything Flora thought she knew about her life is upset when she stumbles across an envelope containing her husband’s wedding ring, which he claimed he lost.
“The Souvenir Museum,” by Elizabeth McCracken • Release date: April 13 • The author of “The Giant’s House” and “Bowlaway” releases a powerfully written new collection of short fiction that explores the mysterious bonds of family.
“The Son of Mr. Suleman,” by Eric Jerome Dickey • Release date: April 20 • The author’s final novel following his death in January, about Black professor Pi Suleman, whose career is threatened when a white colleague threatens to claim he assaulted her.
“Madam Speaker: Nancy Pelosi and the Lessons of Power,” by Susan Page • Release date: April 20 • The USA TODAY Washington Bureau Chief writes the definitive biography of the Speaker of the House and the most powerful woman in American political history.
“Madam Speaker: Nancy Pelosi and the Lessons of Power,” by Susan Page. (Photo: Twleve Books)
“Project Hail Mary,” by Andy Weir • Release date: May 4 • The clock is ticking, and a lone astronaut – who can’t remember his assignment and whose crewmates are dead – must save humanity from an extinction-level threat.
“A Master of Djinn,” by P. Djèlí Clark • Release date: May 11 • The Nebula Award winning author sets this fantasy novel in an alternate 1912 Cairo and follows the adventures of Fatma el-Sha’arawi, the youngest woman working for the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments and Supernatural Entities.
“Billie Eilish,” by Billie Eilish • Release date: May 11 • The musician takes readers on a visual narrative journey through her life, on stage and off, in a book featuring hundreds of never-before-seen photos.
“Yearbook,” by Seth Rogen • Release date: May 11 • A collection of personal essays and funny, true-life stories from the “Long Shot” and “This is the End” actor. “I hope you enjoy the book should you buy it, and if you don’t enjoy it, I’m sorry,” Rogen writes. “If you ever see me on the street and explain the situation, I’ll do my best to make it up to you.”
“Better, Not Bitter: Living on Purpose in the Pursuit of Racial Justice,” by Yusef Salaam • Release date: May 18 • From a grave miscarriage of justice comes this inspirational memoir and call to action from a prison-reform activist and one of the exonerated Central Park Five.
“Where the Grass Is Green and the Girls Are Pretty,” by Lauren Weisberger • Release date: May 18 • From the bestselling author of “The Devil Wears Prada” comes an entertaining story about two sisters – stylish TV anchor Peyton and stay-at-home-mom Skye – and the one little lie that cracks their illusions.
“With Teeth,” by Kristen Arnett. (Photo: Riverhead)
“With Teeth,” by Kristen Arnett • Release date: June 1 • From the author of “Mostly Dead Things” comes this queer, dysfunctional family drama. Sammie Lucas is increasingly scared of her son, whose unruly behavior turns into physical aggression she must confront.
“The Chosen and the Beautiful,” by Nghi Vo • Release date: June 1 • What if “The Great Gatsby,” sexy star golfer Jordan Baker is a queer Vietnamese adoptee? And there’s magic? You have our attention.
“Night Came With Many Stars,” by Simon Van Booy • Release date: June 8 • In 1933 Kentucky, Carol was 13 when her daddy lost her in a game of cards – and thus begins the epic saga, spanning decades, of one rural family’s struggle to survive and the invisible connections that bind.
Source: Read Full Article