May the Books Be With You: 42 New Reads for Your TBR

We have so many staff picks this month, we couldn’t get all of them to fit in one picture! Don’t worry, this is an excellent problem to have. You want just the right title to stick in your beach bag on vacation this summer, to read poolside on a sunny day, to… peruse amidst the backdrop of deafening cicada buzzing? Have a browse!

FICTIONRecommended by Ann Sipsworth

By Simon Van Booy

Sipsworth is a love story about a woman and a mouse. Reason suggests that such a relationship couldn’t possibly work, and yet I found myself pulling for this unlikely duo on every page. Simon Van Booy’s characters are loaded with charm, resilience, and the deep desire for connection that all mammals share. I loved it.

Recommended by RJ I Cheerfully Refuse

By Leif Enger

This near-future story follows Rainy, a musician who embarks on an unexpected odyssey across Lake Superior after tragedy upends his life. Along the way he finds both the kindness and community, along with the dangers and cruelties, of a collapsing world. Rainy is a deeply lovable narrator, and the novel is equally heartfelt and heartbreaking as it follows his journey through grief and stormy waters.

Recommended by Rae Ann Colton Gentry’s Third Act: A Novel

By Jeff Zentner

Colton Gentry’s Third Act is a story of second chances, in life and love. It’s a laugh-out-loud funny story told in beautiful language, full of heart. Jeff Zentner may be the Southern Emily Henry.

Recommended by Heath Long Island

By Colm Toibin

Set 20 years after Brooklyn, Long Island finds Eilis as the mother of two teenagers and at a crossroads in her marriage to Tony. While figuring out what to do in order to save their marriage, Eilis decides to visit her mother in Ireland for the first time in years, and some familiar faces pop up. I flew through this book, and seeing Eilis again was like catching up with an old friend.

Recommended by Ashby The Ministry of Time: A Novel

By Kaliane Bradley

WARNING: You can’t put it down! Weaving multiple genres-science fiction, mystery, romance and comedy. An Arctic explorer is brought to the present, assigned a female “bridge” to live with and help him adapt to the modern world. The time-travelers and their handlers face challenges. Spotify? Hiroshima? The complexity of their relationship as well as the government’s power make this a powerful page-turner.

Recommended by Cheryl The Paris Novel

By Ruth Reichl

A young woman is left a small inheritance from her mother, and it has to be used for a trip to Paris, but she has no idea why. Once there, she discovers herself as well as her mother’s past. It is the most sensual book I’ve read in years via designer dresses and French food. Highest recommendation.

Recommended by Jennifer The Hemlock Queen

By Hannah Whitten

Immersed once again in the fantastical world of The Foxglove King, we meet all of our favorite characters with even deadlier stakes than ever before. This time, however, court intrigue takes a divine turn as Lore finds her destiny and heart intertwined with the cruel games of the gods. Will Lore’s stubborn humanity stand a chance against the whims of the immortal? I couldn’t put this book down.

Recommended by Tara Funny Story

By Emily Henry

Emily Henry continues to be the queen of writing emotionally grounded characters and dialogue sparkling with wit. I could not stop grinning while I read this.

Recommended by Rae Ann The British Booksellers

By Kristy Cambron

Two booksellers are at the heart of this story that takes readers from the trenches of WWI to the Coventry Blitz of WWII. This dual timeline narrative shows us the heart of a community working together and the value in forgiveness.

Recommended by Hannah P. Clear: A Novel

By Carys Davies

An atmospheric, moving piece of historical fiction. During the Scottish Clearances of the 1840s, a minister is sent to a remote island to evict the land of its last inhabitant. This brief but profound portrait of humanity, connection, and hope will stay with you long after you finish.

Recommended by Cheryl Daughter of Mine: A Novel

By Megan Miranda

Twenty years after her mother left her a note before running away and leaving her with her adopted family, a car is found in the lake. I would think I had reached a stopping point in reading, but every answer revealed another rabbit hole! Highly recommend to those who think they can solve mysteries before finishing books.

Also loved by Marcia!

Recommended by Jennifer The Familiar: A Novel

By Leigh Bardugo

A dark romance taking place in the midst of the Spanish Inquisition, The Familiar is a haunting tale full of paradoxes and secrets. Magic is forbidden, but sought after, and love might be the most dangerous and intoxicating magic of all. When faced with a system that breaks anyone who doesn’t fall in line, what will the powerful and overlooked Luzia do to survive?

Recommended by Jenness A Kind of Madness

By Uche Okonkwo

This lovely debut collection of unrelated short stories touches upon the common idea of madness and how we experience or interpret it in our lives: mental illness and its stigma, self-delusion, and the chasms that exist between our own beliefs and those of others. We’ve all experienced and contributed to a kind of madness.

Recommended by Tara Lavash at First Sight

By Taleen Voskuni

Lavash at First Sight is a fun, light-hearted romance set in the Windy City. The banter will have you kicking your feet and squealing with delight.

Recommended by Marcia Summers at the Saint: A Novel

By Mary Kay Andrews

MKA at her best! Traci and her friend grew up working at The Saint, a luxe hotel in coastal Georgia, but they were from the “wrong side of the causeway.” The girls’ lives take wild turns; Traci marries into the family that owns the hotel. Tragedy strikes and she finds herself tasked with running the hotel and in a power struggle with her brother-in-law. A perfect blend of mystery, drama, and beach vibes!

Also loved by Rae Ann!

Recommended by Katie The Prospects: A Novel

By KT Hoffman

Every possible chance that I get to talk about this book I will. A queer romance about two former college teammates and rivals who find themselves playing on the same minor league team is a a grand slam. It’s a love letter to baseball, to queer folks & to the romance genre. You will absolutely be Team Gene & Louis. Go sports!

Also loved by Rachel and Jordan!

Recommended by Chelsea Only and Forever

By Chloe Liese

I have been waiting (somewhat patiently) for Viggo’s story, and Only and Forever did not disappoint. This is Liese at her best: full of heart, a little spice, funny, and the brothers and sisters we all adore. I cried at the end of this because Liese perfectly wrapped up the Bergman universe for us readers!

Recommended by Katie The Kiss Countdown

By Etta Easton

I love all things forced proximity and fake dating. Watching two people bumbling along pretending its all fake while secretly panicking because clearly they are in LOVE. The Kiss Countdown is a fantastic debut that follows a down-on-her-luck event planner who has 3 months with her fake boyfriend before he leaves the country for…outer space. Charming and sweet, Etta Easton’s debut is out of this world.

Recommended by Ashby How to Solve Your Own Murder: A Novel

By Kristen Perrin

A fortune teller predicts Frances’s murder when she is a teenager. Frances became an eccentric old lady focused on solving her own murder before it happens. Annie, Frances’s grandniece, grew up in Frances’s crumbling house with her artist mom. Anne ships the basement junk back to Frances which sets things in motion. Frances is murdered and Annie has to solve it to win the fortune.

Recommended by RJ The Brides of High Hill

By Nghi Vo

I have loved every installment of Nghi Vo’s Singing Hills Cycle, and The Brides of High Hill is no exception. A wandering story-collecting cleric is lured into a lavish wedding where nothing is as it seems, a celebration where blood, beauty, and monsters go hand in hand. Like all the Singing Hills books, this reads fine as a standalone, but do yourself a favor and read them all!

Recommended by Jenness Missing White Woman

By Kellye Garrett

A twisty, pointed entry in crime fiction’s (and our culture’s) obsession with missing white women. A fast-paced thriller where maybe nothing turns out to be what it seems, and a protagonist you root for until the last page.

NONFICTION & POETRYRecommended by Ann Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder

By Salman Rushdie

People talk about not being able to put a book down but truly, I read this in a day. It is the story of art and politics, medical miracles and horrible suffering, anger and peace, and most of all love. For a book written by a man who was nearly murdered, the story is drenched in love.

Recommended by Cat The Wide Wide Sea: Imperial Ambition, First Contact and the Fateful Final Voyage of Captain James Cook

By Hampton Sides

Hampton Sides always amazes me with his ability to craft a narrative from an array of sources while also painting a vivid picture of the world he is portraying. This is a history of the third and final voyage Captain Cook undertook populated with an ensemble cast of the ships crew. Cook’s legacy is hotly debated, but the story of this voyage is nothing short of remarkable and fascinating.

Recommended by Andy An Unfinished Love Story: A Personal History of the 1960s

By Doris Kearns Goodwin

Richard and Doris Goodwin were married for 42 years. This memoir/history covers the Sixties from the optimism of JFK’s administration to the War in Vietnam and assassinations that marred the end of the decade. The Goodwins were witness to it all.

Recommended by Jennifer The Age of Magical Overthinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality

By Amanda Montell

The Cultish podcast host is back again, this time venturing to explore and discuss why the human mind often chooses fantasy and anxiety over reason. Surprisingly heartwarming while incredibly interesting, I could not put this one down!

Also loved by Jordan and Sarah!

Recommended by Cheryl The Demon of Unrest: A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War

By Erik Larson

Once again Erik Larson has written nonfiction that reads like fiction. Fort Sumter may be noted as the beginning of the Civil War but it was not a violent battle but instead a series of miscommunication and misdeeds. Lincoln’s inauguration paralleled the building isolation of the Fort Sumter. troops. It was a small spark that lit a firestorm.

Recommended by Katie Bite by Bite: Nourishments and Jamborees

By Aimee Nezhukumatathil

Described by the author as both a “personal and natural history,” Bite by Bite is a beautifully written memoir by the author of World of Wonders. Stunningly illustrated, the book is centered around 40 different foods that stir memories for Nezhukumatathil and nestles them in the larger history of the food. A perfect blend of genres (essay, memoir, food narrative, poetry), Bite by Bite is an absolutely delicious book.

Recommended by Ashby Somehow: Thoughts on Love

By Anne Lamott

Is there any word with more weight than love? Lamott explores the complexity of love in all its different iterations aligning with our age and place in life. A collection to keep on your shelf and one to give away.

Recommended by Rachel Eve Bites Back: An Alternative History of English Literature

By Anna Beer

If you were an English major who wished your syllabi included more women writers, this one is for you.

Recommended by Hannah P. The Orange and Other Poems

By Wendy Cope

I love these poems. I’m glad I exist.

Also loved by Lindsay!

Recommended by Cheryl The Backyard Bird Chronicles

By Amy Tan, David Allen Sibley (Foreword by)

By taking her first drawing class in her sixties, Amy Tan perfected her bird obsession by sketching them in her journal. They are beautiful and enrich her words. Other than a lovely book as a gift it should inspire others to discover hidden talents no matter your age.

Recommended by Rachel  Queer Power Couples: On Love and Possibility

By Billie Winter (Photographer), Hannah Murphy Winter

This book is stockpiled with hope and intimacy. A look into the inner lives of fourteen queer couples, from how they met to what shaped them into the role models they are today.

Recommended by Ashby The King of Diamonds: The Search for the Elusive Texas Jewel Thief

By Rena Pederson

A perfect read after The Art Thief. Dallas. The 1960s. A jewel thief strikes while homeowners sleep. Rich dined on marble tables surrounded by water. Parties with snow flown in. Pederson interviewed hundreds to tell the story. Beyond cars, houses and clothes, she presents the underside-gambling, mafia, drugs, strippers. Two distinct worlds and the police whose own stories prove just as enigmatic.

Recommended by Katie Crave: Bold Recipes That Make You Want Seconds

By Karen Akunowicz

It’s Taurus season! And that means I’m gonna find me some little treats at every turn. First up – a new cookbook! And this one delivers! I’ve already made the pickled cherries, pea and farrow salad, and will be making the cacio e pepe crisps as soon as I’m done writing this review. Inventive, delicious but still easily accessible to a home cook, this will be a staple on my shelf for years to come!

Recommended by Cheryl The Swans of Harlem: Five Black Ballerinas, Fifty Years of Sisterhood, and Their Reclamation of a Groundbreaking History

By Karen Valby

Little known before there was Misty Copeland, there were 5 young Black ballerinas recruited in the 1960s by famed dancer Arthur Mitchell. They became the core of the Dance Theatre of Harlem. They were famous and then faded from history until now. Captivating.

CLASSICS & BACKLISTRecommended by Lindsay Still Life with Oysters and Lemon: On Objects and Intimacy

By Mark Doty

Do yourself a favor and take an afternoon to read poet Mark Doty’s beautiful book-length essay on Dutch still life paintings, the intimacy of art, family history, and mortality. It’s one of my favorites that I return to time and time again!

Recommended by Andy Remembering America: A Voice from the Sixties

By Richard N. Goodwin

A fantastic history of the sixties by someone who witnessed much of it. A great companion to Doris Kearns Goodwin’s new one, An Unfinished Love Story, out this month.

Recommended by Chelsea Poison Study

By Maria V. Snyder

I love when a great backlist book gets a new cover, especially in time for some summer reading fun! A romantasy before the word was coined, Poison Study is the story of Yelena, a young woman who escapes a death sentence by becoming the Commander’s food taster. While disasters mount within the walls of the palace, will Yelena be able to escape her situation or her growing feelings for the head of security?

Recommended by Lauren Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty

By Patrick Radden Keefe

Patrick Radden Keefe does an amazing job exploring how the Sackler dynasty started with three brothers trying to make a difference in the medical field to a generational empire of power and greed. This book is riveting, emotional, and deplorable all at the same time.

Recommended by Mac Time Is a Mother

By Ocean Vuong

Ocean Vuong’s second poetry collection stuns just as much as the first. Vuong often confounds his voice and perspective throughout the collection with that of his mother’s. This collection gracefully, yet sometimes abrasively, explores queerness, grief, and language. Written with the force that we can always expect of Vuong, you want to participate in the conversations he’s opening.

Recommended by Patsy Our Spoons Came from Woolworths

By Barbara Comyns

Young artists Sophia and Charles fall in love and marry, navigating poverty, family life, and the attentions of others. This classic novel recounts a predictable tale, while painting an engaging picture of 1930s London and countryside. This is a great and transporting read in which to lose yourself.

First Editions Club: May Selection Long IslandBy Colm ToibinThe conflict of Long Island arrives at the start. An Irishman knocks on Eilis Forello’s door while her husband Tony is at work. The Irishman tells Eilis that Tony is the father of the child his wife is carrying, and when the baby is born, he plans to bring it to her doorstep and leave it for Eilis to raise.To make matters worse, Tony and his large Italian family like babies very much. Sure, the circumstances aren’t perfect, but who wouldn’t want a nice new baby? (Spoiler: Eilis would not like a nice new baby. Not one that belongs to her husband’s mistress.)To make matters even worse than that, this is Eilis, and this is Tony, the once-young lovers from Colm Tóibín famous novel of twenty years ago, Brooklyn . Remember? Eilis was fresh off the boat from Ireland. They met at a dance and were married in secret before Eilis had to suddenly return to Ireland to help out after her sister’s death. There she reunited with her friend Nancy. She started hanging around with Jim, who was such a lovely guy. Things got complicated in the past. They get complicated this time as well.Do you have to read Brooklyn to understand and fully enjoy Long Island? No, you do not. But Brooklyn is a masterpiece of quiet understatement and Long Island is its worthy successor. To read the two together is to understand the state of love and conflict these characters inhabit more fully.We’re so lucky that Colm Tóibín came to Nashville, and that we can send you this treasure signed. It will be a very special addition to your collection.Enjoy.Ann PatchettMore about our First Editions Club: Every member receives a first edition of the selected book of the month, signed by the author. Books are carefully chosen by our staff of readers, and our picks have gone on to earn major recognition including the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award, and the PEN/Faulkner Award. Plus, there’s no membership fee or premium charge for these books. Build a treasured library of signed first editions and always have something great to read! Makes a FABULOUS gift, too.Love, Parnassus: May Selection A Little Kissing Between Friends

By Chencia C. Higgins

I love the month of May. It’s my birthday month, and I am a firm believer in celebrating ALL month long. Part of that celebration includes reading May’s Love, Parnassus pick, A Little Kissing Between Friends by Chencia Higgins, again. This is the perfect spring Sapphic romance and my current obsession. ALKBF follows best friends, Cyn the Starr (music producer on the rise) and Jucee (single mom and celebrated adult dancer) as they navigate their burgeoning feelings while making sure their friendship stays front and center. Hooking up with your ride-or-die is always risky, but sometimes taking a risk is worth it. —Katie Garaby, Love, Parnassus coordinator

Praise for A Little Kissing Between Friends:

In this wonderful sapphic romance, Higgins portrays an upbeat and plausible friends-to-lovers relationship.”—Publisher’s Weekly

The Love, Parnassus box is a monthly subscription box for romance readers curated by the experts at Parnassus Books. Each month you will receive a first edition book (which is sometimes signed), a letter from the author, a custom sticker, and a bookmark to track your reading. The Love, Parnassus selection will focus on debut and new-to-you romance authors. Set up a subscription for yourself or buy a gift membership for your favorite romance reader for 3, 6, or 12 months.