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Readers’ 79 Most Anticipated Spring Books
Is there anything better than cracking open a new book in the springtime sunshine? We submit that there is not.
As it happens, we have some good news on that front. It’s time once again for our annual Big Books of Spring collection—a genre-sorted assortment of upcoming titles largely determined by you, the loyal Goodreads reader. Books are selected by tracking early reviews and determining which titles people are adding to their Want to Read shelves. All the books listed below are scheduled to be published in the U.S. between March and May.
In the mix for ’26: Contemporary and historical fiction from Elizabeth Strout, Matt Haig, Jessica George, and Xóchitl González. Mysteries and thrillers from Tana French, Sally Hepworth, and Alex Finlay. Horror novels concerning samurai ghosts, parasitic bugs, and miracle weight-loss drugs.
Over in the SFF aisle, we’ve got stories of pirate queens, Hong Kong spirits, incoming black holes, and New Orleans witches. (Plus the new Murderbot book!) Romance readers will be happy to hear about new love stories from Abby Jimenez, Kennedy Ryan, Ana Huang, and Carley Fortune.
Plus new romantasy from Sarah A. Parker and Veronica Roth! New YA titles from Megan Lally and Ana Liang! And new nonfiction concerning NYC rescue dogs, forest intelligence, and storytelling itself.
One final note: We’ve noticed that this year’s batch of spring books features a remarkable number of compelling character names across all genres. For instance: Mouse Dunne, Sebastian Laurent, Seraphine “Phine” Barreau, Rainy March, and Kate, Duke of Howard. Not many people choose their new books by character names, but some do, and hey—we try to run a full-service operation.
Feel free to add anything that catches your eye to your Want to Read shelf. Happy spring reading, fellow bookworms!
Contemporary & Historical Fiction
M.L. Stedman’s long-awaited follow-up to her 2012 classic, The Light Between Oceans, brings readers to the wilds of Western Australia, circa 1958, where a split-second decision triggers a terrible tragedy. Stedman’s three-part, character-driven narrative charts one family’s fate over several decades, under a vast outback sky.
Publication date: March 3
Publication date: March 3
This debut novel from author Rachel Hochhauser is ostensibly a retelling of the Cinderella fairy tale. But Hochhauser has more ambitious ideas in mind, eschewing fantasy for insightful historical fiction exploring family dynamics, patriarchal oppression, and the “evil stepmother” cliché. This should be interesting reading for anyone who likes to peek under the hood of our inherited storytelling traditions.
Publication date: March 3
Publication date: March 3
This looks fun: A phony tradwife influencer finds that her fake online farm life has been transformed, literally overnight, into the brutal realities of 1805 pioneer homesteading. Is it a reality-show prank? A sustained hallucination? Actual time travel? Debut author Caro Claire Burke delivers the season’s most delicious story premise.
Publication date: April 7
Publication date: April 7
It’s a strange fact of adulthood: Making new friends—really tight new friends—is harder to do as you grow older. Author Jessica George (Maame) tells the story of Remy and Simone, two women who forge a deep connection after a random encounter in a favorite bookshop. Early readers are loving the novel’s easy humor and heartfelt insights on female friendship.
Publication date: April 7
Publication date: April 7
Native Brooklynite Xóchitl González (Olga Dies Dreaming) documents changes sudden and gradual in her hometown borough, circa 2007. With the economy on the verge of a historic freakout, 26-year-old Alicia Canales Forten tries to navigate accelerating gentrification, epic hipster parties, and what’s left of the American dream.
Publication date: April 21
Publication date: April 21
If you like your speculative fiction on the thoughtful and literary side, check out this latest story from Alexandra Oliva, which chronicles one family’s extended correspondence with an alien intelligence. Oliva (The Last One) leverages a traditional sci-fi blueprint—the First Contact story—to explore themes of spirituality, trauma, ambition, and other matters of the human heart.
Publication date: April 28
Publication date: April 28
Kathryn Stockett’s 2009 novel, The Help, was a supernova success, on page and screen. Her long-awaited follow-up takes readers to 1933 Mississippi, where the Great Depression is crushing everyone—especially vulnerable women on the margins. The happy news is that Stockett’s characters, including a wily spinster and an old-soul tween, are pretty quick on their feet. And they have a plan.
Publication date: May 5
Publication date: May 5
For her legions of devoted readers, a new Elizabeth Strout novel is a joyful, mark-your-calendar kind of event. The Things We Never Say, Strout’s first standalone novel in more than a decade, tells the story of a high school teacher and an astonishing revelation. But ultimately Strout is writing about her perennial concerns: connection, compassion, and the human condition. Now, where’s that calendar…
Publication date: May 5
Publication date: May 5
Booker Prize winner Douglas Stuart (Shuggie Bain) is back with the story of John-Calum Macleod, an art school student returning home to a small village in Scotland’s rugged Hebrides islands. John’s dad is a devout farmer, his grandma is a tough old Glasgow girl, and John’s queerness is going to be a problem. Or is it? Love can surprise you, and the truth is mighty.
Publication date: May 5
Publication date: May 5
When 77-year-old Pepper Mills begrudgingly moves into a retirement home, she doesn't expect to fall in love, or become pregnant. Soon everyone has an opinion about what Pepper should do, from the media to medical researchers. How's that for a Trojan horse premise to talk about women's autonomy, motherhood, and morality? As usual, Frankel (This Is How It Always Is) knows exactly what she's doing!
Publication date: May 5
Publication date: May 5
After her breakout 2025 debut novel The Bright Years, Damoff returns with this page-turning heartbreaker. When April and Leo's house burns down in the middle of the night, they're forced to move in with April's parents. Soon, it becomes clear that their house may not be the only thing on fire in their lives. Told in alternating points of view, readers follow along as the family is forced to confront long-buried secrets.
Publication date: May 19
Publication date: May 19
If you had a good time with The Midnight Library, author Matt Haig’s 2020 blockbuster, you’ll want to book a ticket on The Midnight Train. Haig’s much anticipated sequel novel is a new story in the same universe as Library, concerning a recently departed bookstore owner and his adventures in the immediate afterlife. Early readers are saying very nice things.
Publication date: May 26
Publication date: May 26
Mystery & Thriller
Here’s a book whose very title suggests that you’ll want to keep it handy somewhere. The gist: BFFs Benny and Joy host a podcast about survival stories and near-death experiences. But when Joy and her husband suddenly go missing, Benny must solve the mystery before he’s picked up as the prime suspect. Debut author Tiffany Crum has some twists for you.
Publication date: March 10
Publication date: March 10
This debut novel from acclaimed memoirist T Kira Madden—author of 2019’s Long Live the Tribe of Fatherless Girls—does interesting new things with the mystery-thriller template. When a child abuser is murdered, circumstances change suddenly for three women connected to the dead man. Meanwhile, Madden asks some hard questions about crime and justice.
Publication date: March 10
Publication date: March 10
The third and final installment in author Tana French’s Cal Hooper trilogy, The Keeper ostensibly profiles a retired Chicago cop and a mysterious death in the remote Irish village of Arknakelty. But as longtime readers know, French’s books take mystery writing to another level of psychological depth and emotional wallop.
Publication date: March 10
Publication date: March 10
Part locked-room mystery, part subtle satire, The Ending Writes Itself features six struggling authors who are invited to a private island in Scotland. It seems that a very famous writer is very seriously dead, and someone has to finish his latest novel. Bonus trivia: Debut author Evelyn Clarke is actually two authors.
Publication date: April 7
Publication date: April 7
This fascinating genre specimen from author and scholar Jennifer N. Brown starts with a 16th-century nun and her world-shaking prophecies. Five hundred years later, a struggling researcher unearths a mysterious manuscript. Using a dual-timeline structure, Brown proceeds with a remarkable tale concerning Henry VII, ancient priory ruins, and the cutthroat world of academia.
Publication date: April 14
Publication date: April 14
Australian author Sally Hepworth is back with the story of Mad Mabel, an elderly woman with a shadowy past. People around Mabel tend to die—quite often, actually—but you’ll want to be careful with assumptions. Early readers report that the story takes some heartbreaking turns. Also in the mix: A seven-year-old neighbor girl and a little yappy dog. Intriguing, isn’t it?
Publication date: April 21
Publication date: April 21
When rookie defense attorney Leila Reynolds is assigned to a high-profile murder case, eyebrows are raised. When the prosecutor turns out to be Leila’s husband, eyebrows pop right off the skull. Readers who like to pair their books with the TV adaptations won’t have to wait. Author Jo Murray’s legal thriller has been optioned for the upcoming Season 2 reboot of Apple TV’s Presumed Innocent.
Publication date: May 5
Publication date: May 5
A psychological mystery wrapped around a serial-killer story, Alex Finlay’s new novel introduces the May Day Killer, a psychopath who kills exactly once per year, on May 1. But Finlay comes at the story sideways, by way of two teenagers who encounter the killer, then find their lives running in a strange parallel for the next decade. As you might expect, things tend to get weird in early May.
Publication date: May 12
Publication date: May 12
In 2010, med student Carrie impulsively marries Johan after a whirlwind romance in Thailand. But things go south on the wedding night when Johan is arrested, then disappears. Ten years later, Carrie is married with two kids when she discovers Johan is out of prison. Uh-oh. British author Rosie Walsh (Ghosted) returns with another twisty domestic thriller.
Publication date: May 19
Publication date: May 19
Horror
Australian author C.G. Drews announced their presence with authority in 2024’s inventive horror novel Don’t Let the Forest In. Drews proposes a new take on the haunted house story with You Did Nothing Wrong, which features a single mother, her autistic son, and a deliberately ambiguous tone. Is it supernatural horror? Is it psychological suspense? Is it dark family drama? The answer is yes.
Publication date: March 17
Publication date: March 17
Prolific author T. Kingfisher (Nettle & Bone) begins her new book in 1899, when a professional illustrator agrees to work with a reclusive entomologist in the dark forests of North Carolina. It seems the good doctor has been conducting some dubious experiments with the locals. And his wife. And parasitic maggots. Also: Why is that shed locked?
Publication date: March 24
Publication date: March 24
The good news: Emmett Truesdale has finally found a diet that works for him. The bad news: It’s a dangerous clinical trial, and he’s experiencing weird memory blackouts. The disturbing news: People who treated Emmett cruelly are mysteriously disappearing. Luke Dumas (A History of Fear) tackles the dark side of miracle weight-loss drugs.
Publication date: March 31
Publication date: March 31
Using parallel timelines in 2026 and 1877, author Kylie Lee Baker deploys the power of historical fiction to tell a different kind of ghost story. Details include a college student on the run, a young female samurai, a bed of sword ferns, and a very old house in Japan. Early readers are praising the book’s blend of real and supernatural horror.
Publication date: April 14
Publication date: April 14
In the horror genre, property caretaker jobs are a famously fraught proposition. This latest iteration from author Marcus Kliewer (We Used to Live Here) follows an unemployed graphic designer on a three-day housesitting job in coastal Oregon. The money is good, but the gig comes with some oddly specific instructions. More like rituals, really.
Publication date: April 21
Publication date: April 21
The title of Monika Kim’s new novel refers to an ongoing real-world epidemic in South Korea, in which creepy little men use spycams to illegally film women, then upload the footage online. Molka tells the story of what happens when one young woman refuses to be a victim and opts to take vengeance. Look for some resonant political and supernatural elements, too.
Publication date: April 28
Publication date: April 28
Following a rough divorce, Hazel retreats to her small hometown in the English countryside, where she hopes to hide and heal…and reconnect with her estranged sister, Cathy. But times have changed in the town of Idless. There’s something wrong in the woods. British author Daisy Pearce blends folk horror with atmospheric suspense and missing-person drama.
Publication date: April 28
Publication date: April 28
Science Fiction & Fantasy
Following up on her well-received 2023 debut, Wandering Souls, author Cecile Pin explores the more thoughtful end of science fiction with the story of Oliver Ines, a veteran astronaut on a 10-year mission to Europa. Toggling between mission logs and vivid memories, Oliver reflects on life, family, ambition, and the vastness of the human heart.
Publication date: March 24
Publication date: March 24
This second installment in The Captive’s War series continues author James S.A. Corey’s epic sci-fi saga concerning humankind’s Darwinian struggle to ward off utter extinction. Corey (who is actually two authors) has set up a fascinating far-future scenario, in which an omnipotent hivemind empire pits the galaxy’s various species against one another. If you liked The Expanse, you’ll likely dig this.
Publication date: April 14
Publication date: April 14
This lively fantasy debut from New York author Savannah Stephens looks like a good time. An outcast magical scion, Seraphine “Phine” Barreau, returns to the treacherous world of New Orleans witchkin to fulfill her family’s legacy. Also look for werewolf ex-boyfriends, bossy vampires, and plenty of #blackgirlmagic vibes. Bonus trivia: Stephens’ cat is named Sir Beaumont of Fluffbottom. Bonus points.
Publication date: April 21
Publication date: April 21
Another buzzy debut coming this spring, Honor & Heresy follows two young scholars tasked with exploring a derelict magical library. Australian author Max Francis mixes dark academia with atmospheric suspense, queer rivals-to-lovers romance, and some remarkably creepy library ghosts. Underneath it all is a sideways kind of love letter to fantasy literature itself.
Publication date: April 21
Publication date: April 21
This new standalone novel from beloved author T.J. Klune (Cerulean Chronicles) proposes a new riff on the apocalypse story. Husbands Don and Rodney, together for 40 years, make one last cross-country RV trip before the end of the world. (Incoming black hole, if you’re curious.) Along the way, they meet colorful characters in despair, denial, or acceptance.
Publication date: April 28
Publication date: April 28
Martha Wells’ innovative sci-fi series The Murderbot Diaries has generated a devoted readership and a popular Apple TV+ series. On one level, it’s an adventure series about a lethal but introspective cyborg. On another, it’s an ongoing meditation on interpersonal communication, neurodivergent perspectives, and societal priorities. The new book features Murderbot dealing with kids. Human children. The worst.
Publication date: May 5
Publication date: May 5
With her latest and much anticipated SF novel, acclaimed author Fonda Lee (The Green Bone Saga) delivers a standalone space opera built around an old-school murder mystery. The setup: Legendary corporate samurai Isako reluctantly agrees to One Last Job. It works out fine. Just kidding—these things never end well. Bonus trivia: Lee won the World Fantasy Award for her 2018 genre classic, Jade City.
Publication date: May 5
Publication date: May 5
In 2023, historian and author Shannon Chakraborty introduced the world to the dread pirate Amina al-Sirafi, terror of the Indian Sea, lover/slayer of demons, and devoted mom. Book two in the series finds Amina once again mustering her crew in pursuit of fortune and glory. This time around, it’s a heist story centered on an impregnable sorceress’ island. The island, not the sorceress.
Publication date: May 12
Publication date: May 12
Maybe the spring’s most intriguing fantasy offering, The Girl with a Thousand Faces is a historical gothic set in World War II-era Hong Kong. In the legendary Kowloon Walled City, veteran “ghost-talker” Mercy Chan encounters a particularly malevolent spirit. Author Sunyi Dean (The Book Eaters) explores generational trauma with ghosts both spectral and historical. Check the book page for a detailed note from the author.
Publication date: May 5
Publication date: May 5
Another of the spring season’s buzzy debuts, Portia Elan’s Homebound concerns a teen computer prodigy in 1983, an advanced video game, and a cascade of interconnected narratives about going home and coming out. We also get some interesting details about the years 2090 and 2586. Early readers are extolling the book’s tender heart and recommending it for fans of Emily St. John Mandel and Kazuo Ishiguro.
Publication date: May 5
Publication date: May 5
Matt Dinniman’s crazy-popular Dungeon Crawler Carl saga is a LitRPG series that mixes up elements of sci-fi, fantasy, and role-playing games. The gist: Far-future humans are forced to compete in lethal dungeon-clearing expeditions for an intergalactic reality-TV show. This eighth installment in the series opens up the premise a bit, but you can expect the usual blend of action, humor, and heart.
Publication date: May 12
Publication date: May 12
Adventurous fantasy readers will want to flag this debut novel from Paige Lewis, which playfully crosses up various genre traditions. Two armies—the Good Guys and the Bad Guys—provide the backdrop for a quixotic quest concerning God, mythology, and destiny. Advance word suggests that the tone is a little bit Vonnegut, a little bit Martyr!, and a little bit Night Vale.
Publication date: May 19
Publication date: May 19
Romance
The first female owner of a Major League Baseball team, Reese Remington is used to being a woman in a man's world. She's determined, independent, and totally not distractable—oh wait, who's this absolute daddy of a field manager and why is it so tempting to round the bases with him?
Publication date: March 3
Publication date: March 3
Simon and Charlie really do not get along. But as castmates on a beloved TV sci-fi series, they’ve been forced into spaceship-style proximity for years. When a crisis triggers an impromptu road trip, everything changes. Queer historical romance specialist Cat Sebastian switches gears for this slow-burn, contemporary love story.
Publication date: March 3
Publication date: March 3
Genre queen Abby Jimenez returns to the romance aisle in March with this second installment in her Say You’ll Remember Me series. Chris’ dilemma may be a pop culture cliché—he’s in love with his best friend’s girl—but that doesn’t make it any less painful. In fact, it makes it so much worse. Larissa has some regrets herself, over on her side of the cliché.
Publication date: March 24
Publication date: March 24
Foodies in the market for a second-chance romance might like this story, which follows a globe-trotting personal chef and a tricky inheritance situation. Olivia learned her craft at Celia’s Place, but returning home will mean resolving things with Carmello, the late owner’s son…and the one who got away. Author Riss M. Neilson has the details.
Publication date: March 31
Publication date: March 31
Author and BookTok superstar Ana Huang (the Twisted books) checks in on her Kings of Sin series with this sixth installment. French billionaire Sebastian Laurent is heir to a culinary empire. Maya Singh is his childhood academic rival and the only person who ever really got to him. Deadly sins are involved and Swiss boarding school stories.
Publication date: April 28
Publication date: April 28
Set in an alternate-history England, the new sapphic romance from Australian author Anna Cowan (Untamed) features powerful female nobles who are able to marry whoever they please. It seems that Kate, Duke of Howard, is being blackmailed by an ambitious courtesan who also happens to be her former lover. Thing is, Kate’s kinda into it. Regency London, prepare to quake.
Publication date: April 28
Publication date: April 28
Meanwhile, Canada’s pride Carley Fortune returns with a new twist on silver linings: Devastated would-be bride Frankie has just been dumped on the eve of her wedding. That’s when estranged childhood friend George proposes a course of action: He’ll go with Frankie on her already-booked honeymoon, and they can repair their friendship at a Vancouver rainforest resort. Secrets are revealed. Feelings are felt.
Publication date: May 5
Publication date: May 5
If you’re in the mood for a fake relationship / friends-to-lovers romance aboard a luxury cruise liner, we have the most extraordinary coincidence to report. The new rom-com from Katherine Center (The Bodyguard) provides just that, as childhood friends JoJo and Cooper bumble their way through a destination wedding featuring karaoke adventures and fortuitous cabin room assignments.
Publication date: May 19
Publication date: May 19
The first in a new Western series from Chestnut Springs author Elsie Silver, Fever Dream introduces professional bull rider Emmett Bush—big shoulders, dark eyes, you’d like him. Recruited to headline the new reality dating show Romance Ranch, Emmett finds that he has a problem: He’s falling, hard, for location scout Julia Silva. Once the camera starts rolling, things get complicated.
Publication date: May 19
Publication date: May 19
Reunited on the set of a new Harlem Renaissance film, screenwriter Verity Hill and musician Wright “Monk” Bellamy need to work some things out. Their disastrous college breakup 10 years ago has left both with deep wounds. But the new movie is a big deal—Academy Awards may be involved. Can they forget the past to make a new future? Kennedy Ryan (Before I Let Go) has all the glamorous details.
Publication date: May 19
Publication date: May 19
Meet Phoebe Berman. She's a hopeless romantic, on the verge of turning thirty, and a virgin. She can't do anything about those first two items, but she's determined to remedy the third. She's got a checklist and everything. In this debut, comedian Brooke Averick offers up a bighearted and brutally honest coming-of-age tale.
Publication date: May 26
Publication date: May 26
Romantasy
Briar Boleyn’s Bloodwing Academy series combines dark academia and romantasy, along with some interesting variations on epic fantasy and horror traditions. This third chapter brings a new headmaster to Bloodwing Academy, along with awakened dragons, cruel vampires, and a problematic plague. Returning readers can also expect some progress in the romance plotline.
Publication date: March 10
Publication date: March 10
When contemporary romance author Devney Perry migrated to romantasy last year (with Shield of Sparrows), readers responded enthusiastically to the new book’s blend of creative worldbuilding, witty dialogue, and a complex magic system. Book two continues the saga of reluctant princess Odessa and a legendary monster hunter known as the Guardian, with the fate of five kingdoms on the line.
Publication date: April 7
Publication date: April 7
Winner of this season’s unofficial Best Character Name award, Rainy March is a book witch, tasked with policing fictional worlds from intrusions and alterations. But there are rules, and when Rainy teams with her favorite fictional detective, things get sticky on a quest through various literary worlds—Alice in Wonderland! Nancy Drew! Author Meg Shaffer (The Wishing Game) is clearly having a blast with this one.
Publication date: April 7
Publication date: April 7
Set in the sorrowful days just after World War I, Moorea Corrigan’s debut historical romantasy tells the story of orphan Mouse Dunne, who has just been bequeathed a dilapidated English country manor. When a handsome faerie offers to magically restore the property, Mouse must decide: Should she trust one of the mischievous faerie folk?
Publication date: April 21
Publication date: April 21
The author of the blockbuster Divergent series returns with another dystopian vision: Elegy Ahn is a soldier in a future Earth split between two nations—the dominant Talusar and smaller Cedrae. When an ancient prophecy is revealed, Elegy reluctantly faces her destiny. Early readers are enjoying the book’s intricate worldbuilding and thoughtful blend of sci-fi, magic, and romance.
Publication date: May 12
Publication date: May 12
Sarah A. Parker’s Moonfall series launched in 2024 with When the Moon Hatched, which introduced the snarky rebel assassin Raeve and the brooding king known as Kaan Vaegor. Parker’s new book uses a multi-POV structure to gradually expand her world of moons, dragons, and star-crossed lovers. Returning readers can expect some new revelations about the Creators.
Publication date: May 19
Publication date: May 19
Young Adult
Resort industry work gets the worst-case-scenario treatment in this debut YA horror/fantasy from Florida author Julia Alexandra. Set aboard a magical cruise ship, the story introduces Roe Damarcus, forced to serve as a concierge to a cruel and wealthy clientele. Things get even worse after dark, when staffers are actively hunted down. Author Alexandra lives in Orlando, by the way. This seems relevant.
Publication date: March 3
Publication date: March 3
It’s a delicate situation, all right: Nieve Monroe’s boyfriend, Carter, died while saving her from drowning. When a magical loophole ports her back in time, Nieve is determined to do whatever it takes to keep Carter safe—even if it means getting closer to his best friend Max. Author Kristin Dwyer poses the riddle: What’s the right move when you have to break a heart to save a life? Tricky!
Publication date: March 3
Publication date: March 3
Meanwhile, YA thriller specialist Megan Lally (That’s Not My Name) brings a cautionary tale from the dangerous realms of the spring break trip. Besties Hannah and Emmy were having a blast on their Mexico vacation when they met that handsome rich guy on the beach. His idea for a last-minute sailboat excursion seemed like a good idea at the time. Heads up: Lally’s survival story has twists inside its twists.
Publication date: March 31
Publication date: March 31
Authors Marissa Meyer (The Lunar Chronicles) and Tamara Moss (the Lintang series) team up for some delicious trouble in this YA murder mystery, which takes place on and around the set of an escape room TV show. Season 4 of The Escape Game ended in tragedy when a contestant was found murdered. Things get worse in Season 5.
Publication date: April 7
Publication date: April 7
This latest romance from author Ann Liang (I Hope This Doesn’t Find You) introduces a little contemporary fantasy to the mix: Social media celebrity Chanel Cao has little in common with shy teen Ares Yin. But when the two share the same terrible vision of the future, they must work together to save both of their families.
Publication date: April 14
Publication date: April 14
Poet Graves is a privileged daughter of a noble house in the walled city of New Manhattan. The mysterious young man known as Rook hails from the Wastes outside the city. And it seems that their new school, the prestigious Amery Academy, is actually a relentless gauntlet of lethal trials. Nisha J. Tuli (the Artefacts of Ouranos series) kicks off a new upper YA dystopian romantasy series.
Publication date: May 5
Publication date: May 5
Jane Austen meets historical Korea in this newest book from author June Hur (A Crane Among Wolves). Second-eldest daughter Haewon secretly works as an illegal book transcriber during a time of government book banning. Things get more complicated when her older sister falls for a wealthy gentleman, whose best friend and chaperone is a wealthy, snobby nobleman with secrets of his own.
Publication date: May 26
Publication date: May 26
Nonfiction
Educator and conservationist Terry Tempest Williams is one of our planet’s leading thinkers on issues of ecology and environmental justice. Her new book takes a unique nonfiction narrative approach as she introduces the concept of Glorians—animals, plants, and natural processes that remind us of the interconnectedness of our world.
Publication date: March 3
Publication date: March 3
Billed as the “untold story of storytelling,” this ambitious investigation from British technology pioneer Kevin Ashton does just that—tracing the history of stories (and how we tell them) from the Stone Age to the smartphone. Ashton’s passion project, 25 years in the making, bounces through millennia from language to song, cave paintings to movable type, cinema to AI.
Publication date: March 3
Publication date: March 3
This much anticipated memoir from actress Christina Applegate covers her professional life from Married…with Children to her later movie career. But it’s the personal stories that linger as Applegate gets candid about her very California upbringing and recent MS diagnosis. “I truly believe that books can make people feel less alone,” she writes. “That’s why I’m doing this.”
Publication date: March 3
Publication date: March 3
Author and activist Lindy West has won a lot of fans over the years with her insightful writing on just about everything—pop culture, body image, feminism, movies, social justice.… West’s new book chronicles her recent adventures with that classic American ritual: the soul-searching cross-country road trip.
Publication date: March 10
Publication date: March 10
The author of Stamped from the Beginning and How to Be an Antiracist returns in March with a critical investigation of “the great replacement theory.” Kendi’s rigorous scholarship digs deep to trace the history of this thoroughly debunked concept, currently being deployed by authoritarian forces in the U.S. and around the world.
Publication date: March 17
Publication date: March 17
Novelist and screenwriter Larry McMurtry spent a lifetime celebrating and criticizing the mythology of the American West, past and present: Lonesome Dove, The Last Picture Show, Terms of Endearment. This new biography from friend and journalist David Streitfeld provides a ground-level profile of a legendary literary voice.
Publication date: March 24
Publication date: March 24
The indomitable Jenny Lawson has written several very good, very funny books about humanity’s greatest magic trick: using humor to get through tough times. Her new manual is eminently practical—100 tools and tips Lawson uses to navigate her own issues concerning depression and anxiety.
Publication date: March 31
Publication date: March 31
If we would only pay attention, trees and forests are already providing us with the solution for managing our ecosystems and resources. That’s the core concept of this new book from Canadian forestry scientist Suzanne Simard, author of the astonishing 2021 book Finding the Mother Tree. The key, as always: interspecies cooperation.
Publication date: March 31
Publication date: March 31
London Falling: A Mysterious Death in a Gilded City and a Family’s Search for Truth
by Patrick Radden Keefe
by Patrick Radden Keefe
New Yorker staff writer Patrick Radden Keefe is one of the best old-school literary journalists still rooting out stories. (His 2022 book, Rogues, is so much awful fun.) Keefe’s latest book uncovers the truth behind a 2019 case involving Scotland Yard, London’s criminal underground, and the mysterious death of teenager Zac Brettler.
Publication date: April 7
Publication date: April 7
Planet Money: A Guide to the Economic Forces That Shape Your Life
by Alex Mayyasi and the hosts of NPR’s Planet Money
by Alex Mayyasi and the hosts of NPR’s Planet Money
The team behind NPR’s long-running economics podcast Planet Money presents several new stories designed to demystify the complicated world of money and how it shapes our society. In the mix: housing crisis solutions, California raisin cartels, and remarkably terrible pro sports contracts.
Publication date: April 7
Publication date: April 7
In honor of the 250th birthday of the Declaration of Independence, Pulitzer Prize–winning historian Beverly Gage (G-Man) presents 13 key moments from America’s past based on 13 historical locations—battlefield memorials, roadside attractions, and the fantasy metropolis known as Disneyland.
Publication date: April 7
Publication date: April 7
Social media star and devoted dog lover Isabel Klee (@SimonSits) writes about her experiences rehabilitating rescue dogs in the urban wilds of New York City. Klee’s memoir also documents her years as a twentysomething in the big city, where caring for dogs proves to be a pretty good way to move through life.
Publication date: April 28
Publication date: April 28
Picture books and children’s literature are often the first experience kids have with the power of narrative. For author Mac Barnett, it’s an endlessly fascinating concept. Barnett writes stories for children as well as a newsletter for adults about stories for children. With Make Believe, he explores the many ways we tell stories to our kids.
Publication date: May 5
Publication date: May 5
Novelist Jesmyn Ward—author of Salvage the Bones and Sing, Unburied, Sing—delivers a collection of her best creative nonfiction, including essays, speeches, paeans to beloved authors, and stories from her upbringing in rural Mississippi. Ward also revives an excellent word from the brink of obsolescence: Respair means hope after despair.
Publication date: May 19
Publication date: May 19
Fans of the great David Sedaris are already aware of his weird superpower—the ability to tell stories that are emotionally devastating and laugh-out-loud funny at the same time. His new collection features several promising topics: projectile vomiting, hip replacement surgery, Kenyan safaris, impulse purchases from around the world, and the quiet joys of quality underpants.
Publication date: May 26
Publication date: May 26
Discover more highly anticipated spring books:
