Books These Books Are Coming Out In Paperback And You’ve Got To Read Them From an Oprah Book Club pick to an incredible debut memoir — these are the books to take on your next vacation. By by Cassie Gutman cassiegutman and by Kelsey Weekman BuzzFeed News Reporter and by Kirby Beaton BuzzFeed Staff and by Izzy Ampil BuzzFeed News Reporter Posted 1 hour ago
Twitter Facebook Link Portrait of a Thief by Grace Li (Tiny Reparations; April 4) This heist novel is both action-packed and thoughtful in its depiction of the colonization of art. Will Chen, a Harvard senior, is tired of seeing Western countries get away with stealing priceless artifacts and keeping them, even long after wars are over and countries have acknowledged the art isn’t rightfully theirs. And Will wants to take that art back. When a rich and mysterious benefactor taps him for the project, he assembles a team to help them steal five Chinese sculptures, leading them all down a path they never could have imagined. — Cassie Gutman Order on
Amazon or Bookshop . Easy Beauty: A Memoir by Chloé Cooper Jones (Avid Reader Press; April 4) In this moving, incisive memoir, Jones, a professor and writer born with sacral agenesis, a rare condition that affects her mobility and leaves her in chronic pain, charts the process of coming into her own and taking up space, after a lifetime of reminders — some shockingly overt, others implicit — that her disabled body makes her marginal. Leaving her young son and husband at home in New York, she travels to
Italy and Cambodia, ostensibly for dissertation research but really as a way to sate her wanderlust and desire for something novel. She shifts between ruminations on ancient notions of beauty, from Socrates to Plato, and her own background, growing up as the only child of an idealistic white father and more practical Filipino
American mother amid all of these assumptions about what her life should look like because she is disabled. Her doctors assume she can never get pregnant, fellow philosophy doctoral students argue over whether she should exist at all. Jones resists sentimentality and is as unsparing of herself as she is of other people, and yet she writes with such graciousness. A wonderful debut. —Tomi Obaro (from 25 Books From 2022 You'll Love ) Order on Amazon or Bookshop . Take My Hand by Dolen Perkins-Valdez (Berkley; April 4) Inspired by terrible and true history, this novel follows Black nurse, Civil Townsend, in post-segregation
Alabama. She's just started a
Job at the Montgomery Family Planning Clinic, where she wants to champion female bodily autonomy. But when her first task involves two young Black children, Civil starts to become suspicious. And when the truth comes out, none of their lives will ever be the same. Told in dual timelines, we see Civil's struggle play out in real time while also getting insight from her future self in 2016. — Kirby Beaton (from 14 New Historical Fiction Books You’ll Want To Pick Up This Spring ) Order on Amazon or Bookshop . I’ll Be You by Janelle Brown (Random House; April 4) Sam and Elli were the quintessential child TV stars: beautiful, well behaved identical twins who could swap in and play the same role. As adults, they’ve gone their separate ways. Elli is a perfect wife, while Sam has a drug and alcohol addiction. When Sam gets a call that Elli has checked into a mysterious spa and stopped answering all calls, she’s confused and concerned. Something tells her that her sister needs her, and Sam knows it’s up to her to find out what’s happening with Elli. —C.G. Order on Amazon or Bookshop . Nightcrawling by Leila Mottley (Vintage; April 11) Mottley has been praised as a young writing prodigy — she was just 20 when Nightcrawling was published — but her age serves as more than a novelty for book promotion. A youthful authenticity shines through the voice of her narrator, Kiara, whose family has been torn apart by death,
prison, and poverty. She struggles to cover the rising rent in her shabby East Oakland apartment complex, ironically called the Regal-Hi, as her brother Marcus pursues rap stardom. When her 9-year-old neighbor is seemingly abandoned by his mother, she takes on that responsibility as well. Kiara reluctantly begins “nightcrawling” to pay the bills, which lands in the unwanted role as a key witness in the Oakland
police Department. The reading experience feels a bit like being immersed in one of the poorly maintained pools of the Regal-Hi, but for every measure of suffocating sadness, there is a glimmer of hope that feels all the more believable coming from a teenage author. —Kelsey Weekman Order on Amazon or Bookshop . Constructing a Nervous System by Margo Jefferson (Vintage; April 11) This book, by a former longtime
New York Times cultural critic, is a thoughtful melange of criticism and memoir. In her previous book, 2015’s Negroland , Jefferson wrote about growing up as part of the Black bourgeoisie on the South Side of
Chicago, interspersing personal memories with biographies of famous Black elites. Constructing a Nervous System feels more experimental in form; she addresses beauty, aging, and colorism using subjects like Ella Fitzgerald, Bing Crosby, and Josephine Baker as conduits. Her roving intelligence and refusal of pat conclusions make this a nuanced, thought-provoking read. —T.O. (from 25 Books From 2022 You'll Love ) Order on Amazon or Bookshop . You Have a Friend in 10A by Maggie Shipstead (Vintage; April 18) Maggie Shipstead’s 2021 novel, Great Circle , spans five things I love to read about: adventurous women, environmental history, sexual exploration, the perils of celebrity, and art-making of all kinds. Her 2022 short story collection, You Have a Friend in 10A , probes many of these same themes. Three standout stories are “La Moretta,” about ill-matched newlyweds whose international honeymoon combusts in a breathtaking, cleverly narrated fashion; “ Acknowledgements ,” which adopts the perspective of an insufferable writer with a sexual grudge; and the titular story, about an
Actor recovering from her years in a cult that is spookily similar to Scientology. —Izzy Ampil (from If You're Bored, Here's Some Pop Culture To Consume ) Order on Amazon or Bookshop . Happy for You by Claire Stanford (Penguin; April 18) Evelyn feels stalled in her life and is looking for a change, which is how she wound up in her new job at a tech company in the first place. But she quickly learns that the company’s obsession with measuring and quantifying happiness might lead her, instead, to hopelessness and overwhelming sadness. As everything in her life spirals out of her control, Evelyn will have to learn how to be happy all on her own. — C.G. Order on Amazon or Bookshop . Half-Blown Rose by Leesa Cross-Smith (Grand Central; April 18) After her husband released his bestselling book divulging all of their marital secrets, Vincent decides to separate, fleeing to
Paris to now teach at a modern art museum, far away from her past life. She even strikes up a romance with a man named Loup and finds herself opening up in a way she never has before. But as her son’s wedding approaches, she knows she needs to go back to
California and grapple with her unresolved feelings for her estranged husband. She will have to decide which life she will live and who she truly is as a person. Cross-Smith’s portrait of a complex marriage and learning to find yourself again after heartbreak is a relatable narrative many may see in their own lives. — C.G. Order on Amazon or Bookshop . Like a House on
fire by Lauren McBrayer (Putnam; April 18) Merit has spent the last 12 years as a stay-at-home mom, but she’s feeling like she’s lost herself. So she dives back into her old career at an architecture firm, hoping she can overcome the “break” in her résumé. Jane, the architect who hires Merit, inspires her in every way. As the two work closely together, they begin to form a real friendship and possibly something more, leading Merit to question if she married the right person in the first place. It’s a story of a mother who’s tired of being described only as a mother and not as a whole person as she works to find different pieces of her own identity. — C.G. Order on Amazon or Bookshop . A Lady’s Guide to Fortune-Hunting by Sophie Irwin (Penguin; April 18) Kitty Talbot needs a husband — fast. Saddled with her father's massive debts, she only has one season to save her family from ruin. Armed with her wit and ambition, she heads down to London's debutante battlefield. But Lord Radcliffe, who sees through Kitty's plan, is determined to foil everything for her. That is, if their scorching rivalry doesn't turn into something else first. A fun and biting historical romance that isn't afraid to put its leading lady first. The sequel, A Lady’s Guide to Scandal , will be published on July 11. —K.B. (from A "Shrek"-Like Town, Haitian Revolution, '70s Rock N Roll, And 9 More Books Set In The Past You'll Want To Read ) Order on Amazon or Bookshop . Any Other Family by Eleanor Brown (Putnam; April 18) This story of a modern family follows three sets of parents who adopted four biological siblings, and they are all committed to keeping the children connected, but their differences make that a hard feat to accomplish. Tabitha, Ginger, and Elizabeth all have their own challenges and are immersed in the day-to-day struggles of parenthood when they get a call that throws their careful balance off-kilter — the birth mother of their children is pregnant, and she wants their help finding an adoptive family for her new child. As everyone’s plans crumble and they try to fit this new piece in, the
Women will have to learn what being a mother and a family means to each of them. This book asks tough questions about modern-day parenting and opens up about how there really is no right way to do anything, but that will never stop people from judging other families. — C.G. Order on Amazon or Bookshop . When We Fell Apart by Soon Wiley (Dutton; April 18) Wiley's gorgeous debut novel follows Korean American ex-pat Min as he searches for answers in Seoul following the tragic death of his Korean girlfriend. Wiley takes us through struggles with sexuality, identity, and the difficulties of navigating a society that shuns nonconformity with a startling realism that questions the iron-clad traditions that frame Seoul's cosmopolitan facade. — Clara Wang (from 15 Must-Read New Books By AAPI Authors ) Order on Amazon or Bookshop . The Pallbearers Club by Paul Tremblay (William Morrow; April 18) This psychological thriller follows teenage loner Art, who mostly hung out by himself at school in the 1980s and started his own after-school club for volunteer pallbearers at empty funerals. But the coolest girl he’d ever met showed up and started taking pictures of the corpses. Her behavior was strange, but Art was also intimidated by her, so he said nothing. Decades later, as he’s revisiting his memories and writing a memoir, he begins receiving feedback from his friend from all those years ago, and she’s not happy with his portrayal of her. Fans of Yellowjackets will like this macabre storytelling of back-and-forth narratives as characters slowly begin to realize something isn’t quite right with one of their own. — C.G. Order on Amazon or Bookshop . Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance by Alison Espach (Holt; April 25) Sally can’t wait for summer: She’s getting ready to start the eighth grade, and she’ll take vacations with her family and spend afternoons at the community pool with her older sister, Kathy. The book is narrated by Sally as a letter to Kathy, in the past, present, and future, as she recounts what happened that summer ultimately leading to a tragedy that will change their lives. — C.G. Order on Amazon or Bookshop . Pure Colour by Sheila Heti (Picador; April 25) Heti’s breakthrough novel, 2010’s How Should a Person Be? , influenced countless writers and set the stage for our current autofiction boom. Her latest once again breaks the mold of what a novel can be. The plot and setting are abstract; God creates three kinds of people: bird, fish, and bear, the first of which spawns Mira, the protagonist we follow throughout the novel. But questions that have shown up in Heti’s prior work, namely around the problems of living and what it means to be an artist, are still very much at the center. — Karolina Waclawiak (from 26 Books To Get Excited About This Year ) Order on Amazon or Bookshop . Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance by Alison Espach (Holt; April 25) Sally can’t wait for summer: She’s getting ready to start the eighth grade, and she’ll take vacations with her family and spend afternoons at the community pool with her older sister, Kathy. The book is narrated by Sally as a letter to Kathy, in the past, present, and future, as she recounts what happened that summer ultimately leading to a tragedy that will change their lives. — C.G. Order on Amazon or Bookshop . Cover Story by Susan Rigetti (William Morrow; April 25) Lora Ricci lands her dream internship at Elle magazine under the mentorship of Cat Wolff, an editor. As the two become closer through the course of the internship, Lora begins confiding in Cat and eventually moves in with her in the lavish Plaza Hotel. Lora writes during the day and indulges in Cat’s nightlife at extravagant parties and nightclubs, but as she gets deeper into Cat’s life, she realizes not all is what it seems, and that Cat might not be telling the full truth. For fans of the podcast Normal Gossip or the TV series Inventing Anna , this book is full of juicy gossip and drama and will have you second-guessing everyone’s motives. — C.G. Order on Amazon or Bookshop . ● Cassie Gutman cassiegutman Cassie Gutman is happiest when surrounded by books and dogs. Originally from a small, funny-named town near Louisville, Kentucky, she now edits words for a living near Chicago. She writes for Book Riot and recommends books on
Instagram @readingundertheradar. Contact Cassie Gutman at cassie.gutman@gmail.com . Got a confidential tip? 👉 Submit it here Kelsey Weekman BuzzFeed News Reporter Kelsey Weekman is a reporter for BuzzFeed News and is based in New York. Contact Kelsey Weekman at kelsey.weekman@buzzfeed.com . Kirby Beaton BuzzFeed Staff Contact Kirby Beaton at kirby.beaton@buzzfeed.com . Izzy Ampil BuzzFeed News Reporter Izzy Ampil is a culture fellow for BuzzFeed News and is based in
Los Angeles. Contact Izzy Ampil at izzy.ampil@buzzfeed.com .