It’s finally spring, which comes as a relief to those who have been looking forward to stowing away their sweaters and gloves — and to book lovers as well, who know that publishers unleash a flood of new titles this time of year.
Here are 20 books coming out now and in the following months that are perfect for reading on your porch, at the ballpark during the seventh-inning stretch, or wherever else you choose to welcome the sun back into your life.
“Table for Two: Fictions”
Author: Amor Towles
What It’s About: The latest from the author of “A Gentleman in Moscow” and “The Lincoln Highway” comprises six short stories set in turn-of-the-millennium New York — and a novella that takes place in Golden Age Hollywood, and revisits Evelyn Ross, a character from his novel “Rules of Civility.”
Publication Date: Out now
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“The Audacity”
Author: Ryan Chapman
What It’s About: Chapman’s 2019 debut novel, “Riots I Have Known,” was a hilarious satire about literature and the prison system, and his new one promises to bring back his wildly original sense of humor. This novel follows the founder of a startup who goes missing shortly before she’s set to be revealed as a fraud.
Publication Date: Out now
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“You Are Here: Poetry in the Natural World”
Editor: Ada Limón
This anthology of nature-related poems includes heavy hitters such as Joy Harjo, Jericho Brown, and Rigoberto González. It’s part of U.S. Poet Laureate Limón’s “You Are Here” initiative with the Library of Congress, which will see her unveil art installations featuring poems in national parks across the country — including, on June 23, Redwood.
Publication Date: Out now
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“A Really Strange and Wonderful Time: The Chapel Hill Music Scene: 1989-1999”
Author: Tom Maxwell
What It’s About: The 1990s were a banner decade for indie rock, thanks in no small part to the North Carolina college town of Chapel Hill. Maxwell, a former singer and guitarist for the Squirrel Nut Zippers, takes a look at how Chapel Hill, and the nearby town of Carrboro, gave birth to bands like Superchunk, Polvo, and Archers of Loaf.
Publication Date: Out now
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“Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder”
Author: Salman Rushdie
What It’s About: The legendary author of “Midnight’s Children” and “The Satanic Verses” writes about the aftermath of the 2022 knife attack in Chautauqua, New York, that left him unable to use one hand or see out of one eye.
Publication Date: April 16
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“Chipped: Writing From a Skateboarder’s Lens”
Author: José Vadi
What It’s About: The Sacramento author wrote about the Golden State in his well-received essay collection “Inter State: Essays From California” in 2021. Now he’s back with a memoir in essays about skateboarding, covering everything from the heyday of Thrasher magazine to connection between the sport and jazz.
Publication Date: April 16
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“Cascade”
Author: Julia Hannafin
What It’s About: The debut novel from L.A. television writer Hannafin (“The L Word: Generation Q”) follows a character who takes a job monitoring great white sharks on the Farallon Islands off the San Francisco coast after the death of her mother and falls for her boss.
Publication Date: April 16
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“Reboot”
Author: Justin Taylor
What It’s About: The Portland, Oregon, author returns with a wild, comic novel about a former child actor who’s now barely scraping by, and returns to Hollywood in the hopes of taking part in a revival of his old show. He soon realizes that bringing the series back might lead to the demise of American society as we know it.
Publication Date: April 23
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“The Whole Staggering Mystery: A Story of Fathers Lost and Found”
Author: Sylvia Brownrigg
What It’s About: Novelist Brownrigg (“Pages for You”), who lives in Berkeley and London, returns to bookshelves with a memoir about receiving a package meant for her father, 50 years late. When he declines to open it, she and her brother do, leading Brownrigg to reconstruct the life of her father’s father, who died at 27.
Publication Date: April 23
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“Attachments: Essays on Fatherhood and Other Performances”
Author: Lucas Mann
What It’s About: The latest from author, professor and bookstore co-owner Mann (“Captive Audience: On Love and Reality TV”) is a collection of 12 essays about his experiences raising his young daughter, touching on children’s literature, art, and nature, among other themes.
Publication Date: May 6
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“The Body Farm: Stories”
Author: Abby Geni
What It’s About: Geni’s first book, “The Last Animal,” was a knockout short story collection that dealt with people’s relationships to the natural world. Her latest collection tackles similar themes: These 11 stories explore bodies, and how we learn how to inhabit them.
Publication Date: May 7
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“Another Word for Love: A Memoir”
Author: Carvell Wallace
What It’s About: Oakland-based Wallace is one of the most versatile journalists working today, known for his sharp celebrity profiles and writing about sports, music and more. His new book is a memoir about growing up Black and queer in a Pennsylvania town and raising two teenagers in an increasingly hate-filled country.
Publication Date: May 14
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“Blue Ruin”
Author: Hari Kunzru
What It’s About: The acclaimed British author follows up his novels “White Tears” and “Red Pill” with one about an undocumented migrant to the U.S. living out of his car and delivering groceries during the pandemic, who is invited to live with an ex-lover and two other people in upstate New York.
Publication Date: May 14
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“Accordion Elegies: A Memoir of Music, Migration, and Mexico”
Author: Noé Álvarez
What It’s About: The second book from memoirist Álvarez (“Spirit Run: A 6,000-Mile Marathon Through North America’s Stolen Land”) chronicles his attempt to connect with the musician grandfather he never knew by learning the accordion and traveling across Mexico and the U.S. with the instrument.
Publication Date: May 28
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“Everything And Nothing At Once: A Black Man’s Reimagined Soundtrack for the Future”
Author: Joél Leon
What It’s About: Performer and storyteller Leon’s debut essay collection is structured like an album and contains his thoughts on growing up Black, masculinity, therapy, parenting, Nipsey Hussle, Will Smith and Chris Rock, and much more.
Publication Date: June 4
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“Farewell, Amethystine”
Author: Walter Mosley
What It’s About: The king of crime fiction returns to L.A. in his latest novel featuring Easy Rawlins, the detective he introduced in 1990’s “Devil in a Blue Dress.” This one features Rawlins, now 50 years old, investigating a woman’s missing ex-husband; the case brings back memories of his troubled past.
Publication Date: June 4
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“The Sons of El Rey”
Author: Alex Espinoza
What It’s About: The latest novel from UC-Riverside creative writing professor Espinoza, a Mexico native who was raised in L.A., follows the family of Ernesto Vega, a once-famous luchador, and his wife, son, and grandson, each of whom have struggles of their own.
Publication Date: June 11
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“Any Person Is the Only Self: Essays”
Author: Elisa Gabbert
What It’s About: The New York Times poetry columnist and author of books including “The Unreality of Memory” returns with an essay collection that explores how time affects how we consider art and ourselves, touching on subjects including Sylvia Plath, surf movies and hair metal.
Publication Date: June 11
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“One of Our Kind”
Author: Nicola Yoon
What It’s About: Los Angeles-based Yoon is best known as the author of young adult bestsellers like “Everything, Everything” and “The Sun Is Also a Star.” Her latest novel, for an adult audience, follows a family who moves to a Black community that turns out to be not what it seems.
Publication Date: June 11
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“You Are the Snake: Stories”
Author: Juliet Escoria
What It’s About: Escoria made waves in the literary world with her critically admired. 2019 novel “Juliet the Maniac.” Her latest book is a collection of short stories that focus on the lives of girls and women.
Publication Date: June 18
