As the weather improves, you may feel obligated to open all the windows, clean your home from top to bottom and then go on a long walk in the sunshine. But when you start to question what to do with the extra hours of sunlight streaming through your windows, the answer just may be to pick up a book. There are so many new books to read this spring, from nonfiction memoirs to essay collections to novels of every genre. But with so many choices, how will you decide where to focus your reading time?
We’ve got you covered. Stretching from March through May, we’ve rounded up the best new books to read this spring, including Oprah Winfrey’s latest, an exciting debut novel by Joanne Ramos that is being touted as the next Handmaid’s Tale, a feminist exploration of our current sociopolitical climate by activist and filmmaker Amber Tamblyn, and dozens more. We’re pretty sure there’s something for everyone on this extensive list, no matter your taste or preference.
Without further ado, read on to discover all the books we’re excited about in spring of 2019.
A version of this article was originally published in March 2019.
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‘The Bride Test’ by Helen Hoang
Image Credit: Berkley. In The Kiss Quotient author Helen Hoang’s new romance novel, The Bride Test, Khai Dep is convinced he has no feelings, that he’s broken in some way; his family, on the other hand, understands that his autism means he processes emotions differently. Determined to find him a wife, his mom returns to Vietnam and finds Esme Tran, a mixed-race girl living in the slums of Ho Chi Minh City. Her plans to seduce Khai don’t go quite as planned, but don’t all the best love stories start that way? This #ownvoices story hits shelves on May 7, 2019.
The Bride Test (paperback), $10.40 at Amazon
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‘Saturday’s Child: A Daughter’s Memoir’ by Deborah Burns
Image Credit: She Writes Press. In Saturday’s Child: A Daughter’s Memoir, author Deborah Burns seeks to understand the truth of her mother Dorothy’s life and legacy and what it means for her own life now that her parents are long gone. Raised by her spinster aunts in 1950s America so her mother could live the life of an effervescent socialite married to an Italian man whose family had ties to the underworld, Deborah once revered her mother, though as an adult, she realizes that reverence is complicated. This memoir is sure to be a page-turner and it hits shelves April 9, 2019.
Saturday’s Child: A Daughter’s Memoir (paperback), $11.56 at Amazon
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‘After Life: My Journey from Incarceration to Freedom’ by Alice Marie Johnson
Image Credit: Harper. Alice Marie Johnson was convicted of a non-violent drug offense in 1996 when she was down on her luck and trying to make ends meet. She was consequently sentenced to a lifetime in prison, which caused her to turn to God and become an ordained minister in order to push through. In 2018, Kim Kardashian West took up Johnson’s cause and the president commuted her sentence, freeing her to pursue full life. In After Life, Johnson describes that journey. Get the tissues ready for this one. It hits shelves May 21, 2019.
After Life: My Journey from Incarceration to Freedom (hardcover), $17.70 at Amazon
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‘The Farm’ by Joanne Ramos
Image Credit: Random House. In Joanne Ramos’ impressive debut novel, The Farm, Jane, a Filipina immigrant, commits to being a “host” at Golden Oaks, a luxury retreat in upstate New York. These women are paid handsomely and their every need is looked after, all in pursuit of birthing the perfect child — for someone else. They cannot leave the premises for nine months, they are cut off from their family and friends, and their every move is monitored. This timely novel (which has drawn apt comparison to the Handmaid’s Tale) explores themes around motherhood, money and the ways in which those with power and influence may manipulate and exploit women in desperate situations. Perhaps most frightening? It is not that difficult to imagine it as non-fiction. The Farm hits shelves on May 7, 2019.
The Farm (hardcover), $17.70 at Amazon
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‘Mama’s Boy’ by Dustin Lance Black
Image Credit: Knopf. Oscar-winning screenwriter Dustin Lance Black helped overturn Proposition 8 in California, but his own origins as an LGBTQ activist begin in a traditional Mormon home in Texas. In Mama’s Boy, he recounts coming out to his mother, her refusal to accept his sexuality, and the journey they went on as a family to maintain their relationship, rather than sever all ties. This timely memoir is a story about family, growth and acceptance in a time of incredible division. It hits shelves April 30, 2019.
Mama’s Boy (hardcover), $18.27 at Amazon
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‘Era of Ignition’ by Amber Tamblyn
Image Credit: Crown Books. Filmmaker, actor and activist Amber Tamblyn wrote Era of Ignition as a deep-dive into her past as she attempted to position herself in the career she wanted, rather than the career she had. In doing so, she also began to explore the divisive era the U.S. finds itself in today. As a Time’s Up organizer and a fierce writer whose rhetoric has inspired serious debate, Tamblyn’s book is sure to get you fired up. It’s available now, everywhere books are sold.
Era of Ignition (hardcover), $16.51 at Amazon
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‘Stay Sexy & Don’t Get Murdered’ by Karen Kilgariff & Georgia Hardstark
Image Credit: Forge Books. Brought to you by the hosts of the My Favorite Murder podcast, Stay Sexy & Don’t Get Murdered candidly explores the lives of Karen Kilgariff and George Hardstark. In addition to grappling with stories of depression, eating disorders and addiction, this book explores the importance of self-advocating and securing your personal safety over being considered “nice” or “helpful,” as woman are so often expected to be. Whether you are a true crime podcast listener or not, this book is a must-read. It hits shelves May 28, 2019.
Stay Sexy & Don’t Get Murdered (hardcover), $16.50 at Amazon
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‘Trust Exercise’ by Susan Choi
Image Credit: Henry Holt and Co. Trust Exercise explores a life-altering event in the lives of students at a competitive performing arts high school located in an American suburb in the early 1980s. When David and Sarah fall in love during their freshman year, everyone notices, but especially their teacher, Mr. Kingsley. What happens next pierces the bubble of their school life so rapidly that the ensuing events spiral out of control, leaving the reader to question whether what they’ve read is true or false, even in the context of a fictional story. Susan Choi’s latest hits shelves April 9, 2019.
Trust Exercise (hardcover), $17.70 at Amazon
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‘Queenie’ by Candice Carty-Williams
Image Credit: Gallery/Scout Press. Described as Bridget Jones’ Diary meets Americanah, Candice Carty-Williams’ Queenie follows a 25 year-old Jamaican-British woman living in London as she attempts to find herself after ending a long-term relationship with her white boyfriend. That’s not made any easier by being forced to compare herself to her white coworkers at a national newspaper, nor by the men she rebounds with, who are doing her no good. Queenie is available now, everywhere books are sold.
Queenie (hardcover), $15.20 at Amazon
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‘Red, White & Royal Blue’ by Casey McQuiston
Image Credit: St. Martin's Griffin. When First Son of the United States Alex Claremont-Diaz falls in love with Henry, Prince of Wales, after a publicity stunt to convince the world that they do not, in fact, hate each other, it becomes a matter of international security in debut author Casey McQuiston’s Red, White & Royal Blue. This new adult romance is a little bit political and a lot escapist; it’s also exactly the stuff dreams are made of. It hits shelves May 14, 2019.
Red, White & Royal Blue (paperback), $11.59 at Amazon
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‘The Path Made Clear’ by Oprah Winfrey
Image Credit: Flatiron Books. In her new book, The Path Made Clear, Oprah Winfrey offers advice for discovering your purpose, activating a vision of your deepest self and living a life that is not only successful, but meaningful and significant. It’s available now, everywhere books are sold.
The Path Made Clear (hardcover), $16.79 at Amazon
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‘Normal People’ by Sally Rooney
Image Credit: Hogarth. Sally Rooney’s award-winning novel Normal People follows Connell and Marianne, two people who circle each other through high school and then college, though they continuously go down different paths and then are drawn back toward each other like magnets. When she begins to self-destruct and he seeks to find meaning elsewhere, they must grapple with their feelings and figure out how far they are willing to go for each other. This gripping, emotional novel hits shelves April 16, 2019.
Normal People (hardcover), $17.10 at Amazon
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‘Sissy: A Coming-of-Gender Story’ by Jacob Tobia
Image Credit: G.P. Putnam's Sons. Activist, writer, performer and television host Jacob Tobia speaks candidly about their experiences growing up as a genderqueer person who was assigned male at birth in Sissy: A Coming-of-Gender Story. Tobia explores the need for trans-inclusive feminism and a world freed from gender-based trauma, seeking to shatter the false gender binary that dictates everything from our socialization as children to our bathroom use as adults. Sissy is available now, everywhere books are sold.
Sissy: A Coming-of-Gender Story (hardcover), $17.10 at Amazon
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‘The Moment of Lift’ by Melinda Gates
Image Credit: Flatiron Books. Pulling from her own world travels and extensive research into issues that plague women and girls all over the world, Melinda Gates explores the necessity of lifting women up in order to lift the whole of humanity up in The Moment of Life: How Empowering Women Changes the World. Part advice, part call to action, part historical record, this book will inspire and incite, pushing readers to make a difference in their own lives and beyond. It hits shelves April 23, 2019.
The Moment of Life (hardcover), $17.70 at Amazon
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‘Long Live the Tribe of Fatherless Girls’ by T Kira Madden
Image Credit: Bloomsbury Publishing. In her first book, acclaimed essayist T Kira Madden digs into her past as an on-the-surface privileged child growing up in Boca Raton, Florida. However, as Long Live the Tribe of Fatherless Girls contests, as a queer, biracial teenager who was the only one of her peers with parents battling drug and alcohol addictions, she struggled to find her footing but eventually found lifelines in friendships formed with fatherless girls. It’s available now, everywhere books are sold.
Long Live the Tribe of Fatherless Girls (hardcover), $17.70 at Amazon
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‘Daisy Jones & The Six’ by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Image Credit: Ballantine Books. A New York Times bestselling novel, Daisy Jones & The Six is written as an oral history of one of the (fictional) biggest bands of the ’70s. When up-and-coming singer Daisy Jones meets The Six lead singer Billy Dunne, a producer figures out that the quickest way to success is to put them together. However, they don’t manage to stay that way for long. Taylor Jenkins Reid’s new novel is available now, everywhere books are sold.
Daisy Jones & The Six (hardcover), $16.20 at Amazon
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‘Real Queer America: LGBT Stories from Red States’ by Samantha Allen
Image Credit: Little Brown. Part memoir, part travelogue, part nonfiction survey of LGBTQ people living in middle and southern America, Samantha Allen’s Real Queer America: LGBT Stories from Red States examines the growth of queer communities in so-called conservative areas where fighting for their rights is as important as spending quality time together, building connections with each other. Allen, a transgender woman who grew up in California and New Jersey before attending a Mormon college, retraces her own path as she explores the lives of others in this timely narrative. Real Queer America is available now, everywhere books are sold.
Real Queer America: LGBT Stories from Red States (hardcover), $17.70 at Amazon
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‘What My Mother and I Don’t Talk About’ edited by Michele Filgate
Image Credit: Simon & Schuster. This essay collection edited by Michele Filgate, who once wrote a viral essay about her abusive stepfather, digs into relationships between authors and their mothers, from the estranged to the super-close. What My Mother and I Don’t Talk About features work by Cathi Hanauer, Melissa Febos, Alexander Chee, Dylan Landis, Bernice L. McFadden, Julianna Baggott, Lynn Steger Strong, Kiese Laymon, Carmen Maria Machado, André Aciman, Sari Botton, Nayomi Munaweera, Brandon Taylor, and Leslie Jamison. It hits shelves April 30, 2019.
What My Mother and I Don’t Talk About (hardcover), $17.10 at Amazon
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‘The Last House Guest’ by Megan Miranda
Image Credit: Simon & Schuster. When Littleport, Maine visitor Sadie Loman is found dead one summer after almost a decade of visiting the idyllic town with her family and spending her time with local girl Avery Greer, her death is ruled a suicide. However, plenty of the townspeople seem to blame Avery — and she’s determined to clear her name as she seeks to find out what happened to her summer friend. The Last House Guest hits shelves June 18, 2019.
The Last House Guest (hardcover), $17.70 at Amazon
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‘Middlegame’ by Seanan McGuire
Image Credit: Tor.com. Middlegame follows wordsmith Roger and his twin sister, the numbers-obsessed Dodger, and their creator, Reed. The latter, who is skilled in the alchemical arts, plans to raise Roger and Dodger to the highest power in order to ascend to godhood alongside them and then claim their authority for his own. Written by New York Times bestselling and Alex-, Nebula- and Hugo-Award-winning author Seanan McGuire, Middlegame is sure to be as suspenseful as it is mystifying. It hits shelves May 7, 2019.
Middlegame (hardcover), $19.49 at Amazon
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‘Orange World and Other Stories’ by Karen Russell
Image Credit: Knopf. In this new collection of short fiction, Pulitzer Prize finalist Karen Russell explores first love (through the lens of a young man who falls in love with a 2,000-year-old bog girl), the fight for their lives of two women who strike out to find new territory amid the depression, a new mother seeking protection for her newborn who agrees to breastfeed the devil and more. Orange World and Other Stories contains eight new pieces of fiction by this memorable and hilariously witty author. It hits shelves May 14, 2019.
Orange World and Other Stories (hardcover), $17.07 at Amazon
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‘Furious Hours: Murder, Fraud, and the Last Trial of Harper Lee’ by Casey Cep
Image Credit: Knopf. True crime fans will really love this new book by Casey Cep. Furious Hours digs into the case of Reverend Willie Maxwell, a rural preacher accused of murdering his family for insurance money who escaped justice for years thanks to his savvy lawyer, only for another family member to shoot him at the funeral of his last victim. That murderer is acquitted, thanks to the same lawyer who was defending the Maxwell. And documenting it all was Harper Lee, who traveled to her native Alabama from New York City in the hopes of writing her own In Cold Blood. Cep lays out all of the details of these events in Furious Hours. It hits shelves May 7, 2019.
Furious Hours: Murder, Fraud, and the Last Trial of Harper Lee (hardcover), $17.67 at Amazon
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‘Fifty Things That Aren’t My Fault: Essays from the Grown-Up Years’ by Cathy Guisewite
Image Credit: G.P. Putnam's Sons. Cathy Guisewite, the creator of the “Cathy” comic strip, gets candid in this hilarious collection of essays about being a woman in what she calls “the panini generation.” Fifty Things That Aren’t My Fault looks at the threshold of “what happens next,” through essays exploring subjects like teaching her parents to use the TiVo and figuring out retirement. It hits shelves April 2, 2019.
Fifty Things That Aren’t My Fault: Essays from the Grown-Up Years (hardcover), $17.70 at Amazon
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‘Gingerbread’ by Helen Oyeyemi
Image Credit: Riverhead Books. In her latest adaptation of a classic fairytale, Helen Oyeyemi explores London-based mother and daughter Harriet and Perdita Lee, respectively, who live in a gold-painted, seventh-floor walk-up apartment where the plants talk and the gingerbread they bake is particularly loved in what may be a made-up land. Gingerbread follows Perdita as she strikes out to find her mother’s long-lost childhood friend, Gretel, who seems to have had a hand in everything that’s happened to Harriet since the two met. It’s available now, everywhere books are sold.
Gingerbread (hardcover), $16.97 at Amazon
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‘The Island of Sea Women’ by Lisa See
Image Credit: Scribner. In The Island of Sea Women, novelist Lisa See tells the story of best friends Mi-ja and Young-sook, two girls living on the Korean island of Jeju. They come from very different backgrounds, but work together in their village’s all-female diving collective, though that doesn’t always connect them. Spanning decades, this novel explores politics, gender roles and the power of friendship and family. It’s available now, everywhere books are sold.
The Island of Sea Women (hardcover), $16.20 at Amazon
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‘Ada Lovelace: The Countess Who Dreamed in Numbers’ by Shanee Edwards
Image Credit: The Conrad Press. In Ada Lovelace: The Countess Who Dreamed in Numbers, SheKnows writer Shanee Edwards weaves a mystery with a historical twist. The novel follows mathematician and computer programmer Ada Byron Lovelace, Lord Byron’s only legitimate daughter, as she struggles to reconcile passion and reason, science and poetry, and a daughter’s intense love for her father. One thing becomes clear — Ada’s wild imagination will either propel the world into the computer age or doom her to madness, like her father.
Ada Lovelace: The Countess Who Dreamed in Numbers (hardcover), $13 at Amazon
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‘The Jane Austen Diet’ by Jane Austen & Bryan Kozlowski
Image Credit: Turner. Modern-day Jane Austen enthusiasts, “prepare to have your bonnet blown.” At least that’s what author Bryan Kozlowski’s newest book, ‘The Jane Austen Diet,” promises. Kozlowski’s latest dive into the world of classic literature unearths the hidden gems of advice Austen sprinkled throughout her most popular classics. This delightful read opens a window on all things hygiene, health and food that dominated the lives of Regency Era readers.
‘The Jane Austen Diet’ by Jane Austen & Bryan Kozlowski (hardcover), $31.99 Amazon
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