May is prime reading time, wouldn’t you agree? We’re planning to camp out on the porch swing with a cup of tea and a few of these great new reads for the duration of the month—or, at least, for a few languid weekend afternoons. There are plenty of exciting new May releases to keep us occupied until summer’s end, and there’s something here for every interest. Laugh, cry, think, hope—these books will prompt you to sprint the emotional spectrum as you make your way from cover to cover. Looking for a high-flying memoir? Check out The Electric Woman: A Memoir in Death-Defying Acts by Tessa Fontaine. Interested in a dose of adventure and environmental science? Read Kings of the Yukon: One Summer Paddling Across the Far North by Adam Weymouth. There’s also a new collection from David Sedaris, new novels from Rachel Kushner, Rumaan Alam, and Sergio de la Pava, and debuts from Jamel Brinkley and Daniel Gumbiner to look forward to in May. Also be sure to check out the rest of our favorite new releases coming out this spring (including more exciting May books—if there’s a new release you don’t see here, it’s probably on that list) as well as our much anticipated summer books preview. We’re ready to dig in—how about you?
A Lucky Man: Stories by Jamel Brinkley
Jamel Brinkley’s compelling debut story collection explores moments in the lives of brothers, sons, and friends, whose struggles with and desires for connection unfurl into sensitive reflections on race, masculinity, and the nature of humanity. (May 1)
To buy: $26, amazon.com; indiebound.org
Motherhood by Sheila Heti
Sheila Heti’s complex new novel examines questions of motherhood and parenthood with potent curiosity and sharp prose. Mark Grief (Against Everything) offers, “Motherhood is a riveting story of love and fate, a powerful inspiration to reflect, and a subtle depiction of the lives of contemporary women and men, by an exceptional artist in the prime of her powers.” (May 1)
To buy: $27, amazon.com; indiebound.org
The Electric Woman: A Memoir in Death-Defying Acts by Tessa Fontaine
This is the story of a daughter and her mother. It’s also a memoir, a love story, and a tale of high-flying stunts. It recounts an adventure toward and through fear as Tessa Fontaine performs as an escape artist, fire-eater, and snake charmer with the World of Wonders, a traveling sideshow. (May 1)
To buy: $27, amazon.com; indiebound.org
The Mars Room by Rachel Kushner
Rachel Kushner’s latest novel is set in California’s Stanville Women’s Correctional Facility, where Romy Hall is serving two consecutive life sentences. At turns tragic, dynamic, brutal, and wise, this novel explores uniquely personal stories while also probing essential questions about contemporary life and connection. (May 1)
To buy: $27, amazon.com; indiebound.org
Figures in a Landscape: People and Places by Paul Theroux
These vibrant new essays from Paul Theroux traverse the globe and explore both geographical and literary landscapes, with a sampling of interesting profiles included too. (May 8)
To buy: $28, amazon.com; indiebound.org
Lost Empress by Sergio de la Pava
Sergio de la Pava’s propulsive and unputdownable new novel Lost Empress is populated by a fascinating cast of characters—including Nina Gill, the new owner of a failing football team determined to turn things around, and Nuno DeAngeles, a prisoner at Rikers Island with a plan up his sleeve—who make their way through a hilarious, high-stakes world. (May 8)
To buy: $29.95, amazon.com; indiebound.org
My Ex-Life by Stephen McCauley
When David Hedges is contacted by his ex-wife, Julie Fiske, to help with her daughter’s college plans, he relocates to Boston, where he dives headfirst into his ex-life—the life he very nearly almost had—with Julie and her daughter, Mandy, in this funny, heartfelt, and utterly winning novel by Stephen McCauley. (May 8)
To buy: $25.99, amazon.com; indiebound.org
Spring by Karl Ove Knausgaard
This story, which takes place over the course of one day and tells the emotional story of a trauma that has serious repercussions, is part of Karl Ove Knausgaard’s seasonal series that also includes the books Autumn and Winter. (May 8)
To buy: $27, amazon.com; indiebound.org
That Kind of Mother by Rumaan Alam
The complexities of motherhood are at the heart of Rumaan Alam’s moving new novel, which explores issues of family, race, adoption, and privilege through the lens of one family’s poignant journey. (May 8)
To buy: $26.99, amazon.com; indiebound.org
The Destiny Thief: Essays on Writing, Writers and Life by Richard Russo
This collection of nine personal essays from the author of the novels Empire Falls and Everybody’s Fool includes a commencement speech, funny stories, and more than a few wise reflections on the craft of writing. (May 8)
To buy: $25.95, amazon.com; indiebound.org
Warlight by Michael Ondaatje
When their parents move away, 14-year-old Nathaniel and his older sister, Rachel, are left behind in the care of people they believe to be criminals. Set in London in 1945, this new novel from Michael Ondaatje (who also wrote the novels The English Patient and Anil's Ghost) explores the unraveling of memory and mystery in the long shadows cast by war. (May 8)
To buy: $26.95, amazon.com; indiebound.org
What Should Be Wild by Julia Fine
Julia Fine’s dynamic new novel What Should Be Wild is a darkly comic tale with doses of magic and suspense. It follows a young woman named Maisie Cothay who possesses an unusual personal power and who, when her father vanishes, must venture out to navigate a world beyond the bounds of home. (May 8)
To buy: $26.99, amazon.com; indiebound.org
Nightingalelessness by Graham Foust
At turns familiar and strange, the poems in Graham Foust’s new collection, Nightingalelessness, are built from the stuff of the everyday and prompt readers to look anew at the things often taken for granted. (May 14)
To buy: $15.95, amazon.com; indiebound.org
Kings of the Yukon: One Summer Paddling Across the Far North by Adam Weymouth
A 4-month-long canoe trip down the 2,000-mile-long Yukon River is the centerpiece of this dynamic new book by Adam Weymouth. It explores the history of salmon, the science of life, and the dangerous effects climate change is having on even seemingly untouched landscapes. (May 15)
To buy: $26.43, amazon.com; indiebound.org
Last Stories by William Trevor
Wide-ranging and deeply felt, Last Stories is a collection of the last 10 stories published in the half-century career of the late Irish novelist William Trevor, whose broad body of work also includes the novels Love and Summer, Fools of Fortune, and Felicia’s Journey. (May 15)
To buy: $26, amazon.com; indiebound.org
Little Disasters by Randall Klein
The lives of two young couples—Paul and Jenny, Michael and Rebecca—collide and erupt into turmoil in this suspenseful new novel by Randall Klein. In it, a crisis strands Paul and Michael at separate points in the city and prompts them to try to make their ways home. (May 22)
To buy: $27, amazon.com; indiebound.org
The Boatbuilder by Daniel Gumbiner
Eli “Berg” Koenigsberg moves to a small Northern California town to recover from an unexpected injury and encounters deeper struggles with chronic pain and addiction in this quietly powerful debut novel about community, suffering, and hope from Daniel Gumbiner. (May 22)
To buy: $18, store.mcsweeneys.net; amazon.com; indiebound.org
Armand V by Dag Solstad
Armand, the main character in this novel (which is written by Dag Solstad, translated by Steven T. Murray, and unusually structured as footnotes to a book), is a Norwegian foreign officer who navigates personal opinion and professional duty in the midst of family tragedy. (May 29)
To buy: $15.95, amazon.com; indiebound.org
Calypso by David Sedaris
The latest collection of stories from humorist David Sedaris promises a thought-provoking foray into the subjects of mortality and aging accompanied by all the laughs we’ve come to expect from Sedaris’ sharp and shocking signature style. (May 29)
To buy: $28, amazon.com; indiebound.org
Some Trick: Thirteen Stories by Helen DeWitt
As you’re reading these 13 genius and altogether delightful short stories by Helen DeWitt, you may not have any idea where you’ll end up, but you can read assured, because the destination, however unexpected, is always a fascinating, expansively erudite thrill. (May 29)
To buy: $22.95, amazon.com; indiebound.org
