All the May 2024 Prepub Alerts in one place, plus a downloadable spreadsheet of all titles from every post.

Pop Fiction

 

 

 

 

 

 

Andrews, Mary Kay. Summers at the Saint. St. Martin’s. May 2024. 448p. ISBN 9781250278388. $29. F

Andrews kicks off beach-read season with a story set at the Saint, an esteemed coastal resort where the wealthy play and make business deals. But disaster strikes when the resort manager goes missing after a wild staff party. As a search unfolds, other secrets are uncovered. With a 300K-copy first printing.

Birkelund, Elizabeth. A Northern Light in Provence. Ballantine. May 2024. 352p. ISBN 9780593722213. $29. F

Birkelund (The Runaway Wife) returns with a story about translator Ilse, who leaves her isolated home on the coast of Greenland for a beautiful village in Provence, where she translates an elderly poet’s works. When the poet’s son visits, Ilse will have to decide on the life she wants.

Blackett, Laura & Eve Gleichman. Trust and Safety. Dutton. May 2024. 320p. ISBN 9780593473689. $28. F

This duo’s debut, The Very Nice Box, was well-received, and now they offer up a modern satire in which newly married couple Rosie and Jordan try to buy their way into a more authentic life by trading NYC for the Catskills. When they rent their Upstate outbuilding to a queer couple living the dream analog life, tensions rise.

Burges, Audrey. A House Like an Accordion. Ace: Berkley. May 2024. 368p. ISBN 9780593546499. pap. $18. F

The author of The Minuscule Mansion of Myra Malone offers another intriguing work of magical realism. Keryth Miller is overwhelmed and burnt out by her life as a wife and mother and sometimes feels like she’s fading away—then parts of her start to actually disappear. Now she’s on the search for her missing artist father, who is sketching her out of the picture.

Cain, Matt. Becoming Ted. John Scognamiglio Bks: Kensington. May 2024. 400p. ISBN 9781496745941. $27. F

Briton Cain’s U.S. debut, The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle, was an Indie Next Pick and a LibraryReads selection. Here he offers another charmer that finds predictable 43-year-old Ted Ainsworth reimagining his life and taking new chances on friendship—and maybe even love—after his husband leaves him for another man.

Chang, Abraham. 888 Love and the Divine Burden of Numbers. Flatiron. May 2024. 400p. ISBN 9781250910783. $29.99. F

Poet Chang makes a big fiction debut with a 150K-copy first printing. When Young Wang meets and falls in love with Erena in 1995 at NYU, he remembers his uncle’s warning that everyone gets seven great loves in their life—no more, no less. Erena is Young’s sixth great love. Could she be the one, or are they fated for failure?

July, Miranda. All Fours. Riverhead. May 2024. 336p. ISBN 9780593190265. $29. F

Filmmaker and buzzy best-selling novelist July (The First Bad Man) returns with a book about a 45-year-old artist upending her life. She leaves her husband and child at home after making plans to drive across the country from Los Angeles to New York, but then spontaneously exits the freeway and starts a new journey.

Kwan, Kevin. Lies and Weddings. Doubleday. May 2024. 448p. ISBN 9780385546294. $29. F

Kwan, author of the best seller Crazy Rich Asians, which was adapted into a hit movie, is back with a novel featuring Rufus Leung Gresham, the modern-day heir to an earldom. Finding the family trust fund depleted, Rufus’s mother plots to marry him off to a rich woman, but he’s secretly in love with the humble girl next door.

Landau, Alexis. The Mother of All Things. Pantheon. May 2024. 336p. ISBN 9780593700792. $29. F

Landau (Those Who Are Saved) tells a contemporary story that weaves in fifth-century history. Professor Ava Zaretsky reencounters her college mentor while in Bulgaria for her husband’s film shoot and gets swept into a circle of women who reenact Greco-Roman rites of initiation, making Ava rethink her life.

Parsons, Kimberly King. We Were the Universe. Knopf. May 2024. 288p. ISBN 9780525521853. $28. F

Parsons, whose story collection Black Light was longlisted for the National Book Award, makes her highly anticipated novel debut. A trip with an old friend and a break from her daughter and husband has Kit missing her former wildness and independence, and especially her dead sister. Her reminiscing and fantasizing begin to blur reality.

Roberts, Nora. Mind Games. St. Martin’s. May 2024. 432p. ISBN 9781250289698. $30. F

Twelve-year-old Thea wakes from a premonition of her parents being murdered, soon proven true. Her vision helps send the killer to prison, but as an adult, she continues to be connected to the murderer as she sees into his twisted mind. He also has this gift of sight, however, and he wants vengeance. With a 1 million-copy first printing.

Rowley, Steven. The Guncle Abroad. Putnam. May 2024. 336p. ISBN 9780593540459. $29. F

Gay uncle Patrick O’Hara is back in this sequel to the best-selling, Thurber Prize–winning The Guncle. This time he’s taking niece Maisie and nephew Grant under his wing as they travel to Italy for their father’s wedding, which they’re not thrilled about. The wedding also makes Patrick take stock of his own life at age 50.

Thayer, Nancy. The Summer We Started Over. Ballantine. Apr. 2024. 336p. ISBN 9780593724002. $29. F

Thayer, known for her best-selling Nantucket-set novels, offers a heartwarming story timed to kick off the season of beach reads. This newest keeps to Thayer’s key themes, following a family as they reunite and confront the past, along with long-held secrets.

Ward, Amanda Eyre. Lovers and Liars. Ballantine. May 2024. 352p. ISBN 9780593500293. $29. F

Ward, best-selling author of Reese’s Book Club pick The Jetsetters, again mines fraught family relationships when three sisters and their toxic mother reunite for a wedding weekend at an English castle estate. Secrets have separated them, but their reunion might just give them the courage to make new choices.

Forthcoming Series Titles

Grisham, John. Camino Ghosts. Doubleday. (Camino, Bk. 3). May 2024. 304p. ISBN 9780385545990. $29.95. F

McCall Smith, Alexander. The Stellar Debut of Galactica Macfee. Vintage. (44 Scotland Street, Bk. 17). May 2024. 272p. ISBN 9780593688298. pap. $17. F

Literary Fiction

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dyroff, Charlee. Loneliness & Company. Bloomsbury. May 2024. 288p. ISBN 9781639732081. $28.99. F

Set in a near-future NYC, Dyroff’s debut explores loneliness as a recent college grad conducts research for a secret government project, teaching an AI how to be a friend. The novel plumbs the depths of isolation and explores what humans will do to find connection.

Fontaine, Tessa. The Red Grove. Farrar. May 2024. 336p. ISBN 9780374605810. $28. F

Fontaine’s first novel, after the buzzy memoir The Electric Woman, is set in a protected and mysterious community, but still Luce’s mother goes missing. As Luce tries to figure out what happened, she discovers far more than she expected—about Red Grove, safety, and violence.

Grabowski, Alina. Women and Children First. SJP Lit: Zando. May 2024. 336p. ISBN 9781638930785. $28. F

From Sarah Jessica Parker’s imprint, this debut novel in stories explores grief in prismatic effect, limning the experiences of 10 women in a tiny costal Massachusetts town as they individually confront the death of a young woman at a house party, while the community as a whole reckons with the tragedy.

Grimaldi, Virginie. A Good Life. Europa. May 2024. 288p. tr. from French by Hildegarde Serle. ISBN 9798889660248. $28. F

Grimaldi, a best seller in Europe, makes her U.S. debut with the story of two estranged sisters who reunite in Basque Country to clean out their grandmother’s house, recalling their childhood bond and exploring their current lives.

Kunrzu, Hari. Blue Ruin. Knopf. May 2024. 272p. ISBN 9780593801376. $28. F

Kunzru’s (Red Pill) COVID novel is also a portrait of an artist. Jay once made art but now, as the pandemic rages, lives out of his car and delivers groceries. An ex-lover, now married to Jay’s former best friend, invites him to stay on their lush estate. It becomes a site of reckoning.

Kwon, R.O. Exhibit. Riverhead. May 2024. 224p. ISBN 9780593190029. $28. F

Returning to novels after a six-year break, best seller Kwon (The Incendiaries) centers two artistic women who explore their desires and push the limits of their ambition. For one, their unexpected and revelatory meeting also limns the edges of a curse.

Lytle, Alana B. Man’s Best Friend. Putnam. May 2024. 320p. ISBN 9780593715024. $28. F

Debuting with a slightly surreal story that is BISACed as literary, psychological, and satire, Lytle spins out the story of El, a failed actor who willingly trades her independence for the moneyed world that a man named Bryce can offer. But the deal isn’t all it seems, and sinister consequences loom.

Min, Juli. Shanghailanders. Spiegel & Grau. May 2024. 256p. ISBN 9781954118607. $28. F

The editor in chief and fiction editor of the Shanghai Literary Review debuts with a buzzy novel, subject of a six-way auction and with foreign rights selling fast. It flows backwards in time, starting in 2040 as it traces the fate of a Shanghai family through marriage, choices, and change.

Mogollon, Melissa. Oye. Hogarth: Crown. May 2024. 336p. ISBN 9780593594902. $29. F

Mogollon debuts with a coming-of-age comedy starring Luciana, the youngest in her large Colombian American family. All told over the phone during her senior year, the novel’s events include a hurricane, her grandmother moving into her room, and Luciana meeting her moment.

Mora, Nicolás Medina. América del Norte. Soho. May 2024. NAp. ISBN 9781641295642. $27. F

A winner of the 2023 n+1 Writers’ Fellowship debuts with a near-autofiction bildungsroman centered on Sebastián, who was raised in an elite Mexican family, graduates from Yale, and is accepted into the Iowa Writers Workshop. His gilded life is opened to new examination in the wake of the Trump administration’s immigration policies.

Nóyes, Anna. The Blue Maiden. Grove. May 2024. 240p. ISBN 9780802162809. $26. F

After her critically well-received collection Goodnight, Beautiful Women, Nóyes’s first novel is a Nordic gothic set in 1825 that showcases two sisters living on an island with a history of witchcraft, across the water from another island known as the home of witches. A missing mother, community rules, desires, and an alluring stranger mix.

O’Connor, Elizabeth. Whale Fall. Pantheon. May 2024. 224p. ISBN 9780593700914. $27. F

Set in 1938 on a Welsh Island, O’Connor’s debut explores isolation and self-discovery as a young woman, forced into adulthood by the death of her mother, yearns for life beyond the shores of her tiny community. When two English ethnographers arrive, community, family, and self are put on the precipice.

Schneck, Colombe. Swimming in Paris: A Life in Three Stories. Penguin Pr. May 2024. 240p. tr. from French by Lauren Elkin & Natasha Lehrer. ISBN 9780593655931. $27. F

Reverberating across three stories, Schneck, a best-selling award winner in France, intimately surveys the world of a fiftysomething woman looking at her life at 17, at 50, and in between. As the woman reflects, Schneck explores a kaleidoscope of concerns, from bodily autonomy to love to loss.

Tang, Jiaming. Cinema Love. Dutton. May 2024. 304p. ISBN 9780593474334. $28. F

Subject of a bidding war in the U.S. and preempted in several European markets, Tang’s debut is a queer love story and an immigrant tale that spans across post-socialist China to contemporary NYC. Tang is a Center for Fiction Emerging Writers Fellow and works at Scribner.

Zyzak, Magdalena. The Lady Waiting. Riverhead. May 2024. 352p. ISBN 9780593542941. $28. F

Fast and funny, this caper full of wit and verve stars Polish émigré Viva, mysterious art gallerist Bobby Sleeper, and Bobby’s shadowy filmmaker husband. Viva gets seduced into their world, along with a plan involving a Vermeer masterwork, millions of dollars, and a host of ex-husbands. From the author of The Ballad of Barnabas Pierkiel.

Mystery

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bennett, Michael. Return to Blood. Atlantic Monthly. (Hana Westerman, Bk. 2). May 2024. 330p. ISBN 9780802163059. $27. M

New Zealand writer and director Bennett pens a second novel featuring Māori detective Hana Westerman. Hana turned in her badge after the events of Better the Blood, but she again finds herself investigating a murder when a young woman’s bones are discovered on the beach, calling into question the resolution of an earlier case.

Solvinic, Nicola. The Hunter’s Daughter. Berkley. May 2024. 384p. ISBN 9780593639726. $28. M

Solvinic debuts with a book that was snapped up in a preempt. Anna’s childhood memories of her serial killer father were suppressed through hypnosis, and she grew up to become a cop. After she kills a man in the line of duty, those memories return—and there’s another serial killer on the loose.

Turton, Stuart. The Last Murder at the End of the World. Sourcebooks Landmark. May 2024. 368p. ISBN 9781728254654. $27.99. M

In this speculative mystery from the best-selling author of The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, most of the world has been destroyed by a deadly fog—except one protected, idyllic island. A brutal stabbing changes that, and the fog is now coming, as residents race to solve the case.

Forthcoming Series Titles

Armstrong, Kelley. Disturbing the Dead. Minotaur: St. Martin’s. (Rip Through Time, Bk. 3). May 2024. 352p. ISBN 9781250321282. $28. M

Carcaterra, Lorenzo. Nonna Maria and the Case of the Lost Treasure. Bantam. (Nonna Maria, Bk. 3). May 2024. 288p. ISBN 9780593499214. $28. M

Coben, Harlan. Think Twice. Grand Central. (Myron Bolitar, Bk. 12). May 2024. 352p. ISBN 9781538756317. $30. M

Davis, Krista. The Diva Goes Overboard. Kensington Cozies. (Domestic Diva, Bk. 17). May 2024. 320p. ISBN 9781496743428. $27. M

Haines, Carolyn. Lights, Camera, Bones. Minotaur: St. Martin’s. (Sarah Booth Delaney, Bk. 27). May 2024. 352p. ISBN 9781250885944. $28. M

Johnson, Craig. First Frost. Viking. (Walt Longmire, Bk. 20). May 2024. 336p. ISBN 9780593830673. $30. M

MacNeal, Susan Elia. The Last Hope. Bantam. (Maggie Hope, Bk. 11). May 2024. 352p. ISBN 9780593156988. $29. M

Nagendra, Harini. A Nest of Vipers. Pegasus. (Bangalore Detectives Club, Bk. 3). May 2024. 352p. ISBN 9781639366149. $26.95. M

Popp, Misha. The Last To Pie. Crooked Lane. (Pies Before Guys, Bk. 3). May 2024. 336p. ISBN 9781639106455. $29.99. M

Weaver, Ashley. Locked in Pursuit. Minotaur: St. Martin’s. (Electra McDonnell Series, Bk. 4). May 2024. 272p. ISBN 9781250885906. $28. M

Thrillers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Barclay, Linwood. I Will Ruin You. Morrow. May 2024. 368p. ISBN 9780063276314. $30. THRILLER

Best seller Barclay (The Lie Maker) offers a tense read as a teacher saves his school from a suicide bomber, only to be drawn into the web of a blackmailer and a drug gang. As he struggles to survive, he finds himself surrounded by secrets from those he knows best.

Donlea, Charlie. Long Time Gone. Kensington. May 2024. 304p. ISBN 9781496727183. $28. THRILLER

In international best seller Donlea’s (ThoseEmpty Eyes) newest, DNA proves deadly as Dr. Sloan Hastings discovers that she is in fact Charlotte Margolis, the famous subject of a missing-baby investigation decades earlier. Seeking to understand what happened, Sloan unlocks a string of deadly secrets.

Finlay, Alex. If Something Happens to Me. Minotaur: St. Martin’s. May 2024. 320p. ISBN 9781250863799. $28. THRILLER

With a TV series in development for Every Last Fear, Finlay returns with another of his character-rich twisty thrill-fests. Ryan Richardson is slowly getting his life back after he was attacked and his girlfriend was abducted. That is, until the police finally find his girlfriend’s car, with two dead men inside and a note in her handwriting. With a 75K-copy first printing.

McPhillips, Fiona. When We Were Silent. Flatiron. May 2024. 304p. ISBN 9781250908230. $28.99. THRILLER

Working-class Louise heads into the fraught atmosphere of an elite private school, determined to unearth its secrets. She ends up with a dead body at her feet. Decades later, a lawyer comes calling. Irish journalist McPhillips’s debut was a runner-up for the Crime Writers’ Association Debut Dagger. With a 150K-copy first printing.

Mukherjee, Abir. Hunted. Mulholland. May 2024. 320p. ISBN 9780316260213. $30. THRILLER

Mukherjee, winner of the CWA Endeavour Dagger and Wilbur Smith Awards and known for the best-selling Sam Wyndham historical crime series, turns to the present day with a taunt, twisty political thriller about lost kids, a determined father, and a conspiracy designed to tear the United States apart.

Robards, Karen. Some Murders in Berlin. Mira: Harlequin. May 2024. 352p. ISBN 9780778305514. $28.99. THRILLER

Robards’s (The Girl from Guernica) newest WWII-set thriller sees psychological profiler Dr. Elin Lund summoned by the Nazis to Berlin, ordered to investigate a serial killer’s brutal crimes. Detective Kurt Schneider is also called on to solve the case; if he fails, it will be at the cost of his life.

Romano-Lax, Andromeda. The Deepest Lake. Soho Crime. May 2024. 384p. ISBN 9781641295604. $26.95. THRILLER

Romano-Lax (The Spanish Bow; Annie and the Wolves) takes up the suffocating world of writing workshops when a mother goes undercover in Lake Atitlán, Guatemala, to find out why her aspiring-author daughter drowned and what her death had to do with the retreat’s charismatic leader.

Rosenblum, Emma. Very Bad Company. Flatiron. May 2024. 272p. ISBN 9781250906557. $28.99. THRILLER

Best seller Rosenblum (Bad Summer People) offers a send-up of corporate culture as the top executives of a tech startup gather for their annual retreat in Miami. It’s all stock shares and team building until one of them goes missing, threatening the elite status of them all. With a 200K-copy first printing.

Tyree, Omar. Control. Dafina: Kensington. May 2024. 320p. ISBN 9781496748041. $28. THRILLER

Winner of NAACP Image and Phillis Wheatley Literary Awards, Tyree returns after a seven-year break, setting his newest in the music and entertainment center of Atlanta, where a psychologist working with six toxic clients finds herself in way over her head as they, and she, struggle for control. Then events turn deadly.

Whitaker, Chris. All the Colors of the Dark. Holt. May 2024. 656p. ISBN 9781250759696. $28.99. THRILLER

Best seller Whitaker (We Begin at the End) offers a decades-long odyssey whose two characters, Patch and Saint, believe in and love each other, as they meet and diverge multiple times while Patch hunts for missing girls, and Saint hunts for Patch. With a 200K-copy first printing.

White, Kate. The Last Time She Saw Him. Harper. May 2024. 304p. ISBN 9780063247390. pap. $18.99. THRILLER

Kiki Reed gets in way over her head when she decides to investigate the shooting death of her ex. The police rule it a suicide, but Kiki is skeptical and pieces together the sinister truth—putting her own life on the line in best seller White’s (Between Two Strangers) newest.

Forthcoming Series Titles

Andrews, Brian & Jeffrey Wilson. Tom Clancy Act of Defiance. Putnam. (Jack Ryan Novel, Bk. 24). May 2024. 560p. ISBN 9780593422878. $32. THRILLER

Du Brul, Jack. Clive Cussler The Heist. Putnam. (Isaac Bell Adventure, Bk. 14). May 2024. 400p. ISBN 9780593713587. $32. THRILLER

Iles, Greg. Southern Man. Morrow. (Penn Cage, Bk. 7). May 2024. 752p. ISBN 9780062824691. $28.99. THRILLER

Patterson, James & Maxine Paetro. The 24th Hour. Little, Brown. (Women’s Murder Club Thriller, Bk. 24). May 2024. 400p. ISBN 9780316403085. $30. THRILLER

Spy Thrillers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ignatius, David. Phantom Orbit. Norton. May 2024. 400p. ISBN 9781324050919. $29.99. THRILLER

In his return to thrillers, after 2020’s The Paladin, best-selling Ignatius combines space warfare and an unsolved puzzle in the writings of 17th-century astronomer Johannes Kepler. Russian Ivan Volkov discovered Kepler’s clues and has been secretly working on them for years, until he contacts the CIA with a cryptic invitation.

Moore, Graham. The Numbers Man. Random. May 2024. 384p. ISBN 9780593731925. $30. THRILLER

Best seller and Academy Award winner Moore (The Holdout; The Imitation Game) sets his newest in 1939, as tax attorney Ansel Luxford enlists in a secret mission to crash the Nazi economy. Warfare through finance is a dangerous game, involving J.P. Morgan, John Maynard Keynes, spies, and great peril near and far.

Reich, Christopher. Matterhorn. Thomas & Mercer: Amazon. May 2024. NAp. ISBN 9781662516542. $28.99. THRILLER

In a small alpine village, Mac Dekker tends his cows, safe in his retirement from the CIA. When his son, also a spy, dies, Mac sets off up the mountain, on the heels of terrorists and a slew of double agents. This is award-winning Reich’s (Simon Riske series) first stand-alone in nine years.

Simmons, Dan. Omega Canyon. Little, Brown. May 2024. 448p. ISBN 9780316198905. $28. THRILLER

It has been almost a decade since Hugo, Stoker, and World Fantasy Award–winning Simmons (The Terror) has published a book. His return is a WWII double-agent thriller featuring a German physicist working on the U.S. atomic bomb project who is forced to spy for the Nazis.

Science Fiction & Fantasy

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bond, Charlotte. The Fireborne Blade. Tor.com. (The Fireborne Blade, Bk. 1). May 2024. 176p. ISBN 9781250290311. $20.99. FANTASY

Bond’s The Watcher in the Woods won the British Fantasy Society’s award for best story collection. In this novella, she introduces the knight Maddileh, who must redeem her honor by retrieving a fabled fireborne blade from its keeper, a legendary dragon. With a 100K-copy first printing.

Campbell, Jack. In Our Stars. Ace: Berkley. (Doomed Earth, Bk. 1). May 2024. 400p. ISBN 9780593640630. $28. SF

Best-selling author of the “Lost Fleet” series, Campbell writes a new military SF duology featuring Lieutenant Selene Genji, who has been genetically engineered with alien DNA. When humanity manages to annihilate Earth, Genji is hurled back in time and has a chance to change the future, starting with Earth’s first alien contact.

Corrain, Cait. Crown of Starlight. Del Rey: Ballantine. May 2024. 560p. ISBN 9780593598542. pap. $18. FANTASY

Corrain debuts with an epic reimagining of a Greek myth as a space romantasy, first in a duology that sees Ariadne, Crown Princess of the interstellar Cretan Empire, making a bargain with Dionysus, an exiled god, that will bring them together in a marriage of convenience as they seek safety in Olympus.

Gibson, S.T. Evocation. Angry Robot. (Summoner’s Circle, Bk. 1). May 2024. 400p. ISBN 9781915202680. $28. FANTASY

Gibson (A Dowry of Blood, a B&N Best Book) returns with a series launch set in a magic-riddled Boston. David, once a teen psychic prodigy, is now an attorney and a medium for a secret society and must break a century-old curse if he wants to live, with some help from his polyamorous ex.

Hairston, Andrea. Archangels of Funk. Tor.com. May 2024. 384p. ISBN 9781250807281. $29.99. FANTASY

In a world ravaged by the Water Wars, the disruptors, the nostalgia militia, and the invisible Darknet Lords wreak havoc. Working with Motor Fairies and Wheel-Wizards, Cinnamon, along with her Circus-Bots and dogs, helps flood refugees—as she faces down threats from the Darknet Lords and the militia.

Lam, L.R. Emberclaw. DAW. (Dragon Scales, Bk. 2). May 2024. 352p. ISBN 9780756418441. $28. FANTASY

Following the Sunday Times best seller Dragonfall, Lam offers the second entry in their fantasy trilogy, which finds ancient dragons—which humans first banished and then worshipped as gods—returning to the mortal realm.

Logan, James. The Silverblood Promise. Tor. (The Last Legacy, Bk. 1). May 2024. 528p. ISBN 9781250345806. pap. $19.99. FANTASY

In this epic fantasy debut, disgraced heir Lukan tries to solve the mystery of his estranged father’s death, leading him to the city of Saphrona, a place full of traders, thieves, and monsters, along with plenty of danger and secrets. With a 100K-copy first printing.

Manibo, Victor. Escape Velocity. Erewhon. May 2024. 384p. ISBN 9781645660842. $28. SF

A 2022 Lambda Literary Emerging Voices Fellow, Manibo (Sleepless) writes a near-future sci-fi mystery set aboard a luxury resort in low Earth orbit. As the exclusive Rochford Institute holds its class reunion onboard, one former student seeks answers about her brother’s murder, while others plot against the Institute’s wealthy alumni who plan to abandon Earth for Mars.

Okungbowa, Suyi Davies. Lost Ark Dreaming. Tor.com. May 2024. 192p. ISBN 9781250890757. $19.99. SF

Nommo Award–winning Okungbowa writes a postapocalyptic novella that fuses African politics, climate fiction, and mythology into a story in which those who’ve survived the rise of the ocean live in partially submerged towers, while those who were left for dead in the Atlantic seek vengeance after being reawakened by an ancient power.

Patel, Vaishnavi. Goddess of the River. Redhook: Orbit. May 2024. 432p. ISBN 9780759557345. $30. FANTASY

Patel, author of the best seller Kaikeyi, reimagines a story from Hindu mythology as she tells the tale of river goddess Ganga, who is bound to a mortal body and weds King Shantanu. She becomes queen and gives birth to a son, Devavrata, whom she is forced to leave behind once she is freed from her mortality.

Roth, Veronica. When Among Crows. Tor. May 2024. 176p. ISBN 9781250855480. $19.99. FANTASY

A monster-slaying knight who split his soul in half to make a sword from his spine and a woman who has inherited her family’s curse seek help from legendary witch Baba Jaga in this novella from best-selling Roth (Arch-Conspirator). With a 200K-copy first printing.

Shields, Sydney J. The Honey Witch. Redhook: Orbit. May 2024. 368p. ISBN 9780316568869. pap. $18.99. FANTASY

In Shields’s debut, the price of the Honey Witch’s magic is that no one can fall in love with her. Marigold prefers magic to her suitors, so she’s happy to train as the next Honey Witch—until grumpy skeptic Lottie shows up, and Marigold begins to wonder if she’ll lose her magic and her heart.

Thorne, Rebecca. Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea. Bramble. (Tomes & Tea, Bk. 1). May 2024. 352p. ISBN 9781250333292. pap. $19.99. FANTASY

A self-published hit, this cozy fantasy gets the big-publisher treatment with turquoise-sprayed edges and a 150K-copy first printing. Reyna, who is the Queen’s private guard, and her girlfriend, powerful mage Kianthe, decide to leave their work behind to open a bookshop that serves tea, but mishaps, mysteries, and a murderous queen still find them.

Valente, Catherynne M. Space Oddity. Saga. (Space Opera, Bk. 2). May 2024. 304p. ISBN 9781534454521. $27.99. SF

Best-selling and award-winning Valente returns with the sequel to the hilarious Space Opera. In the aftermath of the galaxy-wide Sentience Wars, the Metagalactic Grand Prix was created, in which sentient species compete to avoid sudden extermination. As civilizations opposed to humanity plot against them, Earth is once again threatened and must battle for survival.

Forthcoming Series Titles

Armentrout, Jennifer L. Born of Blood and Ash. Blue Box. (Flesh and Fire, Bk. 4). May 2024. 560p. ISBN 9781957568782. $31.99. FANTASY

O’Keefe, Megan E. The Bound Worlds. Orbit. (Devoured Worlds, Bk. 3). May 2024. 544p. ISBN 9780316291576. pap. $19.99. SF

Vo, Nghi. The Brides of High Hill. Tor.com. (Singing Hills Cycle, Bk. 5). May 2024. 128p. ISBN 9781250851444. $19.99. FANTASY

Historical Fiction

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chung, Eve J. Daughters of Shandong. Berkley. May 2024. 400p. ISBN 9780593640531. $28. F

Taiwanese American Chung, a human-rights lawyer, debuts with a preempted novel based on her grandmother’s life. In 1948 China, a civil war rages, and a mother and her daughters are abandoned when their family flees to safety. But these resourceful women embark on an arduous journey to freedom, and eventually to Taiwan.

Jenner, Natalie. Every Time We Say Goodbye. St. Martin’s. May 2024. 336p. ISBN 9781250285188. $29. F

The latest from the best-selling author of The Jane Austen Society gets a 100K-copy first printing. In 1955 London, playwright Vivien Lowry’s new production is panned and shuts down, so she takes a job as a script doctor for a film shooting in Rome, where she mingles with celebrities while reckoning with the past and forging a new future.

Oates, Joyce Carol. Butcher. Knopf. May 2024. 352p. ISBN 9780593537770. $30. F

Based on historical documents, this story from best-selling Oates (48 Clues into the Disappearance of My Sister) portrays a 19th-century women’s hospital where Dr. Silas Weir practices and experiments on patients as he establishes himself as a pioneer of surgery.

Shaara, Jeff. The Shadow of War: A Novel of the Cuban Missile Crisis. St. Martin’s. May 2024. 368p. ISBN 9781250279965. $30. F

Best seller Shaara (The Old Lion) offers an extensively researched novel about the 1960s Cuban Missile Crisis. Told from multiple perspectives, the narrative details the confrontation between the U.S. and the Soviet Union as both built up their nuclear arsenal and war loomed. With a 100K-copy first printing.

Simonson, Helen. The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club. Dial. May 2024. 432p. ISBN 9781984801319. $29. F

As men return from the front after World War I, Constance Haverhill is forced to give up her wartime job and is sent to work as a lady’s companion on the English coast, where she meets independent Poppy and her ladies’ motorcycle club, along with wounded fighter pilot Harris. From best-selling Simonson (The Summer Before the War).

Forthcoming Series Title

Weir, Alison. The Passionate Tudor: A Novel of Queen Mary I. Ballantine. (Tudor Rose, Bk. 3). May 2024. 560p. ISBN 9780593355107. $30. F

Romance

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brown, Hannah. Mistakes We Never Made. Forever: Grand Central. May 2024. 336p. ISBN 9781538756775. $29. CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE

Reality TV star and best seller Brown (God Bless This Mess) makes her romance debut with a second-chance-at-love story. Emma and Finn have history—painful history for Emma, so she is not thrilled to play bridesmaid to his groomsman. But when the bride runs away, they join forces and find more than they thought possible. With a 75K-copy first printing.

Cayouette, Betty. One Last Shot. St. Martin’s Griffin. May 2024. 352p. ISBN 9781250291103. pap. $18. CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE

TikTok star and the uber book recommender of @bettysbooklist gets a 100K-copy first printing for her debut, which reunites supermodel Emerson with fashion photographer Theo in Cinque Terre, Italy. They were so close as teens that they made a marriage pact, but now they have been divided for years. Will they get a second chance or part forever?

DeWitt, Tarah. Savor It. St. Martin’s Griffin. May 2024. 336p. ISBN 9781250329424. pap. $18. CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE

DeWitt, a presence on Bookstagram and BookTok, returns with a strategic-alliance romance featuring Sage Byrd, who needs a guy to put her ex in his place, and chef Fisher Lange, who needs some PR help in Sage’s tiny coastal town of Spunes, OR. The two strike a deal and ignite a swoony summer fling. With a 100K-copy first printing.

Feehan, Christine. Deadly Storms. Berkley. May 2024. 448p. ISBN 9780593638804. $29. ROMANTIC SUSPENSE

Another stand-alone work of romantic suspense with a touch of the paranormal sees best-selling Feehan return to the setting of Murder at Sunrise Lake and Red on the River. The publisher is keeping a tight lid on the plotline for now.

Fortune, Carley. This Summer Will Be Different. Berkley. May 2024. 320p. ISBN 9780593638880. pap. $19. CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE

Best-selling Fortune (Every Summer After) sets her newest on Prince Edward Island, the site of Lucy and Felix’s serial no-hearts-involved summer fling. This summer is different. Lucy is on PEI to support her best friend (and Felix’s sister). Can she hold to that, or are she and Felix ready for something more?

Kann, Claire. Looking for Love in All the Haunted Places. Berkley. May 2024. 416p. ISBN 9780593336656. pap. $18. CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE

Known for her YA titles, Kann got a preempt for this adult paranormal romance that involves a sentient house with a broken heart, a parapsychology researcher named Lucky, and Maverick Phillips, who works on a TV show about haunted places. Lucky wonders if they all can have a happy ending.

Lauren, Christina. The Paradise Problem. Gallery. May 2024. 352p. ISBN 9781668017722. $28.99. CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE

Best-selling Lauren (The True Love Experiment) pairs two UCLA students who marry to snag subsidized housing. Still married but living apart three years later, Anna, a struggling artist, and Liam, a professor at Stanford, team up again, this time to help Liam meet the conditions of his grandfather’s will.

McKinlay, Jenn. Love at First Book. Berkley. May 2024. 352p. ISBN 9780593545744. pap. $18. CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE

Best-selling McKinlay brings back Emily from Summer Reading and sends her to Ireland in this sunshine-meets-grumpy rom-com. Emily, a librarian from Martha’s Vineyard, is thrilled with her new job, working with an author she adores. Not as happy, at least at first, is the author’s son, grumpy bookseller Kieran.

Riley, Vanessa. A Gamble at Sunset. Zebra: Kensington. (Betting Against the Duke, Bk. 1). May 2024. 368p. ISBN 9781420154856. pap. $17.95. HISTORICAL ROMANCE

Award-winning Riley, with a TV option for Island Queen, starts a new inclusive Regency series starring a duke and the three sisters he sets out to help get married. First up is the feigned-courtship story of Georgina and Lord Mark Sebastian, who fall for each other while trying to fool the gossips.

Robert, Katee. Blood on the Tide. Berkley. (Crimson Sails, Bk. 2). May 2024. 336p. ISBN 9780593639108. pap. $19. PARANORMAL ROMANCE

The second in the “Crimson Sails” fantasy romance series features vampire Lizzie and the selkie Maeve, who team up to steal back Lizzie’s family heirlooms and Maeve’s skin. As they plot to win the day, they must also deal with the Cŵn Annwn, who will not let the thievery pass.

Forthcoming Series Titles

Castle, Jayne. People in Glass Houses. Berkley. (Harmony, Bk. 17). May 2024. 336p. ISBN 9780593639887. $29. PARANORMAL ROMANCE

Probst, Jennifer. A Wedding in Lake Como. Berkley. (Meet Me in Italy, Bk. 3). May 2024. 400p. ISBN 9780593546048. pap. $18. CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE

Fiction Finale

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fforde, Jasper. Red Side Story. Soho. (Shades of Grey, Bk. 2). May 2024. NAp. ISBN 9781641296281. $29.95. SF

In the sequel to the best-selling Shades of Grey, Fforde revisits the world of Chromatacia, where the societal hierarchy is strictly regulated by one’s limited color perception. Eddie and Jane are trying to clear themselves from a murder charge, and as they search for a loophole, they begin to uncover the truth of their world.

Hood, Ann. The Stolen Child. Norton. May 2024. 304p. ISBN 9780393609806. $27.99. F

Best-selling Hood returns with a story set in 1974. Nick has only months to live and still regrets his actions during World War I, when a French artist gave him her baby and her paintings—only to disappear. Nick enlists college dropout Jenny to help him, and they set off for Europe in search of answers.

Messud, Claire. This Strange Eventful History. Norton. May 2024. 448p. ISBN 9780393635041. $29.99. F

Inspired by her family history and 10 years in the making, Messud’s new historical saga spans seven decades, from 1940 to 2010, about a pieds-noirs family who are left without a home after Algeria gains its independence from France. She explores the inner lives of these characters against the backdrop of social and political upheaval.

Perry, Sarah. Enlightenment. Mariner. May 2024. 352p. ISBN 9780063352612. $28. F

Set in the world of Perry’s best-selling The Essex Serpent (now an Apple TV+ show), this is the story of Thomas and Grace, kindred spirits torn apart. They are eventually drawn to each other again as the mystery of a vanished 19th-century astronomer unfolds, and they contemplate love and fate. With a 150K-copy first printing.

Richards, Diane. Ella. Amistad: HarperCollins. May 2024. 352p. ISBN 9780063338654. $28. F

Writer, playwright, and music producer Richards debuts with a biographical novel about legendary singer Ella Fitzgerald. She details how Fitzgerald lost her mother during the Great Depression, escaped incarceration after a stint with the mob, and eventually got her big break after singing at the Apollo Theater’s Amateur Night. With a 100K-copy first printing.

Shattuck, Jessica. Last House. Morrow. May 2024. 336p. ISBN 9780062979896. $28. F

Author of the best-selling The Women in the Castle, Shattuck pens a multi-generational story of an American family that delves into their relationships and complicated history with Big Oil, starting in 1953 with Nick, a WWII veteran, and his codebreaker wife, Bet. With a 150K-copy first printing.

Smith, Willow & Jess Hendel. Black Shield Maiden. Del Rey: Ballantine. May 2024. 480p. ISBN 9780593356739. $30. FANTASY

Singer/songwriter Smith and cowriter Hendel launch an epic trilogy set during the age of the Vikings and featuring fierce African warrior Yafeu, who is taken from her home in the Ghanaian Empire and brought north. There she decides to become a shield maiden and fight for freedom.

Sue, Natalie. I Hope This Finds You Well. Morrow. May 2024. 352p. ISBN 9780063320369. $28. F

Billed as a heartwarming office comedy, this debut is HarperCollins’s Lead Read for the summer, with a 100K-copy first printing. When admin Jolene accidentally gets access to her coworkers’ emails, she decides to use them to help save her own job from layoffs but finds herself unexpectedly caring about her colleagues.

Sykes, Plum. Wives Like Us. Harper. May 2024. 320p. ISBN 9780062429087. $30. F

Fashion journalist and best-selling novelist Sykes (Bergdorf Blondes) turns her sights on the English villages of the Cotswolds. There, rich Londoners and Americans descend, and drama and hilarity ensue among wealthy wives, tycoons, a U.S. divorcée, and a butler. With a 100K-copy first printing.

Forthcoming Series Title

Hostin, Sunny. Summer on Highland Beach. Morrow. (Summer Beach, Bk. 3). May 2024. 432p. ISBN 9780062994257. $30. F

Nonfiction

Biography & Memoir

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brookins, KB. Pretty: A Memoir. Knopf. May 2024. 240p. ISBN 9780593537145. $28. MEMOIR

Brookins’s poetry volume How To Identify Yourself with a Wound is an ALA Stonewall Honor Book. Their memoir examines queerness, masculinity, and race from a Black transgender perspective as they contemplate growing up in Texas, experiencing marginalization, and coming to terms with being perceived as “other.”

Clarey, Christopher. The Warrior: Rafael Nadal and His Kingdom of Clay. Grand Central. May 2024. 320p. ISBN 9781538759134. $32.50. BIOG

Clarey was the longtime tennis columnist for the New York Times and wrote the best-selling biography The Master, about tennis great Roger Federer. Here he gives the same in-depth treatment to another tennis champion—Rafael Nadal, winner of 22 major men’s singles titles. With a 75K-copy first printing.

Franklin, Sara B. The Editor: How Publishing Legend Judith Jones Shaped Culture in America. Atria. May 2024. 320p. ISBN 9781982134341. $30. BIOG

Drawing on exclusive interviews, never-before-seen personal papers, and years of research, food writer and historian Franklin delves into the life of legendary editor Judith Jones, who plucked Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl out of the slush pile and went on to edit books from icons Julia Child, Edna Lewis, John Updike, and Sylvia Plath, among others.

Gardner, Jimmie C. Grace Under Pressure: My 27-Year Journey of Injustice, Resilience, and Purpose. Union Square. May 2024. 272p. ISBN 9781454950462. $28.99. MEMOIR

In this moving memoir, motivational speaker and prison reform advocate Gardner confronts racism and the inequality of the criminal justice system after being wrongfully convicted. He was sentenced to 110 years in prison and served 27 before he gained his freedom and had all charges dropped. His sister-in-law Stacey Abrams provides a foreword.

Hendrickson, Paul. Fighting the Night: Iwo Jima, World War II, and a Flyer’s Life. Knopf. May 2024. 320p. ISBN 9780593321133. $32. BIOG

Former journalist and best-selling author of Hemingway’s Boat, Hendrickson recounts the story of Joe Paul Hendrickson, his father, who was a night fighter pilot during World War II. Detailing the challenges of a young military family, Joe Paul’s dangerous wartime missions, and the lingering effects of war, Hendrickson poignantly examines a life and a historic time.

Ingrassia, Lawrence. A Fatal Inheritance: How a Family Misfortune Revealed a Deadly Medical Mystery. Holt. May 2024. 320p. ISBN 9781250837226. $29.99. MEMOIR

Ingrassia (Billion Dollar Brand Club), a former business and economics editor at the New York Times, turns to his own family story after losing several relatives to cancer. Interweaving his personal narrative with the history of cancer research, he offers a riveting medical memoir. With a 75K-copy first printing.

Kingston, Genevieve. Did I Ever Tell You?: A Memoir. S. & S./Marysue Rucci. May 2024. 288p. ISBN 9781668006290. $27.99. MEMOIR

Playwright Kingston turns her popular essay from the New York Times’s “Modern Love” column into a full-length memoir as she shares her relationship with mother, who died of cancer but managed to continue bestowing her love and wisdom on her kids through gifts and letters she left behind for them to open on major milestones and birthdays.

Kristof, Nicholas D. Chasing Hope: A Reporter’s Life. Knopf. May 2024. 480p. ISBN 9780593536568. $32. MEMOIR

Best-selling author and Pulitzer Prize winner Kristof (Tightrope with Sheryl WuDunn), who worked for the New York Times as a reporter, foreign correspondent, bureau chief, and now as columnist, writes a candid memoir recounting his career in journalism and the historic events he covered, along with stories about the extraordinary people he met across the globe.

O’Keefe, Edward F. The Loves of Theodore Roosevelt: The Women Who Created a President. S. & S. May 2024. 464p. ISBN 9781982145682. $30. BIOG

O’Keefe, CEO of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library Foundation, writes a biography of Roosevelt that explores the key roles of the women in his life. His first wife steered him to politics; his sisters shaped both his policies and his reputation; and his second wife, Edith, secured his legacy.

Ponomarenko, Illia. I Will Show You How It Was: The Story of Wartime Kyiv. Bloomsbury. May 2024. 352p. ISBN 9781639733873. $28.99. MEMOIR

Ukrainian journalist Ponomarenko has been reporting from the front lines of the Russian invasion in Ukraine and pens a personal chronicle of the war to date, documenting what’s been lost but also the fierce courage and resistance of those in his home country. With a 100K-copy first printing.

Psaki, Jen. Say More: Lessons from Work, the White House, and the World. Scribner. May 2024. 256p. ISBN 9781668019856. $30. MEMOIR

Former White House Press Secretary and current MSNBC host Psaki shares entertaining, essential lessons in communication—managing difficult conversations, giving and receiving feedback, connecting with an audience, and more—as she recounts her time working at the White House under two presidents and now hosting a TV show while parenting two kids.

Selleck, Tom. You Never Know: A Memoir. Dey Street. May 2024. 320p. ISBN 9780062945761. $29.99. MEMOIR

Promises to be a frank and highly personal memoir. Famed actor Selleck, known for his 1980s breakout role on Magnum P.I. and current stint on Blue Bloods, brings readers on his journey to Hollywood and details his time spent in the limelight, sharing never-told stories, recounting celebrity friendships, and revealing personal struggles.

Sharma, Nina. The Way You Make Me Feel: Love in Black and Brown. Penguin Pr. May 2024. 336p. ISBN 9780593492826. $28. MEMOIR

Sharma debuts with a memoir in essays as she talks about her love story with a Black man and the racism they encounter due to their interracial marriage. Interweaving history, pop culture, and politics, she also tackles issues of caste, colorism, and mental health.

St. Pierre, Nina. Love Is a Burning Thing: A Memoir. Dutton. May 2024. 304p. ISBN 9780593473825. $28. MEMOIR

St. Pierre’s memoir contemplates spirituality, poverty, and mental health while telling the heartbreaking tale of her childhood and difficult relationship with her mother. Before she was born, her mother lit herself on fire in a suicide attempt and, years later, burned down their house. Here, St. Pierre wrestles with this past and its origins.

Velshi, Ali. Small Acts of Courage: A Legacy of Endurance and the Fight for Democracy. St. Martin’s. May 2024. 304p. ISBN 9781250288851. $30. MEMOIR

Journalist and MSNBC host Velshi illustrates how small acts of courage matter through his family history. More than a century ago, his great-grandfather sent his young son to live in Gandhi’s ashram in South Africa, where he learned a deeply ingrained sense of public service and social justice that would live on in generations of his family. With a 200K-copy first printing.

Wallace, Carvell. Another Word for Love: A Memoir. MCD. May 2024. 272p. ISBN 9780374237820. $28. MEMOIR

Writer and podcaster Wallace shares his experiences of growing up Black and queer in the United States. From his childhood, where housing was a challenge, to becoming a partner and parent, Wallace examines the beauty and struggles of his life and emerges with hope and healing. With a 75K-copy first printing.

Current Events

Hansen, James. Sophie’s Planet: A Search for Truth About Our Remarkable Home Planet and Its Future. Bloomsbury. May 2024. 256p. ISBN 9781632868947. $28.99. MEMOIR

Climate scientist Hansen (Columbia Univ. and NASA) returns after his warning in Storms of My Grandchildren to pen a set of letters to his granddaughter Sophie about the fight to save the planet. His optimistic hope is that her generation will do so.

Kagan, Robert. Rebellion: The Antiliberal Tradition Tearing America Apart—Again. Knopf. May 2024. 272p. ISBN 9780593535783. $25. POL SCI

Historian Kagan (The Ghost at the Feast), senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and Washington Post columnist, provides an in-depth analysis of the threats to democracy in the current political climate and the historical events that have led to such dangers.

Khan, Salman. Brave New Words: How AI Will Revolutionize Education (and Why That’s a Good Thing). Viking. May 2024. 288p. ISBN 9780593656952. $30. ED

The founder of Khan Academy considers artificial intelligence and education, urging parents and teachers to embrace it and use it to help students—as well as addressing how it can be used by administrators, guidance counselors, and HR. Along the way, Khan points out AI’s limits and imperfections.

Miranda Jr., Luis A. Relentless: My Story of the Latino Spirit That Is Transforming America. Hachette. May 2024. 272p. ISBN 9780306833229. $30. BIOG

Connected to national and local politics, from New York to Texas, Miranda is a key voice in social and political circles and the subject of HBO documentary Siempre, Luis. He pens a memoir about Latino culture, immigration, building community, and changing the world. With a 75K-copy first printing and a foreword by his son, Lin-Manuel.

Quiñones, John & María Elena Salinas. One Year in Uvalde: A Story of Hope and Resilience. Hyperion Avenue. May 2024. 320p. ISBN 9781368107013. $29.99. SOC SCI

Two award-winning journalists write about their work embedded in Uvalde, TX, after the community was devastated by a mass shooting at their elementary school. Following several families and individuals caught in the wake of the tragedy, the book documents a yearlong reporting project.

History

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alexander, Caroline. Skies of Thunder: The Deadly World War II Mission Over the Roof of the World. Viking. May 2024. 496p. ISBN 9781984879233. $32. HIST

Acclaimed historian Alexander (The Endurance) turns to the China-Burma-India theater of WWII, detailing the chaotic efforts to fly over the Himalayas in questionable planes and with unreliable maps. She dives into battles and quests for survival as well as the geopolitical brinksmanship between nations. With a 100K-copy first printing.

Bruning, John R. Fifty-Three Days on Starvation Island: The World War II Battle That Saved Marine Corps Aviation. Hachette. May 2024. 496p. ISBN 9780316508650. $32.50. HIST

The best-selling author of Indestructible tells the story of the Marines at Guadalcanal in the disastrous early days of the war. Bruning focuses on three pilots: Major John L. Smith, Captain Marion Carl, and Major Richard Mangrum, who held off the Imperial army until the Allied forces regrouped.

Clavin, Tom & Bob Drury. Throne of Grace: A Mountain Man, an Epic Adventure, and the Bloody Conquest of the American West. St. Martin’s. May 2024. 368p. ISBN 9781250285836. $30. HIST

Best sellers Clavin and Drury (The Last Hill) return to the early history of the U.S. frontier, focusing on the adventurer Jedediah Smith as he traversed the Rocky Mountains and made his way to the West Coast. All around him are the violent repercussions of the birth of Manifest Destiny. With a 200K-copy first printing.

Dolin, Eric Jay. Left for Dead: Shipwreck, Treachery, and Survival at the Edge of the World. Liveright: Norton. May 2024. 400p. ISBN 9781324093084. $29.99. HIST

Dolin, best-selling author of Black Flags, Blue Waters, sets his newest during the War of 1812, when the U.S. and British abandoned five castaways on the Falkland Islands. Their struggle to survive improbably includes a dog, a baby, and a perilous open-ocean journey in a tiny boat.

Grinspan, Jon. Wide Awake: The Forgotten Force That Elected Lincoln and Spurred the Civil War. Bloomsbury. May 2024. 368p. ISBN 9781639730643. $32. HIST

Smithsonian historian Grinspan (The Age of Acrimony) shines attention on the 1860s anti-enslavement movement that played a key role in starting the U.S. Civil War, illuminating how that political campaign, which grew to include hundreds of thousands, pushed the nation from rhetoric to war. With a 60K-copy first printing.

Hampton, Dan. Vanishing Act: The Enduring Mystery Behind the Legendary Doolittle Raid over Tokyo. St. Martin’s. May 2024. 352p. ISBN 9781250283245. $30. HIST

In WWII, the U.S. was determined to bomb Tokyo, sending the Doolittle Raiders on the mission. One of the squadrons headed to the Soviet Union instead, its purpose a mystery. Using information from the Imperial Archives and the Raiders’ descendants, best seller Hampton details what happened. With a 60K-copy first printing.

Kershaw, Alex. Patton’s Prayer: A True Story of Courage, Faith, and Victory in World War II. Dutton. May 2024. 384p. ISBN 9780593183779. $32. HIST

Multi-best-selling Kershaw (Against All Odds) considers General Patton’s reliance on faith in the face of intractable weather, which mired the Allies and allowed the Germans to regroup. With a prayer in hand that he also distributed to his quarter million troops, he told the men to pray as the Battle of the Bulge drew ever closer.

Larson, Erik. The Demon of Unrest: A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War. Crown. Apr. 2024. 608p. ISBN 9780385348744. $35. HIST

Blockbuster author Larson (The Devil in the White City) offers a political history considering the months between Lincoln’s election and the beginning of the Civil War. His deeply researched account is wide-ranging even as it centers upon Lincoln, trying desperately to avert war.

O’Donnell, Patrick K. The Unvanquished: The Untold Story of Lincoln’s Special Forces, the Manhunt for Mosby’s Rangers, and the Shadow War That Forged America’s Special Operations. Atlantic Monthly. May 2024. 448p. ISBN 9780802162861. $30. HIST

O’Donnell, best-selling author of The Indispensables, centers his newest on the Jessie Scouts, Lincoln’s special forces unit, and Mosby’s Rangers, their Confederate enemies, detailing their tradecraft, shadow activities, and battles. After the Civil War, the Scouts moved to the battlefields of Mexico, where many mysteriously disappeared.

Stanmore, Tabitha. Cunning Folk: Life in the Era of Practical Magic. Bloomsbury. May 2024. 368p. ISBN 9781639730537. $29.99. HIST

Reading Queen Elizabeth I’s astrological chart and taking care not to upset a fairy guard were accepted applications of magic as medieval and early modern Europe navigated bewildering and anxious times. Historian Stanmore charmingly explores such incantations, detailing the daily use of common magic then and exploring its meaning today. With an 80K-copy first printing.

Stephanopoulos, George. The Situation Room: The Inside Story of Presidents in Crisis. Grand Central. May 2024. 368p. ISBN 9781538740767. $35. HIST

Famed ABC broadcaster and former White House senior advisor Stephanopoulos examines the room where it happens, the inner sanctum where presidents make their most consequential decisions. His history of “the Sit Room” begins with the fallout after President Kennedy was shot and ends with the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.

Thomson, Keith. Paradise of the Damned: The True Story of an Obsessive Quest for El Dorado, the Legendary City of Gold. Little, Brown. May 2024. 400p. ISBN 9780316497008. $32.50. BIOG

Best-selling Thomson (Born To Be Hanged) explores Sir Walter Raleigh’s obsession with stealing the gold treasures of El Dorado as he simultaneously tries to manage Queen Elizabeth I and King James and contends with Spanish conquistadors, the Amazon jungle, carnivorous bats, half-ton crocodiles, and more.

Science

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Carroll, Sean. Quanta and Fields: The Biggest Ideas in the Universe. Dutton. May 2024. 304p. ISBN 9780593186602. $26. SCI

Carroll (The Big Picture), a Johns Hopkins professor famous for his many books explicating science, writes the second in his “The Biggest Ideas in the Universe” series, after Space, Time, and Motion. This time he tackles the Standard Model of particle physics, explaining atoms and quantum reality.

Foster, Craig. Amphibious Soul: Finding the Wild in a Tame World. HarperOne. May 2024. 256p. ISBN 9780063289024. $29.99. SCI

Academy Award–winning filmmaker Foster (My Octopus Teacher) urges readers to create a new relationship with the wild world. He details his own intimate connection to the sea, modeling the power of immersing oneself in nature. The book includes 16 pages of photos and QR codes linked to mini-videos. With a 200K-copy first printing.

Harper, Caroline. Unseen Universe: Space as You’ve Never Seen It Before from the James Webb Space Telescope. Mobius. May 2024. 224p. ISBN 9781529430509. $35.99. SCI

Harper, head of space science at the UK Space Agency, focuses on how the images from the Webb telescope are changing the ways scientists understand and think about the biggest questions of astronomy. Is the universe expanding or is it infinite? What are the origins of black holes? Harper, and Webb, shine light. The book includes 100+ images.

Nezhukumatathil, Aimee. Bite by Bite: Nourishments and Jamborees. Ecco: HarperCollins. May 2024. 192p. ISBN 9780063282261. $26.99. SCI

Best-selling poet and essayist Nezhukumatathil (World of Wonders, a B&N Book of the Year) turns her attention to food in this highly illustrated collection of meditations on the nature of nourishment. From memories to instant associations, she ponders how food helps define and shape identity—and much more. With a 150K-copy first printing.

Schlanger, Zoë. The Light Eaters: How the Unseen World of Plant Intelligence Offers a New Understanding of Life on Earth. Harper. May 2024. 304p. ISBN 9780063073852. $29.99. SCI

Consider the remarkable complexity, ability, and intelligence of plant life—pea seedlings that can hear water and move toward it; plants that can store memories and trick animals into desired behavior. Travelling the globe, award-winning Atlantic reporter Schlanger joins scientists as they formulate an entirely new view of plant life. With a 150K-copy first printing.