While summer beach reads will be delivering lighthearted escapes to shelves soon, these deeper spring reads will satisfy the intellectual yearnings of any true bibliophile.
Hang the Moon by Jeanette Walls
It’s been a while since readers have had a new story by the bestselling memoirist of The Glass Castle. Although she’s dabbled with fiction in the past, Walls’s true talents shine in this captivating new novel set in 1900s Virginia. The story follows Sallie Kincaid, a strong-spirited daughter of the “biggest man in a small town.” With an abusive father, a dead mother, and a tragic incident involving her gentle half-brother, Sallie learns to develop grit and resilience as she rises to stake her claim in the cutthroat world of prohibition-era bootlegging.
(Releases March 28)
Homecoming by Kate Morton
Known for her bestselling novel, The Clockmaker’s Daughter, Morton doesn’t disappoint with this newest page-turner. The suspenseful arc centers around a London-based journalist who returns home to Australia where she begins asking questions about a mysterious string of events that took place in 1959. Now, decades later, the curious reporter is looking for answers. The twist? She uncovers a dark connection to her own family. But the real treat is the journey through this tight-knit Australian community, where themes of motherhood and truth resonate strongly through Morton’s well-crafted blend of plot precision and character depth.
(Releases April 4)
The Trackers by Charles Frazier
Readers have been waiting eagerly for the fifth novel by international bestselling author of Cold Mountain. Known for evocative settings that play a key role in his stories, Frazier now takes us to Depression-era Wyoming, where New Deal artist Val Welch is assigned to paint a mural on the local post office. When he takes up boarding at the ranch of John and Eve Long, he’s swept into the Gatsbyesque drama of this intriguing couple. Soon Eve flees home, and art dealer Long enlists Val to help him track her (and the expensive painting she’s taken with her). Then, off we go “from the ramshackle Hoovervilles to San Francisco nightclubs to the swamps of Florida.” With his stellar storytelling and trademark world-building, it’s clear why Frazier’s latest is already gathering tons of buzz.
(Releases April 11)
You Could Make This Place Beautiful by Maggie Smith
Acclaimed as a gifted poet, Smith turns her talents to memoir in this elegant exploration of life’s transitions. With grace and candor, she pulls the curtains back to explore the end of her marriage, the trials of motherhood, and the heart-wrenching struggles and sacrifices that will feel relatable to most women today. Adept as a sculptor of language, she proves her skills with prose while still delivering the lyrical tones and transparent honesty of a poet.
(Releases April 11)
Notes on Complexity by Neil Theise
For readers interested in the mysteries behind integrative medicine, consciousness studies, and the science-religion dialogue, this nonfiction work will bend minds. As a professor of pathology at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine, the author explains the “theory of being” and his holistic view of human existence. Essentially, he proposes that complex systems (cells, human beings, ecosystems, the known universe, and beyond) are all connected as one vast complex system. Backing his beliefs with scientific research, he restores a sense of wonder and metaphysical curiosity to the act of being human.
(Releases May 9)
The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese
Having made a significant mark on the literary world with his novel Cutting for Stone, Verghese returns with this exceptional family saga. Weighing in at more than 700 pages in length, there’s nothing ordinary about this epic tale that sweeps readers away to South India’s Malabar Coast. There, three generations of a family suffer the tragedy of three separate drownings. Water becomes a metaphor throughout this poignant novel as Verghese examines the flow of time within cultures, families, faith, and medicine. Get ahead of the crowd with this one because it will likely be nominated for all the major literary awards.
(Releases May 2)
