Need a new book? 10 new releases you can read right now from romance to thriller
What do a ghost-conjuring chef, a fast-food employee and a world-renowned dying artist have in common?
They’re the topics of some of our favorite new books from May, of course. Check out the titles we recommend this month, including new Stephen King, a swoony new romantasy bestseller and the book that Fredrik Backman said could be his last. Or, take a look at the titles we’re most excited about this summer.
Plus, there’s still time to read for Paste BN’s Spring Book Challenge, where you could win a $100 gift card to Bookshop.org just by filling out our bingo card.
What should I read next? 10 new books from May
Summer is just around the corner, and it’s time to get your TBR ready for beach reading and vacations. From dystopian tales to steamy romance, here are the titles we think you should pick up at your local bookstore or library.
‘The Emperor of Gladness’ by Ocean Vuong
“The Emperor of Gladness” has all the poetic meditations and lyricism of Vuong’s “On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous,” but with a lovable cast of found family characters that practically leap off the page. In it, a young man about to commit suicide is stopped by an elderly woman with dementia. What results is an unlikely friendship, a fast-food job that reunites him with his cousin and a new supportive, quirky community.
‘Aftertaste’ by Daria Lavelle
This dark comedy set in the culinary world follows a Ukrainian American chef who can conjure spirits of the dead by cooking their favorite foods. Haunted by the death of his father and yearning to use his powers for good, Kostya opens a restaurant where loved ones reunite over one last meal. With carefully crafted depictions of grief and mouth-watering culinary adventures, this is the perfect novel for the always hungry and for fans of “The Bear.”
‘My Friends’ by Fredrik Backman
Told in two timelines, Backman’s heartwarming latest is about four childhood friends and one transformative summer. Their bond inspires a painting that eventually becomes, decades later, the most famous painting in the world. In the present, a teenager who cherishes that painting finds herself in unexpected ownership of the original. Her cross-country journey to learn how the artwork came to be connects surprising roads in her own life and the painting’s subjects.
‘Can’t Get Enough’ by Kennedy Ryan
In “Can’t Get Enough,” ambitious, goal-oriented Hendrix Barry is thriving in most aspects of life, but caring for her aging parent means she doesn’t have time for romance. But then she meets tech mogul Maverick Bell, and the one man she can’t have seems to be the perfect match.
‘Things in Nature Merely Grow’ by Yiyun Li
Writer and professor Li meditates on the loss of her two sons – both from suicide, seven years apart. Li searches for the words that might fill the loss of Vincent at age 16 in 2017 and James at age 19 in 2024. “Things In Nature Merely Grow” is less of a book about grief and more a tribute to radical acceptance and the lasting power of memory.
‘Immaculate Conception’ by Ling Ling Huang
Twisty dystopian horror “Immaculate Conception” follows art students whose work and study are upended by artificial intelligence. Grappling with her artistic purpose and jealous of her friend Mathilde’s global success, protagonist Enka comes across a new technology that would let her enter Mathilde’s mind, inextricably linking the co-dependent friends.
‘Never Flinch’ by Stephen King
King deviates from his terrifying horror to pen a detective novel in “Never Flinch.” This mystery thriller puts beloved character Holly Gibney at the forefront, now working for a celebrity women’s rights activist whose lecture tour is under threat by a violent mystery assailant. At the same time, Holly helps her police detective friend with a serial killer on a revenge mission.
‘Along Came Amor’ by Alexis Daria
This steamy romance is the third and final installment of Daria’s “Primas of Power” series. When Ava Rodriguez’s now ex-husband leaves her to chase dreams that don’t include her, she tries to embrace her new singleness in a one-night stand with Roman Vázquez. Type-A Roman is laser-focused on building his empire, so he initially agrees to her no-strings-attached, no-feelings situationship. That comes crashing when the pair run into each other at Ava’s family function.
‘Shield of Sparrows’ by Devney Perry
This new romantasy series, billed for fans of Sarah J. Maas and Rebecca Yarros, sees a forgotten princess changing her fate. She’s never meant to rule, only to obey her father. But after an encounter with a legendary monster hunter and a prince upends her life, she realizes she can make her own rules, becoming the warrior she was meant to be.
‘How to Be Well’ by Amy Larocca
Everyone knows a “well woman” – the spiritual, skincare aficionado who is just one cog in the machine of the multibillion-dollar wellness industry. Journalist Larocca touches on her own experience getting sucked into wellness culture before ripping back the curtain at the science behind it, as well as the standards of American womanhood driving the profits.
Clare Mulroy is Paste BN’s Books Reporter, where she covers buzzy releases, chats with authors and dives into the culture of reading. Find her on Instagram, subscribe to our weekly Books newsletter or tell her what you’re reading at cmulroy@usatoday.com.