It's great to read in the April rains, so, for our fourth book list of the year, we're including collections of psychological and social essays, hard-hitting, hard-hitting novels, and replays of the aging star's glory days.
All Things Too Small: Essays in Praise of SurplusBecca Rothfield (April 2)
in Washington Post The first full-length collection by book critic Becca Rothfeld, the theme of excess is on her mind—how contemporary American culture is flattened and eroded, resulting in an overly simplistic aesthetic. Think of the minimalism craze sweeping TikTok right now, or Marie Kondo's 2019 cleaning hack that prompted people to purge their entire closets. But Rothfeld goes deeper than practical clean-up, writing about soft fiction, body horror, detective books, sex, and cinema with captivating insight and a keen eye. (If you want samples, update them.) get down From Loren Oyler's collection of essays is the kind of popcorn-grabbing essay that just needs to be devoured.)
Good happy girlMarissa Higgins (April 2)
Marissa Higgins's bold and often shockingly intimate debut novel focuses on the self-destructive Helen, a struggling lawyer immersed in a passionate affair with Katrina and Katherine, a couple she meets one day on an app and cannot let go of. She is pained by the presence of her father, who begs her to write a letter of recommendation for him to get out of prison, despite his horrific neglect of Helen's grandmother. But what if Helen prefers to spend her time with both wives, a rambunctious, adventurous couple who make her feel wanted, sexy, but often alien in her longing? What if we all followed our deepest desires? Cutting, dynamic and boldly confident for the first time, Good happy girl It enters the reader like ice in his veins.
the springAnthony Oliveira (April 2)
Blending memoir, fiction, and poetry, and incorporating biblical and coming-of-age tales, Anthony Oliveira's debut is perfect for Madeline Miller fans who find beauty in the sacred. Centering a bold idea about how the boundaries and themes of Christianity can instill queer love and relationships, the spring It transcends time and space with a historical flavor in its innovative and exciting ways.
The Age of Magical Thinking: Notes on Modern IrrationalismAmanda Montel (April 9)
cultural Author and star podcaster Amanda Montel returns with The era of magical thinking, a psychology-based exploration of why we feel crazy all the time, in clinical terms. Navigating concepts like the sunk cost fallacy, the IKEA effect, confirmation bias, and the halo effect, she calls on writers like Adam Grant and David Epstein to provide a humorous, person-first account of the mind, where you actually learn the mechanisms behind it. Your mind's constant worries. Why do we buy everything Taylor Swift advertises? Why do we feel invincible after working with our hands? Why does one strategically located disaster leave us in a tailspin for the rest of the day? Montel explains with heart and insight.
Bitter Water OperaNicolette Bolick (April 16)
The first novel from the author of the short story collection Fantasy museums, Bitter Water Opera It is a small but poignant book about art, family, and isolation. The socially distanced Gia sleeps fifteen hours a day after breaking up with her boyfriend, but her introduction to dancer Marta Beckett, who has painted her audience members on the walls of the theater, claims to energize her. She writes to Marta, who enters Gia's life with startling immediacy, and the two embark on a harrowing journey through the self to find out what Gia wants in this taut book.
Henry HenryAllen Bratton (April 16)
Written as Shakespeare's bizarre fantasy Henry, Hal Lancaster is swaying in 2014 London, despite being the heir to Henry, Duke of Lancaster. It was followed over the course of a year with “A Spoiled Family.” Daddy issues and first dates. Good sex, bad sex, awkward sex. Drugs. Actors. Concerts. Booze, as written by editor Brandon Taylor, brings Hal's wit to life in a novel about adulthood, family, and survival today.
RebootJustin Taylor (April 23)
It was a staple of early teen drama Pastor BeachDavid Crader is now a recovering alcoholic, scheduling awkward visits to the zoo with his son, and showing up at conventions for a voice acting job where he's still known. Pastor Beach It became streamable when the pandemic hit, and found a new league of fans — some clamoring for a reboot of the series, others mourning the loss of their fantasy endings. Kryder travels to Los Angeles to film the new series, but he soon discovers that it's not all fun and games — and that fans may truly rule his future career in this timely and smart novel.
Real AmericansRachel Khong (April 30)
Rachel Khong, author of Beloved Goodbye vitamincomes back with Real Americans, a multi-layered family portrait about identity and hiding ourselves. Khong narrates three generations in one family, touching on race, inheritance and family. Long family stories that involve switching a person's point of view can be difficult to pull off, but Khong does it with her signature charm and ingenuity.
