It’s finally warming up here in Washington, DC, and earlier this month was the first instance I was able to comfortably sit on our roof and read. With a coffee in tow and the knowledge that soon, I’ll spend (brighter!) nights out here, I got through my spring stack, featuring the return of literary giants Ben Lerner and David Sedaris, thoughtful narratives from animal POVs, and, randomly, two essay collections about some of my homes so far (Florida and San Diego). Enjoy our selections, and let us know which ones you picked up.
Black Bag, Luke Kennard (March 17)
Alexandra Kleeman’s You Too Can Have a Body Like Mine meets insecure British masculinity in this strange, surprisingly tender novel about an actor who enrolls in a psychological study where he has to dress in a black bag and stay silent, from Luke Kennard, poet and author of The Transition.
My Lover, the Rabbi, Wayne Koestenbaum (March 17)
Koestenbaum’s newest novel in twenty years is a psychosexual tour de force where an unnamed narrator gets wrapped in an absurd adventure spurned by a religious devotion to his seriously toxic rabbi situationship.
The Oldest Bitch Alive, Morgan Day (March 24)
Wonderfully bizarre and philosophically ambitious, Morgan Day’s novel about Gelsomina the French Bulldog, dying of worms in a glass house, is one of the most memorable and creative debuts of the year so far.
Anywhere Else: Essays on Florida, Rachel Knox (March 24)
As a native Floridian, I have to support whenever anyone comes to defend our home, a wonderfully bizarre and often absurd sweat-drenched scrap of land from hell. In her first nonfiction book, Rachel Knox memorializes and excoriates the Sunshine State. Gotta love it!
A Good Person, Kirsten King (March 31)
When Lillian places a hex on a guy who won’t lock her down, she doesn’t expect him to actually die. Her grieving process involves untangling his past, revealing hidden relationships, and harboring delusions about what the couple really was.
Only a Little While Here, María Ospina (March 31)
From the winner of Colombia’s National Novel Award, Only a Little While Here is an intimate look at the drama and journey of five animals: a dazzled songbird, orphaned porcupine, two dogs and a determined beetle.
Yesteryear, Caro Claire Burke (April 7)
Playtime’s over: A tradwife influencer wakes up one morning to find herself trapped in the 1800s, where her life is no longer Instagrammable (or comfortable). Is it a cruel prank? Reality television gone wrong? Fantasy and expectation collide in this sharp satirical debut.
Transcription, Ben Lerner (April 7)
Poet and novelist Ben Lerner returns with Transcription, a strange and slim work where a narrator travels to interview, for the last time, his elderly mentor—but drops his phone in the sink and has no way to record the conversation.
My Dear You, Rachel Khong (April 7)
From the author of Goodbye, Vitamin and Real Americans comes a thoughtful and masterful story collection about extraordinary choices, love, life, and the awkwardness of it all.
Superstars, Ann Scott (April 7)
An elegant and spiky novel that attracted a cult following when it was released in 2000, Ann Scott’s Superstars tracks one woman’s descent into the queer Parisian rave scene with the help of a hefty record label contract.
American Spirits, Anna Dorn (April 14)
The mythic singer-songwriter Blue Velour has finally reached stardom with her newest album, a cheeky nod to a devoted fanbase sussing out her alleged relationship with her producer. She hires a superfan as a personal assistant, but when all three of them hole up in a cabin for the pandemic, tensions fly. Like if Misery happened to Lana Del Rey.
Famesick, Lena Dunham (April 14)
Lena Dunham needs no introduction, but the GIRLS writer, director and star returns with her second memoir after Not That Kind of Girl, a candid recollection of her life as a high-profile and often criticized talent and wonder.
Kill Dick, Luke Goebel (April 14)
From the owner of the recently revived Tyrant Books and writer of films like Eileen and Causeway, Luke Goebel’s Kill Dick follows an NYU dropout headed to Los Angeles, where her life is derailed by a string of murderers her father, with ties to the opioid industry, might have been involved with.
Dear Monica Lewinsky, Julia Langbein (April 14)
A woman regretting an affair with her professor during the summer of 1998 begins praying to Monica Lewinsky for guidance, like a secular saint—and is shocked to hear her respond.
Ultranatural, Candice Wuehle (April 14)
From the author of Monarch comes Ultranatural, a dizzying account of Lacey Love Bart’s rise to fame from an Appalachian teen to a controlled, monitored pop puppet. Think A24’s Pearl mixed with Britney Spears’ life saga.
Afternoon Hours of a Hermit, Patrick Cottrell (April 21)
From the author of Sorry to Disrupt the Peace comes Patrick Cottrell’s newest, where a trans man five years removed from publishing his autofictional novel, also titled Sorry to Disrupt the Peace, receives an unannounced envelope containing a photo of his deceased brother that provides inspiration for his metaphysical thriller.
Permanence, Sophie Mackintosh (April 21)
Mackintosh is known for her speculative, dreamy scenarios, and Permanence, where a couple in love arrives in an unnamed town strangely designed to accommodate their partnership, doesn’t disappoint.
Squirming, Monika Ostrowska (April 21)
From the founder of Triangle House Literary comes a debut poetry collection about bodies, minds and in between. Squirming is a “primal meditation on embracing the erotic, challenging the complexities of womanhood, and bridging the chasm between self-awareness and external perception.”
Colossus, Ross Barkan (April 28)
New York Magazine columnist and The Metropolitan Review editor Ross Barkan returns after Glass Century, last year’s novel. For fans of Philip Roth and Jonathan Franzen, Colossus follows a pastor whose perfect life landslides abruptly.
All Flesh, Ananda Devi (April 28)
Wondering why her family fattens her with feasts and her schoolmates bully her for her size, the narrator of All Flesh comes to the realization that she enveloped her twin sister in utero, and is now paying the price. A sharp study on bodies and consumption from one of Mauritius’ leading writers.
Binary Star, Sarah Gerard (May 5)
Memoirist and novelist Sarah Gerard’s Binary Star, her prescient 2015 saga of two young lovers traveling across the country bolstered by pills and trashy magazines, is being reissued with an introduction by Catherine Lacey.
GIRLS(®): Generation Z and the Commodification of Everything, Freya India (May 5)
The successful Substack newsletter of the same name is brought to life in GIRLS, Freya India’s debut essay collection exploring what happens when every bit of life is packaged and sold.
Mice 1961, Stacey Levine (May 5)
This republished Pulitzer Prize finalist from 2024 follows one pivotal day in the lives of two sisters, told from a Greek chorus of characters filtering through a neighborhood house party at the height of the cold war.
Offseason, Avigayl Sharp (May 5)
An irreverent and punchy debut novel from a Paris Review contributor, Offseason confronts generational Holocaust trauma, handsy male teachers, overbearing family members, all on the frigid seventh night of Hanukkah at a local bar.
Seek Immediate Shelter, Vincent Yu (May 5)
A small Asian American community in Massachusetts is knocked off its axis when a missile threat turns out to be false. But with astonishing texts sent and declarations of love blurted out, its citizens now have to deal with the consequences of the actions they thought would be their last.
Make Me Better, Sarah Gailey (May 12)
For fans of Shirley Jackson and Ari Aster, Make Me Better follows Celia, who accepts an invite to an exclusive wellness retreat that promises healing through community. But of course, it’s not that simple.
God Forgives, Brothers Don’t: The Long March of Military Education and the Making of American Manhood, Jasper Craven (May 19)
From the author of the recent Harper’s Magazine cover story on sports gambling, investigative reporter Jasper Craven’s first book tracks the dangerous manhood principle running through the American military, which has shaped notions of masculinity for decades.
Under the Perfect Sun: The San Diego Tourists Never See, Mike Davis, Kelly Mayhew, Jim Miller (May 19)
I was born in San Diego, so I’m up for any exploration that digs deeper into the sunny Southern California city, even its dark side. In three winding essays, Under the Perfect Sun offers a different look at the so-called “vacationland.”
Canon, Paige Lewis (May 19)
In a fantastical and surprisingly grounded epic, two heroes fight for God’s attention, tracking down the Good Guys and the Bad Guys. Meta and narratively sharp, it might be one of the biggest books of the year.
Dad Had a Bad Day, Ashton Politanoff (May 19)
Much has been said about men in literature, but what about pathetic men in literature? In Ashton Politanoff’s novel about middle-aged male friendship, a “sad dad” rediscovers his childhood passion for tennis and his resulting feelings when it doesn’t hit the same.
A Perfect Hand, Ayelet Waldman (May 19)
As detailed and captivating as its electric cover art, A Perfect Hand is a romance novel between a lady of the house and her clandestine maid.
The Land and Its People, David Sedaris (May 26)
David Sedaris is actually my favorite author, so a new book from him is always a cause for celebration. The newest from the acclaimed writer merges the mordant humor of his earlier work with the macabre musings from old age that ran through Calypso and Happy-Go-Lucky.
A Cancellation, Cairo Smith (May 30)
The newest novel from filmmaker and writer Cairo Smith follows Amanda Bannington, a successful vlogger, during one summer as she’s offered up as the San Fernando Valley’s next victim for public humiliation in 2023.
