Book List

20 Best Books To Read in May

  • FICTION

    THE MINISTRY OF TIME

    MAY 7, 2024

FICTION

THE MINISTRY OF TIME

by Kaliane Bradley

This rip-roaring romp pivots between past and present and posits the future-altering power of love, hope, and forgiveness. Full review >

FULL REVIEW >
  • NONFICTION

    FREE AND EQUAL

    MAY 7, 2024

NONFICTION

FREE AND EQUAL

by Daniel Chandler

A resounding endorsement of Rawls’ philosophy and a complex recipe for something better than what we have now. Full review >

FULL REVIEW >
  • FICTION

    HOW IT WORKS OUT

    MAY 7, 2024

FICTION

HOW IT WORKS OUT

by Myriam Lacroix

As kaleidoscopic as the queer experience, this is an introduction to a writer of great imagination. Full review >

FULL REVIEW >
  • NONFICTION

    I WILL SHOW YOU HOW IT WAS

    MAY 7, 2024

BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR

I WILL SHOW YOU HOW IT WAS

by Illia Ponomarenko

A revelatory portrait of the horror and absurdity of the conflict spiked with much-needed threads of humanity and hope. Full review >

FULL REVIEW >
  • NONFICTION

    THE DEAD DON'T NEED REMINDING

    MAY 7, 2024

BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR

THE DEAD DON'T NEED REMINDING

by Julian Randall

A brilliant essay collection tracing the lives of an Afro-Latino queer poet and his ancestors. Full review >

FULL REVIEW >
  • NONFICTION

    EMPIREWORLD

    MAY 7, 2024

  • NONFICTION

    THE LIGHT EATERS

    MAY 7, 2024

NONFICTION

THE LIGHT EATERS

by Zoë Schlanger

A delightful work of popular science. You may never look at your houseplants or garden in quite the same way again. Full review >

FULL REVIEW >
  • NONFICTION

    LOVE IS A BURNING THING

    MAY 7, 2024

  • FICTION

    LONG ISLAND

    MAY 7, 2024

FICTION

LONG ISLAND

by Colm Tóibín

A moving portrait of rueful middle age and the failure to connect. Full review >

FULL REVIEW >
  • NONFICTION

    RISE OF A KILLAH

    MAY 14, 2024

BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR

RISE OF A KILLAH

by Ghostface Killah

An engaging, revealing look at the wild world of the Wu-Tang Clan and beyond. Full review >

FULL REVIEW >
  • FICTION

    BLUE RUIN

    MAY 14, 2024

FICTION

BLUE RUIN

by Hari Kunzru

A dark, smart, provocative tale of the perils of art making. Full review >

FULL REVIEW >
  • FICTION

    THIS STRANGE EVENTFUL HISTORY

    MAY 14, 2024

FICTION

THIS STRANGE EVENTFUL HISTORY

by Claire Messud

Brilliant and heart-wrenching; Messud is one of contemporary literature’s best. Full review >

FULL REVIEW >
  • NONFICTION

    AND THEN? AND THEN? WHAT ELSE?

    MAY 21, 2024

BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR

AND THEN? AND THEN? WHAT ELSE?

by Daniel Handler

A fully captivating memoir rich with insights on reading, writing, and life itself. Full review >

FULL REVIEW >
  • FICTION

    YOU LIKE IT DARKER

    MAY 21, 2024

FICTION

YOU LIKE IT DARKER

by Stephen King

The disturbing stories in King’s latest collection will seep into your psyche and haunt you. Full review >

FULL REVIEW >
  • FICTION

    LIES AND WEDDINGS

    MAY 21, 2024

FICTION

LIES AND WEDDINGS

by Kevin Kwan

Still more brilliant escapism among Kwan’s 1 percenters. Too much is never enough. Full review >

FULL REVIEW >
  • NONFICTION

    AMERICAN CIVIL WARS

    MAY 21, 2024

HISTORY

AMERICAN CIVIL WARS

by Alan Taylor

A richly detailed, compulsively readable history of perhaps the most dramatic period in the history of North America. Full review >

FULL REVIEW >
  • FICTION

    HOUSEMATES

    MAY 28, 2024

FICTION

HOUSEMATES

by Emma Copley Eisenberg

Emotionally rich and quietly thought-provoking, this is simply a stunning fiction debut. Full review >

FULL REVIEW >
  • NONFICTION

    A WALK IN THE PARK

    MAY 28, 2024

BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR

A WALK IN THE PARK

by Kevin Fedarko

Vivid armchair travel through a haunting and forbidding landscape. Full review >

FULL REVIEW >

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  • The Kirkus Star

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  • The Kirkus Prize

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