Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton

The length of this book has prevented me from picking up sooner, but I am determined to do so this month.

Synopsis: A gripping psychological thriller from the Booker Prize–winning author of The Luminaries in which a landslide has closed the Korowai Pass on New Zealand’s South Island, cutting off the town of Thorndike and leaving a sizable farm abandoned. The disaster presents an opportunity for Birnam Wood, an undeclared, unregulated, sometimes-criminal, sometimes-philanthropic guerrilla gardening collective that plants crops wherever no one will notice. 

Publication Date: March 7, 2023

The Soulmate by Sally Hepworth

I discovered Sally Hepworth a few years and have been reading every book she has published since.

Synopsis: Gabe and Pippa’s dream home on a cliff in a sleepy coastal town. But their perfect house hides something sinister. The tall cliffs have become a popular spot for people to end their lives. Night after night Gabe comes to their rescue, literally talking them off the ledge. Until he doesn’t. When Pippa discovers Gabe knew the victim, the questions spiral… Did the victim jump? Was she pushed?

Publication Date: April 4, 2023

The Plus One by Mazey Eddings

I read Mazey Edding’s last book and was pleasantly surprised. Hopefully, I enjoy this book even more since it (presumably) does not involve an unplanned pregnancy.

Synopsis: What starts out as a fake wedding date turns into something these childhood enemies never expected in The Plus One, a sparkling romantic comedy by Mazey Eddings.

Publication Date: April 4, 2023

Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld

This book has been everywhere! I have not read any of Sittenfeld’s previous books, but I have high hopes.

Synopsis: A comedy writer thinks she’s sworn off love, until a dreamy pop star flips the script on all her assumptions—a “smart, sophisticated, and fun” (Oprah Daily) novel.

Publication Date: April 4, 2023

Small Joys by Elvin James Mensah

I cannot resist a book about found family and love highlighting debut authors.

Synopsis: An unexpected friendship saves a young man’s life in this moving, utterly charming debut about chosen family, the winding road to happiness, and the grace of second chances.

Publication Date: April 11, 2023

Biting the Hand: Growing Up Asian in Black and White America by Julia Lee

I have already started this memoir on audio and am loving it.

Synopsis: What does it mean to be Asian in America? What does it look like to be an ally or an accomplice? How can we shatter the structures of white supremacy that fuel racial stratification? In the vein of Eloquent Rage and Minor Feelings—a passionate, no-holds-barred memoir about the Asian American experience in a nation defined by racial stratification.

Publication Date: April 18, 2023

Twelve Hours in Manhattan by Maan Gabriel

I read this author’s last book and loved it. This book too is published by an indie press, and I hope I can bring some attention to it.

Synopsis: Bianca Maria Curtis is at the brink of losing it all when she meets Eric at a bar in Manhattan. Eric, as it turns out, is the famous Korean drama celebrity Park Hyun Min, and he’s in town for one night to escape the pressures of fame. Sparks fly as Bianca and Eric spend 12 magical hours far away from their respective lives. But real life is more than just a few exhilarating stolen moments in time.

Publication Date: April 18, 2023

Fat Talk: Parenting in the Age of Diet Culture by Virginia Sole-Smith

Despite my lack of (human) children, I am looking forward to reading this and seeing if it is a book I can share with friends and family members who are parents.

Synopsis: By the time they reach kindergarten, most kids believe that “fat” is bad. By middle school, more than a quarter of them have gone on a diet. What are parents supposed to do?

Publication Date: April 25, 2023

I Am My Country: And Other Stories by Kenan Orhan

I do not read enough short story collections, but I jumped at the opportunity to read this one.

Synopsis: A fiercely imaginative debut story collection by “a startling talent who can seemingly do anything” (Anthony Marra) explores the lives of ordinary people in Turkey to reveal how even individual acts of resistance have extraordinary repercussions.

Publication Date: April 25, 2023

The Half Moon by Mary Beth Keane

Although I did not love Ask Again, Yes, I appreciated the writing and have been looking forward to Keane’s next book.

Synopsis: From the bestselling author of Ask Again, Yes, a masterful novel about a couple in a small town who must navigate the complexities of marriage, family, and longing.

Publication Date: May 2, 2023

A History of Burning by Janika Oza

This is one of my most anticipated books of the year, and I am lucky enough to have an ARC to dive into this month!

Synopsis: This epic, sweeping historical novel full of “wondrous complexity” spans continents and a century, and reveals how one act of survival can reverberate through generations.

Publication Date: May 2, 2023

Warrior Girl Unearthed by

I had an early copy of Firekeeper’s Daughter and shared my love for everyone to hear prior to its release. Needless to say, I have high hopes for its sequel.

Synopsis: Author of Firekeeper’s Daughter Angeline Boulley takes us back to Sugar Island in this high-stakes thriller about the power of discovering your stolen history.

Publication Date: May 2, 2023

Rikers: An Oral History by Graham Rayman & Reuven Blau

I put this audiobook on hold at the library as soon as it was released. This month, it will finally be my turn to read it.

Synopsis: A shocking, groundbreaking oral history of the infamous Rikers jail complex and an unflinching portrait of injustice and resilience told by the people whose lives have been forever altered by it.

Publication Date: January 17, 2023

The Colony by Audrey Magee

This book is among my NetGalley backlist and seems like the perfect read for Women’s History Month.

Synopsis: In 1979, as violence erupts all over Ireland, two outsiders travel to a small island off the west coast in search of their own answers, despite what it may cost the islanders.

Publication Date: May 17, 2022

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

This book is among my NetGalley backlist and seems like the perfect read for Women’s History Month.

Synopsis: A gripping set of stories about the forces that shape girls and the adults they become. A wise and brilliant guide to transforming the self and our society.

Publication Date: March 30, 2021

Essential Labor: Mothering as Social Change by Angela Garbes

Synopsis: From the acclaimed author of Like a Mother comes a reflection on the state of caregiving in America, and an exploration of mothering as a means of social change.

Publication Date: May 10, 2022

Pineapple Street by Jenny Jackson

This book is among my NetGalley backlist and seems like the perfect read for Women’s History Month.

Synopsis: A gripping set of stories about the forces that shape girls and the adults they become. A wise and brilliant guide to transforming the self and our society.

Publication Date: March 30, 2021

Peach Blossom Spring by Melissa Fu

I put off reading this last year to take the perfect picture. Now that I have that picture and it will be spring, it is time to dive in!

Synopsis: A novel about war, migration, and the power of telling our stories, Peach Blossom Spring follows three generations of a Chinese family on their search for a place to call home.

Publication Date: March 15, 2022

On the Line: Two Women’s Epic Fight to Build a Union by Daisy Pitkin

Although this book was originally published last year, the paperback edition will be published this month and I will be reading it.

Synopsis: On the Line takes readers inside a bold five-year campaign to bring a union to the dangerous industrial laundry factories of Phoenix, Arizona. Daisy Pitkin looks back to uncover the forgotten roles immigrant women have played in the U.S. labor movement and points the way forward. 

Publication Date: March 29, 2022

While Justice Sleeps by Stacey Abrams

Next month, the second book in this series will be published, and it is long past time I picked this book up.

Synopsis: A gripping, complexly plotted thriller set within the halls of the U.S. Supreme Court, where a young law clerk finds herself embroiled in a shocking mystery crafted by one of the most preeminent judges in America

Publication Date: May 11, 2021