Books coming out this week: “Go Ask Fannie,” “You All Grow Up and Leave Me,” and more
Hey, hi. I need to get something off my chest quickly. Is anyone else like, Why the hell is it still 30 degrees outside? In mid-April? Because I certainly am. I’m ready for spring. I want shorts-and-long-sleeves weather. I want to eat ice cream while looking at freshly-bloomed flowers. I want to have class outside. (I’m 29.) I want spring, and I want it now. But I guess the bright side of this perpetual winter weather that will seemingly NEVER END is that it’s still nice to curl up under a blanket with a mug of hot tea and a good book. So if you need me, I’ll be on the couch eating half-price Easter candy and diving into the books coming out this week. (Jk, the Easter candy is long gone.)
It’s hard to believe that we’re almost a third of the way through April. If you’re reading along in the HG Book Club, we hope you’re enjoying this month’s pick as much as we are. We’re reading Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body by Roxane Gay. If you haven’t started yet, there’s still plenty of time to catch up! As always, take a pic while you’re reading and tag #HGBookClub on Instagram so we can see (and regram, duh).
Here are 11 books coming out this week that you don’t want to miss!
1Go Ask Fannie by Elisabeth Hyde, out April 10th
Go Ask Fannie is about three siblings, their aging father, and their late mother’s cookbook. Over the course of one weekend, the Blaire family confronts old pain points and uncovers hidden family secrets. It’s a must-read for anyone who loves a good family drama — especially those with siblings.
2You All Grow Up and Leave Me by Piper Weiss, out April 10th
No, this isn’t the plot of a Stephen King Novel — this really happened. You All Grow Up and Leave Me: A Memoir of Teenage Obsession is the wildly chilling true story of former tennis coach Gary Willensky’s failed attempt at kidnapping one of his students. Piper Weiss, another one of his students, examines the event from both her teenage perspective and as a reporter. Her observations about life as an overlooked high schooler are so painfully relatable, you’ll be nodding along on every page and pondering your own obsessions.
3Heads of the Colored People: Stories by Nafissa Thompson-Spires, out April 10th
Don’t miss this short story collection centered on Black culture and identity. One minute, Nafissa Thompson-Spires will have you laughing uncontrollably at her zany characters. And the next, she’ll have you thinking seriously about mental illness. Heads of the Colored People: Stories is an unforgettable debut.
4And Now We Have Everything by Meaghan O’Connell, out April 10th
Meaghan O’Connell became a mom before she felt like an adult. But in her twenties, there were no brutally honest books about pregnancy and motherhood. So she wrote one herself. And Now We Have Everything: On Motherhood Before I Was Ready is a dark, funny, and painfully honest account of her journey to becoming a mom. O’Connell leaves absolutely nothing out. (Seriously. She takes you inside of the delivery room.)
5Circe by Madeline Miller, out April 10th
Circe combines basically every genre into one epic novel. It’s a literary fantasy retelling of Circe, Greek goddess of sorcery. If you love Greek mythology, this captivating and page turning book, where she must decide if she belongs with the gods or the mortals, is right up your alley.
6Sharp: The Women Who Made an Art of Having an Opinion by Michelle Dean, out April 10th
Joan Didion. Nora Ephron. Dorothy Parker. What do these brilliant women all have in common? They’re sharp. They cut to point right away, and do so with wit and authority. Sharp tells the stories of how they became so influential in our lives.
7Family and Other Catastrophes by Alexandra Borowitz, out April 10th
To everyone who is positive that their family is the most dysfunctional of the lot, we present to you: the Glass family. And where else are families at their most dysfunctional than at a wedding? Family and Other Catastrophes tells the story of the final days leading up to Emily’s nuptials. But what sets it apart from other bridal novels is its nutty cast of characters. Family and Other Catastrophes is a zany, heartfelt, and laugh-out-loud funny debut.
8Life Inside My Mind edited by Jessica Burkhart, out April 10th
Life Inside My Mind is an important collection of raw personal essays written by some of our favorite YA authors. But their words are far from fiction. These essays offer unfiltered reflections on their real experiences with mental illness. Life Inside My Mind: 31 Authors Share Their Personal Struggles will help those struggling with anything from depression to PTSD to feel a little less alone.
9Flying at Night by Rebecca L. Brown, out April 10th
Flying at Night is a beautiful family story told from three perspectives. There’s Piper, a mom trying to adjust to her son’s Autism diagnosis. There’s Fred, her nine-year-old son. And there’s Piper’s emotionally abusive father who just had a heart attack and suffered permanent brain damage. But as the story progresses, Piper’s father and son develop a touching connection that she didn’t see coming. Rebecca L. Brown, who writes from the personal experience of raising an autistic son, delivers a touching debut novel just in time for Autism Awareness Month.
10The Prodigal Tongue by Lynne Murphy, out April 10th
This one’s for all the linguist nerds out there. The Prodigal Tongue: The Love-Hate Relationship Between American and British English humo(u?)rously examines the differences between the two dialects. Lynne Murphy is an American linguistics professor who has lived abroad for decades, so she’s definitely the best source to answer all of our burning questions.
11The New Neighbors by Simon Lelic, out April 10th
If you can’t get enough of domestic thrillers with characters hiding big secrets, allow us to direct your attention to The New Neighbors. It tells the story of a young couple that finds a man murdered on their doorstep. Are they being watched? And does this have anything to do with the girl next door? The suspense might literally kill you.
