Looking for a new read? You’re in luck. This newsletter is packed with suggestions from guest newsletter writer Alex Beggs, a former staffer at Bon Appetit and Vanity Fair with a serious love of engrossing books, plus more recs to power your weekend with extra cheer. And congrats to last week’s Diaspora Co. giveaway winner: Ayushee A!—Aliza Abarbanel, executive editor

Last year I went freelance, and I vowed to start every day by reading a book—not my email—so I’d be happier. By the end of the year, I’d read 50 books and was also happier—and yet no one gave me a sticker, vest patch, or personal pan pizza. But I did get the assignment to write this newsletter, so I can share some of my favorite reads, plus bonus bits and bobs from my silly little life. And if that isn’t enough books for ya, Madeleine Letellier shares some spring releases below, too.—Alex Beggs, freelance writer and Ann Arbor, MI library regular

This Week's Picks

8 New Books to Devour This Spring

Keeping track of the full roster of spring releases makes me dizzy—but for Madeline Letellier, it’s all in a day’s work. A content writer for Reese’s Book Club (yes, as in Witherspoon), she’s always curling up with her nose in a book, so we asked her to round up the titles at the top of her “to read” list right now. —Aliza 

From new releases by some of my favorite authors to buzzy debut writers, these are my most highly anticipated new books hitting the shelves this season. Some are already out and available at your favorite indie bookstores, while others are publishing later this season but definitely worth pre-ordering or reserving at your local library! —Madeleine Letellier

Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld

Sketch comedy writer Sally Milz is much too focused on work to concern herself with her (virtually nonexistent) love life, and is annoyed that her male counterparts keep dating beautiful A-listers who are way out of their league. Enter Noah Brewster, an exceedingly handsome singer who couldn’t possibly be interested in her…right? This delightful rom-com is a funny and incisive take on SNL, with biting and sizzling dialogue that, once I started, I couldn’t put down.

I love any book that dissects the toxicity of the beauty industry, and Natural Beauty is an eerie, unputdownable thriller rife with humor, biting social commentary, and echoes of Oscar Wilde’s The Portrait of Dorian Gray … It’s an unsettling and surprising novel that you cannot miss.

I love the way Jenny Odell forces readers to question concepts that we might have originally considered to be cemented as fact. The author of How to Do Nothing’s latest book deep dives into the ways we experience time, reimagining a world centered on natural rhythms and cycles (not work or a 24-hour clock) that allows for a more intentional life. 

The queen of the romantic comedy is back, and I’m counting down the days until April 25th for this sure-to-be gem to be released! The chemistry between her characters is always top tier, and the fun and quippy banter is unparalleled (Gus and January in Beach Read! Nora and Charlie in Book Lovers!! I rest my case). Her newest book centers on Harriet and Wyn, a longtime “perfect couple” who just broke up—and are keeping it a secret from their friends for one last hoorah on their annual trip to Maine. What could go wrong (or right)?

Samantha Irby consistently has me laughing out loud and doing spit takes, so I’m very excited for Quietly Hostile, her newest hilarious essay collection coming out May 16th. I love listening to her own audiobook recordings while I’m out and about. Warning: You might get some weird looks for uncontrollable giggling in line at the coffee shop, but it’s totally worth it.

The beloved Bangles singer released her first novel earlier this month, and I cannot wait to read it! It’s about a songwriter with a hit song from ten years ago under her belt, but who is currently broke, single, and living at home at 33. A book infused with music and love, it sounds like the perfect book to read in the park as temperatures warm (with Manic Monday on blast.) 

The author of Wintering, a meditation on the importance of rest and retreat, has written a new book inviting her readers on a journey to rediscover wonder. Amidst the anxiety of our daily grind and the 24-hour news cycle, May offers a new way to approach our lives and reconnect with our immediate environments and the natural world.

When self-proclaimed failed screenwriter turned bartender Advika Srinivasan falls for and marries Hollywood legend Julian Zelding, she’s unbothered by their 41-year age gap. However, when his first wife dies and leaves Julian’s “latest child bride” $1,000,000 and a single film reel in her will if she divorces him, Advika starts down a path to learn more about her beloved husband from the perspective of his ex-wives. This novel sounds like such a fascinating exploration of the unsettlingly large age gaps so prevalent within Hollywood relationships—and after seeing it’s recommended for Taylor Jenkins Reid fans, this book flew to the top of my must-read list.