April showers are said to bring May flowers, but while we can't predict the weather — nor promise that the icy chill of Winter is officially gone — what we can say is that April brings with it a whole lot of amazing new books. Ahead, you'll find the 19 releases slated to completely rock your world in April — from James Comey's long-awaited tome to the latest must-read Meg Wolitzer novel. Flowers or no flowers, all of these incredible books are guaranteed to help carry you through until May. Now, about that warm Spring weather . . .
A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership
James Comey's long-awaited memoir, A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership [2], finally hits shelves in April. We can't wait to dive in to the lessons the former FBI director imparts based on his tenure in law enforcement. Suffice it to say, this might be the biggest new release of the year so far.
Out April 17
The Oracle Year
What would happen if one person was given the knowledge of a set of events that would take place in the future, and how would that knowledge impact the rest of the world? That's the basic premise behind Charles Soule's The Oracle Year [3], and from start to finish, you'll be devouring each page and wanting to know what happens next.
Out April 3
The Female Persuasion
The eagerly anticipated follow-up to Meg Wolitzer's much-loved The Interestings finally drops this month, and it does not disappoint. The Female Persuasion [4] is an exploration of feminism and passion as it unfolds throughout multiple generations and through multiple narrators.
Out April 3
The Recovering: Intoxication and Its Aftermath
Leslie Jamison, the bestselling author of The Empathy Exams, tackles addiction and recovery in the ultracompelling The Recovering: Intoxication and Its Aftermath [5]. A combination of memoir, reported feature, and cultural criticism, it's impossible to walk away from the book without learning something new.
Out April 3
America Is Not the Heart
Three generations of women are at the heart of Elaine Castillo's America Is Not the Heart [6]. As readers travel from the Philippines in the '80s to the US immigrant communities of the years that follow, the novel is filled to the brim with history and wit, and it's hard to shake the sense that by the time you turn the last page, the women have become your family, too.
Out April 3
How to Write an Autobiographical Novel: Essays
Alexander Chee's exploration of identity in How to Write an Autobiographical Novel: Essays [7] is intricate, sprawling, and downright fascinating. While you may be laughing out loud in one section, you'll be drawn to tears in another. In other words, it's the best kind of book for someone looking to understand the human experience by walking in another's shoes. It's not to be missed.
Out April 17
Dread Nation
Part World War Z, part The Underground Railroad, Justina Ireland's stunning Dread Nation [8] is a richly imagined alternate vision of America post-Civil War, where the dead are alive and the rules no longer apply. Come for the unthinkably imaginative plot, stay for the page-turner that keeps on surprising until the very end.
Out April 3
And Now We Have Everything: On Motherhood Before I Was Ready
Meaghan O'Connell's And Now We Have Everything: On Motherhood Before I Was Ready [9] tackles one of the most complicated experiences of womanhood: becoming a mother before you're ready. Boy, does she do the difficult topic justice.
Out April 10
Animals Eat Each Other
Raw, moving, and utterly original, Elle Nash's debut, Animals Eat Each Other [10], examines a love triangle that's far from common yet deeply resonant for anyone who's ever loved and lost.
Out April 3
Blackfish City
Sam J. Miller tackles a future post-"climate wars" in Blackfish City [11]; while people have just begun to accept the way that things are (as far as one can accept a present that's plagued by disease, crime, and poverty), a brash woman appears out of the blue and begins to create the resistance that never was and now is so desperately needed.
Out April 17
Fascism: A Warning
The legendary Madeleine Albright brings about a thoughtful, urgent message in Fascism: A Warning [12]: no matter who it is, where it is, or when it is, fascism is a severe threat to democracy — and one we can't sit idly by and allow to fester.
Out April 10
Heads of the Colored People
Nafissa Thompson-Spires brilliantly delves into the concept of black identity in modern times in Heads of the Colored People [13], a collection that echoes the power of Junot Díaz and cements her role as an incredibly important voice in literature right now.
Out April 10
How to Be Safe
Tom McAllister's How to Be Safe [14] is an exploration of the effect that a gun-related tragedy has on a small-town community — and it's one that examines every single nook and cranny to better understand the way things are (and the way, frankly, things should never be).
Out April 3
Look Alive Out There: Essays
Sloane Crosley's Look Alive Out There: Essays [15] is not just side-splittingly funny; it's also guaranteed to leave you telling everyone you know about that one essay you read that finally said everything you've been thinking — time and time again.
Out April 3
See What Can Be Done: Essays, Criticism, and Commentary
The beloved Lorrie Moore is not just one of the greatest fiction writers of the last century, but also an incredibly prolific, exceedingly well-versed essay writer, too. See What Can Be Done: Essays, Criticism, and Commentary [16] brings together more than 50 of her nonfiction prose pieces, each one of which deserves to be consumed and savored in the same way you'd cherish an expensive piece of chocolate.
Out April 3
Sharp: The Women Who Made an Art of Having an Opinion
Michelle Dean tells the stories of the most incredibly important women of the 20th century in Sharp: The Women Who Made an Art of Having an Opinion [17], a book which every woman should read and every person should have on their bookshelf.
Out April 10
The Only Story
Julian Barnes returns with a heartbreaking new novel, The Only Story [18], which tells the story of how two individuals fell in love and the darkness that ensued as they gradually accepted the reality that it was never meant to be forever.
Out April 17
The Trauma Cleaner: One Woman's Extraordinary Life in the Business of Death, Decay, and Disaster
Sarah Krasnostein's absolutely stunning The Trauma Cleaner: One Woman's Extraordinary Life in the Business of Death, Decay, and Disaster [19] doesn't just tell the story of the loved ones who have been lost along the way; it also illuminates those who are left behind and how important the human connection that brings us all together truly is.
Out April 10
You Think It, I'll Say It: Stories
Curtis Sittenfeld's first short-story collection does not disappoint: You Think It, I'll Say It: Stories [20] is a nuanced, urgent look at the way we live now — and the opportunities we've taken (and lost) along the way.
Out April 24