May New Releases We're Excited For!
May new releases are bringing memoirs, friendship, and two dogs on very different kinds of walks!
Here are our Fiction and Nonfiction New Releases!
Pages of Mourning by Diego Gerard Morrison
Two Dollar Radio is one of my favorite publishers, and they have another winner in this, a darkly funny novel of loss set in the midst of Mexican drug cartel violence. This is an inventive novel, tackling family history, creativity, and the idea of Magical Realism.
Out May 7th!
See: Loss. See Also: Love. by Yukiko Tominaga
Our main character, Kyoko, struggles after the death of her husband. I’m eager to read this novel because of its honesty about loss, the tangled mess of family heritage, and the relationship of Kyoko and her son, which remains a constant in her otherwise unraveling life.
Out May 7th!
First Loves: Essays on Friendship by Lilly Dancyger
As someone who values her female friends on the same level as romantic involvements, I’m excited for these essays on women and friendship. Dancyger reminds us that, in dark times, these friendships are what helps us survive.
Out May 7th!
The Klansman's Son: My Journey from White Nationalism to Antiracism: A Memoir by R. Derek Black
This is a book about a person who chose their integrity over their family. In college, Derek renounced their white nationalist heritage, though it was all they ever knew, and lost most of their family. Since then they have become a force in the anti-racist movement.
Out May 14th!
Love Junkie by Robert Plunket
This is a reissue of a cult novel of the heyday of gay New York at the dawn of the AIDS epidemic. If the cover doesn’t tell it all for you, consider this a modern Madame Bovary, except with gay porn stars.
Out May 14th!
Self-Esteem and the End of the World by Luke Healy
Here is a graphic novel about a graphic novelist named Luke, whose self-esteem is disintegrating at the same time the world is crumbling around him. Luke asks, who are you when no one is watching? Billed as an “absurdist dramedy.”
Out May 14th!
Kittentits by Holly Wilson
More absurdity! This time in a coming-of-age story set in the Midwest. Sounds like it’s going to be nostalgic for me! Just kidding. The only thing absurd about my Midwestern childhood is how much cheese I ate.
Out May 21st!
Cartoons by Kit Schluter
Okay, so surrealism is a trend this month. These stories sound truly bizarre and I can’t wait to read about a microwave suffering from microaggressions, a secret-filled shoe, a regretful beer bottle, and more tales infused with fairy tale-like animism.
Out May 21st!
The Editor: How Publishing Legend Judith Jones Shaped Culture in America by Sara B. Franklin
A biography of a Badass Book Lady? Yes, please! Judith Jones is the woman behind so many influential writers, including Updike and Plath. She pushed to publish Anne Frank’s memoir and we have her to thank for Julia Child.
Out May 28th!
The Book-Makers: A History of the Book in Eighteen Lives by Adam Smyth
Again, Book People are my People! These 18 Book People brought my beloved media format to life, changed it, improved it, and made it what it is today. Through these stories, Smyth takes us through the entire history of books, bible to zine.
Out May 28th!
Here are our Young Adult, Middle Grade, and Children's New Releases!
Blood at the Root by Ladarrion Williams
A teenager on the run from his past finds the family he never knew existed and the community he never knew he needed at an HBCU for the young, Black, and magical. This YA debut is sure to me thrilling and whimsical.
Out May 7th!
Dalmartian: A Mars Rover Story by Lucy Ruth Cummins
An unlikely friendship develops when Stephen takes in an abandoned alien as his guest. This friendship is out of this world, for lovers of dogs and Martians.
Out May 7th!
Pie Love You by Steph Stilwell
Express love and a-peach-iation through cute food-themed puns with this berry sweet pie-shaped board book perfect for the young and the young at heart. Who doesn’t want to read a book shaped like a pie? I sure do!
Out May 7th!
The Last Rhee Witch by Jenna Lee-Yun
A heartfelt middle grade debut where Korean folklore is all too real and summer camp includes a gwishin haunting. This spooky story will keep readers on their toes wondering what’s going to happen next.
Out May 14th!
Walkies: A Dog's Tale by Estrela Lourenco
On a gloomy, dripping, rain-boots-required kind of day, Kid is ready to stay inside, warm and dry, and play video games. But to Dog, Kid's arrival home means only one thing: it's time for WALKIES! Make sure to open an umbrella when reading this story, because you're sure to get rained on
Out May 14th!
Have You Seen This Girl by Nita Tyndall
This standalone YA thriller follows a nonbinary teen investigating a series of copycat murders targeting girls in their small town--murders based on their serial killer dad's MO. I got a chance to read this one early and if you're a YA thriller fan check this one out!
Out May 21st!
We Mostly Come Out at Night: 15 Queer Tales of Monsters, Angels & Other Creatures by Rob Costello
An empowering cross-genre YA anthology that explores what it means to be a monster, exclusively highlighting trans and queer authors who offer new tales and perspectives on classic monster stories and tropes. Calling all monster fans, check out this book!
Out May 21st!
The Squish by Breanna Carzoo
Sandcastle's world was new and exciting until their very first...SQUISH! Can this sandcastle avoid getting squished again? You’ll have to read this story to find out.
Out May 21st!
Temple Alley Summer by Sachiko Kashiwaba
This fantastical and mysterious adventure is filled with the living dead, magical pearls, and a suspiciously nosy black cat named Kiriko. There are also beautiful illustrations by artist Miho Satake, which is a plus in my books.
Out May 28th!
Odd Duck Out by Susie Oh
A sweet story about being different and learning to embrace your own unique talents. This duck isn’t like other ducks.
Out May 28th!
ABOUT THE BOOKSELLERS
Despite spending decades on the East Coast, Llalan remains a stalwart Midwesterner. And although she has an MA in Publishing and Writing from Emerson College in Boston, she prefers the life of a Bookstore Lady. Llalan loves literary fiction, nature writing, and craft beer.
Jordan, our YA, middle grade, and children's book buyer, has a fraternal twin sister. She has never been on an airplane--the farthest she has ever traveled was New Jersey by train. She is an avid K-Pop Collector and owns over 500 K-Pop albums!