What Book Clubs Are Reading in May

For Belletrist’s May pick, Emma Roberts and Karah Preiss highlight the latest novel by National Book Award winner Colum McCann. Set deep beneath the ocean’s surface, the story follows two men tasked with repairing transatlantic cables, only to become caught in a web of identity, isolation, and purpose. New Statesman calls it “part thriller, part existential meditation on self.” Sign up at Tertulia.com/Belletrist to get each monthly pick delivered straight to your mailbox, along with a personal author conversation at the end of the month.

Dua Lipa's latest book club pick is a profound novel nominated for the International Booker Prize, about motherhood, friendship, and the power of community. "At its heart, it is a story about the many different ways to be a family, and it made me reflect on what an honour it is to care for someone you truly love,” raved the pop star.

This May, Dakota Johnson’s pick for the TeaTime Book Club is the hypnotic new novel by National Book Award nominee Katie Kitamura. The club describes it as “a mesmerizing Möbius strip of a novel that asks who we are to the people we love” and promises, “You’ll never be the same after this one.”

Launched by political analyst Anand Giridharadas in collaboration with Leigh Haber (formerly of Oprah’s Book Club), this new club kicks off with a buzzy, solutions-forward manifesto by New York Times columnist Ezra Klein and The Atlantic’s Derek Thompson.

The New York Times Book Club pick for May is a debut novel that was shortlisted for the 2024 Booker Prize. The club describes it as "many things at once — a historical tale (sure, it’s set only 60 years ago, but it’s grappling with the baggage of a discreet, postwar era), a psychological thriller, a forbidden romance"

This month, Reese Witherspoon picks the latest from the queen of beach reads, just in time for sunny days ahead! Great Big Beautiful Life is a fun, heartwarming novel about two writers competing to tell the story of an incredible woman. As they spend time together on a secluded island, secrets emerge and the lines between truth and fiction start to blur.

For May, Icelandic-Chinese singer Laufey spotlights the iconic 1954 French novel that captures one reckless summer on the Riviera. A teenager’s desire for freedom clashes with love and family secrets in this seductive coming-of-age classic—soon to be a major motion picture directed by Durga Chew-Bose and starring Lily McInerny, Chloë Sevigny, and Claes Bang.

Dylan Mulvaney's pick this month is a fast-paced Hollywood novel from veteran producer and former talent agent Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas. Set in 1980s Los Angeles, this highly entertaining story follows three ambitious women navigating a powerful talent agency—already set to be adapted into a TV series by Sex and the City’s Darren Star.

Each month, Columbia University’s Jeffrey Sachs invites top thinkers to explore ideas shaping our future. This May, Sachs is joined by famed futurist Ray Kurzweil to discuss his provocative new book on artificial intelligence and the future of human evolution.

For May, Roxane Gay’s Audacious Book Club is diving into a powerful story about a Vietnamese American family caught in a world of detention, disconnection, and survival. Set in a speculative version of recent history, the novel follows four cousins as a national panic sparks the rise of government-run camps, forcing them to navigate surveillance, fractured bonds, and ambition. Rolling Stone calls it “no better, or scarier,” for this political moment.