New Arrivals: The Best Books Out Now (April 9)

In Nell Freudenberger's latest, the author charts the trajectory of two women: Kate, the new wife of a New York surgeon, and her step-daughter, Pia, who has come to stay with them from France. Pia's biological mother (and biologist) obsesses over saving a coral reef in Tahiti, and so sends Pia to live with her ex-husband. Pia, precocious and in a new city, is used to being shuttled between parents and is poised to explode in classic teenage style when the family's life is upturned by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Anne Lamott is no stranger to writing boldly and earnestly about the big and small things in life—from quotidian details of making ends meet to how addiction can tear up relationships—all with love suspended in between. In Somehow, Lamott shares her wisdom and reflections on love it its many different forms. "Lamott’s homespun homilies, patchworks of common wisdom and slogans like 'one day at a time; might sound basic, but her boatload of self-awareness is genuine, and her dedication to craft elevates the writing from self-help journal to a companionable reader." —San Francisco Chronicle

Every marriage comes with compromises. Simone's comes with moving from New York City to Fort Benning, Georgia, where she feels out of place, and fending for herself as her new husband heads away on deployment for months at a time. Simone feels lost until she meets the army wives, a group of warm, caring women who welcome her into their midst. This memoir of unexpected friendship and sisterhood pulls the curtain back on the reality of Army wives.

The Beatles are icons among icons for music and popular culture, yet much mythology and gossip remain around their history, collaborations, and working and personal relationships. Based on never-before-seen interviews with the Beatles themselves and their inner circle, authors Gaines and Brown explore material that was originally recorded and compiled for their 1983 biography of the group, The Love You Make. What's revealed is a fantastic, complex, and thorough deep-dive into one of the most famous bands of all time and a great gift for music fans, Beatles nerds, and biography lovers.

Alexandra Fuller is grieving the loss of her dad on the eve of her 50th birthday, and she's fresh out of a break-up and newly sober in Wyoming. Then, she receives news that her 21-year-old son has died in his sleep. A Zimbabwean living in the United States, Fuller has grappled before with the loss of her home, her country, younger siblings, and parents, but she is leveled by the experience of losing her child. What follows is an emotional, painful, and aching memoir about moving through life without easy answers, especially when presented with heartbreak and loss.

"There is no greater authority on Jewish cooking than Joan Nathan," says Michael Solomonov, James Beard award winner and chef. In this personal, inspiring book, Nathan charts her exploration of family history and Jewish cuisine from around the world. Mixing memoir, food history, and the cataloging of a life well-lived, Nathan explores beloved foods and her own family's journey over from Germany, her childhood on the East Coast, and her experiences of traveling and food.

Have you ever wondered about the person at the register at your local independent bookstore--or Tertulia, for that matter--to the local librarian your kid waves to every week before storytime? James Patterson and Matt Eversmann have written a tribute to the people to whom so many of us owe our love of reading. Tertulia avid readers are likely to find great joy from this adventure through the lives of books and the people who love them.

In keeping with the wit of her first book, Wordslut, and utilizing the social science chops acclaimed in her breakout hit Cultish, Montell explores the modern world's rampant love affair with overthinking—and her own personal history with it. Examining the many ways our brain presents cognitive biases to lull, scare, comfort—and sometimes torture—us, The Age of Magical Overthinking helps readers see themselves, and their society, more clearly and honestly, while laughing.

In this poetry collection, Joy Sullivan charts our longing to discover the unknown and leap headfirst into reinvention. After quitting her job and leaving her fiancé mid-pandemic, Sullivan drove west to rediscover herself and the landscape around her, resulting in a powerfully moving series of poems on belonging, love, and freedom.

Two writers, one complicated, tragic history, and a shared job makes for one heartfelt page-turning romance...When Helen gets a job on a tv show, only to find that Grant Shepard, a man she hasn't seen in 13 years and feels like she knew in a past life, is working on the show, she does her best to handle it. She's new to LA and determined to start fresh. But as the horrific event that bound the two together 13 years ago keeps living between them, the two must figure out how to heal themselves and their past, and they just might fall in love while doing it.