The best new books to read in April 2021

01 of 18

The Hard Crowd, by Rachel Kushner

The two-time National Book Award nominee turns her inspiringly acerbic tongue on topics including her youth in 1980s San Francisco; a motorcycle race in Baja, Mexico; Jeff Koons; and a plethora of cultural moments in this essay collection of new, expanded, and previously published work. (April 6)

02 of 18

Peaces, by Helen Oyeyemi

Oyeyemi is known for delivering trippy, spellbinding novels, and she does so again in this tale about a couple who embark on a sleeper train journey with their pet mongoose. The weird doesn't end there, of course: The train seems to be built straight out of their imagination, they're the only passengers (they think), and they start to question everything they know about their lives. (April 6)

03 of 18

Gold Diggers, by Sanjena Sathian

A tale about two children (and neighbors) growing up under the strict rule of their Indian immigrant parents becomes otherworldly when Neil discovers that Anita has an ancient potion that allows the recipient to harness ambition. Mindy Kaling is currently adapting the book as a television series. (April 6)

04 of 18

Caul Baby, by Morgan Jerkins

The New York Times best-selling author of Wandering in Strange Lands releases her mystical fiction debut about a family in Harlem that possesses caul, a layer of skin that offers healing powers, and how the desire to use their abilities for wealth and power allows darker forces in. (April 6)

05 of 18

Good Company, by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney

Flora and Margot became friends decades ago as aspiring actresses in New York; now Margot has a starring role on a popular (and lucrative) television show, while Flora gave up her dream to take on more stable work to support her husband and daughter. When a secret from the past — about Flora's husband and Margot's potential complicity in the matter — is revealed, it tests their friendships in new, compelling ways. (April 6)

06 of 18

You Love Me, by Caroline Kepnes

The third installment in the uber-popular stalker series sees Joe Goldberg taking refuge in the Pacific Northwest; he flees Los Angeles and potential jail time thanks to an agreement with Love Quinn's family. Now he's volunteering at the local library, where he meets his new love-interest-slash-prey. (April 6)

07 of 18

Beautiful Things, by Hunter Biden

Widely reported moments — the deadly childhood car accident, the loss of older brother Beau, and his descent into addiction — become even more crushing when told in Hunter Biden's own words for his first memoir, but the equally notable happy ending thankfully offers a reprieve. (April 6)

08 of 18

When the Stars Go Dark, by Paula McLain

The author of The Paris Wife harnesses heavy suspense for her fifth novel. A detective seeks refuge from a personal tragedy in Mendocino, the Northern California town where she spent her youth, when she confronts a missing persons case that harkens back to a traumatic disappearance from her past. (April 13)

09 of 18

Empire of Pain, by Patrick Radden Keefe

Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty — Doubleday

The New Yorker staff writer received international acclaim for his 2019 investigation of the Troubles in Ireland, and now he turns his sights on the Sackler family, the dynasty behind Purdue Pharma — they manufacture Oxycontin — and our modern opioid crisis. (April 13)

10 of 18

Susan, Linda, Nina, & Cokie, by Lisa Napoli

Susan, Linda, Nina & Cokie: The Extraordinary Story of the Founding Mothers of NPR — Abrams Press

The journalist pens a love letter of sorts to the founding women of NPR, writing about Susan Stamberg, Linda Wertheimer, Nina Totenberg, and Cokie Roberts' monumental careers at the broadcast company and the many ways they made history. (April 13)

11 of 18

Love in Color, by Bolu Babalola

Historical folk tales (well-known stories like One Thousand and One Nights) get a much-needed feminist and anti-colonial updated in this story collection, which also includes several original tales that meditate on the traditional love story structure. (April 13)

12 of 18

Open Water, by Caleb Azumah Nelson

Open Water Paperback by Caleb Azumah — Grove Press, Black Cat

The British author uses a fledgling romance between two friends — twentysomething creatives living in London — to meditate on Black love, joy, pain, and culture. Nelson weaves references from Zadie Smith, Kendrick Lamar, and Barry Jenkins with his own keen insights and examinations, and the result is a stunning portrait of life as a young Black man in London. (April 13)

13 of 18

World Travel, by Anthony Bourdain and Laurie Woolever

The late television host had dreams of creating a guidebook for all his favorite cities across the world, and his longtime assistant and collaborator took the notes from their singular brainstorming session and turned that dream into a reality. Woolever uses Bourdain's own words from episodes of No Reservations and Parts Unknown and essays from his friends and family to round it out. (April 20)

14 of 18

Hot Stew, by Fiona Mozley

A brothel in London's ritzy Soho neighborhood is both the setting and the central metaphor of Mozley's sophomore novel: As a young (very wealthy) real estate mogul attempts to turn the building into high-priced condos, two of the brothel's main residents give her a run for her money. (April 20)

15 of 18

I Am a Girl From Africa, by Elizabeth Nyamayaro

A childhood near-death experience caused by severe drought in her village in Zimbabwe — and a lifesaving intervention by a U.N. worker — spawns Nyamayaro's lifelong dedication to humanitarian work; she writes about her journey of perseverance and path to becoming a senior advisor at the U.N. in her memoir. (April 20)

16 of 18

Crying in H Mart, by Michelle Zauner

The indie rock artist, who goes by the moniker Japanese Breakfast on stage, pens a stunning memoir about losing her mother to cancer and the soul-searching (and pilgrimages through Korean cooking) that came after. (April 20)

17 of 18

Whereabouts, by Jhumpa Lahiri

Lahiri departs from her usual material to write a stream-of-consciousness novel about a middle-aged woman living in an unnamed European town. She goes about her days, visiting coffee bars, markets, and piazzas, all while suffering a malaise bordering on existential crisis. Lahiri, ever the impressive author, also wrote the novel in Italian first before translating into English herself. (April 27)

18 of 18

The Others, by Sarah Blau

Protagonist (and unreliable narrator) Sheila receives news that an old friend, who is also a famous scholar in Israel, where the book takes place, has been murdered. She's simultaneously a chief witness and prime suspect, as the police try to figure out how the victim's notorious antimotherhood beliefs come into play. (April 27)