Books Stay home and read these 20 new May books By Seija Rankin Seija Rankin Seija Rankin is the former books editor at Entertainment Weekly. She left EW in 2022. EW's editorial guidelines and David Canfield David Canfield David Canfield is a former staff editor at Entertainment Weekly. He left EW in 2022. EW's editorial guidelines Published on May 1, 2020 12:00PM EDT Close 01 of 21 Top-shelf picks Random House; Penguin; HarperCollins; Simon and Schuster As many of us enter our third month of quarantine, there is a light at the end of the tunnel — at least in the literary sense. It seems that April distance brings May books, because the month is rife with big titles. Here are the 20 we're most excited about. 02 of 21 Big Summer, by Jennifer Weiner Simon and Schuster It's the beach read to end all beach reads. The setting: Cape Cod. The plot device: A disastrous society wedding, for which protagonist Daphne has been asked to serve as maid of honor to an ex-best-friend. The takeaway: Maybe we're not so torn up about having to miss all those summer weddings this year after all. (May 5) 03 of 21 The Book of V, by Anna Solomon Henry Holt and Company Fans of The Hours will surely be drawn to this kaleidoscopic piece that moves between three centuries in its focus on three women's experiences with sex and power, all of which eventually converge in the present day. (May 5) 04 of 21 Almond, by Won-pyung Sohn HarperCollins Won-pyung Sohn's award-winning debut novel, originally published in 2017, arrives in English. It's a boldly original piece of YA fiction, plumbing the depths of the human condition with plenty of humor along the way. (May 5) 05 of 21 Clap When You Land, by Elizabeth Acevedo HarperCollins The beloved YA author is back with her follow-up to The Poet X, this time with a story about two girls, one in New York City and one in the Dominican Republic, who discover they are half-sisters after their father dies in a plane crash. (May 5) 06 of 21 All Adults Here, by Emma Straub Penguin This novel opens with a death (the elderly Barbara Baker is hit by a bus), but it's far breezier than the impetus suggests. It follows the saga of Astrid Strick (who witnesses said bus disaster) and her family, who have all converged on their Hudson Valley hometown for a variety of disastrous — and entertaining — reasons. (May 5) 07 of 21 A Children's Bible, by Lydia Millet Norton & Company Millet has been busy writing ingenious short stories for the past few years, but the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award nominee is back with a blazingly witty new novel, about a dozen children forced into a lakeside group family vacation together. (May 12) 08 of 21 Catherine House, by Elisabeth Thomas HarperCollins Calling all The Secret History fans! This debut novel is set within the walls of an exclusive private college, but with a twist: Students seclude themselves for three years, completely removed from their previous lives. (May 12) 09 of 21 I'd Give Anything, by Marisa de los Santos HarperCollins Ginny Beale has spent the last two decades trying to build a quiet, simple life, after a devastating fire during her teenage years ripped her from family and friends. But a new scandal brings all the buried wounds to the surface. (May 12) 10 of 21 Beach Read, by Emily Henry Berkley Take the subgenre literally! This frothy novel pits a romance writer against a literary man for some fun, flirty summer competition. (May 19) 11 of 21 The Equivalents, by Maggie Doherty Knopf Doubleday Think of this nonfiction work as Mona Lisa Smile meets Mrs. America. It tells of the founding students in Radcliffe's Independent Study program, which helped women to receive an education and raise a family. (May 19) 12 of 21 Drifts, by Kate Zambreno Penguin This feverish account of artistic isolation can be read as both a how-to manual and a chilling warning about the dangers of walling yourself off. The very meta Drifts follows a struggling writer working on a memoir about her day-to-day life called… Drifts. As her grip on reality begins to slip, Drifts gives us a window into an anxious, lonely soul. How relatable. (May 19) 13 of 21 These Women, by Ivy Pochoda HarperCollins The latest from Ivy Pochoda (Wonder Valley) puts a feminist spin on the serial killer story, giving voice to five very different women living on the dangerous fringes of Los Angeles, and gradually threading their connection to a man with a deadly obsession. (May 19) 14 of 21 Rodham, by Curtis Sittenfeld Random House A blockbuster novel predicated on the question of What if? Curtis Sittenfeld is already famous for fictionalizing Laura Bush's past, but this time she turns her musings on to Hillary Rodham Clinton, imagining her life if she were just a Rodham. It follows Hillary's early life, her relationship with Bill, and then splits from reality when a young Hillary leaves Bill for her own life. It's wish fulfillment tangled up in a takedown of the patriarchy. (May 19) 15 of 21 Parasite: A Graphic Novel, by Bong Joon Ho Parasite Graphic Novel by Bong Joon Ho Publisher: Grand Central Publishing. Grand Central Publishing This stunning companion piece to the reigning Oscar champ for Best Picture features storyboards of every scene that director Bong Joon Ho drew before filming. Featuring the movie's finished dialogue, it's the complete story experienced in a new form, a testament to Bong's singular artistry. (May 19) 16 of 21 Boys of Alabama, by Genevieve Hudson Liveright Get into the pride spirit a month early with debut novelist Hudson's lyrical, mystical account of a queer teen boy coming of age in the South. Weaving in romantic and immigration narratives, the story builds to an explosive conclusion. (May 19) 17 of 21 A Taste of Sage, by Yaffa S. Santos HarperCollins Spice up the start of summer with this fizzy food rom-com, in which a promising young Dominican-American chef takes a job at a fancy French restaurant in Midtown. She meets its revered, tart owner, and they don't get along at all. You know, for now. (May 19) 18 of 21 The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, by Suzanne Collins Scholastic Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games prequel is the most anticipated book of the summer. The author goes back 64 years to deliver the origin story of Coriolanus Snow. It's already in the works for a film adaptation. (May 19) 19 of 21 Stray, by Stephanie Danler Knopf Doubleday The author of Sweetbitter releases her long-awaited follow-up: a memoir that explores her tumultuous family life (addiction, a stroke, divorce) as she grapples with her divorce and an affair with a married man. It's a heavy premise imbued with a wit and insight that Danler's fans will recognize. (May 19) 20 of 21 All My Mother's Lovers, by Ilana Masad Penguin A debut that explores sexuality, family trauma, and grief — after our main characters's mother dies in a car crash and leaves mysterious letters to five different men — but it's all packed in a smart, funny package. (May 26) 21 of 21 Hollywood Park, by Mikel Jollett Celadon Books A memoir that details a childhood spent within the Church of Synanon, a dangerous (and now infamous) cult that began as a California commune. There's a happy ending, in that the author worked his way to Stanford University, but his path there is tragic and fascinating. (May 26)