May is here, and that means it’s time to highlight the best new book releases coming out this month! In this post, we’ll showcase the best new books of May 2022, both nonfiction and fiction alike. Exciting debuts and long-awaited followups mark this list of the most anticipated books of May 2022. If you’re looking for the best books to read in 2022, you’re in the right place.
[Note that we’re here including three nonfiction books that came out in late April to round out the list.]
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The 15 Best New Books of May 2022: Fiction
Breathless by Amy McCulloch (May 3)
Kicking off our list of May 2022 new books, a thriller that’s perfect if you love Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None. Amy McCulloch’s chilling thriller Breathless is a Christie-esque novel to add to your TBR. Reporter Cecily Wong has a second chance to start over from professional and personal blunders with a killer scoop: an interview with elite mountain climber Charles McVeigh on his latest climb of the mount Manaslu in Nepal. But then members of the expedition start dropping one by one. Who could be behind the murders? And who’s next? You’ll be flying through the pages to find out.
How to read it: Amazon | Goodreads
Book of Night by Holly Black (May 3)
Young adult fantasy writer Holly Black makes her adult fantasy debut with Book of Night. Charlie is trying to move on after years spent using her special abilities working for gloamists, or magicians who manipulate shadows for dark reasons. But it’s not so easy for Charlie to disconnect from her past, and even she cannot anticipate how her powers draw her back to her old life.
How to read it: Amazon | Goodreads
Book Lovers by Emily Henry (May 3)
If we’re talking about the best new books of May 2022, Book Lovers is at the top of the list. Romance author Emily Henry returns with another summer love story that’s perfect beach reading. And with June edging closer, it’s almost to book your vacation with the best new reads. In Book Lovers, Literary agent Nora secures amazing book deals for her romance genre authors, but as for romance in her personal life? Not relevant. Or, rather, more like non-existent. Vacationing in her sister’s small North Carolina town, Nora keeps running into tall, dark, and moody author Charlie Lastra, who she’s never been able to stand—until now. When the two keep finding themselves together, their stubborn views on love begin to crumble.
How to read it: Amazon | Goodreads
The Change by Kirsten Miller (May 3)
Set in a (fictional) ocean-side Long Island community called Mattauk, The Change sees three middle-aged women developing powers that they use for good by using their supernatural abilities to solve the murder of a young woman the police have written off as an addict sex worker. Suspenseful, provocative, and thrilling, this mystery book is an engrossing, read-in-one-sitting novel you just can’t put down.
How to read it: Amazon | Goodreads
Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt (May 3)
A Read with Jenna Pick, Remarkably Bright Creatures stars widow Tova who cleans the Sowell Bay Aquarium by night. When Tova strikes up a friendship with Pacific octopus Marcellus, her creature friend takes it upon himself to solve the mystery of Erik, Tova’s son who disappeared at age 18 thirty years ago. This feel-good story is perfect for readers who loved Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine and A Man Called Ove.
How to read it:Â Amazon | Goodreads
Trust by Hernan Diaz (May 3)
Pulitzer Prize finalist Hernan Diaz delivers a remarkable novel with Trust. Benjamin and Helen Rask are a New Money power couple in New York City during the Roaring 20s. The actual source of their wealth is still debatable, and their story inspired the (fictional) 1937 novel Bonds. The mystery surrounding the couple continues for decades, a puzzle Diaz explores across a city and a century.
How to read it: Amazon | Goodreads
The Emma Project by Sonali Dev (May 10)
We love romance here on Broke by Books, and that includes The Emma Project, the fourth installment in Sonali Dev’s Rajes series of contemporary Jane Austen retellings. In this update to Austen’s Emma, Vansh Raje is a coveted bachelor who has never really seen his comfortable life challenged. When Knightlina (Naina) Kohli and Vansh’s brother break up, Naina swears off the Raje family. But neither she nor Vansh can deny their sizzling chemistry.
How to read it: Amazon | Goodreads
The Lioness by Chris Bohjalian (May 10)
This historical thriller is an addictive treat and definitely one of the best new books of May 2022. In The Lioness, it’s 1964 and world-famous actress Katie Barstow invites an A-list of who’s-who in Hollywood to accompany her and her new husband David Hill on their Honeymoon in Tanzania. But their safari trip quickly goes awry with a kidnapping, murder, and Russian mercenaries. Author Chris Bohjalian—who penned the bestseller The Flight Attendant—has written a page-turning novel chock full of suspense, danger, and intrigue.
How to read it: Amazon | Goodreads
Siren Queen by Nghi Vo (May 10)
This buzzy queer fantasy by Nghi Vo is an intriguing and seductive story glittering with the glamor of Old Hollywood. Set in pre-Code Hollywood, Siren Queen explores the monsters (literally) who dictate the career of Chinese-American Luli Wei, who would do anything—even make sacrifices of blood and ancient magic—to become a star.
How to read it: Amazon | Goodreads
On a Quiet Street by Seraphina Nova Glass (May 17)
In the mood for a good thriller? Check out On a Quiet Street, Seraphina Nova Glass’ unputdownable new mystery. Exclusive Oregon community Brighton Hills is pulsing with secrets…like Cora, who knows her husband Finn is cheating and wants to catch him doing so. Cora asks Paige—who has been snooping around the neighborhood trying to find out the truth behind her son’s death—to unearth evidence of Finn’s infidelity. But soon shocking revelations stack up, proving that Brighton Hills is ready to erupt with scandal…and death.
How to read it: Amazon | Goodreads
This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub (May 17)
From acclaimed author Emma Straub, this elegant twist on time travel is heartfelt and thought-provoking. It’s the night before she turns 40, and Alice is more or less satisfied with her life, her father’s ailing health being her biggest concern. But when she wakes up back inside her 16 year-old-body in 1996, Alice discovers the man her father really was…a real man, not an idol. Their relationship forms the emotional core of this engaging story that asks provocative questions about the past, fate, and the future.
How to read it: Amazon | Goodreads
Hide by Kiersten White (May 24)
Did you love Squid Game? You won’t want to miss Kiersten White’s Hide, a pulse-pounding supernatural thriller and one of the best new books of May 2022. The setup for the competition is pretty straightforward… all you have to do in order to win a staggering amount of money is stay alive a week on the campus of an abandoned amusement park. Mack is convinced she can beat out the others and take home the cash prize. All she has to do is hide, and she’s damn good at that. But soon Mack realizes the contest is far darker than she could have imagined. Now getting out alive is more important than winning… can Mack do it? You’ll want to clear your schedule for this unputdownable thriller.
How to read it: Amazon | Goodreads
A Lady for a Duke by Alexis Hall (May 24)
Definitely one of the most anticipated new books of May 2022, this queer historical romance from Alexis Hall, the brains behind Boyfriend Material, features a trans heroine you won’t soon forget. Viola nearly died at Waterloo, and the experience helped her live her life as the woman she knows she is. Thrown back in the path of her former friend Justin de Vere, Duke of Gracewood, Viola can’t hold back her passion for her old companion. Can their love heal his darkness? Will Viola finally get her HEA? You’ll swoon for this uplifting, diverse romance.
How to read it:Â Amazon | Goodreads
Sleepwalk by Dan Chaon (May 24)
In his first novel since his blockbuster hit Ill Will, Dan Chaon again announces himself as one of the leading voices of contemporary American fiction. In Sleepwalk, Will Bear has lived off the grid for more than half his life, crisscrossing the states in his camper van and avoiding personal relationships with everyone except a rescue dog. When twenty-year-old Cammie calls Will and reveals she’s his daughter from back when he sold sperm for extra cash, Will’s carefully cultivated walls threaten to be breached by love.
How to read it: Amazon | Goodreads
How to Be Eaten by Maria Adelmann (May 31)
In contemporary New York City, a group of five women gather to process their trauma through a support group. These ladies will sound familiar to readers… among the crew, there’s a victim of Bluebeard, Gretel who got lost in the woods, and Ruby, who fought off the wolf who ate her and now wears his pelt as her coat. Yep, that’s right; Maria Adelmann’s novel explores what comes next for fairy tale heroines after the supposedly Happily Ever After
How to read it: Amazon | Goodreads
The 15 Best New Books of May 2022: Nonfiction
Finding Me by Viola Davis (April 26)
Acclaimed actress Viola Davis’ memoir Finding Me was chosen by Oprah as a Book Club selection, and it’s easy to see why. Davis has lived a remarkable, trailblazing life, and in Finding Me we get to peek behind the curtain of this legendary actress’ life.
How to read it: Amazon | Goodreads
The Puzzler by A.J. Jacob (April 26)
What is it about crosswords, Wordle, sodoku, and mazes that are so intensely satisfying activities? In The Puzzler, A.J. Jacobs investigates what we find so attractive about puzzles. Touring through puzzle subculture, Jacob meets quirky characters and eccentric solvers alike who cannot resist a good puzzle.
How to read it: Amazon | Goodreads
The Palace Papers by Tina Brown (April 26)
Former Vanity Fair and The New Yorker editor-in-chief Tina Brown has long chronicled the palace intrigue in Queen Elizabeth II’s court and family. In The Palace Papers, Brown focuses on the last 25 years in the Windsor family’s life. Brown scrutinizes the Royal Family’s actions, relationships, and dynamics, covering scandals like the rocky relationship between Meghan, Harry, and the throne; the rise of Kate Middleton; and the fall of grace from Prince Andrew. If you live for Royal gossip, this book is a must-read.
How to read it: Amazon | Goodreads
Anna: The Biography by Amy Odell (May 3)
In Anna: The Biography we at last get the true story of influential Vogue director Anna Wintour that we always wanted. If you’ve ever wondered who the real woman is inside behind those trademark sunglasses, pick up Amy Odell’s entertaining and enlightening bio. One of the best new books of May 2022, Anna: The Biography is laced with tiny revealing details that stack up to dismantle Anna Wintour the myth from Anna Wintour the person.
How to read it: Amazon | Goodreads
My Old Kentucky Home by Emily Bingham (May 3)
“My Old Kentucky Home” has been a wildly popular song throughout the last 150 years… wildly popular, and wildly problematic. In this book, Emily Bingham unearths the history of this song that has become part of American culture, tracing the song’s dark origins, rise in popularity, decline, and dubious future. Fans of American history and culture will find much to like about this revelatory book.
How to read it: Amazon | Goodreads
Now What? How to Move Forward When We’re Divided by Sarah Stewart Holland and Beth Silvers (May 3)
From the podcasters behind Pantsuit Politics, this book looks at how to co-exist with others who don’t think the way you do. Instead of dividing ourselves further, Sarah Stewart Holland and Beth Silvers advocate for coming together over our common causes and moving past our divisiveness. It’s a refreshingly candid, relentlessly optimistic approach that can go a long way towards making discussing our differences more graceful and kind.
How to read it: Amazon | Goodreads
The Premonitions Bureau by Sam Knight (May 3)
For fans of Jon Ronson and Michael Lewis, The Premonitions Bureau tells the true story of John Barker, a psychiatrist who studied premonitions and the occult. Barker compiled accounts of premonitions from hundreds of people. Then things take a turn: Barker believes he himself is destined to die young… this is one of those stories you can’t help but gobble up, making time to squeeze in just a few more minutes of reading time.
How to read it: Amazon | Goodreads
The High Sierra: A Love Story by Kim Stanley Robinson (May 10)
You might know Kim Stanley Robinson from his visionary science fiction writing, but in The High Sierra: A Love Story we see another side of this cherished author. Brilliantly illustrated with breathtaking photographs, The High Sierra contains essays about Robinson’s personal connection to the Sierra Nevada mountains. But that’s not all; Robinson also tells the story of this stretch of natural wonder’s history, present, and future, including early explorers and key leading conservationists.
How to read it: Amazon | Goodreads
Mean Baby by Selma Blair (May 17)
Celebrated actress Selma Blair takes a deep dive into her personal history, starting with her legendary baby days, in this confessional memoir that ranks among the best books of May 2022. According to Blair, she was known to be a difficult, mean infant. Now, decades later, Blair looks back at her astonishing life, including her meteoric rise in the 1990s and early 2000s, her battle with alcoholism, and diagnosis of multiple sclerosis. Mean Baby is not just a tell-all memoir; it’s a surprisingly candid and self-aware narrative by a star who has something to say that’s worth listening to.
How to read it:Â Amazon | Goodreads
River of the Gods by Candice Millard (May 17)
If you love tales of historical discovery and exploration, you’ve got to add Candice Millard’s River of the Gods to your TBR. This fascinating book is a deep dive into the expedition to uncover the source of the Nile River undertaken by two British soldiers and explorers commissioned by the Royal Geographical Society. Richard Burton and John Hanning Speke were both intelligent, ambitious, and talented, but they clashed, leading to betrayal, backstabbing, and sabotage all at the height of the West’s fascination with Ancient Egypt and Egyptologist. This thrilling adventure story pulsates with tension, scandal, and wonder.
How to read it:Â Amazon | Goodreads
Sex and the Single Woman Edited by Eliza Smith and Haley Swanson (May 17)
This celebration of the single life is a nod to American writer and Cosmopolitan editor Helen Gurley Brown, who penned Sex and the Single Girl in 1962, an early feminist manifesto celebrating the joys of being a single young woman. Now, sixty laters, editors Eliza Smith and Haley Swanson have assembled an all-star team of 24 modern feminist writers to contribute essays about their own relationship to the freedom and power that comes with being a single woman.
How to read it: Amazon | Goodreads
His Name Is George Floyd by Robert Samuels and Toluse Olorunnipa (May 17)
Prizewinning Washington Post reporters Robert Samuels and Toluse Olorunnipa here deliver a harrowing biography of George Floyd, a victim of police brutality who was killed in May 2020 by a police officer. The authors reveal how systemic racism shaped Floyd’s life, positioning his personal and familial history within the larger origins and legacy of America’s problematic relationship with race and longstanding tradition of injustice. His Name Is George Floyd is certainly one of the most anticipated new books of May 2022.
How to read it:Â Amazon | Goodreads
Alabama v. King by Dan Abrams and Fred D. Gray (May 24)
This harrowing book focuses on the landmark trial Alabama vs. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In Alabama v. King, the inspiring story of this iconic court case is told by Fred D. Gray, the defense lawyer for King. Gray had a front seat to history and helped pave the way for the Civil Rights Movement’s gains.
How to read it: Amazon | Goodreads
What the Ermine Saw by Eden Collinsworth (May 24)
If you love arts and culture stories, you’ll fall for Eden Collinsworth’s What the Ermine Saw. While the Mona Lisa gets its fair share of attention, Leonardo da Vinci’s Lady with an Ermine is even more intriguing. In this revealing book, Collinsworth unearths truths about the mysterious subject of the portrait, Cecilia Gallerani, who was the young mistress to a nobleman, as well as about the painting’s long and winding history across hundreds of years and countless countries.
How to read it: Amazon | Goodreads
Happy-Go-Lucky by David Sedaris (May 31)
And last but not least in this list of the best new books of May 2022, beloved humorist David Sedaris is back with his first essay collection since Calypso. In this anthology, Sedaris focuses on his life during the COVID pandemic as well as larger cultural and political topics in our conflicted, troubled modern times. Count on Sedaris to deliver more of the funny, insightful, and offbeat essays he is known for in Happy-Go-Lucky.
