Hello, book lovers! But also hello to Emily Henry’s highly anticipated rom-com, Book Lovers. If you still haven’t gotten your mom a gift for Mother’s Day this weekend (look, we’ve all been there!), Henry’s newest release would be an excellent choice. Then again, if your mom prefers thrillers or historical fiction or science fiction, allow us to direct you to our last-minute Mother’s Day book recs. (And for even more quick recommendations, this article’s closing “Book Snacks” section has got you covered.) Beyond this month’s exciting releases and book club selections, there are plenty of screen adaptations in the works, like Chris Bohjalian’s The Lioness and John Green’s Turtles All the Way Down. So, without further ado, enjoy this mix of stories from the book world.

STANDOUT READS BOOKTRIB’S DISCUSSING

Book Lovers by Emily Henry: “The perfect antidote for the blahs,” upbeat rom-com Book Lovers “is refreshingly original, smart and utterly charming with effervescent, witty dialogue between two protagonists who bicker, banter and verbally duel … written from the heart by a marvelous storyteller, mad for books and who understands the publishing industry,” this book is truly great fun!

Book of Night by Holly Black: The “author of the highly acclaimed Folk of the Air trilogy, has always been edgy — in a whimsical way — but with her latest release, Book of Night, she embraces a grim, nightmare-fueled setting. And this new darkness suits her.” Get ready for twists, depth and an incredible cast of characters, who are by turns fascinating and chilling, exceeding every expectation.

Hostile Intent by Don Bentley: “Eerily resonant … interesting, relevant, timely and wise as a thriller can get … Bentley belongs in the top tiers of today’s military thriller authors.” In this third adventure with DIA operative Matthew Drake, Ukrainian-Russian tensions are hauntingly prescient in the race to prevent WWIII.

NEWS FROM THE BOOK WORLD

Chris Bohjalian’s Upcoming Release, The Lioness, Will Get a TV Adaptation: “A historical fiction thriller that follows a Hollywood starlet and her entourage as they embark on a luxurious African safari that turns deadly,” this forthcoming eOne project comes on the heels of the successful adaptation of his novel The Flight Attendant for HBO Max. — Deadline

More Page-to-Screen Adaptations in the Works: John Green’s YA novel Turtles All the Way Down will be adapted for an HBO Max film with production announcing actors J. Smith-Cameron, Poorna Jagannathan and Maliq Johnson have joined the cast (Deadline); poet Ocean Vuong has finished the script for A24’s adaptation of his novel On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous (Russh); The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery, best known for Anne of Green Gables, will get its movie adaptation from Cinegryphon Entertainment (The Hollywood Reporter).

Maia Kobabe’s Gender Queer Has Become the Most Banned Book in the Country: Jonathan Friedman, the director of free expression and education at PEN America, notes that the memoir has ended up “at the center of this because it is a graphic novel, and because it is dealing with sexuality at the time when that’s become taboo.” — The New York Times

Oprah Defends 2020 Book Club Selection American Dirt After Controversy: Oprah “courted controversy after she unveiled Jeanine Cummins’ divisive novel — centered on a mother and son who are forced to flee their lives in their native Mexico and escape to the U.S. as migrants — as her Oprah’s Book Club pick.” She says, “I really loved the book. And even though lots of people were asking me now to disown that, I’d already owned it, so I wasn’t going to go back on my word.” — Entertainment Weekly

AWARDS AND ACCOLADES WORTHY OF NOTE

Knight Owl by Christopher Denise, Hooky by Míriam Bonastre Tur and Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao named winners of the 2022 Barnes & Noble Children’s & Young Adult Book Awards; the shortlist for the 2022 Branford Boase Award, which honors a first time writer of books for young people, has been announced; finalists for the 2022 Omega Sci-Fi Awards have been announced; Lea Ypi’s Free wins the 2022 RSL Ondaatje Prize; Charlie Petch’s Why I Was Late wins the 2022 ReLit Award for Poetry; Short Fiction and Poetry finalists for the RBC Bronwen Wallace Award for Emerging Writers have been announced; and Puerto Rican writer Giannina Braschi wins the 2022 Enrique Anderson Imbert Award.

MORE BOOKS THE MEDIA’S BUZZING ABOUT

What Are Book Clubs Reading in May? Reese’s Book Club has picked The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams; Good Morning America selects The Change by Kirsten Miller; Read With Jenna picks Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt; Barnes & Noble dives into Elektra by Jennifer Saint; Poguemahone by Patrick McCabe is the May Indie Next pick; and BookTrib’s Book Club Network will be discussing five exciting titles.

“Junket” by Lauren Groff: This Scribd exclusive is “a pitch-perfect, stand-alone story that features a nameless protagonist caught in the vise of a Northeastern winter and a failed romance.” It’s “sardonic yet gorgeously crafted” and “tackles issues debated throughout our literary and publishing spaces.” — Oprah Daily

Homesickness by Colin Barrett: “Barrett’s new collection … expands its range in both age and geography [in comparison with previous collection Young Skins], with characters well above 30 (some even elderly) and settings in County Mayo, County Sligo, even all the way to Toronto … Among the Irish new wave, Colin Barrett’s short stories stand out.” — Los Angeles Times

BOOK SNACKS FOR THE ROAD
A Smorgasbord of Reads to Discover

16 Last-Minute Book Recs for Mother’s Day | 7 Hot New Novels by Writers of Asian American Heritage | 6 Utterly Suspenseful Tales Written by and Starring Women | 6 Books by Mexican American Authors | Voyage Into 5 Fascinating Worlds With These SFF Audiobooks

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