Books We Like the Looks Of: New Releases in May 2026
Our monthly book list for May includes nonfiction from Jesmyn Ward, a speculative novel by Tom Lin following Chinese immigrants in South Dakota who encounter a secret government program, and more.
Review: No God But Us by Bobuq Sayed and the Refugee Liminal State
No God But Us vividly illuminates what life is like for the many queer refugees who live in liminal space for years, whose only home is the state of uncertainty.
I Am the Ghost Here: Kim Samek and the Ghost of Pandemic Present
Given that many of the stories in Kim Samek’s debut story collection I Am the Ghost Here feature surreal elements, borrowing tropes from science fiction and fantasy, I was surprised to find honest, genuine explorations of the pandemic as a mass disabling event in its fourth and fifth stories.
Polyamory & Polyassery: Lindy West's Adult Braces and Her Many Haters
What wave of feminism is it where we tell a woman she is too clueless to understand what is going on in her own marriage?
Review: Camonghne Felix's Let the Poets Govern and the Scam of Representation
Felix stresses that real, substantial change isn’t instant, nor does it happen without us—without people. But real change is happening, will happen, must happen despite the liberal cynicism and fear that will tell you it isn’t, won’t, can’t.
A Thing and a Half: An Interview with Kenan Orhan
"Exile is such a strange and absurd situation. I think there are going to be things you miss so much. You start to wonder whether or not it really was worth it. And what you're willing to give up to get some of those things back."
Books We Like the Looks Of: New Releases in April 2026
See what April books we're excited about. This month's selection includes an International Booker Prize nominee, a novel that features Monica Lewinsky as a patron saint, and more.
Review: Julia Langbein Gets Ruthless in Dear Monica Lewinsky
Lewinsky is Virgil, capably leading Jean through the inferno of predatory male sexual behavior, demonstrating to her that the power she wields—wielded even when she was being taken advantage of—is a force to be reckoned with.
The Transformational Power of Heated Rivalry, Revenge Fantasies, and "Escapist" Reading
There is a pervasive idea that serious fiction is purely a pursuit of the mind, meaning it is not of the body, of desire, of pleasure, of satisfaction and relief. It is not meant to be therapeutic or healing.
Max Delsohn's "All Time Low" and the Straight Girl Paradox
Stories in the World is a series in which we explore a particular element of a piece of writing in a broader context. Here, Lisa looks at the phenomenon of women who become involved in relationships with queer women while self-identifying as straight, as featured in Max Delsohn's "All Time Low."
Review: Rebecca Solnit and Alysa Liu Both Know, The Beginning Comes After the End
While we might be living through what is commonly referred to as late-stage capitalism, we are not at the end of anything—we are always in the middle of an unfolding story.
Books We Like the Looks Of: New Releases in March 2026
Check out five books we're looking forward to that are coming out in March, including new releases from Rebecca Solnit and Louise Erdrich.