We are now in the height of the spring publishing season, and every week, even more nonfiction titles are hitting shelves. There are essay collections, history, science, and biographies all for the reading. I adore this time of year and all it has to offer, so let’s jump right in. But first, as always, bookish goods!
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Bookish Goods
Greenhouse Library Reading by UncoloredX12
I’ve been shopping for some of my nieces recently (who are all a little flock of book-loving girls), and I just love this adorable print. When I look at it, I feel so hopeful. $14
New Releases
In case you missed it, my Book Riot article “10 of the Best New Nonfiction Books To Read in March 2024” went up last week, giving you a host of new nonfiction titles releasing this month. Here are a couple of my most-anticipated books coming out this week:
You Get What You Pay For: Essays by Morgan Parker
Literary powerhouse Morgan Parker is out with a new collection of essays that examine Parker’s feelings of alienation in just about every part of her life. She describes living with depression and a deep sense of loneliness. She expands from ideas of the personal, giving her readers a bigger picture of Black life in America.
Devout: A Memoir of Doubt by Anna Gazmarian
When Anna Gazmarian is diagnosed with bipolar disorder, she realizes that her conservative evangelical community will not accept it. She spends the next decade reframing what her community calls a “heart problem” to better understand mental illness and how it impacts her life.
For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.
Riot Recommendations
Let the Record Show: A Political History of ACT UP New York, 1987-1993 by Sarah Schulman
Let the Record Show by Sarah Schulman is a hefty book, but well worth the time of sitting down with for hours. This book is a history of the ACT UP movement and centers itself in New York City. Schulman breaks down the information by topic, walking readers through the complex organization and reviewing the different challenges they faced during the height of the AIDS crisis. I was incredibly impressed by the amount of detail. And even though it’s quite the tome, I became engrossed in it from the first chapter.
The Dead Are Arising: The Life of Malcolm X by Les Payne and Tamara Payne
One of the best biographies in recent years, The Dead Are Arising is an award-winning biography of Malcolm X. Les Payne worked on this book for decades, and when he passed, his daughter, Tamara Payne, continued his work and finished the book. The Dead Are Arising went on to receive dozens of accolades, including the National Book Award for Nonfiction. This is definitely a book you won’t want to miss!
That’s it for this week! You can find me over on my substack Winchester Ave, over on Instagram @kdwinchester, on TikTok @kendrawinchester, or on my podcast Read Appalachia. As always, feel free to drop me a line at kendra.d.winchester@gmail.com. For even MORE bookish content, you can find my articles over on Book Riot.
Happy reading, Friends!
~ Kendra