Books
The doom and gloom of winter is finally over. Spring is in full bloom, and there is nothing better to do as the weather warms up than get stuck into a really great book while enjoying the great outdoors. But with so many wonderful options, it can be a challenge to know where to begin and what May 2019 book releases to bother keeping up with, because there are so many incredible ones hitting the shelves this spring.
There are already some highly anticipated novels coming out this year. Margaret Atwood will finally be releasing another novel to follow her hugely successful Handmaid's Tale novel, which is now a hit TV show. The Testament will be hitting shelves on Sept. 10 2019, and begins 15 years from where the story left off. And Malorie Blackman is releasing Crossfire on the July 5. It will be the fifth book in the Noughts and Crosses series, and set 34 years after the original protagonists.
While the wait begins for those new books, here are some stellar novels out now that you should be reading in 2019. From fantasy trilogies encapsulating African mythology to creepy dystopian fictions about fertility farms, there's so many options to get your teeth stuck into this May.
'Girl, Woman, Other' — Bernardine Evaristo
Award-winning author Bernardine Evaristo who wrote Mr Lover Man, the highly acclaimed novel about an older Carribean man living in Hackney who is secretly gay, now brings us Girl, Woman, Other. The story follows 12 very different people living in Britain who are mostly black and mostly women.
'Queenie' — Candice Carty-Williams
Everyone has been talking about Candice Carty-Williams debut novel Queenie. Although it's been hailed as the new Bridget Jones Diary, the two really can't be compared —Queenie completely stands on its own. It follows the story of a young British-Jamaican woman navigating through all life's messy bits.
'The Confessions of Frannie Langton' — Sara Collins
The Confessions of Frannie Langton is Sara Collins' debut novel and it's already getting loads of attention. The gothic-style book set in 1826 follows the story of Frannie Langton, an enslaved woman on trial for murder.
'The Farm' — Joanne Ramos
If you're a fan of Margaret Atwood, and are counting down the days until her Handmaid's Tale sequel, then this book will be right up your street. The Farm by Joanne Ramos is about a luxury retreat called Golden Oaks. The catch? The women who go have to dedicate their lives to producing babies. This new dystopian tale is super creepy!
'Black Leopard, Red Wolf' — Marlon James
Jamaican author Marlon James won the Man Booker Prize for A Brief History Of Seven Killings back in 2015 and his new fantasy novel Black Leopard, Red Wolf looks equally incredible. It's the first in a trilogy that draws from African mythology and history.
'Spring' — Ali Smith
The Scottish author who wrote Autumn and Winter finally brings us Spring. The seasonal series was written post-Brexit and Autumn won the Man Booker Prize For Fiction. Each book in the quartet centres on a different plot so it's okay to jump straight into Spring without having read the others.
'With The Fire On High' — Elizabeth Acevedo
Elizabeth Acevedo, the author of the New York Times Bestseller The Poet X, bring us another stellar young adult novel this May. With The Fire On High follows high school senior Emoni Santiago as she juggles life's hard decisions.
