As spring awakens with its blooming flowers and gentle warmth, a fresh energy rustles through the pages of new literary releases.
Book lovers will find inspiration in the season’s offerings, from stories of self-discovery to tales that mirror the world’s own renewal. With longer days and sunlit afternoons, these upcoming reads invite you to wander through narratives full of growth, possibility and quiet wonder.
Stretch out on a picnic blanket and explore the Daily Bruin’s curated collection of spring book recommendations.
“No More Tears: The Dark Secrets of Johnson & Johnson” by Gardiner Harris
Tears will be shed when reading the tragedies exposed in “No More Tears: The Dark Secrets of Johnson & Johnson.”
Well-known as one of the largest health care conglomerates in the world, Johnson & Johnson has many allegations against it for committing wrongs. Gardiner Harris, formerly a pharmaceutical reporter for The New York Times and now an award-winning investigative journalist, exposes the dangers Johnson & Johnson imposed on millions of people in his latest book released April 8. From connections between Johnson & Johnson’s baby powder and cancer to product marketing that furthered opioid addictions, Harris covers plenty in his exposé of the pharmaceutical company.
Harris was alerted about Johnson & Johnson’s sales practices in 2004 when he had a conversation with a woman at an airport bar. She was a drug sales representative for the company, and she informed him of the negative impact Johnson & Johnson’s sales practices had on her family. Since then, Harris’ investigations and research led to the creation of new federal laws and “No More Tears: The Dark Secrets of Johnson & Johnson.”
After being informed of Johnson & Johnson’s secrets, readers will no longer be in the dark about the secrets held by the company.
— Amy Wong
“Matriarch: A Memoir” by Tina Knowles
In her upcoming memoir, Tina Knowles is taking the lead once again.
Knowles – a fashion designer, businesswoman and activist – is perhaps best known as the mother of Grammy Award-winning superstars Beyoncé and Solange and honorary mother to Destiny’s Child member Kelly Rowland. Knowles is set to tell her life story in “Matriarch: A Memoir,” which stretches over 430 pages and will hit bookshelves April 22.
“Matriarch: A Memoir” promises to trace Knowles’ life from her origins in Galveston, Texas, where she was born Celestine Ann Beyoncé in 1954 as the youngest of seven children. Over the ensuing decades, she married Mathew Knowles, raised their daughters, opened her Headliners salon in Houston in 1986 and co-founded the House of Deréon clothing line with Beyoncé. More recently, Knowles’ work has included being the chairwoman of the BeyGOOD nonprofit and developing Beyoncé’s Cécred haircare line.
While its title and themes embrace feminism, “Matriarch: A Memoir” looks set to inspire readers of all backgrounds just as Knowles and her daughters have.
– Reid Sperisen
“Run for the Hills” by Kevin Wilson
Kevin Wilson is whisking readers along on a heartfelt journey of self-discovery.
Releasing May 13, Wilson’s novel, “Run for the Hills,” centers on a set of half-siblings and their quest to understand their father. In the 20 years since her father left, protagonist Madeline Hill has lived on a Tennessee farm. One day, Reuben Hill arrives, claiming to be Madeline’s half-brother abandoned by their father 30 years ago. Reuben convinces Madeline to join him on a cross-country road trip to find their other half-siblings and uncover the truth about their family.
Wilson, an award-winning author out of Tennessee, is known for off-beat fiction that often focuses on unusual families. For example, his 2011 novel, “The Family Fang,” follows a family of madcap performance artists, and his 2019 novel, “Nothing to See Here,” examines parenthood through a story about twins who spontaneously combust into flames.
Like Wilson’s previous work, “Run for the Hills” promises a humorous and heartfelt exploration of what it means to be family.
– Adam Kakuk
“Atmosphere: A Love Story” by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Taylor Jenkins Reid is reaching for the stars with her next thrilling novel.
The New York Times bestselling author will release her upcoming work, “Atmosphere: A Love Story” on June 3. Set against the backdrop of the 1980s Space Shuttle program, the story follows Joan Goodwin, physics professor turned CapCom – the astronaut on earth who communicates with astronauts aboard NASA’s shuttles. Beginning in the summer of 1980, Goodwin and her multifarious colleagues become unexpected friends, but a blindsiding romance leaves her questioning everything she thought she knew about the universe. When a mission goes terribly wrong, Goodwin is forced to juggle a global crisis while fearing the loss of the person she loves most.
After the massive success of her previous novels, “The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo” and “Daisy Jones and the Six,” Jenkins Reid took a two-year hiatus and has returned with significant research under her belt. While immersing herself in Houston for months, she toured the Space Center and read prominent works such as “The New Guys,” “The Six” and “Shuttle, Houston.” In an interview with Vogue, the author admitted that it was a big stretch for her “artistic brain” to understand the science behind space travel but that she wanted to tell an epic love story where the stakes were critical.
Jenkins Reid’s “Atmosphere: A Love Story” will take the classic romance to an astronomical level.
– Eleanor Meyers
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