BUYERS' PICKS | MAY 2023
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Clear some space on your bookshelf—here are our buyers' must-read picks of the month.
We asked Changing Hands co-founder Gayle Shanks and our buyers Miranda, Natalie, Cortney, and Allie to share the books they're most excited about this May.
"The reading world has long wished that Abraham Verghese would write another novel after reading his brilliant Cutting for Stone. And now, after ten years, it's here and it was worth the wait. An epic story covering nearly a century of Indian history, filled with flawed but engaging characters, descriptions of foods and the plants that produce them, the author's love for medicine and doctors, and a mysterious ailment he calls The Condition, all combine to suck you in and not let you go until the last of the 724 pages ends. There's love and intrigue and trains and floods and lepers and artists—the weaving of multiple lives that will remind you that great writing informs and broadens our own lives. This novel is a perfect example of great storytelling."
"Brandon Taylor is arguably one of the finest writers of this generation. No matter the story, you will find a part of yourself in one of his characters - in their experiences, relationships, and most intimate thoughts. Taylor has an exceptional ability to capture the minutiae of our everyday interactions with one another, experimenting with the charged undercurrent of truth that courses beneath the artifice of our words and expressions. His writing is timeless; it’s about love, friendship, growing up, and the confrontations that arise from these experiences. If you haven’t read Taylor yet, The Late Americans is a great place to start."
"This is a truly fantastic book. It's an accounting of a journey that pushed the boundaries of the time and disregarded gender norms that told women what they shouldn't and couldn't in the 1930s. Prior to this, nobody had yet to survey the plants along what was then said to be the most dangerous river in America, and these two women wanted to be the first to do so. I highly recommend this if you have any interest in the history of the Grand Canyon, the science of botany, or just want to read a smart and funny book about passionate women risking everything to journey into the great unknown."
"When love finds a home, you’ll do whatever you can to fight for it and in Ander & Santi Were Here, a young couple fights for each other, finds family doesn’t end with blood, and find themselves searching for what life can look like when we stand strong for ourselves and for those we love. This is perfect wholehearted queer, Latinx contemporary YA and it has stolen my entire heart and made my eyes cry buckets of tears. Simply beautiful."
"Sher Lee’s debut, a baking competition twist on Crazy Rich Asians filled with fun, food, and family, is an adorable romcom sure to warm your heart and make your mouth water for mooncakes and xiao long bao. Aspiring chef Dylan Tang is determined to win a mooncake-making competition to help bring publicity to his aunt’s restaurant, and getting distracted by a handsome, wealthy customer named Theo is not on the agenda. But when Theo asks Dylan to be his fake date to a family wedding, suddenly their fauxmance starts to feel all too real. Cute and charming!"