6 of the Best New Book Releases Out April 21, 2026

*One of the most anticipated of the year*

Putting aside my discomfort that a historical novel can be set in 2007, this is a fantastic meditation on a very particular moment in Brooklyn history. The neighborhood where the main character, Alicia, lives is Fort Greene. She finds joy and possibility in the all-night parties thrown by her neighbor La Garza. Neither Alicia nor her friends realize that the coolness of Fort Greene is going to upend the neighborhood. Before the construction of the Barclays Center, and right at the tipping point of Brooklyn becoming expensive, Alicia and her friends and family try to find their way in NYC. —Julia Rittenberg

Marcus Kliewer’s latest is getting so much buzz, and there’s already an adaptation in the works. Desperate for money to support herself and her younger sister, Macy Mullins accepts a job as a caretaker at a remote house on the Oregon Coast. She only has to stay there for three days, but it quickly becomes clear to Macy that what is expected of her is far beyond the normal role of a caretaker. Something evil is lurking outside of the house, and now it has become her job to keep it at bay. —Emily Martin

This rich fantasy tells the story of a real-world queen fending off Portuguese attacks on India in the 1500s. The queen here is Abbakka Chowta, who was once only meant to be her sister’s fighter. But now that the Porcugi—half snake, half men—are attacking, everything is different. Abbakka needs to save her homeland from these terrible intruders—the question is, how far is she willing to go to do it?

This book comes at such an interesting time. Red Pill content has been popular online for years now, and CNN just uncovered a global online academy dedicated to assaulting women and girls. With all of this, we have the release of American Men. It follows four men, who come from different walks of life, who are shaping their relationship to masculinity. There’s MMA fighter Ryan, who lives on a Mohawk reservation and is closeted; Gideon, a West Point graduate and athlete, whose connection with his gender identity is fragile; Joseph, a law student with trauma from childhood sexual abuse and a fractured marriage; and finally, Nate, a Black, trans, and poor man trying to survive in rural Ohio.

For five years, Conn interviewed these men, following them in their daily lives and writing their stories into the tapestry of American masculinity.

*Mentioned in this month’s round-up*

I was sold on this being a translated crime novel from Korea, and I am always here for a title that states the danger, in this case, a widowed contract killer. I am definitely going to have to also get my hands on the UK version because that cover is everything! —Jamie Canaves

In this queer dark academic romantasy, Roy Dawnseve is more into the humanities than the war his country is in, which really is just too bad. This means that, as a scholar, he must dedicate his time to studying the enemy instead of studying philosophy like he wants to, but that presents its own problems. He’ll have to go to the Orphic Basilica, an ancient and abandoned library that is very much haunted. And then there’s Percival Atherton, his investigation partner, who can be as mean as he can be charming. The two get stuck in the library by a terrible snowstorm, and have to contend with secrets that threaten their country…and even a budding romance.