New Stephen King novel, sex-positive 'Rated X' memoir: 5 must-read books this week

In search of something good to read? USA TODAY's Barbara VanDenburgh scopes out the shelves for this week’s hottest new book releases. All books are on sale Tuesday.

For more new must-read book recommendations, check out our fall books guide of the 20 most exciting books of the season; our favorite books of 2022 so far; the most swoon-worthy summer rom-coms, including Julia Whelan's "Thank You for Listening" and Alexis Hall's "Husband Material"; and the juiciest celebrity memoirs released this year from Jennette McCurdy, Kenny Loggins, Christine Quinn, Jennifer Grey and more. 

To see what everyone else is reading, check out the USA TODAY Best-Selling Books list for this week's best sellers.

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‘Fairy Tale’

By Stephen King (Scribner, fiction)

What it's about: Seventeen-year-old Charlie Reade looks like a regular high schooler, but he’s just inherited a dog sidekick and the keys to a parallel world where a war is raging between good and evil.

The buzz: A starred review from Kirkus Reviews calls it "a tale that’s at once familiar and full of odd and unexpected twists – vintage King, in other words."

'Rated X: How Porn Liberated Me From Hollywood'

By Maitland Ward (Atria, nonfiction)

What it's about: Ward, who got her start in acting as a teenager in TV shows such as "The Bold and the Beautiful" and "Boy Meets World" before transitioning to pornography, offers a sex-positive, behind-the-scenes look at both industries.

The buzz: "For open-minded readers, an exceptional narrative that champions the discovery of freedom in sexuality," says a starred review in Kirkus Reviews.

‘All the Women in My Brain: And Other Concerns’

By Betty Gilpin (Flatiron, nonfiction)

What it's about: Emmy Award-nominated actor Gilpin, star of “The Hunt” and Netflix’s “GLOW,” is deeply weird and very, very funny in this off-kilter collection of essays about her childhood, Hollywood, and everything chaotic thought that enters her brain.

The buzz: Kirkus Reviews calls it "a quirky tale of lessons learned from the world of acting."

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'Year of the Tiger: An Activist's Life'

By Alice Wong (Vintage, nonfiction)

What it's about: Wong shares her journey as an Asian American disabled activist, community organizer, and founder and director of the Disability Visibility Project in an impressionistic memoir of essays and artwork.

The buzz: A starred review in Kirkus Reviews calls it "a stunningly innovative, compulsively readable hybrid of memoir, cultural criticism, and social activism."

'Magnolia Flower'

By Zora Neale Hurston; adapted by Ibram X. Kendi; illustrated by Loveis Wise (HarperCollins, fiction)

What it's about: "How to Be an Antiracist" author Kendi adapts Hurston's folktale of a young Afro Indigenous girl who longs for freedom into a beautifully illustrated children's picture book.

The buzz: A starred review from Publishers Weekly calls it a "visually stunning foray into folklore."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Stephen King novel 'Fairy Tale,' Maitland Ward memoir: 5 new books