An In-Depth Biography of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy and and More of the Very Best Books Coming Out in May

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This month, pile your nightstand with a peek inside the all-too-short life of an American princess, a novel about the twisted love affairs of the one percent, a true story of what might be the most important room in the United States, and so much more. Here are T&C's picks for the best books of May 2024.

Lies and Weddings

Kevin Kwan's books never lack in style, humor, or delicious twists for their well-heeled characters, and this latest is no exception. Rufus Gresham is a titled heartthrob, even if he'd happily give up an English country estate for a Hawaiian surf shack, but when his glamorous, overbearing mother decides it's time for him to marry—and marry rich—to save the family from ruin, secrets are revealed, hearts are broken, and nothing goes quite as planned. It's an exciting, engrossing, and very, very funny story that takes readers around the world and wraps them up in the high stakes of the love affairs of the one percent.

Once Upon a Time: The Captivating Life of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy

We know about her wedding, her iconic style, her relationship with John F. Kennedy Jr., and the tragic accident that ended her life, but there's much more to Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy than that. In this new book, Elizabeth Beller explores her life through interviews with family, friends, and colleagues—as well as never-before-published photos—to develop a picture of a woman who was more than just what was depicted in the headlines, and help explain why even 25 years after her untimely death Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy still looms so large.

The Winner

What is it about the dark side of tennis that has us all so worked up this season? On the big screen, there's Challengers, about a love triangle ensnaring some of the sport's best players, and hopefully on your nightstand is this new novel from Teddy Wayne, which follows down-on-his-luck Connor O'Toole to Cape Cod for a summer of giving lessons. Or at least that was the plan, until a steamy affair with a local divorcee turns his world upside down, and his chance at true love hangs in the balance.

This Strange Eventful History

The always incredible Claire Messud's own history helped inspire this engrossing story, which follows a complicated family—as if there were any other kind—across decades and around the world, as legends are made, secrets are buried, and truths come out in the most unexpected of ways. It's a touching, skillfully crafted work that reminds us of the ongoing stories of which we're all a part.

Wives Like Us

The latest from the beloved Bergdorf Blondes author is a comedy of manners with an emphasis on the comedy. Here, Sykes follows Tata Hawkins, whose seemingly perfect life in the countryside is absolutely falling apart. She has a missing husband, unfriendly neighbors, distracted friends, scheming enemies, and a butler with problems of his own—none of which are helping her predicament very much. In Sykes's skilled and observant hands, however, madcap fare is always more than just a good time, it's a nuanced look inside a specific world, where even the most humorous happenings can tell us something meaningful about the decidedly less glamorous lives we mere readers live.

Rebel Girl: My Life as a Feminist Punk

Fans of Kathleen Hanna's rock bands, including swimsuit Kill, Le Tigre, and The Julie Ruin, aren't strangers to her singular voice, but this new memoir gives the punk icon a different sort of platform. In her fascinating book, Hanna shares her own story and details how she found her way into a music scene that would not only define its era, but also make a lasting influence on pop culture. Her sharp wit, honesty, and humor are as apparent here as they are in her lyrics, and the opportunity to hear first hand about her life and work is something fans—long time or brand new—shouldn't miss.

The Lost Letters from Martha's Vineyard

Hollywood legends and family secrets are at the heart of Michael Callahan's delicious new novel, which tells the story of a young woman who discovers that her grandmother might not have been who she thought—and finds herself falling in love on the book's titular island as she attempts to discover the truth. It's a sharp, well crafted story about the perils of getting what we think we want, and should be required reading this spring, whether you're on the Vineyard or not.

Long Island

Eilis Lacey, the protagonist of Colm Tóibín's hit Brooklyn, makes her return in this new novel. Now, she's living on Long Island and has made a life for herself among her husband's sprawling family—it's not perfect, but it's kind of like home. When a stranger shows up on her doorstep with life-changing news, however, we begin to see what Eilis is truly made of, and how her determination to make a life with meaning makes her stronger and more unpredictable than anyone could have expected.

The Situation Room: The Inside Story of Presidents in Crisis

If there's one place in the United States that can truly be considered the room where it happens, it's surely the Situation Room. That's where secret missions are carried out, world events are dealt with, and presidents deal with the most important moments of their careers. In this book by White House veteran (and TV legend) George Stephanopoulous, the history of the room and its importance to the American story is told in thrilling detail—victories, close calls, and all.

The Second Coming

This second novel from City on Fire author Garth Risk Hallberg features some of the same sweeping storytelling and unforgettable characters as his debut, however it's a story all its own. What begins as a banal mishap—a lost cell phone—turns into something more for teenager Jolie and her estranged father. As fate brings the two together, ideas about family, forgiveness, and the nature of love are front and center. This book swings big, and the risk is most definitely worth the reward.

Relentless: My Story of the Latino Spirit That Is Transforming America

Luis Miranda can't help himself. As a political operative, activist, and cultural force, the Puerto Rican-born New Yorker seems to always have a hand in efforts to improve his city and the country at large. In this new memoir, Miranda tells his own tale of finding place and purpose in the world, sharing the fascinating story of how he arrived to where he is today and making the case for following your heart to affect change in the world. (And, yes, he also talks about Hamilton.)

The Lady Waiting

We're suckers for stories about grifters here at T&C, and this novel from Magdalena Zyzak doesn't disappoint. It tells the story of a recent L.A. arrival named Viva who meets Bobby, a mysterious art dealer who hires her as an assistant, and finds herself plunged into a shadowy, glamorous world that's more dangerous than she had ever imagined. Not resigned to becoming a sacrificial lamb, however, Viva finds a way to save herself from both Bobby and a seemingly disastrous fate.

Blue Ruin

Things were supposed to be different for Jay. Once a promising young artist, today he's living in his car and making a living delivering groceries to the rich residents of an Upstate New York hamlet. One day, the client to whom he's delivering isn't a stranger but instead an art-school ex and her husband, the friend for whom she left Jay. So, of course, he moves in. What happens next raises questions about promise, potential, and the fickle nature of fate—a modern tale about the kinds of what ifs that have haunted us for as long as stories have been told.

Very Bad Company

The author of Bad Summer People is back with another page turner that delves deep into the world of the one percent. This time, the story follows Caitlin, the newest employee at a buzzy tech company, as she makes a trip to Miami for a company retreat that's derailed when another employee goes missing—potentially putting everything Caitlin and the firm have worked for in grave peril.

Token Supremacy: The Art of Finance, the Finance of Art, and the Great Crypto Crash of 2022

If you felt a bit confused by the great GFT craze of 2021, you weren't alone. These non-fungible tokens went from being a kind of art-world afterthought to selling for tens of millions at auction and being heralded as the next wave in cultural creation. So, what happened? In this deeply researched dive into NFTs, the people who make them, and the system that sold them, Zachary Small uncovers the truth behind one of the most dizzying follies of our time.

The Paradise Problem

Anna and Liam get married to access subsidized family housing at UCLA, and live together as roommates, barely acknowledging each other for years. However, when Liam is invited to his brother's wedding, he realizes he has to bring along his "wife," or he forfeits his inheritance due to an old-fashioned clause in his grandfather's will. So, he asks Anna, a free-spirited artist, if she'll pretend for a week. How hard can it possibly be?

Opposites attract? Check. Fake married? Check. Only one bed? Check. Christina Lauren takes the classic tropes, and delivers a swoon-worthy romance in The Paradise Problem.

The Ministry of Time

In the near future of Kaliane Bradley's speculative fiction novel, time travel exists, and there's a secretive department in the UK department created to see if it works. A civil servant is enlisted to serve as a "bridge," or a live-in assistant, to a historical person pulled of his timeline: Commander Graham Gore, who supposedly died on Sir John Franklin's 1845 expedition to the Arctic. If you're a fan of Outlander, spy novels, time travel books, or just really innovative and fun storytelling, The Ministry of Time is definitely for you.

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