The 29 Best and Most Anticipated Nonfiction Books of 2024

WW Book Club April 30th – May 6th: 5 New Reads You Won't Be Able To Put Down

Welcome to the WW book club! This week, we're sharing our favorite new books in a variety of genres. From romance to cozy mysteries, thrillers and more, these reads are sure to entertain. And there's another thing we can guarantee: These books will lift your mood, lower your stress and help you feel great.

Here is our WW book club roundup for April 30th – May 6th, 2024. Let us know which ones you end up reading and what you think. We love hearing from you! (To quickly access all our WW book club recommendations, click here.)

Cozy Mystery Patchwork Quilt Murder by Leslie Meier

Kensington Cozies

A fun and fast-paced whodunit ensues in the latest installment of Leslie Meier's Lucy Stone Mystery series. When a community center opens in town, reporter Lucy Stone is suspicious of the new director, Darleen Busby-Platt. Her hunch deepens when a young employee vanishes, then remains are found. With a few suspects on her list, Lucy must uncover the lies and crack the case quickly — or else she could be next!

Women's Fiction Funny Story by Emily Henry

Berkley

Bestselling author Emily Henry is known for her smart and witty romances — and her latest novel is another sparkling love story. When Daphne's fiancé, Peter, admits he's actually in love with his childhood friend, Petra, she's crushed. The only person who can understand her is Petra's ex, scruffy Miles Nowak. Miles and Daphne become roommates, then hatch a plan to make their exes jealous, but the faux romance starts to feel very real.

Thriller Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth

St. Martin's Press

Danger, deception and secrets…this heart-racing saga penned by Sally Hepworth has it all. The plot follows Jessica, Norah and Alicia, who are taken in by a foster mom, Miss Fairchild. They think they'll finally have a good family life — until Miss Fairchild's rules become suffocating and the girls break away. But when a body is discovered under the home they grew up in years later, the women return to the house to discover the truth.

Romance The Good Ones Are Taken by Taj McCoy

MIRA

Brimming with sweet charm and feel-good moments, this entertaining rom-com follows Maggie, who is getting over a bad breakup. Her best friends, Savvy and Joan, want her to find a date for their weddings. Maggie resorts to online dating with no luck, then she meets a charming doctor. But when her college friend Garrett admits he has feelings for her, she must decide between two great men.

Nonfiction Food Gifts: 150+ Irresistible Recipes for Crafting Personalized Presents by Elle Simone Scott

America's Test Kitchen

Do you ever feel stumped when trying to think up creative and thoughtful gift ideas for those you love? To the rescue: chef and culinary pro Elle Simone Scott's new book is full of clever ideas to make sweet, special foodie gifts! With a bevy of savvy tips and tricks—like how to wrap the food like a pro and fun ways to mail gifts to long-distance loved ones, along with 150+ delicious recipes for Bundt cakes, pies in a jar, dips and spreads — Scott makes gift-giving even more joyful!

Missed our last few book clubs? Click through the links below!

WW Book Club April 23rd – April 29th: 5 New Reads You Won't Be Able to Put Down

WW Book Club April 16th – April 22nd: 5 New Reads You Won't Be Able to Put Down

WW Book Club April 9th – April 15th: 5 New Reads You Won't Be Able to Put Down

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WTOP Book Report: Reporter-turned-author Christina Estes Unveils Debut Mystery Novel 'Off The Air'

Award-winning journalist Christina Estes talks to the WTOP Book Report about her debut mystery novel "Off the Air."

This story was written as part of the WTOP Book Report series written by Terik King. Read more of that coverage.

Award-winning journalist Christina Estes (NPR, Arizona Republic) is the author of the new mystery novel "Off The Air." (Cover art courtesy Minotaur Books, author photo courtesy of Christina Estes)

Award-winning journalist Christina Estes talks to WTOP's Terik King about her murder mystery novel 'Off the Air.'

Award-winning journalist Christina Estes steps into the realm of fiction with her debut mystery novel, "Off the Air" (Minotaur Books), introducing readers to the tenacious Phoenix, Arizona-based TV reporter Jolene Garcia.

Garcia finds herself at the center of a media frenzy following the suspicious death of Larry Lemmon, a controversial talk show host at a local radio station. Having conducted Lemmon's final interview, Garcia and her station initially possess a competitive edge.

However, the arrival of an onslaught of national media outlets escalates the stakes, plunging Garcia into a cutthroat investigation that could define her career, or perhaps, threaten her life.

"It's been 15 years (since) I said, 'I'm gonna write a book,'" Estes said in an interview with the WTOP Book Report, providing insight into the book's genesis.

"I just wanted to give people a look behind local news and what goes on. There are newsroom politics. There are wonderful newsroom relationships. There's a bond, sort of a special bond, that you create working in a newsroom. Sometimes it's great. Sometimes it's not. And the pressure of all of the social media and the business reality of the constant corporate cutbacks … I put it in Jolene." 

Estes explained that she chose to ground the feisty, driven Garcia's character in aspects of her personal experience as well: highlighting her Midwestern roots and her experiences as a former foster parent (making Garcia a former foster youth), creating parallels between Garcia's journey and her own.

"I made her feel like a fish out of water because I felt like a major fish out of water when I moved to Phoenix," Estes shared, reflecting on her personal connection to Garcia's back story.

The character's disadvantaged upbringing adds an extra dimension to her motivation, Estes said, because "she also is seeking recognition and attention that she didn't get growing up. And that really leads her to sometimes behave in ways that maybe some people don't like that can come across as abrasive or a little 'too much.' She doesn't know when to stop, because … she is seeking recognition, often through her reporting, when she's really looking for it with her family." 

This drives the character of Jolene to assume extraordinary risks in the name of finding Lemmon's killer. Would the journalist Estes have acted in the same way? "29-year-old me might have," Estes said, "Today? No. You mellow with age."

"Off The Air" reads as a tribute to Phoenix itself, as Jolene's quest for answers unfolds against a vivid backdrop of the people, places and the essence of what makes Phoenix unique. "I was able to actually put in a couple of my real-life references here in Phoenix," said Estes, "and made them sort of Jolene's experiences in the book." 

One such anecdote: a memorable Emmy nomination for a lighthearted feature about a fish visiting the dentist in Arizona. Estes (and Jolene) lost to another story — about bubble wrap. "I tracked down the guy that won," Estes said, "I said, 'I want to give you a belated yet sincere congratulations.' And I sent him a book." 

Asked about the challenge of balancing her demanding day job with her literary aspirations. "I would say I did not juggle it very well," Estes laughed, referring to "Off The Air"'s 15-year gestation.

That said, another Jolene Garcia novel is in the works, and Estes said the next one will arrive much sooner. "It's been my dream to have a mystery series set in Phoenix. So yes … Jolene is working on yet another suspicious death. She's convinced it's suspicious. She's trying to find out if that's really the case."

For those intrigued by the enigmatic world of local news and the relentless pursuit of truth, "Off the Air" beckons as a riveting read, offering a compelling blend of mystery, intrigue and a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the world of journalism.

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She Loves Amalfi, Aperol And Killing Off Her Ex In Fiction

Eleanor Dash, the Aperol spritz-loving narrator of Catherine Mack's fizzy series debut, EVERY TIME I GO ON VACATION, SOMEONE DIES (Minotaur, 340 pp., $28) is a chatty, self-aware sort, a novelist with a best-selling series called "Vacation Mysteries." Her books feature the devastatingly handsome detective Connor Smith, who bears the same name as the man who has vexed her life — romantically and financially — for an entire decade. But no more: She's going to kill him off in fiction. Too bad someone's trying to kill the real-life Connor, too.

Eleanor has arrived in Amalfi for a 10-day trip with Connor and a group of lucky fans who have won a "once in a lifetime Italian vacation" with their favorite author. Not long after Connor informs her that he was pushed into the path of "one of those hop-on, hop-off buses full of bleeding tourists," Eleanor starts to think someone might want her dead, too.

Mack, a pseudonym for the veteran Canadian suspense writer Catherine McKenzie, gleefully pokes fun at genre tropes while evoking Eleanor's zany world. To my shock, I found all of it hilarious and not at all annoying — even the many, many footnotes, which advance the plot and Eleanor's character.

ROUGH TRADE (MCD/FSG, 374 pp., $28) is Katrina Carrasco's second historical thriller to feature the gutsy, Pinkerton-trained opium smuggler Alma Rosales, who loves nothing more than a good brawl. The novel brims with the sights, smells and sounds of Tacoma, Wash., in 1888, full of docks and taverns and illicit back rooms where all manner of appetites are explored discreetly, where secrets swirl and betrayals come quickly.

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