Latest news with #Aftertaste
USA Today
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Need a new book? 10 new releases you can read right now from romance to thriller
Need a new book? 10 new releases you can read right now from romance to thriller What do a ghost-conjuring chef, a fast-food employee and a world-renowned dying artist have in common? They're the topics of some of our favorite new books from May, of course. Check out the titles we recommend this month, including new Stephen King, a swoony new romantasy bestseller and the book that Fredrik Backman said could be his last. Or, take a look at the titles we're most excited about this summer. Plus, there's still time to read for USA TODAY's Spring Book Challenge, where you could win a $100 gift card to just by filling out our bingo card. What should I read next? 10 new books from May Summer is just around the corner, and it's time to get your TBR ready for beach reading and vacations. From dystopian tales to steamy romance, here are the titles we think you should pick up at your local bookstore or library. 'The Emperor of Gladness' by Ocean Vuong 'The Emperor of Gladness' has all the poetic meditations and lyricism of Vuong's 'On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous,' but with a lovable cast of found family characters that practically leap off the page. In it, a young man about to commit suicide is stopped by an elderly woman with dementia. What results is an unlikely friendship, a fast-food job that reunites him with his cousin and a new supportive, quirky community. 'Aftertaste' by Daria Lavelle This dark comedy set in the culinary world follows a Ukrainian American chef who can conjure spirits of the dead by cooking their favorite foods. Haunted by the death of his father and yearning to use his powers for good, Kostya opens a restaurant where loved ones reunite over one last meal. With carefully crafted depictions of grief and mouth-watering culinary adventures, this is the perfect novel for the always hungry and for fans of 'The Bear.' 'My Friends' by Fredrik Backman Told in two timelines, Backman's heartwarming latest is about four childhood friends and one transformative summer. Their bond inspires a painting that eventually becomes, decades later, the most famous painting in the world. In the present, a teenager who cherishes that painting finds herself in unexpected ownership of the original. Her cross-country journey to learn how the artwork came to be connects surprising roads in her own life and the painting's subjects. 'Can't Get Enough' by Kennedy Ryan In 'Can't Get Enough,' ambitious, goal-oriented Hendrix Barry is thriving in most aspects of life, but caring for her aging parent means she doesn't have time for romance. But then she meets tech mogul Maverick Bell, and the one man she can't have seems to be the perfect match. 'Things in Nature Merely Grow' by Yiyun Li Writer and professor Li meditates on the loss of her two sons – both from suicide, seven years apart. Li searches for the words that might fill the loss of Vincent at age 16 in 2017 and James at age 19 in 2024. 'Things In Nature Merely Grow' is less of a book about grief and more a tribute to radical acceptance and the lasting power of memory. 'Immaculate Conception' by Ling Ling Huang Twisty dystopian horror 'Immaculate Conception' follows art students whose work and study are upended by artificial intelligence. Grappling with her artistic purpose and jealous of her friend Mathilde's global success, protagonist Enka comes across a new technology that would let her enter Mathilde's mind, inextricably linking the co-dependent friends. 'Never Flinch' by Stephen King King deviates from his terrifying horror to pen a detective novel in 'Never Flinch.' This mystery thriller puts beloved character Holly Gibney at the forefront, now working for a celebrity women's rights activist whose lecture tour is under threat by a violent mystery assailant. At the same time, Holly helps her police detective friend with a serial killer on a revenge mission. 'Along Came Amor' by Alexis Daria This steamy romance is the third and final installment of Daria's 'Primas of Power' series. When Ava Rodriguez's now ex-husband leaves her to chase dreams that don't include her, she tries to embrace her new singleness in a one-night stand with Roman Vázquez. Type-A Roman is laser-focused on building his empire, so he initially agrees to her no-strings-attached, no-feelings situationship. That comes crashing when the pair run into each other at Ava's family function. 'Shield of Sparrows' by Devney Perry This new romantasy series, billed for fans of Sarah J. Maas and Rebecca Yarros, sees a forgotten princess changing her fate. She's never meant to rule, only to obey her father. But after an encounter with a legendary monster hunter and a prince upends her life, she realizes she can make her own rules, becoming the warrior she was meant to be. 'How to Be Well' by Amy Larocca Everyone knows a 'well woman' – the spiritual, skincare aficionado who is just one cog in the machine of the multibillion-dollar wellness industry. Journalist Larocca touches on her own experience getting sucked into wellness culture before ripping back the curtain at the science behind it, as well as the standards of American womanhood driving the profits. Support AAPI authors all year: 10 new books by Asian authors to read Clare Mulroy is USA TODAY's Books Reporter, where she covers buzzy releases, chats with authors and dives into the culture of reading. Find her on Instagram, subscribe to our weekly Books newsletter or tell her what you're reading at cmulroy@
Spectator
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Spectator
With Daria Lavelle, on her breakout novel ‘Aftertaste'
Daria Lavelle was born in Kyiv, Ukraine, and raised in New York. Her work explores themes of identity and belonging and her short stories have appeared in The Deadlands, Dread Machine, and elsewhere. Daria is the author of the critically acclaimed new novel Aftertaste which explores food, grief and the uncanny. On the podcast she tells Liv about her 'inexplicable' love of olives as a child in Ukraine, trying to make it as a writer in New York and how to write about food without it feeling contrived.
Daily Mail
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
'I savoured every minute reading this epic story': The best debut fiction out now - Pig by Matilde Pratesi, Aftertaste by Daria Lavelle, The Boys by Leo Robson
Pig by Matilde Pratesi (Corsair £16.99, 336pp) This disturbing story about toxic female friendship and coercive control unsettled me from the start and kept me engrossed to the end. Italian and originally from Rome, Valentina is in her mid-20s, living in London and working in a bookshop. Her main passion is pigs and when she feels overwhelmed – which is often – she lists the many breeds in alphabetical order to try to regain calm. Valentina has a flatmate called Clara, also Italian, and it's clear from the start that their relationship is sinister. Valentina had an unhappy childhood, is socially awkward and entirely dependent on Clara's approval. She is terrified of arriving home a minute later than expected to run Clara's bath, wash her all over and then cook her dinner. Clara tells Valentina what to wear, what to eat and where she can go. It's claustrophobic to read and I was desperately rooting for Valentina to get out. Aftertaste by Daria Lavelle (Bloomsbury £16.99, 400pp) I SAVOURED every minute reading this epic story about life, death, love and loss. Teenage Konstantin is sitting by the pool one day, watching other boys his age interacting with their dads and intensely feeling the loss of his own, when the unmistakable taste of his father's favourite meal fills his mouth. Konstantin tells his mother and she has him sectioned. Other flavours materialise on his tongue and it's not long before he sees they're connected to ghosts. He keeps quiet, working his way up the restaurant ladder from dishwasher to chef, until he finds that cooking the favourite dishes of spirits can bring them back for a final meal. This unique ability brings fame and love but there is, of course, a dark side to engaging with ghosts. The tension ramps up as the Afterlife becomes destabilised. Original and addictive. The Boys by Leo Robson (Riverrun £16.99, 304pp) With the London Olympics as the backdrop, Johnny Vogel is grieving his mother, mourning the slow demise of his relationship and stuck in a dead-end job at a campus university. His half-brother Lawrence cut off communication with their mother shortly after leaving England for Chicago and didn't make much effort with Johnny either. Then he turns up in the middle of the night with no warning. What ensues is an emotionally intelligent deep dive into their sibling relationship, where love, rivalry and connection are all examined. Funny and wise.
