A restaurateur spills the tea, a painting sparks adventure and a mother asks, ‘What’s in a name?’ — see PEOPLE’s picks for the best books of May 2025, so far.
‘Karen: A Brother Remembers’ by Kelsey Grammer
Kelsey Grammer’s life was forever altered when, in July 1975, his sister Karen was brutally raped and murdered weeks before her 19th birthday. In this emotional and moving memoir, the actor writes about how the tragedy changed him and his family, and pays tribute to his beloved late sibling.
‘The Names’ by Florence Knapp
Can the choice of a baby’s name be a matter of life and death? Knapp’s debut novel examines the trajectory of an abusive marriage after three different decisions, one in which Cora obeys Gordon’s demand to name the baby after him and two in which she defies him. The dramatic consequences of each choice are tracked in increments until that boy — Gordon, Julian or Bear — has become a man. Elegant and somber, this is a wholly original work. — Marion Winik
‘I Regret Almost Everything’ by Keith McNally
The restaurateur extraordinaire behind icons like Balthazar looks back on it all—more than a dozen eateries, two marriages, five children, a devastating stroke and countless things he’d have done differently — in this acerbic, entertaining memoir. — Kim Hubbard
‘My Friends’ by Fredrik Backman
An anxious former teacher and a teenage runaway begin a cross-country expedition after a world-famous painting unexpectedly ends up in the teenager’s possession. What follows is a moving ode to friendship and creativity, in Backman’s signature striking style.
‘Forged’ by Danielle Teller
Jewel-draped, silver-tongued Kitty Warren is a 19th-century Anna Delvey who learns to play rich while working as a maid to mischievous Mae, who recasts her as a distant cousin. — Marion Winik
‘My Name Is Emilia del Valle’ by Isabel Allende
The daughter of an Irish nun and a Chilean aristocrat grows up to be a reporter. When covering a civil war, she finds danger— and love. Stunning.
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