It’s already been a tough year. But spring means rebirth and renewal — and also an opportunity to enjoy a good read on a park bench, in your backyard or just about anywhere else. No matter how you’re feeling, there’s bound to be a book to lift your spirits, make you think or just give you a much-needed laugh.

Whether you’re looking for funny essays by one of America’s most popular comedians, a thoughtful look at the career of a hip-hop legend, a biography of one of the nation’s foremost authors, or an appreciation of the birds that remind us what it means to be mindful and grounded, we’ve got you covered with 34 books coming in the next three months that likely will be worth your time.

Big Chief

Author: Jon Hickey

What it’s about: San Francisco author Hickey’s debut novel follows a young Anishinaabe lawyer who runs a casino with his friend, the tribal president. Their grip on power is threatened by an activist who has been making national waves. Hickey is already drawing comparisons to Tommy Orange and Louise Erdrich.

Publication date: April 8

My Documents

Author: Kevin Nguyen

What it’s about: The latest from The Verge journalist and novelist Nguyen (“New Waves”) follows four Vietnamese American cousins whose lives are thrown into disarray after the U.S. government imprisons people of their heritage following a series of terrorist attacks. Two cousins are sent to prison camps, while two remain free.

Publication date: April 8

Vanishing World

Author: Sayaka Murata, translated by Ginny Tapley Takemori

What it’s about: From the Japanese author whose darkly funny “Convenience Store Woman” and disturbing “Earthlings” were both hits stateside. This one follows a woman who was conceived naturally by her parents — in a version of Japan in which artificial insemination is the norm, and sex is taboo.

Publication date: April 15

One Death at a Time

Author: Abbi Waxman

What it’s about: In the latest novel from Waxman (“The Bookish Life of Nina Hill”), a former actress with a drinking problem, smart mouth and bad temper is falsely accused of murder, and she teams up with her zoomer sobriety coach to clear her name.

Publication date: April 15

Medicine River: A Story of Survival and the Legacy of Indian Boarding Schools

Author: Mary Annette Pember

What it’s about: Ojibwe reporter Pember’s debut book is a history of so-called boarding schools in the U.S. from the mid-19th century to the 1930s, in which Native children endured unspeakable brutality. One of the children sent to a school was Pember’s mother, whose trauma she writes about in the book.

Publication date: April 22

Zeal

Author: Morgan Jerkins

What it’s about: The latest from acclaimed author Jerkins (“This Will Be My Undoing”) is a sweeping epic about multiple generations of descendants of Harrison and Tirzah, two star-crossed lovers who led separate lives in the days after the Civil War.

Publication date: April 22

The Golden Hour: A Story of Family and Power in Hollywood

Author: Matthew Specktor

What it’s about: L.A. author Specktor (“Always Crashing in the Same Car”) returns with a cross-genre book about the film industry, informed by his experiences growing up with his parents, Hollywood agent Fred Specktor and screenwriter Katherine McGaffey Howe.

Better: A Memoir About Wanting to Die

Author: Arianna Rebolini

What it’s about: Novelist Rebolini (“Public Relations,” written with Katie Heaney) tells the story of her long battle with suicidal depression, which at one point led her to write goodbye letters to her husband and son, and considers how we might help people who want to take their own lives.

Publication date: April 29

The Sea Gives Up the Dead: Stories

Author: Molly Olguín

What it’s about: From beloved Pasadena indie publisher Red Hen Press, this short story collection blends fairy tales, fantasy and horror. The book won the Grace Paley Prize for Short Fiction.

Publication date: April 29

Turning to Birds

Author: Lili Taylor

What it’s about: Taylor, familiar to moviegoers for her roles in films including “Say Anything” and “I Shot Andy Warhol,” took a break from acting and found herself fascinated by the birds around her. This essay collection urges readers to practice mindfulness and pay attention to the world that surrounds us — including our friends in the sky,

Publication date: April 29

Everyday Intuition: What Psychology, Science, and Psychics Can Teach Us About Finding and Trusting Our Inner Voice

Author: Elizabeth Greenwood

What it’s about: What exactly is intuition? That’s the question Greenwood tackles in her latest book, which takes a deep dive into the mysterious ability. Greenwood uses data to explain how intuition isn’t the same thing as anxiety or wishful thinking and examines the role it plays in our everyday lives.

Publication date: May 6

My Name Is Emilia del Valle

Author: Isabel Allende, translated by Frances Riddle

What it’s about: The California-based Chilean American author has been a literary superstar ever since the publication of her 1982 debut novel, “The House of Spirits.” Her latest follows the title character, a 19th-century journalist in San Francisco who covers the Chilean Civil War of 1891 and reconnects with her estranged father.

Publication date: May 6

Words for My Comrades: A Political History of Tupac Shakur

Author: Dean Van Nguyen

What it’s about: It’s been nearly 30 years since rap legend Shakur was shot and killed in Nevada, leaving a lasting sense of loss in the hip-hop world. Music writer Nguyen explores Shakur’s cultural impact in this book about the political influences on his music.

Publication date: May 6

The Director

Author: Daniel Kehlmann, translated by Ross Benjamin

What it’s about: The latest from the acclaimed German author (“You Should Have Left”) is a historical novel about G.W. Pabst, the Austrian filmmaker who returned to his home country from Hollywood during World War II and was ordered by propaganda

minister Joseph Goebbels to make movies for the Nazi regime.

Publication date: May 6

Poetry Is Not a Luxury: Poems for All Seasons

Author: Anonymous

What it’s about: The title of this poetry anthology comes from the late, legendary poet Audre Lorde — it’s also the name of the Instagram account with more than 840,000 followers that inspired the book. It contains poems from some of today’s best working poets, including Ross Gay, Rita Dove, Naomi Shihab Nye and Victoria Chang.

Publication date: May 6

Big Dumb Eyes: Stories From a Simpler Mind

Author: Nate Bargatze

What it’s about: “Reading, I believe, is the key to smart,” joked stand-up comedian Bargatze in his first “Saturday Night Live” monologue. His debut book is a humorous (of course) essay collection in which he writes about his life as a “non-genius.”

Publication date: May 6

Sympathy for Wild Girls: Stories

Author: Demree McGhee

What it’s about: The debut book from San Diego author McGhee, published by the award-winning Feminist Press, collects short stories that explore the lives of queer Black women as they search for intimacy and places to belong.

Publication date: May 6

The Dark Maestro

Author: Brendan Slocumb

What it’s about: Musician and teacher Slocumb has made a career of writing classical music-themed thrillers (“Symphony of Secrets,” “The Violin Conspiracy”). His latest novel follows a cello prodigy who has to enter witness protection with his family after his father turns state’s evidence against a group of criminals.

Publication date: May 13

Bochica

Author: Carolina Flórez-Cerchiaro

What it’s about: The debut from Colombian author Flórez-Cerchiaro is a Gothic horror novel that follows Antonia, a woman who returns to the possibly haunted mansion where she and her cursed family used to live, after it is converted into a luxury hotel.

Publication date: May 13

The Emperor of Gladness

Author: Ocean Vuong

What it’s about: Poet Vuong stunned readers with his bestselling 2019 debut novel, “On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous.” His latest work of fiction follows Hai, a 19-year-old who plans to take his own life but meets an elderly widow with dementia who talks him out of it; he becomes her caretaker and friend.

Publication date: May 13

Mark Twain

Author: Ron Chernow

What it’s about: Acclaimed biographer Chernow, whose book “Alexander Hamilton” was the inspiration for Lin-Manuel Miranda’s blockbuster musical “Hamilton,” returns with an account of the life of one of America’s most important authors.

Publication date: May 13

It All Felt Impossible: 42 Years in 42 Essays

Author: Tom McAllister

What it’s about: McAllister, who earned rave reviews for his novel “How to Be Safe,” gave himself a literary challenge: Write an essay for every year of his life, each one no more than 1,500 words. This book collects these touching and funny essays, with topics as varied as learning to ride a bike as an adult and working long hours at a cheesesteak shop.

Publication date: May 14

Marsha: The Joy and Defiance of Marsha P. Johnson

Author: Tourmaline

What it’s about: Artist and filmmaker Tourmaline tells the life story of Johnson, the pioneering performance artist and transgender activist who famously threw the first brick in the Stonewall riots, a watershed moment for the LGBTQ+ community in the U.S.

Publication date: May 20

Things in Nature Merely Grow

Author: Yiyun Li

What it’s about: Li, author of novels including “The Vagrants” and “The Book of Goose,” is one of the country’s most deservedly acclaimed writers. Her latest book is a memoir that reckons with the unthinkable: the loss of both of her teenage sons to suicide.

Publication date: May 20

Flashlight

Author: Susan Choi

What it’s about: One of the most anticipated books of the season, Choi’s follow-up to her National Book Award-winning “Trust Exercise” follows the aftermath of the disappearance of a Korean Japanese man who was walking on a beach with his 10-year-old daughter.

Publication date: June 3

Murderland: Crime and Bloodlust in the Time of Serial Killers

Author: Caroline Fraser

What it’s about: Fraser won critical acclaim — and the Pulitzer Prize — for “Prairie Fires,” her biography of Laura Ingalls Wilder. Her latest tells the story of murderers including Ted Bundy, Gary Ridgway and Richard Ramirez, and argues that environmental destruction might be to blame for the way they turned out.

Publication date: June 10

The Girls Who Grew Big

Author: Leila Mottley

What it’s about: Oakland author Mottley shocked the literary world with her 2022 novel “Nightcrawling,” which she published at age 19 and made her the youngest author ever longlisted for the Booker Prize. Her latest follows a group of teenage mothers living in the Florida panhandle.

Publication date: June 24