May preview: 4 books you need to read this month

Each month we look at the most anticipated books coming out. Scroll down to learn more.

​Into the Water, Paula Hawkins (May 2)
It's not often that your debut novel gets optioned for a film before it's even released, but that's exactly what happened with Paula Hawkins' psychological thriller, The Girl on the Train. The film rights were acquired in 2014, the book was published in 2015, and the film was released in 2016, where it finished first in the box office on its opening weekend. Now comes Hawkins' sequel, Into the Water, one of the most highly-anticipated books of the year. It begins when a single mother is found dead at the bottom of a river and slowly unravels from there, and promises to contain as many suspenseful twists and surprises as the first. Not surprisingly, however, is that the movie rights have already been purchased, to be produced by the team behind La La Land. — Jesse Kinos-Goodin

Men Without Women, Haruki Murakami (May 9)
In 1927, Ernest Hemingway released Men Without Women, a collection of short stories that was mostly concerned with bullfighting, prizefighting, love and death. This month, internationally acclaimed Japanese author Haruki Murakami will release his own collection of short stories, also titled Men Without Women. While the homage is clear — Murakami has cited Hemingway before in his work — he used the title as a jumping off point to write about lonely men, lonely hearts, baseball and the Beatles, all familiar terrain for fans of the author. — JK-G

​I Hear She's A Real Bitch, Jen Agg (May 16)
Jen Agg can be a polarizing figure in the food scene. The popular Toronto restaurateur behind restaurants like the Black Hoof and Cocktail Bar regularly uses her platform to call out sexism in the restaurant business. And while some may feel that her attitude is abrasive, that's exactly the type of no-holds-barred candidness we look forward to in her debut book, I Hear She's A Real Bitch. The food world, which is still heavily male-dominated, needs more diverse voices and Agg's is a great start, hopefully one that will inspire more to come. — Melody Lau

Rich People Problems, Kevin Kwan (May 23)
Crazy Rich Asians is the best selling series of books from Kevin Kwan, a Singaporean author who comes from old money himself, but uses that experience to tear into the wealthy with satirical wit. The first novel, which was inspired by his childhood, is currently being turned into a Hollywood movie, while the author plans to release the final book in the trilogy, Rich People Problems, this month. Kwan has raised the bar significantly, both in drama and in over-the-top opulence, for what he calls the most "Downton Abbey-esque" of the books. — JK-G