7 books to add to your reading list this spring

Yes, we are still getting snow. And yes, the temperature randomly dips back down as soon as we get a little too comfortable. But there's no denying that spring is coming. The days feel longer now that the sun is out later. We've almost made it! This is the perfect time for a reinvigorated reading list. Here's a fresh batch of books to look forward to this season.

This is the debut novel from Connecticut's Vibhuti Jain. After graduating from Harvard, Jain began a career as a lawyer but soon turned to writing. "Our Best Intentions" follows Bobby Singh, a single dad and small business owner in New York, whose introverted daughter Angie only feels at home when she's swimming. When Angie sees a wealthy classmate of hers stabbed and bleeding out after leaving the pool, an investigation to find the perpetrator begins. The complicated case sends shockwaves through their affluent neighborhood. This novel deals with community conflict, familial bonds and relationships.

The name Kelly Link is on everyone's lips . Not only does the author have an anthology coming out at the end of the month, but she also owns a bookstore in Easthampton, Massachusetts called Book Moon with her husband and runs the indie press Small Beer . "White Cat, Black Dog" is a collection of refreshed fairy tales from the queen of speculative, unpredictable short stories. Trust me on this recommendation: Link's past collections have secured her place as a Pulitzer Prize finalist and a 2018 MacArthur Fellow.

Revenge is best served with a dash of hot romance. Amalie Howard, a Colby College alum, is back with another historical fiction novel. "Queen Bee" follows Lady Ela, a young woman whose best friend stabs her in the back and takes her one true love. Despite years passing by, Ela's bitterness continues to grow. Eventually, she decides to take back what's hers, including her man. This is a fun regency romp to get the season started.

On a "Saturday Night Live"-adjacent show, sketch writer Sally Milz witnesses her coworker's budding romance with a famous actress who guest-starred on the show. It isn't the first time this has happened during her career — she has seen average guys hook up with above-average talent over the years. However, her judgments toward her coworkers' unlikely romances change when pop star Noah Brewster comes in as the next guest and sweeps her off her feet. Groton School graduate Curtis Sittenfeld gives us a tender and funny novel.

Emerson graduate Kirthana Ramisetti is currently developing her debut novel into a series for HBO Max . But before we get a chance to see her stories come to life, her second novel is hitting the shelves this spring. The upcoming release follows Advika, an amateur screenwriter-turned-bartender. On the job, she meets Julian, a legendary film producer, and they start a whirlwind romance. Their marital bliss is quickly stunted by the death of his first wife, who offers Advika a great deal via her will. But Julian's late wife has given Advika one condition: she has to divorce Julian. In this novel, the reader goes on a journey to uncover Julian's secrets through his three ex-wives.

This story starts in 1898 after Pirbhai, a teenage boy, is taken from his village in India to work for the British. Although he was young when he was taken, his actions haunt the family for decades to come. The novel picks up in the 20th century as his three granddaughters come of age in a turbulent Uganda. Due to the nation's instability, the sisters are forced to split up. They attempt to come back together, discovering the secrets of their family along the way. This location turbulence is a matter author Janika Oza is familiar with in her own life. While currently based in Toronto, she lived and worked in Boston for a year before her visa application was denied.

Set in Boston in 1909, a young girl's desire to learn about crime leads her to disguise herself in order to attend criminal investigative classes for boys. Artie, joined by her magician friend Theodore, works to uncover a series of reoccurring abductions in the Boston Commons. Northeastern University writing professor Jeremy P. Bushnell writes the city of Boston as more than a setting — it becomes an integral character in his novel.