You'll find exclusive excerpts of four novels and three nonfiction titles with April publication dates in this sampler. First up is Country Dark, award-winning Chris Offutt’s first novel in twenty years, set in rural Kentucky from the Korean War to 1970. Next are three debuts, starting with Luke Allnutt’s We Own the Sky, about a young father and husband confronting devastating loss. This I Know by Eldonna Edwards and The Oracle Year by Charles Soule both deal with an ability to predict the future albeit in very different styles.

In nonfiction, Mohammed Al Samawi’s harrowing memoir The Fox Hunt recounts his escape from Yemen’s civil war via a plan hatched on social media. Can’t Help Myself, Meredith Goldstein’s memoir is a humorous, heartfelt look at giving advice as the Boston Globe’s Love Letters columnist while her own romantic life is in tatters. Finally, read a fascinating description by mental illness expert Barbara Lipska on the two months of dementia and schizophrenia she experienced as the result of cancer in her brain in The Neuroscientist Who Lost Her Mind: My Tale of Madness and Recovery.

Buzz Books Monthlies are your first and best place to turn for a real insider's taste of what to read next, and what the book world will be talking about next month. As always, you can check out our extensive preview of new books of interest coming to market in the month ahead.

We hope you enjoy the monthly Buzz Books—keep an eye out for May Buzz Books available in early April. Also, remember that our twice-a-year Buzz Books includes new books from big authors and breakout talents through exclusive and substantial pre-publication excerpts. Buzz Books 2018: Spring/Summer and Buzz Books 2018: Young Adult Spring/Summer are available now. Read more than 50 excerpts from the hottest books being published this season.