The Stacks Book Club - May 2026
For this month’s book club, we’re diving into Stephanie Wambugu’s debut novel, Lonely Crowds. This book traces the decades-long friendship between Ruth and Maria, whose intense childhood bond is tested in adulthood by the glamorous yet competitive nature of the New York City art world in the early ‘90s. Maria finds early success as an artist while Ruth stumbles toward a more domestic path, and as their worlds converge and diverge over the years, both characters must reckon with the delicate balance between ambition and obsession, intimacy and trauma, and connection and time. Highlighted by New York Times Book Review editor MJ Franklin on The Stacks' Best Books of 2025, and featured on The New Yorker's and Vulture's Best Books of the Year lists, we’re more than excited to check this off the TBR list.
If you want to read with us this month, here are some key dates for The Stacks Book Club’s read of Lonely Crowds.
May 6th — The Stacks episode announcing our guest for Lonely Crowds.
May 27th — The Stacks Book Club episode of Lonely Crowds.
June 2nd — The Stacks Virtual Book Club meetup to discuss the book. To participate, you will need to join The Stacks Pack on Patreon. There, you’ll get even more perks related to the podcast, access to the Discord community, and more.
L.A.-based, Black woman-owned indie bookstore Reparations Club is offering you 10% off your copy of Lonely Crowds when you use the code STACKS10 at checkout!
You can support The Stacks by purchasing this month’s pick through my Bookshop or Amazon page.
