April showers us with reading options aplenty, from thrillers to examinations of interpersonal relationships, farm life, and beyond.
4/7: American Fantasy by Emma Straub
Reluctantly, 50-year old newly divorced Annie is on a cruise with her sister, a cruise featuring the boy band of her youth. As a repressed part of herself is unlocked by alcohol, nostalgia, and a sense of possibility, Annie meets and befriends one of the band members. (general fiction)
4/7: The Ending Writes Itself by Evelyn Clarke
When best-selling mystery author Arthur Fletch suddenly dies, six midlist authors are invited to his private Scottish island with an enticing proposition: they have 72 hours to write an ending to Fletch’s final, unfinished manuscript. The winner will get a mind-boggling book deal and a new launch to their career. But someone is willing to kill for the opportunity. (thriller)
4/7: Like This, But Funnier by Hallie Cantor
Struggling for a new idea to pitch, TV writer Caroline throws out the story of a woman she only knows from her therapist husband’s session notes – and all of a sudden finds herself caught between her ethics and her work. (general fiction)
4/7: Love by the Book by Jessica George
Novelist Remy has recently had her three best friends become distant; teacher Simone is struggling with newfound loneliness. In this paean to the power of friendship, the two meet at a bookstore and explore the ways friendship can support and inspire. (general fiction)
4/7: My Dear You by Rachel Khong
This playful collection of short stories examines what it means to be human, a woman, Asian American. (general fiction)
4/7: Transcription by Ben Lerner
An interview goes awry after the narrator drops his phone – his transcription device – in the sink in this reflection on technology, connection, memory and interpretation.
4/7: Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke
Natalie has it all – a huge farmstead, a large and loving family, and 8+ million social media followers who eagerly consumer her content about traditional family values and life. And then one day she wakes up seemingly still in her home but cast back in time to actual frontier days. Can she make a go with the skills she’s pretended to have for so long? Can she escape? And is this God punishing her, or something else? (general fiction)
4/14: Last One Out by Jane Harper
Only a few residents still live in Carralon Ridge, a town bought and ruined by a mining company. Ro’s college-aged son Sam went missing from Carralon Ridge five years prior, and as Ro returns to mourn, she realizes something wasn’t right about the investigation – and isn’t right now. (thriller)
4/14: The Left and the Lucky by Willy Vlautin
After a recent separation, Eddie is shuffling forward through his life; Russell, 8, has just moved next door and is dealing with a chaotic home life. The two neighbors form an unexpected connection that helps them move away from bleakness and towards a more hopeful future. (general fiction)
4/14: Porcupines by Fran Fabriczki
Hungarian immigrant Sonia is stitching together a new life in Los Angeles with her daughter Mila; Mila is navigating the fraught days of middle school. When Mila finds emails that may hint at the identity of her absent father, relationships will be upended and remade. (general fiction)
4/14: The Take by Kelly Yang
Aging producer Ingrid and broke young writer Maggie make a deal: using an experimental medical procedure, Maggie will trade her youth for Ingrid’s money and mentorship. As the women become increasingly intertwined, the balance of power threatens to shift in unexpected ways. (general fiction)
4/16: Surrender by Jennifer Acker
At 47, Lucy Richard leaves New York City to return to her family’s Massachusetts farm. But farm life is hard, made harder by her husband’s swift descent into dementia and the repercussions of earlier financial decisions. At the same time, she connects with a childhood friend, Sandy, and the two pursue a relationship. (general fiction)
4/21: Last Night in Brooklyn by Xochitl Gonzalez
In 2007 Brooklyn 26-year-old Alicia finds herself torn between two visions of the future: the wild creative life embodied by fashion designer and neighbor La Garza, and the buttoned-up life represented by her banker cousin. (general fiction)
4/21: No Way Home by T.C. Boyle
Returning to his small Nevada hometown after the death of his mother, doctor Terrance finds himself pulled into a love triangle with local Bethany and her ex, causing him to spiral into an unpredictable life governed by lust, jealousy, and revenge. (general fiction)
4/26: Break Room by Miye Lee, translated by Sandy Joosun Lee
Eight people step into a new reality show: Break Room. Voted in by coworkers due to their poor office habits, they must reckon with their own behavior while seeking out the show’s imposter. By the author of The Dallergut Dream Department Store. (general fiction)
4/28: Ghost Town by Tom Perrotta
In 1970s New Jersey, Jimmy Perrini enters the summer after 8th grade grappling with grief and shifting friendship in a time that will reverberate through the rest of his life. (general fiction)
~Posted by Andrea G.
