Which books are worth the read and which should you skip? Find out what books I’ve been reading lately and whether I recommend them.
April was a mixed reading month for me.
I spent almost the first half of the month on vacation. Which means I read a lot: as in a book every other day. I flew through books as we drove across the entire United States to visit family in Ohio and New York.
When I got home, I kept up my normal reading pace for about a week. The usual – reading before bed and listening to audiobooks as I work or drive.
Then the new Taylor Swift album came out and that basically ended my reading for the month. I’ve listened to The Tortured Poets Department practically nonstop for the last week and a half. I was a little iffy about the album at first but now I’ve grown to absolutely love it.
But I am constantly reminding myself it’s not about how many books I read a month. It’s about having a quality life.
Books make me happy. Taylor Swift makes me happy. Traveling, coaching soccer, rock climbing, spending time with family and friends. All are part of a balanced life for me.
Scroll down to see my reviews, and, as always, be sure to let me know what you’ve been reading lately in the comments!
April 2024 Reading List
The Waters
Bonnie Jo Campbell
Fierce matriarch Herself Zook lives in the Great Massasauga Swamp outside Whiteheart, Michigan, healing the local women with herbs and tonics. When Rose Thorn, the youngest of her three estranged daughters, returns one day, Rose leaves Herself to raise Rose’s daughter, Donkey. Now eleven, the precocious child loves growing up in the wild, until family secrets, love, and violence end her idyllic childhood and divide the entire community.
I generally enjoy the celebrity book club picks, but I found The Waters so tediously boring I could not force my way through it. From the start, the constant superfluous details and long chapters had me worried, but I kept hoping the narrative might save it once it kicked in. Yet, I ended up disliking all of the characters and found myself dreading picking up the story. I rarely DNF but I just was not into this one at all and decided my time would be better spent elsewhere.
All We Were Promised
Ashton Lattimore
In 1837, Charlotte has escaped her life as a slave only to serve as a housemaid to her white-passing father in Philadelphia. Longing for more freedom but afraid of slave-catchers, Charlotte befriends Nell, an up-and-coming abolitionist from a prominent Black family. When Charlotte’s former mistress arrives with her slave Evie in tow, Charlotte and Nell risk losing everything to help Evie gain her freedom.
Ashton Lattimore’s promising debut is a solid historical fiction with a great setting and interesting characters. I especially enjoyed the look at racism and classism, especially within the Black community. However, All We Were Promised was a bit rough around the edges. The slow plot would have easily been improved with heavier editing, cutting the length and needless repetition down. However, my biggest complaint was that the narration always keeps you at a distance; I saw the characters’ struggles but never truly felt them myself. I do think Lattimore’s novels will improve with time and I’m excited to see what she has in store in the future.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Ballantine Books through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
My Rating:
Publication Date: 2 April 2024
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The Sicilian Inheritance
Jo Piazza
Sara Marsala feels completely lost after the failure of her business and her marriage. When her beloved great-aunt Rosie dies, Sara is left the deed to a potentially valuable plot of land in Sicily. Traveling to Italy, Sara must solve the mystery of her fierce great-grandmother Serafina who served as a healer for her town before being murdered. Alternating between Sara and Serafina, The Sicilian Inheritance is a multigenerational story of the heroism of everyday women.
When I discovered my Spotify account came with free audiobooks, I decided to try this fun historical fiction. Piazza presents a fascinating time in Sicilian history when the men left for better jobs and the women gained power, which they were loathe to give up. Both timelines of The Sicilian Inheritance were interesting though the modern timeline was over-the-top. Four stars might be a bit generous, but after several lame books, it was a relief to read something that captivated my attention. Plus, Piazza gets bonus points for the gorgeous cover and making me want to visit Sicily.
My Rating:
Publication Date: 2 April 2024
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Darling Girls
Sally Hepworth
Jessica, Norah, and Alicia are the luckiest girls, or so they are told. After family tragedies, each was given a second chance at a happy family, living on a peaceful farm with a loving foster mom. Yet, the foster sisters’ childhood was far from idyllic, though no one ever believed them. When a body is found buried on the farm, they soon find themselves prime witnesses and possibly prime suspects.
As usual, Sally Hepworth delivers a well-plotted page turner. Miss Fairchild proved to be a perfectly aggravating villain, fully despicable in her child abuse but clever enough to conceal everything at first glance. I was thrown by several of the revelations and loved the push-and-pull of the then and now timelines. Although the thriller obviously shows the worst scenario of foster care, Hepworth balances that out with a wonderful portrayal of Alicia as a social worker.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from St. Martin’s Press through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
My Rating:
Publication Date: 23 April 2024
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From the Backlist
Within Arm’s Reach
Ann Napolitano
Among the April 2024 book releases is a re-release of Ann Napolitano’s debut novel. Within Arm’s Reach follows three generations of the McLaughlins, an Irish-American family in New Jersey. Told from the points of view of six different narrators, the story hinges on how an out-of-wedlock pregnancy changes the dynamics of the Catholic family, forcing them to learn to communicate to keep the family together.
Having loved Ann Napolitano’s last two releases (Hello Beautiful and Dear Edward), it was interesting to take a look back at her debut novel. You can clearly see that Within Arm’s Reach had the bones of a good story. Yet, Napolitano as yet lacked the skill to develop it well. Within Arm’s Reach is a sprawling read with too many narrators, making it really hard to engage with any of the storylines. The plot dragged so much that I only made it halfway before admitting defeat and adding it to the DNF pile.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Random House through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Verity
Colleen Hoover
Struggling writer Lowen Ashleigh receives the chance of a lifetime when Jeremy Crawford hires her to complete the bestselling book series written by his wife, Verity. Just months after their daughters’ deaths, Verity was left in a catatonic state after a car accident. Going through Verity’s study, Lowen stumbles upon an unpublished autobiography full of erotic obsessions and dark confessions. Now Lowen can’t stop thinking about how Verity’s sexy husband deserves better, debating whether to show him Verity’s writings.
Whenever Verity is mentioned (and it seems to be mentioned a lot), readers are either shocked I haven’t read it yet or they warn me it’s a complete piece of trash. Honestly, I can see both viewpoints. Colleen Hoover expertly blends erotic romance with a dark thriller. Switching between Lowen’s perspective and Verity’s manuscript added plenty of suspense and stunning revelations to keep you turning pages. Personally, it wasn’t really the book for me. The book got uncomfortably dark for me, and, holy hell, there was a lot of sex! However, the memorable narrative and the dark corners of Hoover’s mind will make this one pretty hard to forget, and I can understand why it’s a favorite.
My Rating:
Publication Date: 7 December 2018
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The Housemaid
Freida McFadden
After ten years in prison, Millie can’t be picky about the jobs she takes so she feels extremely grateful to land a position as a housemaid to the Winchesters. At first, Nina Winchester seems grateful to have Millie clean up her disastrously messy house. Quickly, Nina’s erratic mood changes have Millie on edge. Worse is watching Nina’s perfect (and sexy) husband forced to live with such a wife, which has Millie imagining what it would be like to be in Nina’s place.
When The Housemaid’s Secret won a Goodreads Award in 2023, I realized I had somehow missed the train on McFadden’s series. Let’s be honest, The Housemaid is not particularly clever, deep, or original. The writing, in particular, left much to be desired. Yet Millie’s darkly humorous personality made for a quick fun read. I could have done without the “pining over the married employer” vibe, but the ending took an unexpectedly dark turn that makes it stand out.
My Rating:
Publication Date: 26 April 2022
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The Housemaid’s Secret
Freida McFadden
In a sequel to The Housemaid, Millie lands a new position working for successful tech businessman Douglas Garrick. Cleaning their penthouse and cooking fancy meals for the Garricks is what she was expecting. What she wasn’t expecting was never meeting Mrs. Garrick or the blood stains around the neck of the wife’s nightgowns. Millie must decide how best to protect Mrs. Garrick without revealing her own secrets.
I was caught off-guard when The Housemaid’s Secret was voted the best thriller in the 2023 Goodreads Awards, so I picked both books in the series up at the library. While The Housemaid felt like a mash-up of several popular thrillers, The Housemaid’s Secret was much more original than the first book. McFadden successfully plays on your expectations and adds in some clever twists. Although The Housemaid’s Secret is plagued by the same poor writing quality, the narrative is fun enough to let it slide since it’s a quick read.
My Rating:
Publication Date: 20 February 2023
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Making It So
Patrick Stewart
Legendary actor Sir Patrick Stewart tells of his life, from his humbling beginnings in Yorkshire, England, to his rise to fame in Hollywood. Along the way, he shares a portrait of an artist who has become famous for his Shakespearean roles, as Captain Picard in the Star Trek series, and as Professor Xavier in the X-Men series.
Memoirs show you how a person views themself and Patrick Stewart is a Shakespearean actor through and through. Despite the obvious Star Trek reference in the title, Making It So is a play-by-play guide to all the Shakespeare plays Stewart has performed in. Other than a look at his childhood, Stewart’s memoir offers little introspection and reads like a resume of his career. He barely mentions his ex-wives (whom he cheated on) and kids. Sadly, the more you learn about his personal life, the less you admire him.
My Rating:
Publication Date: 3 October 2023
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We Have Always Lived in the Castle
Shirley Jackson
Six years ago, the entire Blackwood family was poisoned by arsenic in their sugar. Even though Constance, who prepared the meal, was acquitted, the villagers shun her and the family. Now Constance hides away with her uncle, disabled from the arsenic, and her younger sister Merricat. When an estranged cousin arrives, he upsets the balance between the sisters and threatens to bring to light hidden secrets.
If you want a trippy Gothic classic, you cannot pass on Shirley Jackson’s short novel. Merricat is the perfect unreliable narrator, an odd childlike woman whom Constance coddles. Is Merricat’s mental state a cause or a result of events? The book’s ambiguous nature leaves the story wide open for interpretation. You never learn why the Blackwood family was poisoned, so you are left to guess in this thought-provoking read.
My Rating:
Publication Date: 21 September 1962
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A Rule Against Murder
Louise Penny
During a summer heat wave, Inspector Armand Gamache and his wife Reine-Marie visit a luxurious inn in the countryside for their customary anniversary visit. This year, a contentious family is also staying at the inn, which Gamache is shocked to learn are Peter Morrow’s relatives. After a statue dedicated to their late father is unveiled, one of the family members is murdered and Gamache must use his investigative skills to solve the case, even if one of his friends is a prime suspect.
The fourth entry into the Inspector Gamache series was just okay. I still think Inspector Gamache is a great character and I adore his wife. Moving the story out of Three Pines was a nice change and allowed the novel to focus more deeply on Peter and Clara Morrow. Though the case itself was intriguing, thought the action-packed ending felt a bit rushed. Everyone keeps telling me to hang on until books five and six, so I guess I’ll give Penny a few more tries to see if she can reel me back into the series.
My Rating:
Publication Date: 1 January 2008
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The Brutal Telling
Louise Penny
When a body turns up one morning in Olivier’s Bistro, Inspector Armand Gamache must return to Three Pines to investigate the case. Who is the murdered man and why was his body dumped in the bistro? With a heated rivalry between Olivier and a new family opening a luxury inn in Three Pines, Olivier has motive and a story full of holes that don’t seem to be adding up in the sixth book of Louise Penny’s bestselling series.
Now I can see why everyone says to keep reading the series. After several uninspiring books, I found myself once again captivated by Inspector Gamache’s mystery. Better yet, Penny proved that the main characters are not untouchable. Instead of the stories feeling like standalone novels, Penny has started to insert foreshadowing into future problems and continuing story arcs through multiple books. Now I’m excited to read book six.
My Rating:
Publication Date: 22 September 2009
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Currently Reading
I always seem to have multiple books going at once. Here’s a peek at what I’m currently reading.
My To-Read List
What’s up next for me? Before I let you go, here are a few of the titles I’m hoping to get through this upcoming month.
Be sure to come back next month to see which ones I read.
Which Books Did You Read in April?
What books did you love this month? Which books can you not wait to read? As always, let me know in the comments!
More Book Lists to Enjoy:
Ann says
I read James by Percival Everett and am still not sure how I feel about it. It was on my radar from the get go. I read The Trees a couple of years ago. That was one wild book. I appreciated the premise of James. Giving a voice to Jim, from The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is brilliant. And there is the interesting concept of the slaves not speaking in the dialect that was used in Twain’s original, that plays a part in the story. So, intriguing concept, yes. Everett is good at creating thought provoking ideas. But I cannot help thinking somehow he is piggy backing off Twain. I understand the original book is public domain, but still.
That was my new release for April. I sometimes feel like I swamp myself with new releases & a never ending TBR of them. I did however do some backlist reading as well. My book club read Circe by Madeline Miller this month. That was one that my daughter was always intending to read. I was not a fan of The Song Of Achilles, so sort of put Circe off. It ended up being much more engaging than the former title, but I think Greek mythology is not my thing. I felt it would have benefited from some better editing. There were some very vivid, imaginative passages, but also parts that went on too long.
Another backlist book was Maggie Smith’s You Could Make This Place Beautiful. Not sure what took me so long. That was really good; especially if you are going through a divorce, or as was my case, even if you aren’t.
Currently reading: Clear by Carys Davies, The Truth About The Devlins by Lisa Scottoline and The Tower by Flora Carr. So far these are not really “hitting” for me. I am in that search for what to read next. I’ll most likely finish Clear (it is short). The Devlins is due back day after tomorrow, so it will need to pick up. And I won a copy of The Tower, so it can wait!
Not overly excited about much. Maybe Real Americans by Rachel Khong. I have several wait lists (always at the limit) going at the library. Too many to list. I found a copy of Amy Tintera’s Listen For The Lie in a Little Free Library (don’t you love those?!) recently. So that was fun. If I can just get around to reading it now. Also won an uncorrected advance copy of Wait by Gabriella Burnham.
Trying to adjust to a new pair of bifocals for my aging eyes may send me over the edge!!!!!
I always appreciate your posts/lists!!!!!!
Debi Morton says
I completely agree with you about Making It So. I just finished Surrender by Bono and the difference in both the men and their books was amazing. Stewart, as you said, did not say much and none of it was very personal. And he dropped so many names it made me dizzy; all to say look at me, I know all these people. Bono on the other hand names people saying look at them, their talent, their activism, their heart, their friendship or political savvy. To quote you, read this-Surrender, not that-Making it So.
Lori says
My best books this month were The Same Bright Stars by Ethan Joelle, Millionaires for the Month by Stacy McNulty and So That Happened by Katie Bailey. Also, a re-read Adventurers Wanted: Slathbog’s Gold by M. L. Forman.
Kind of a different list this month.
Laura J says
Keep going with Inspector Gamache. I’ve read all her books and am looking forward to her next one that comes out this fall. Another great mystery series is the Ruth Galloway series by Ellie Griffiths. It take place in England and there are about 15 books in the series. Just like the Gamache books, the first couple of books take a while to get into, but after that it’s full steam ahead. The best thing about waiting a few years and letting several books in the series get published before is that you don’t have to wait 1-2 years for the next book to be published and you can just keep reading them and enjoy the character development while not forgetting some of the details.
And you don’t have to wait months for your book on hold at the library to come in since it’s not a current best seller or recently published!
Rachael says
I just started the next Gamache book. I do love that I can get the audiobooks from the library so quickly!