Some months it feels difficult to find any books to get excited about, and other months you can’t help but think “when it rains, it pours” because you’re fair drowning in exciting New Releases. April is definitely in the latter category this year, and with so much time to spend at home I can only say thank goodness, for the diversion, for the entertainment, for the lessons, and for the hope that literature brings.
Keep scrolling to see which books we’re excited about this month, and consider adding some to your “to read” list. If you do read any of these, remember to come back and let us know what you thought! And of course, comment below with any April books you’re excited about that we may have missed.
Byron’s Picks
Simon the Fiddler ~ Paulette Jiles (Release Date April 14, 2020)
Paulette Jiles’ previous book News of the World, with its beautiful, lyrical, direct prose, fascinating characters, and interesting setting, was one of my favorites of 2016. When I discovered that she was releasing another book, it was a must-buy for me. I became even more interested when I found out that its about an fiddle player in Civil War-era Texas. Neat!
How Much of These Hills is Gold ~ C Pam Zhang (Release Date April 7, 2020)
This novel is getting a lot of buzz from publications that I respect. It’s set during the Gold Rush. That’s really all I know about the book, but that was enough to get me interested.
Ardis’s Picks
Chosen Ones ~ Veronica Roth (Release Date April 7th, 2020)
I loved the Divergent series, not just because I’m a sucker for the “teen saves the world” dystopia story, but for the things Roth brought to the table in helping to define the YA genre. Seeing Roth back on the scene with a new teen dystopia story is so exciting, and I can’t wait to see what she’s done with this new, and very different, universe.
This time, she’s set her story in the United States and centers her story on 5 teens groomed only to fight America’s great enemy, the Dark One. Now ten years after their victory, what does their world look like? How have the cruelties of their training influenced the adults these fighters have become, and what hope can any of them have for a life after the fight?
The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires ~ Grady Hendrix (Release Date April 7th, 2020)
“Steel Magnolias meets Dracula in this ‘90s-set horror novel…”? How could I scroll past without adding this to my list? I don’t read a lot of “guilty pleasure” books this time of year, but this book offers a lot of things I can’t say “no” to. And if I’m hoping for more “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” meets “Practical Magic”, I think I can be forgiven.
Square Haunting: Five Writers in London Between the Wars ~ Francesca Wade (Release Date April 7th, 2020)
This nonfiction work by Francesca Wade examines the lives and works of five remarkable women at the turn of a century where the world was in turmoil and women were fighting tooth and nail for rights long denied them.
Against this tumultuous background, the lives of five women intertwine in London: the novelist Dorothy Sayers, the poet H. D., classicist Jane Harrison, economist Eileen Power, and author Virginia Woolf.
Bone Silence ~ Alastair Reynolds (Release Date April 14th, 2020)
Bone Silence is the sure-to-be-thrilling conclusion to his Revenger space opera. With space pirates, thrilling heists, and planets booby-trapped and full of gold, how could you go wrong? Add to that a fascinating and mysterious history and a universe-wide conspiracy and you clearly have the recipe for success. But Reynolds doesn’t stop there, using these incredible factors as a backdrop for a very personal story of two sisters now thriving as space pirates (can I get a “hell yeah”) but facing insurmountable odds. And if they fail, all of mankind may be doomed.
The Book of Koli ~ M. R. Carey (Release Date April 14th, 2020)
From the author of The Girl with All the Gifts (and more), this new story looks not only to be full of promise but right up my personal alley. In this dystopia, plant life as a whole has turned against humanity and reclaimed the world. I don’t need to know more – I’m in.
The Last Emperox ~ John Scalzi (Release Date April 14th, 2020)
John Scalzi’s Interdependency series was my guilty pleasure of 2017, and last year’s sequel proved to be just as thrilling, just as rich, just as fun as the first. Now, I can’t wait to read Scalzi’s newest entry into this series. The universe he’s created is so well-realized, and the crisis set before it is so complex and insurmountable, I feel like I’ve been holding my breath in anticipation since I turned the last page on book #2.
