As usual, there’s quite a few books I’m excited for this April! And while I do wish I was reading a few more books from my physical TBR to work towards my goals, I’m sure I can accomplish that in May.
But this month, there seem to be quite a few ARCs on my TBR! There’s also the Shadow and Bone Netflix show coming out to look forward to, meaning that I will be re-reading Six of Crows and finally starting Crooked Kingdom.
So here’s everything I’ll be looking forward to this month – let me know if you’ve read any of these or plan to!
This is For Tonight by Jessica Patrick
This is for Tonight follows Andi Kennedy, who’s trying to grow her YouTube channel so she can pay for college. Her goal is to head to the Cabazon Valley Music and Arts Festival to film an interview with a famous band. But she finds herself competing for the spot with Jay Bankar, the annoying host of a popular prank channel. But as their competition grows, Andi finds a growing connection to him where she’ll have to decide what’s more important.
Thank you to Fierce Reads for the review copy! With the warmer weather approaching this sounds like this will be a timely read. Andi sounds like she’s in for quite the adventure and I look forward to seeing how that turns out!
The Five by Hallie Rubenhold
The Five tells the devastating stories of Polly, Annie, Elizabeth, Catherine, and Mary-Jane. They have little in common aside from the year of their murders. While the person responsible was unidentified, but the character behind the murders created became more notable than the lives of the women themselves. That, combined with untrue speculations regarding the women prevented their stories from being told.
This book has been on my radar for a while until I finally bought it this past January. I feel like I actually don’t know too much about the detail of these cases, although I’ve wanted to for some time. This will be a great opportunity to learn more about that (and dispel some of the myths regarding both the killer and the victims).
Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
The Six of Crows duology takes place in the same world as the Grishaverse. It’s a heist novel following Kaz Brekker, a young criminal in search of good fortune. He is presented with a dangerous heist that would give him lifelong wealth and riches, but it’s a mission that he can’t pull off alone.
This will be a re-read for me, which is rare! I really wanted a refresh before starting Crooked Kingdom, so I want to read this again first. I’m looking forward to returning to the world and the characters!
Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo
Crooked Kingdom follows Kaz and his crew after pulling off a daring and deadly heist. But instead of gaining their reward, they’re back to fighting for their lives.
I’ll take this one on as soon as I finish my re-read of Six of Crows! I wanted to finish this duology for a while, and the new Netflix show is the perfect opportunity to do so. I also want to start reading King of Scars this summer – another reason to check this one off my list! I hear this one is quite the journey, and I’m not sure if I’m ready for it!
As Long As Grass Grows by Dina Gilio-Whitaker
As Long as Grass Grows explores the history of treaty violations and the protection of Indigenous land and culture. Through this, the book also explores different approaches to environmental policies and practices.
This is the Feminist Book Club pick for April. I haven’t seen this book before this, but it definitely features topics I want to learn more about in terms of both history and policy. I’m definitely looking forward to the author’s insights on this one as well as the upcoming book club discussion.
In the Ravenous Dark by A.M. Strickland
In the Ravenous Dark follows Rovan, whose father died while trying to protect her from her fate of being controlled as a magic-wielder. After accidentally exposing her powers, she’s sent into a world of deception. In her plans to escape, she falls for Lydea and Ivrilios, two people she can’t trust. But together, they discover a secret that will destroy Thanopolis, and the three must gain each other’s trust in order to save them all.
Thank you to Fierce Reads for the review copy! I’ve been so curious about this book and I’m so happy to finally be reading it. The world sounds so dark and intriguing, which is right up my alley.
The Ones We’re Meant to Find by Joan He
The Ones We’re Meant to Find follows Cee, who awoke on an abandones island three years ago with nothing but but a rickety house, an old android, and a single memory of her sister who she needs to find. Meanwhile, STEM prodigy Kasey wants to escape from the eco-city, Earth’s last unpolluted city, which was originally only meant for those committed to protecting the planet. She has to decide if she’s ready to use science to humanity, even though it’s already failed the people that mattered the most.
Thank you to Fierce Reads for the review copy! This book might be one of my most anticipated this year, so excited might be a bit of an understatement! It sounds like an incredible blend of science fiction and mystery, and although I’m dying to know more I’ll leave it at that. This sounds like the kind of story where you’re meant to go in knowing very little, so I look forward to seeing where it goes.
A Dead Djinn in Cairo by P. Djèlí Clark
A Dead Djinn in Cairo follows Special Investigator Fatma el-Sha’arawi in 1912 Egypt. What starts out for her as an odd suicide case becomes a journey through the city’s ghouls, assassins, clockwork angels, and a plot that could unravel time.
After receiving a NetGalley ARC of A Master of Djinn (see below), I realized that there are short stories Clark wrote in the same world. While they’re not a requirement to read A Master of Djinn, I definitely wanted to go into the book knowing everything I could about the world. A Dead Djinn in Cairo sounds like a really interesting blend of SFF, historical fiction, and mystery, and I can’t wait to see what happens when Fatma’s journey begins.
The Haunting of Tram Car 015 by P. Djèlí Clark
The Haunting of Tram Car 015 is the second book in Clark’s stories of an alternate Cairo. It follows Senior Agent Hamed al-Nasr and his new partner Agent Onsi as they investigate a dangerous and possessed tram car. But what starts as a simple exorcism becomes more dangerous as the inner demon is revealed.
I’m especially interested in the mystery element of these books of all things; I feel like mystery in a SFF world isn’t too common (although there’s plenty of it on this month’s TBR!). Perhaps this book has a horror element to it as well, and if it does I think that would be really cool.
A Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark
A Master of Djinn follows Fatma el-Sha’arawi, the youngest woman working for the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments, and Supernatural Entities, but certaintly far from a rookie. Agent Fatma is called to the case of the murder of a secret brotherhood dedicated to one of the most famous men in history, al-Jahiz, who opened the veil between the magical and mundane realms before disappearing. The killer claims to be al-Jahiz, and Agent Fatma must solve the mystery of the imposter to save the city, or face the possibility of what could happen otherwise.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC! After reading the previous stories I’ll be jumping right in with this book. The world sounds so expansive with our without the knowledge of the prior books and I’m definitely ready to see that be unraveled in this book. I also like that this story continues Fatma’s story from A Dead Djinn in Cairo.
Lucky Girl by Jamie Pacton
Lucky Girl follows 17-year-old Jane Belleweather, the winner of a lotto jackpot worth $58,642,129. But Jane is still a minor, and coming forward to claim the ticket would lead to its forefit. She could let her hoarder mother cash it, but that will only lead to buying more stuff she doesn’t need. Then her friend and aspiring journalist is determined to find the winner. And to top it off, Jane’s ex-boyfriend is back in her life and he has plans for the money. As tensions rise in the town with no better options, Jane wonders – would the money truly be a bad thing?
Thank you to Page Street Publishing for the ARC! I’m a part of the TBR and Beyond Tour for this book. I certainly couldn’t resist reading another contemporary! It sounds like there’s going to be so much happening in this one and I can’t wait to see what Jane ends up doing.
Those are all of my planned reads for April! Let me know if you read any of these or plan to.
RELATED POSTS
December 2020 Reading Journal Setup
Today I’m sharing my December 2020 Reading Journal setup in my Archer & Olive Neapolitan journal. These are the last of the black pages before they go back to white ones.
This is one of those months where I had one idea in my mind, then it evolved into something else. I still like the end result though!
Again, since my supplies for pens and markers on the blackout pages are a bit more limited, I used some other materials to help dress up the pages. I used some scrapbook paper that reminded me a bit of a Christmas wallpaper, and used some Tombow markers and washi tape to add color. It wasn’t my original vision, but I’m okay with it. Here’s how I set it up:
October 2020 Wrapup
This October, I managed to read eleven books. However, some of them weren’t on my TBR which means I missed a few that were on my TBR. But it was also a good reading month; my average rating was a 3.7!
November 2020 TBR
Now that spooky season is over, my TBR is looking like what I would call a “catch-up” month. There’s a few books on my TBR for November that have just been on my physical TBR for way too long. Some of which I’ve even promised to get to earlier in the year. Although October meant getting lots of books for my birthday (and a few I bought for myself), one of my biggest goals is to get my TBR down as much as possible. While TBR 0 is likely to never be a possibility, I feel so much better about choosing books to read when I know there’s a minimal amount of books on my TBR.
Good luck for your April reads, a lot of these sound really intense. I have only heard about The Five. Please come visit my blog on April 2nd to see what I plan to read. Today, I posted my March recap https://wordsandpeace.com/2021/04/01/2021-march-wrap-up/
Thank you! I’m checking out your post now 🙂
So many great books on this list! I was lucky enough to get an ARC for The Ones We’re Meant to Find too and I’m really looking forward to it!
Thank you 🙂 and that’s awesome! I hope you enjoy it!
Great TBR! I really enjoyed the Six Of Crows duology so I hope you will enjoy the second book too. The same goes for the other books on your TBR! Happy reading.
Thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed it too. I’m looking forward to finishing it1
So many good reads on this list! I’m reading The Five this month as well. I’ve always been fascinated by the Jack the Ripper case and love that there’s a book focused on the women and not Jack. I’ve started it and so far so good! – Amber
I’m glad you’re enjoying it! Admittedly I don’t know a ton about the case so I’m looking forward to starting with this one!
I actually just finished it and it was amazing and I loved it! Definitely focuses less on the case and more on the victims’ lives which I liked. Can’t wait to hear your thoughts!