What I Read Last Month (April 2024)
How can it be that a month feels like both the longest and the shortest month that ever was?
I’ll be honest, when I first started writing this round-up up, I was worried that I had read a grand total of no books in April. However, I was pleased to find out that wasn’t the case. In fact, I read several books that I am happy to spread the word about.
Here goes!
April at a glance
Scandalous Women by Gill Paul
(Out August 2024)
I wrote a bit about this book in my last reading round up, so I won’t dwell too long except to say that this book is a great look at two titans of the book world as well as the difficulties women on the cover and behind the scenes of New York and London publishing faced in the 1960s and 1970s. I actually got to read this one as an early reader and provided a cover quote, so I thought I’d share that here:
Scandalous Women goes down like the first sip of a perfect martini! Weaving a page-turning tale, Gill Paul cleverly explores feminism, misogyny, ambition, and loyalty through the imagined friendship of two literary powerhouses whose fabulous lives are more than worthy of their own novel.
The Last Murder at the End of the World by Stuart Turton
I love watching authors taking a big swing and trying to do something really different or out there. I think it’s fascinating to see what works and what doesn’t work (for me as a reader), and it’s really helpful to learn from that as an author. That’s exactly why Stuart Turton has become an auto-buy author for me. I really enjoyed the twisty, turny and just plain weirdness of The Seven Deaths of Evelyne Hardcastle and although The Devil and the Dark Water didn’t hit for me in quite the same way I always admire that he is taking big, ambitious swings for the fences with his genre-bending books. The Last Murder at the End of the World was no different for me. I really admired the world-building that Turton has done in this book, and all of the elements that fit together to feed the reader vital pieces of information about this strange, post-apocalyptic world.
The Homewreckers by Mary Kay Andrews
I’m embarrassed to say that I’ve never read a Mary Kay Andrews book before The Homewreckers despite 1) being a fan of her as a person and everything she and her fellow Friends & Fiction hosts have done for the book community 2) loving Savannah-set books. Well, I’ve clearly remedied that now, and I’m so glad I did! This book was the perfect palette cleanser for me, and I loved the HGTV-style reality show plot device at the centre of it. The fact that it was also a light murder mystery was also a big plus!
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What I’m currently reading
Women in Intelligence by Helen Fry
You’re probably going to see this one on my currently reading list for awhile as I work my way through this, frankly, incredible history of women in British intelligence. The detail that Fry has been able to find in the archives and through conducting interviews is incredible, and I’m taking my time savoring this book.
Finlay Donovan Is Killing It by Ellie Cosimano
Remember how earlier I talked about how I like a big swing for the fences idea in a book? This is one of those books and my goodness does it work. I don’t want to say too much since I’m not
Locked in Pursuit by Ashley Weaver
I am always on the look out for new-to-me historical mystery series, and I have been meaning for some time to start Ashley Weaver’s World War 2-set Electra McDonnell books. Featuring a talented safe cracker who is recruited to put her talents to work for the British war effort, I’m already enjoying the twists and turns that this book promises to take.
What’s next on my TBR
The Last Twelve Miles by Erika Robuck
I was a big fan of Erika Robuck’s The Invisible Woman, so I’ve been itching to pick up another one of her books. This one is set during the Prohibition Era rum wars and features a cat-and-mouse game between two heroines on opposite sides of the law.
Funny Story by Emily Henry
At this point I’ve read nearly all of Emily Henry’s books. I find them comforting with their focus on friendships or small town life that intertwine with the main romance. They are, for me, a great kick off the summer read, and I’m excited to try Funny Story even if the weather stubbornly refuses to edge towards summer as quickly as I want it to.
One of Us Knows by Alyssa Cole
I’ve long been a fan of Alyssa Cole’s romances, but I haven’t yet dipped my toe into the world of her thrillers. I definitely want to change that next month and will be moving One of Us Knows to the top of my TBR pile.
What have you recently read and enjoyed? Leave a comment and let me know!