Download, read, and vote for your favorite April titles for the April 2024 LibraryReads list!
Votes due March 1st!
THE FAMILIAR BY LEIGH BARDUGO | 9781250884251 | 4/9/24
REQUEST ON EDELWEISS
“[This] highlights all of the things that make Bardugo so well loved: a romance with maddening chemistry, an artfully built world, side characters with their own deep backstories, and a plot full of dark twists and spiderweb connections. The Sephardic Jewish representation is intricate and lovely… Fans of historical fantasy [and] tortured love interests…will fall hard for this new novel.”–Booklist, starred review
“Bardugo puts an earthy spin on heavenly miracles, with much attention given to the mundane drudgery of daily life that is not erased—even with magic that can unburn bread. Luzia’s pursuit of her powers, even at risk of burning at the stake, comes across as both empowering and practical compared to a life of unrewarding toil, making it easy to root for her through the competition. The sharp realism mixes with a genuine feeling of enchantment to create a top tier historical fantasy.”–Publishers Weekly, starred review
“Bardugo (HELL BENT) masterfully weaves magical realism with historical fiction and romance, which makes this book impossible to put down.”–Library Journal, starred review
MAL GOES TO WAR BY EDWARD ASHTON | 9781250286314 | 4/9/24
REQUEST ON EDELWEISS AND NETGALLEY
“Mal goes to war and learns about honor, duty, and doing the wrong thing for the right reason. Mal’s voice has all of Murderbot’s snark, along with its uncomfortable regard for humans. His escapades with the misfit gang that gathers around his charge compel the reader through his adventures even as the costs of the war grow higher. Ashton offers a technothriller with heart.”–Library Journal, starred review
THE DEAD CAT TAIL ASSASSINS BY P. DJÈLÍ CLARK | 9781250767042 | 4/23/24
REQUEST ON EDELWEISS AND NETGALLEY
“This wildly surprising caper fantasy from Clark will keep readers on the edge of their seats working out who ‘dunit,’ and how and why, as they explore the gritty underbelly of this world of living contracts, dead gods, and legal necromancy… This will appeal to all lovers of urban fantasy.”–Library Journal, starred review
THE HOUSE OF BROKEN BRICKS BY FIONA WILLIAMS | 9781250896766 | 4/9/24
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“Williams delays the revelation of what’s caused the rift in the family, skillfully using foreshadowing to keep the reader invested… The chapters are divided into sections called Autumn, Winter, Spring, and Summer, which mirror the household’s moods. Whether or not the family will stay together depends on the changing seasons. A subtle, complex, and gorgeously written delight.”–Kirkus Reviews, starred review
EVERY TIME I GO ON VACATION, SOMEONE DIES BY CATHERINE MACK | 9781250325853 | 4/30/24
REQUEST ON EDELWEISS AND NETGALLEY
“This novel is funny and suspenseful, featuring Eleanor as a witty and relatable narrator who constantly breaks the fourth wall in an entertaining and original use of footnotes. Mack’s tale is full of lively references, beautiful Italian settings, romance, fun chapter titles, and an interesting mix of suspects who are almost all mystery writers themselves. It is an amusing, light read that invites the reader to gather the clues and solve the crime before Eleanor reveals the answer.”–Booklist
BLESS YOUR HEART BY LINDY RYAN | 9781250888884 | 4/9/24
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“Told via multiple points of view, a well-developed and utterly unforgettable cast of characters, and an engaging narration that draws readers in immediately, this novel will make readers root for the Evans women to beat back both the ghouls and the family secrets that haunt them. Ryan’s compelling horror/mystery hybrid is bursting with serious scares, humor, and Southern charm.”–Library Journal
LATE BLOOMER BY MAZEY EDDINGS | 9781250847089 | 4/16/24
REQUEST ON EDELWEISS AND NETGALLEY
“This is an engaging sapphic romance about two people who have a history of being taken advantage of and must learn to trust each other. Eddings brings a light and optimistic touch to characters dealing with substance addiction, grief, and the downsides of neurodivergence. Recommended for readers who enjoy contemporary queer romance, meet-cutes, and rural settings.”–Library Journal
EXTINCTION BY DOUGLAS PRESTON | 9780765317704 | 4/23/24
REQUEST ON EDELWEISS AND NETGALLEY
“Preston’s novels are a lot of fun because he really commits to the stories. He might be writing about ordinary people in a fantastic situation, but he isn’t writing a fantasy. The villain of the story, as out-of-this-world as it might be, is presented as realistically as any human villain, which gives the story an unsettlingly plausible atmosphere. Highly recommendable.”–Booklist
YOUR PRESENCE IS MANDATORY BY SASHA VASILYUK | 9781639731534 | 4/23/24
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“Throughout, Vasilyuk alternates the narration between Yefim, who dies in 2007, and Nina, who lives in Russian-occupied Donetsk in 2015. In a poignant moment, she reflects how, after surviving famine and WWII, she never thought she’d see the town she lived in for most of her life destroyed from within by separatists. This is a reverberating exploration of guilt, trauma, and the turbulent history between Ukraine and Russia.”–Publishers Weekly
GRANITE HARBOR BY PETER NICHOLS | 9781250894816 | 4/30/24
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“A British novelist turned Maine police detective finds himself investigating a horrific murder… Well-written, character-driven portrait of small-town New England meets Silence of the Lambs. Strong stomach a plus.”–Kirkus Reviews
FIRST LIGHT BY LIZ KERIN | 9781250835703 | 4/23/24
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The sequel to NIGHT’S EDGE! It’s been nine months since the catastrophe in Tucson sent Mia fleeing from her home. Now, she’s obsessively pursuing the man who gave her mother a thirst for blood and destroyed their lives. But when Mia finds the monsters she’s been hunting and infiltrates a secret network of fugitives, she discovers she might have been their prey all along.
THE INFILTRATOR BY T. R. HENDRICKS | 9781250832269 | 4/23/24
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One year after the clash with his former students in upstate New York, retired Marine Warrant Officer and SERE instructor Derek Harrington is the tip of the FBI’s spear in their mission to eradicate the domestic terrorist group known as Autumn’s Tithe. After several successful operations intelligence points to one final camp in the remote Kentucky wilderness, and Derek prepares to take down Autumn’s Tithe for good.
GHOST STATION BY S.A. BARNES | 9781250884923 | 4/9/24
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Psychologist Dr. Ophelia Bray has dedicated her life to the study and prevention of ERS—a space-based condition most famous for a case that resulted in the brutal murders of twenty-nine people. When she’s assigned to a small exploration crew, she’s eager to make a difference. But as they begin to establish residency on an abandoned planet, it becomes clear that crew is hiding something.