I think it’s highly time I post my April wrap-up! I managed to read some books that had been on my TBR for a while this past month and I’m really happy about it! Overall, I read 19 books in April, including 3 graphic novels and two mangas, and that’s pretty great.
Middle grade:
What Stars Are Made Of by Sarah Allen ⭐⭐⭐⭐
This one was absolutely adorable and I’m so glad that I picked it up. It follows Libby, a twelve-year-old girl with Turner syndrome who wants the world to know about Cecelia Payne, the scientist who discovered what stars are made of. This book was super wholesome and I loved it with all my heart. If you know kids in middle grade then I can only recommend you help them discover this book because it is beautiful and important!
Young adult:
Emergency Contact by Mary H.K. Choi ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This is one of the books that had been on my TBR for a while. I was a tiny bit worried that I would find it overhyped but it was absolutely excellent! I loved the dual POV and the anxiety rep. Sam and Penny are both super relatable and adorable at the same time. If you are looking for a cute romance with just the right amount of drama, then this might just be the thing for you! [possible TW for rape and panic attacks]
Lore by Alexandra Bracken ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Lore was one of my most anticipated reads for this year. I loved the Passenger duology, so I really looking forward to reading this one, especially considering it’s all about one of my favourite things ever: greek mythology! It’s full of action, drama and great plot twists as well as badass characters. I’m so glad that I read this one, it was absolutely excellent. [possible TW for violence and death]
You Owe Me A Murder by Eileen Cook ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The concept for this book is as follows: in the plane on her way to London, Kim meets Nicki. The two girls bond over a stolen bottle of alcohol and promise each other that they will kill someone for the other girl. Kim gets off the plane and doesn’t think much of it, until her ex boyfriend meets his end through mysterious circumstances, and she gets an eerie message: it’s clear she owes Nicki a murder. This book is a bit different from what I usually read, but I ended up really liking it! It has great plot twists and kept me on edge until the end. If you are into murder-mystery novels, then I definitely recommend it!
Full Disclosure by Camryn Garrett ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This one also had been on my TBR for quite a while and I’m so glad I finally read it, as I thought it was absolutely excellent. It’s a bit of a coming-of-age story featuring a MC who is HIV-positive. It’s a story about friendship and family and first love, and it has a lovely queer cast of characters. I recommend this one with my whole heart!
Adult fiction:
Red Letter Days by Sarah-Jane Stratford ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Set in the 1950s, Red Letter Days is the story of a young woman who wants to become a script writer in Hollywood. But when she is accused of being a communist and blacklisted, she has no choice but to run away to London, a try to rebuilt her life across the ocean. I really anjoyed this book and I would definitely recommend it if you are a fan of
The Phone Booth at the Edge of the World by Laura Imai Messina ⭐⭐⭐⭐
This book was absolutely beautiful! It’s set in the aftermath of the 2011 tsunami in Japan, and follows a man who installed a phone booth in his garden, from which people can talk to the people they lost. We meet Yui, who lost her mother and daughter, and is trying to find comfort and keep on living. This book was both beautiful and heartbreaking but also healing and full of hope in the end. Did I cry? Yes, absolutely. Would I recommend it? Also yes.
While Paris Slept by Ruth Druart ⭐⭐⭐⭐
I read several historical fiction books this month past month, and While Paris Slept was also one of them. It follows a couple who ran to the US to protect a Jewish baby, and raised him as their own, until they found out years after the war that his parents were still alive. This book was absolutely fascinating, and featured morally grey characters in the best possible way. If you enjoy historical fiction, the, I would definitely recommend it.
Hullmetal Girls by Emily Skrutskie ⭐⭐⭐⭐
I don’t read that many science fiction books but I do enjoy a good novel set in space, and such was the case with Hullmetal Girls, which follows Aisha Un-Haad and Key Tanaka as they enter a procedure to be robotically enhanced. The book is set 300 years after humanity has started living in space, and our characters will follow many trials. I loved the writing and the cast of queer characters, and I will definitely be looking forward to reading more books by Emily Skrutskie! [possible TW for: someone being outed]
The Aunt Who Wouldn’t Die by Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay ⭐⭐⭐⭐
This book was just translated in French which was the perfect opportunity for me to read it! It’s set in Bangladesh and follows three generations of women in the same family, as they fight to truly do what they want. It has touches of magic and humour. It was a rather short read, but I really enjoyed it, and would recommend it for someone who needs a short read with bits of hope and feminism!
French books:
Combats et métamorphoses d’une femme d’Edouard Louis ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Le roi n’avait pas ri de Guillaume Meurice ⭐⭐⭐
Les trois vies de Suzana Baker de Philippe Amar ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Les beaux jours d’Émilie Besse ⭐⭐
French graphic novels:
C’est comme ça que je disparais de Mirion Malle ⭐⭐⭐⭐
(Soon available in English as: This Is How I Disappear)
Le don de Rachel de Anne-Caroline Pandolfo et Terkel Risbjerg ⭐⭐⭐⭐
La fille dans l’écran de Manon Desveaux et Lou Lubie ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Mangas:
Your name by Makoto Shinkai vol.1 and 2 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
And that’s it for today! Thank you so much for reading, I hope you have a wonderful day!
Clemi's Bookish World 