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Books in April - Book recommendations
- The Little Bookshop
- 4 days ago
- 8 min read
We guess we can now say that every month is a special month! April because our shop celebrates its first year!! We’re just so happy we’re still here so we thank you all for all your enthusiasm and support! There’s also Earth Day - and our writing workshop with Damla is related to this with Nature Writing ;) But this article is about new books, isn’t it? Let’s dive into our new list of books.
Contemporary
Say You'll Remember Me by Abby Jimenez (1 April)
The new Abby Jimenez is getting out in a small paperback!
The perfect guy.The perfect date. Utterly disastrous timing. There might be no such thing as the perfect guy, but Xavier Rush comes disastrously close. A gorgeous veterinarian giving Greek god vibes - all while cuddling a tiny kitten? Immediately yes. That is until he opens his mouth and proves that even sculpted gods can say the absolute wrong thing. But there's nothing Samantha loves more than proving an asshole wrong… unless he can admit he made a mistake.But after one incredible date - possibly the best in living history - Samantha is forced to admit the truth, that any kind of relationship would be impossible. Samantha begs Xavier to forget her. To remember their night together as a perfect moment, as crushing as that may be. Only no amount of distance or time is nearly enough to forget that something between them. And the only thing better than one perfect memory is to make a life - and even a love - worth remembering.
The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown (17 April)
I’ve been waiting for this one - and I know I’m not the only one!!
New York bookseller Cassie Andrews is not sure what she’s doing with her life. She lives quietly, sharing an apartment with her best friend, Izzy. Then a favourite customer gives her an old book. Full of strange writing and mysterious drawings, at the very front there is a handwritten message:This is the Book of Doors. Hold it in your hand, and any door is every door. Cassie is about to discover that the Book of Doors is a special book – a magic book. A book that bestows extraordinary abilities on whoever possesses it. And she is about to learn that there are other magic books out there that can also do wondrous – or dreadful and terrifying – things. Because where there is magic there is power and there are those who will stop at nothing to possess it. Suddenly Cassie and Izzy are confronted by violence and danger, and the only person who can help them is Drummond Fox who has a secret library of magical books hidden in the shadows for safekeeping, a man fleeing his own demons. Because there is a nameless evil out there that is hunting them all… Because this book is worth killing for.
Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry (24 April)
And of course, the new Emily Henry. You can already pre-order yours ;)
When Margaret Ives, the famously reclusive heiress, invites eternal optimist Alice Scott to the balmy Little Crescent Island, Alice knows this is it: her big break. And even more rare: a chance to impress her family with a Serious Publication. The catch? Pulitzer-prize winning human thundercloud, Hayden Anderson, is sure of the same thing. The proposal? A one-month trial period to unearth the truth behind one of the most scandalous families of the 20th Century, after which she'll choose who'll tell her story. The problem? Margaret is only giving each of them tantalising pieces. Pieces they can't put together because of an ironclad NDA and an inconvenient yearning pulsing between them every time they're in the same room. And it's becoming abundantly clear that their story - just like the tale Margaret's spinning - could be a mystery, tragedy, or love ballad… depending on who's telling it.
Butter by Asako Yuzuki (24 April)
And what about this one? Food and murder. Inspired by a real case!
There are two things that I can simply not tolerate: feminists and margarine. Gourmet cook Manako Kajii sits in Tokyo Detention Centre convicted of the serial murders of lonely businessmen, who she is said to have seduced with her delicious home cooking. The case has captured the nation’s imagination but Kajii refuses to speak with the press, entertaining no visitors. That is, until journalist Rika Machida writes a letter asking for her recipe for beef stew and Kajii can’t resist writing back. Rika, the only woman in her news office, works late each night, rarely cooking more than ramen. As the visits unfold between her and the steely Kajii, they are closer to a masterclass in food than journalistic research. Rika hopes this gastronomic exchange will help her soften Kajii but it seems that she might be the one changing. With each meal she eats, something is awakening in her body, might she and Kaji have more in common than she once thought?
YA Book Recommendations
We Were Warned by Chelsea Ichaso (4 April)
Chelsea Ichaso has already quite some thrillers on her name. I remember ‘The Summer She Went Missing’ and this was a fast, thrilling read.
Everyone knows the legend of Fairport Village: twenty-five years ago, a shocking murder closed the place down. This year, the ruins will be bulldozed at last. But tonight, it's not too late to die. All her life, Eden Stafford has heard the lore about the abandoned beach resort at the edge of town: ever since the notorious murder there, anyone who sets foot on the property is cursed to die. It’s more than just a story: over the years, two high school students who dared to explore the ruins of Fairport Village were killed there. Yet out of all the things Eden expected to happen that night, finding another student dead at Fairport Village wasn't one of them. Though the death is ruled an accident, Eden knows she saw something suspicious at the ruins – and Caleb and her other longtime tormentors did, too. Now they're all being followed by a deadly stranger, and to save themselves, they must work together to uncover the truth about Fairport Village. But after all that’s happened, can Eden really trust Caleb and his friends? Or will they leave her to face a killer alone?
The Hive by Anna February (10 April)
After ‘Sunrise on the Reaping’, looking for another dystopian?
Justice is merciless in the Hive, a monarchy of tomorrow, where young bodyguard Feldspar awaits execution, guilty of being alive when her charge is dead. The girl has one defender – Niko, a royal maverick. Together they have three days to prove the impossible. Three days to question everything Feldspar knows about the world that raised her and discover who the real murderer is…
Passenger by Alexandra Bracken (24 April)
And this is great because the second one ‘Wayfarer’ will get published at the same time - so you can continue right away!
In one night, Etta is wrenched from everything she knows and loves and thrown into an unfamiliar world where she is certain of only one thing: she has travelled not just miles, but years from home. The Atlantic Ocean, 1776Nicholas is on a mission to deliver Etta to the dangerous patriarch of the time-travelling families, Cyrus Ironwood. But he's drawn to the mysterious passenger on his ship, and the closer he gets to her, the further he finds himself from freedom. Into the UnknownTogether, Etta and Nicholas must embark on a perilous journey across centuries and continents, piecing together her mother's clues to find a stolen astrolabe with the power to change everything. But as Etta plays deeper into Ironwoods' game, treacherous forces threaten to separate her not only from Nicholas, but from her own time - forever.
Love at Second Sight by F.T. Lukens (29 April)
Mystery + a clairvoyant + a werewolf = a new LGBTQ+ romantic fantasy!
Cam is planning to fly under the radar at his new school, which should be easy as a human among kids with super-cool paranormal powers. But after a very public psychic vision, he’s suddenly the centre of attention. With a mystery to solve to prevent a dark future, Cam teams up with handsome werewolf (and long-term crush), Mateo. As the two get closer and the mystery deepens, can they trust the sparks between them, or is Cam’s vision getting closer to coming true?
Children’s Books
Mirabelle and the Baby Dragons by Harriet Muncaster (3 April)
Dragons… do we need to say more?
Meet Mirabelle Starspell. Her mum is a witch, her dad is a fairy and she is a bit of both. She likes casting spells with her fairy wand and flying around on her witchy broomstick, but most of all the thing she really, really likes to do is cause mischief. When Mirabelle and her family are invited to spend some time at a dragon sanctuary, Mirabelle cannot wait to get stuck in and show off everything she knows. But she's about to find out that she's not quite the dragon expert she believes herself to be…
Hercules: Hero to Zero? by Tom Vaughan (10 April)
We think this is perfect for the fans of ‘Loki’ by Louie Stowell.
Hercules Braver may seem like a regular kid, but he is (secretly) a Greek hero... His birth dad is Zeus himself! So, Herc's life will no doubt be filled with GLORY. But what about FORTUNE? It's the school holidays and Herc has so many plans… sailing a yacht, going on a cruise, and generally touring the world slaying monsters. But Mum tells him they're struggling to make ends meet, and the best she can manage is to send him to Young Explorers camp with his friend Pav. DISASTER! How can Herc make money? Invent something amazing? Win the lottery? Become a tech billionaire? He's on the case with Pav, Hatty and Natthew. But their schemes take them to some unexpected places... especially when vengeful Zeus finds out that Hercules and Mum might reveal his secret existence!
The Night Forest by Polly Ho-Yen (10 April)
Difficult subjects but beautifully done.
When Ziggy goes to sleep in his new bed at his dad's house, he wakes up in the middle of the dark and scary night forest. When even sleeping at his mum's house doesn't help, he is forced to face his fears... but maybe that scary forest isn't as scary as it sounds?
The Cartoonists Club by Raina Telgemeier & Scott McCloud (10 April)
For our fans of the ‘Sisters’ series by Raina Telgemeier.
Makayla is bursting with ideas but doesn't know how to make them into a story. Howard loves to draw, but he struggles to come up with ideas and his dad thinks comics are a waste of time. Lynda constantly draws in her sketchbook but keeps focusing on what she feels are mistakes, and Art simply loves being creative and is excited to try something new. They come together to form The Cartoonists Club, where kids can learn about making comics and use their creativity and imagination for their own storytelling adventures!
We hope you enjoyed our little list and that it gave you some book inspiration!
Looking to pre-order one of these books? Just follow the path! 👇
This blog post is written by The Little Bookshop, your bookshop for English books in Rennes.