april reading recap π
as seen on my shelf #9
When happiness is happening it feels as if nothing else happened before it, it is a sensation that happens only in the present tense.
β Deborah Levy, Things I Donβt Want to Know
And so, the time has comeβ¦
Before I moved to Germany in September 2022, I hadnβt considered myself a reader in at least five years. But a friend has gotten me two books as a going-away present, the pages of which dutifully absorbed my tears as I flew away from a place that held so much of my heart, towards a future unknown. Thankfully, that future turned out pretty good, and a huge part of that was rediscovering parts of myself and the world in the nearly 400 books Iβve read since.
Nuremberg is a transient place. Sort of. Thereβs a joke at adidas that expats either stay for two years or forever. Iβd always made it clear I would belong in the former camp, and knew the day would come when Iβd have to figure out what to do with ALL THESE BOOKS! How does one move a home library across the world? How does one justify moving that many books across the world?
Relocation benefits, of course. Money answereth all things.
Iβve been sneaking glances at my bedroom bookshelf all week, imagining the moment I get to take it down and split its contents into carefully labeled boxes. Not every book will make the journey with me, and in my moments of absurdity, Iβm saddened to think that those inanimate little things donβt realize judgement day is near. Many will be chosen, more will get left behind.
I keep going back and forth on what the defining criteria should be. Do I keep a book I loved but feel confident I wonβt read again? Let go of those that have lingered on my TBR for ages but suspect Iβll get to someday? And what about those books I feel ambivalent about, but that belong to a larger body of work I hold dear? I find that in deciding what to keep and what to let go of, Iβm also deciding the kind of reader I want to be. Big brain energy. Let me know how you decide what books to keep in your libraries.
Saying goodbye to my apartment will be incredibly hard. I was actually going to stay a while longer, but then my landlords decided to sell the place and I took it as a sign to depart for warmer pastures. If you ever get a chance to live alone in your twenties, you absolutely should. Maybe Iβll write a dedicated post about that. Iβm already thinking about what Iβd like my next space to look like and have a few aesthetic directions in mind. The man Iβll be living with understands my soul but not my aesthetic vision, so compromises will have to be made I suppose. We both love dark wood, so weβll start from there.
BOOKS I READ IN APRIL
What a Time to Be Alive by Jenny Mustard
Jenny Mustardβs debut novel, Okay Days, was a favorite of mine when I read it two years ago. I had just finished my first Sally Rooney and was on the hunt for novels even slightly resonant of her writing style. You should check it out. What a Time to Be Alive is a dark coming-of-age story set in Stockholm, following Sickan β twenty-one, friendless, broke, but not without hope β as she starts uni, makes friends, falls in love, and faces past traumas. I enjoyed this a lot less than Okay Days. I felt its conceit was a bit too simple to be truly gripping, and I found that I couldnβt connect with any of the characters. Iβve read a lot of millennial fiction over the last couple of years, and Iβm at a point where I need a bit more than the βsmall town girl finding herself in a big cityβ arc. Itβs out this month and reviews have been great so far, including from a few of my Bookstagram friends whose taste I trust β so truly, I might very well be the problem here.
Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo
I often do this thing where I let a book Iβm really excited about sit on my shelf for ages, sustained by the thought that itβs there for my pleasure at any time. Itβs the worst thing when such a book disappoints β thankfully, this one did not. Girl, Woman, Other follows the lives, joys, and struggles of twelve very different characters β mostly women, Black and British β as they tell the stories of their families, friends, and lovers, across the country and through the years. This book is an absolute MASTERPIECE. I know some people found the writing style difficult to get into, but for me, Evaristoβs writing read like drinking down a glass of chilled water. The day I started this book, I took a solo trip to Munich. I vividly remember being on the train, and later at brunch, completely spellbound by these stories that so seamlessly wove into each other. I was so impressed by how well she was able to imbue each character with a distinct voice and perspective, so that each story felt like an exploration of a fully formed individual. If (like me) you havenβt read a lot of literature that explores the Black British experience, this is a great place to start. And if you just want a great book to read, this is a great place to start.
The Tokyo Zodiac Murders by SΕji Shimada
In 1930s Tokyo, an eccentric artist is found dead by his seven female relatives in a room that seems to be locked from the inside. A note with the body reveals his plan to murder these women in an occult ritual to create the βperfect womanβ. Soon after, the dismembered bodies of his daughters and nieces are found across Japan, in the exact way the artist had described in his note. The police have no leads, and the case goes unsolved. By 1979, these murders β known as The Tokyo Zodiac Murders due to their astrological link β have captivated the nation for forty years. When the mystery-obsessed Kazumi Ishioka brings a new lead to his astrologer friend, Kiyoshi Mitarai, they begin to solve the crime. If youβve never tried a Japanese locked room murder mystery, consider this your sign. I know exactly where I sat while reading this book, because for hours I didnβt move. For all my dedication, I couldnβt figure out the puzzle until the end β and even then, I had to go back and review the clues. If you fancy a tricky, slippery, meaty thriller, this is the one.
Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto
Still in the mood for Japanese fiction, I picked up this itty-bitty book and immediately fell in love. (I was on a roll now!) Yoshimoto gives us two short stories, following two young women dealing with personal tragedies and finding solace in unexpected places. In Kitchen, Mikage, orphaned years ago, is grieving her grandmotherβs death. Lost and alone, she finds peace in the kitchen. Her life changes when she moves in with Yuichi Tanabe, a family friend, and his mother, Eriko, who runs a nightclub. In Moonlight Shadow, Satsuki is mourning her boyfriendβs sudden death in a tragic accident. Consumed by grief, she feels disconnected from the world until she meets Urara, a mysterious woman tied to the past. Through their conversations, Satsuki begins to realize the boundaries between the living and the dead are more fluid than she thought. A reviewer on Goodreads wrote: βThere's something about Japanese writers. They have the unparalleled ability of transforming an extremely ordinary scene from our everyday mundane lives into something magical and other-worldly.β Couldnβt agree more β this was the most beautiful thing I read all month.
A friend sent me a message a few weeks before I started reading this saying something along the lines of: βThis isnβt usually my kind of book, but I cannot put it down.β Sincerely, this is what I am now saying to you. Willow has everything β steady partner, successful career, grown-up house β until everything falls apart, leaving her adrift in heartbreak. As she watches her friends move on, she finds herself grieving a future she barely had. But an unexpected source of inspiration helps her rekindle the most important relationship of all: the one with herself. I do not enjoy breakup narratives because I do not enjoy people weeping, moaning, and acting the fool. Really Good, Actually scarred me, and other books have sealed that genreβs fate. Table for One worked because Willow was not annoying, and she was not pathetic. Home girl was actually interesting! Though itβs marketed as a love letter to solitude, I was most invested in Willowβs relationships with her friends and family, both new and old, and felt such a deep sense of satisfaction on that final page. Sometimes you just need a book to be engaging and immersive β and thatβs what this was. Bonus points for the tech startup subplot!
Perfection by Vincenzo Latronico
The reviews are in and this was apparently the best 2 Girls 1 Book chat yet, so go read that!
Collected Works by Lydia Sandgren
Goodreads describes this tome of a novel (my big book of the month!) as High Fidelity meets Where'd You Go, Bernadette, and although Iβve only read one of those, I can assure you β that is not the vibe. Several years after the disappearance of his wife, Cecilia, Martin Berg is tumbling into a life crisis. The owner of an ailing Swedish publishing house, he's left wondering what could have been. Meanwhile, Martin's old β and much more remarkable β friend, the artist Gustav Becker, is visiting Gothenburg, plastering billboards across the city featuring the eyes of his greatest muse: Cecilia Berg. Feeling out of place and restless in the city, Martin's daughter, Rachel, stumbles upon a possible clue to her motherβs fate, and her world begins to unravel. Thereβs a spareness in Scandinavian fiction Iβm really starting to enjoy, and itβs that distant yet quietly interrogative quality that brought this book to life. Iβve been reading a lot of stories about mothers lately β specifically, mothers who have a hard time being mothers, who struggle to embrace whatever new form that identity demands, and wrestle with the moral, societal, and personal implications of that resistance. This book is about the people one such mother leaves behind, but also about art, youth, yearning, and ambition. Itβs slow and introspective and left me with a lot to think about β not least of all: what can be forgiven; what can be absolved?
The End of the World is a Cul de Sac by Louise Kennedy
In writing this newsletter, I learned that the author of this short story collection started writing at forty-seven, and I thought, well, that makes sense! Some years ago, during the time I hadnβt read a fiction book in years, my roommate in Portland was a massive lit girl. I asked her once to lend me a book, any book, and she suggested some short story collection. I must have been 22 at the time and was certain I had never come across one of those before. Regardless, I couldnβt comprehend how short stories could be good stories, so I declined her offer and probably didnβt pick up a book for a whole year after. A great short story is full of context clues, playing with emptiness and dialogue in a way that compels you to read between the lines. When I finish reading a really good short story, I usually have a few questions, yet Iβm left with the certainty that I understand the essence of a character and what the author is trying to tell me. This was a really good collection of short stories. I can still see some of those women.
Sugar, Baby by Celine Saintclare
Then I read Sugar, Baby. Or tried to. It really upsets me when I spend my hard-earned money on a hardback or export paperback (cheaper than a hardback, pricier than a paperback) and canβt even finish it. Not even a 100 pages!!! Money aside, those books are large! My bookshelf is literally falling apart! Anyway, Iβm a lover, not a hater. I am a child of God. I hate to trash a book. So letβs leave it at that.
Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry
Crazy how you can be on a roll, and one book can just kill your spirit. At this point, I needed a pick-me-up, and everyone on my TL was reading the new Emily Henry. So I thought to myself, be like other girls, Ochuko. Read that Emily Henry! Alice Scott is an eternal optimist still dreaming of her big writing break. Hayden Anderson is a Pulitzer-prize-winning human thundercloud. And theyβre both on balmy Little Crescent Island for the same reason: To write the biography of a woman no one has seen in yearsβor at least to meet with the octogenarian who claims to be the Margaret Ives. Tragic heiress, former tabloid princess, and daughter of one of the most storied (and scandalous) families of the 20th century. I saw what Emily was trying to do here. I saw it and I liked it. I liked it a lot less when I realized Margaret Ivesβ story would come at the cost of the main romance, though! I wanted more! Also, the pacing was a bit off to me. I need some more tension between those two. Still a fun read, though. I want to know your EM rankings if youβre a fan. Hereβs mine: Funny Story, GBBL, Book Lovers, PWMOV.
The God of the Woods by Liz Moore
It was a Friday, and I had spent the entire day writing my news roundup, only to decide at the last minute that it wasnβt fit for public viewing. I had two options: slip into self-lacerating despair and have a shit evening or read a chunky thriller front to back. I chose the latter. From 7 p.m. to 2 a.m., I sat on my bed inhaling this book. I ordered Chinese and called my boyfriend (βI donβt want to talk, babe, but you can watch me readβ). Early morning, August 1975: a camp counselor discovers an empty bunk. Its occupant, Barbara Van Laar, has gone missing. Barbara isnβt just any thirteen-year-old: sheβs the daughter of the family that owns the summer camp and employs most of the regionβs residents. And this isnβt the first time a Van Laar child has disappeared. Barbaraβs older brother similarly vanished fourteen years ago, never to be found. This was one of the better thrillers Iβve read in a while. I enjoyed the ensemble cast, the multiple POVs, and the summer camp setting. Maybe Iβm off my game, but I couldnβt predict this ending either. But my one drawback was actually the ending β I wanted something grimmer and meatier. Still, the book did its job, and I went to bed happy and whole. All was forgiven.
My Death by Lisa Tuttle
Back in my literary horror bag I am! A widowed writer, adrift after her husbandβs death, decides to write a biography of Helen Ralston, a forgotten novelist and artist known for a scandalous painting and as the muse for a famous childrenβs book. As the writer digs deeper, unsettling parallels emerge between her life and Ralstonβs, blurring the lines between subject and biographer. The novella gradually unspools into a chilling, uncanny meditation on identity, obsession, and the stories we claim as our own. My Death explores the ways female writers are overshadowed by the men in their lives, and how their work is often defined by larger than life, often unflattering events. I made my friend read this book with me, and we both agreed that while the writing and atmosphere were top notch, the ending left a lot to be desired (although I suspect we simply didnβt get it). But even as I write this, Iβm convinced itβs still worth the read. If anyone wants to discuss that ending, Iβll be in the comments!
Favourite Daughter by Morgan Dick
Mickey and Arlo are half-sisters. But theyβve never spoken and never met. Arlo adored her father β but always lived in the shadow of his magnetic personality and burdensome vices. Meanwhile, their father abandoned Mickey and her mother years ago, and Mickey has hated him since. When she receives news of his passing, Mickey is shocked to learn that heβs left her his not-inconsiderable fortune. The catch? Mickey must attend a series of therapy sessions before the money can be released. Guys, I enjoyed this one so much β and in a very similar way to Table For One too. Rompy, fast-paced, and with believably flawed yet endearing protagonists (if slightly unhinged). I appreciated how the author explored complex family dynamics and alcoholism, and the different narratives we tell ourselves about the people we love to get by. Thereβs a certain brand of messy heroine I really struggle to enjoy (possibly because I myself have mess), so itβs a big deal when an author can write that kind of character without making me skip entire paragraphs out of secondhand embarrassment. Morgan Dick did that. Even through the chaos, there was meaningful character development. I knew those kids would be okay. I didnβt realize while reading this book that it was set in Canada, but bonus points for that!
Things I Don't Want to Know by Deborah Levy
I never have much to say about my nonfiction reads, and I donβt care to explore what that means.
has been on a Levy kick recently, and I felt a bit of FOMO because I had two of her books wasting away on my shelf (not really, my books are pristine), so I thought, youβre it! Things I Don't Want to Know is the first in Deborah Levy's three-part 'Living Autobiography' on writing and womanhood, and I enjoyed it enough to buy the second one. The two middle essays, about her time in South Africa and England as a child, were most gripping to me. The first part made a lot more sense once I read the fourth and final section. I will say though, it was a public holiday, and I decided to get brunch alone (Table for One!). Sitting outside reading this book, I felt a sense of deep satisfaction with the woman I was in that moment: a well-dressed twenty-something expat eating waffles with syrup and mascarpone on a warm, sunny day in Nuremberg, reading Deborah Levy. I even finished all my fruit! How lovely.Funny Story by Emily Henry
She finally listened to her first audiobook! Iβm not sure audiobooks were even available on Spotify Germany until recently, because this month the app kept suggesting them to me. Iβm really weird and fussy about my reading habits, and seeing all those audiobooks made me a bit anxious β because on one hand, theyβre just there! But on the other, listening to a novel instead of reading it felt like Iβd be robbing myself of the experience I love best. So, I selected a book I was curious about but didnβt plan to buy. I actually never knew exactly how audiobooks worked before this, and I was both glad (and a little terrified) to discover I really enjoyed the experience. Iβve mentioned before that when I read, I see it play out like a movie in my head. This felt similar, but still so different. It made me realize just how attached I am to the sensation of a book in my hands, the stillness it requires, and all the little rituals Iβve built around that practice. A friend told me a while ago that she thinks I enjoy the literal act of reading almost as much as I enjoy the stories themselves. I think sheβs onto something.
House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas
Since the theme of my audiobook selection is books Iβm curious about but wonβt buy, expect a lot of fantasy. Hereβs what you need to know: this audiobook was 27 hours long. I listened to it in 12. In one day. My entire weekend β gone! 20k steps though! This, is why I donβt indulge in this genre. I can never pace myself and feel gross and overstuffed after. I liked this considerably more than ACOTAR, though. Bryce, unlike Feyre, has spunk! Let me tell you though, Iβm listening to the second one now and kind of hating it. Romantasy couples are so sickeningly hyperbolic when they finally get together. The good thing about tearing through these books like I do is that after the first one, Iβve usually had enough and am free and sane again.
Tracker: 51 Read (excl. DNFs), 2 Listened
NEW ON MY SHELF
Books I was kindly gifted by publishers and are already outβ¦
Flesh by David Szalay; The Artist by Lucy Steeds; Blue Nights by Joan Didion; Audition by Katie Kitamura; Notes to John by Joan Didion; Lucky Night by Eliza Kennedy; Table for Two by Amor Towles; The Dream Hotel by Laila Lalami; Mina's Matchbox by YΕko Ogawa; Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall; We Pretty Pieces of Flesh by Colwill Brown; The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion
β¦ and books I bought!
If Only by Vigdis Hjorth; Tell by Jonathan Buckley; Beach Read by Emily Henry; Trust by Domenico Starnone; Hagstone by SinΓ©ad Gleeson; In the Woods by Tana French; Oh, Sister by Jodie Chapman; Kick the Latch by Kathryn Scanlan; Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger; The Fishermen by Chigozie Obioma; Beautyland by Marie-Helene Bertino; Cold Enough for Snow by Jessica Au; The Premonition by Banana Yoshimoto; Scenes from a Childhood by Jon Fosse; Cardiff, by the Sea by Joyce Carol Oates; The End of Loneliness by Benedict Wells; The Inseparables by Simone de Beauvoir; Think Again by Jacqueline Wilson a gift from my sister ily)
ON YOUR RADAR: MAY NEW RELEASES
new section alert! gifted from publishers; curated by yours truly. if your literary taste aligns with mine, check these out.
Absence by Issa Quincy | GRANTA | 05/08
A childhood poem quietly shapes a narratorβs life, its influence lingering like a whisper through the years. Through interconnected stories β of a grieving mother, an outcast young man, and a family haunted by tragedy β the novel reveals how memory, loss, and quiet inheritances echo across generations. These fragments weave into a haunting meditation on ordinary lives marked by absence and the phantoms we carry. Iβm not entirely sure what to expect from this, but two authors I admire described it as Proustian, and another as a βnovel of ideas,β so consider me intrigued.
Sleep by Honor Jones | 4TH ESTATE | 05/13
Margaret grows up in a seemingly idyllic home, where small joys coexist with the quiet, uneasy weight of her motherβs volatility and her familyβs rigid expectations. After a series of unsettling events one summer, the innocence of girlhood slips away, leaving Margaret to carry those unresolved tensions into adulthood. Now a divorced mother of two, sheβs forced to confront the ways the past lingers in the present β how the families weβre born into and the ones we create shape us, and what it takes to finally claim a life as your own. Pandora and I are discussing Sleep for one of our upcoming book chats, so definitely add to basket. Sheβs read it already and compared it to The Paper Palace, which I know loads of people loved.
Gunk by Saba Sams | BLOOMSBURY | 05/08
Jules has spent five years working late nights at her ex-husbandβs seedy nightclub, watching him flirt with students while her own life stalls. Everything shifts when Nim, a sharp, quietly magnetic nineteen-year-old, is hired at the bar, and the two form an intense, complicated bond after Nimβs unexpected pregnancy. Left alone with Nimβs newborn and no sign of where sheβs gone, Jules is forced to reckon with loneliness, connection, and the strange, tender possibilities of starting over. Another upcoming 2 Girls; 1 Book pick! Plot wise, Iβm getting hints of Pizza Girl, which Iβm not mad at. Two of my favorite BookTubers really loved this, so I know itβll be good.
Albion by Anna Hope | PENGUIN FIG TREE | 05/01
The Brookes family gathers at their crumbling ancestral estate to bury Philip, the charismatic patriarch who shaped each of their lives. As his children clash over the future of the land β one dreaming of rewilding, another envisioning a psychedelic utopia for the elite β old wounds, family secrets, and long-buried desires rise to the surface. Set against a backdrop of climate crisis and class reckoning, itβs a sharp, layered story about inheritance, loyalty, and the delusions families cling to. A family saga with a dead patriarch is always a yes for me, so this was an easy sell. Iβve had Anna Hopeβs Expectation on my shelf for ages, so planning to finally get to that this summer before picking this up.
Vanishing World by Sayaka Murata | GRANTA | 04/24
In a reimagined Japan where procreation is clinical and sex within marriage is taboo, Amane grows up horrified by the idea that her parents conceived her naturally. Struggling with forbidden desires in a world that demands detachment, she and her husband move to a communal society where children are raised collectively, men carry pregnancies in artificial wombs, and traditional family bonds have dissolved. Confession: I didnβt much enjoy Convenience Store Woman, so this is me giving Murata another shot. Iβm only just warming up to speculative fiction, so weβll see how it goes.
Waist Deep by Linea Maja Ernst | JONATHAN CAPE | 05/8
A group of friends from university; seven summer days in a cabin in rural Denmark. A chance to swim, sunbathe, flirt, read, and spend time together like the old days. At least, thatβs what Sylvia had hoped. But then Gry turns up with her kids, Esben and Karen announce a wedding, and Sylvia is left questioning the radical futures they once imagined β all while nursing a long-standing crush on Esben her girlfriend Charlie wouldnβt approve of. I am sooooo excited for this one. Scandinavian literature has been doing it for me lately, especially those like Collected Works and The Triowith ensemble casts and messy love triangles. According to the publishers, itβs βa modern Midsummer Nightβs Dream for the new generation.β What could be better?
Slags by Emma Jane Unsworth | BOROUGH PRESS | 05/08
In the 1990s, 15-year-old Sarah is consumed by boy bands, partying, and a crush on her teacher, Mr. Keaveney. Now 41, sheβs the last of her party-loving friends, but the wild nights no longer satisfy, and her teenage fantasies have curdled into uncomfortable memories. In search of adventure and closure, she sets off on a whisky-fueled campervan road trip across Scotland with her sister Juliette, and together they confront the dark secrets of their past. Been having fun with those rompier, slightly more commercial lit fic reads lately, so I have high hopes for this one.
Happiness Forever by Adelaide Faith | 4TH ESTATE | 05/13
Sylvie, a veterinary nurse, is consumed by an intense obsession with her therapist, whom she believes is the only person who truly understands her. Outside of therapy, her life consists of a low-key job, a long-distance friendship with her tattooist, and caring for her brain-damaged dog, Curtains. When her therapist delivers unexpected, devastating news that forces Sylvie to confront her feelings and unhealthy fixation, she begins to question her ability to move beyond the isolation sheβs built around herself. A chance encounter with Chloe β a woman who seems to truly get her β sparks a transformative friendship and offers a glimmer of hope. Great review by
here. I have a feeling this could be a cross between Eleanor Oliphant and Big Swiss, which would be just perfect.Sunstruck by William Rayfet Hunter | MERKY BOOKS | 05/15
A young man visits a luxurious mansion in the south of France, where he is drawn into the lives of the Blakes, a wealthy, complex family. As a deepening attraction grows between him and Felix, the familyβs enigmatic older son, the glamour of summer and their carefree world slowly give way to harsh realities. Returning to London, the man struggles with his troubled past while navigating Felixβs world as a Black, working-class person. Apparently, this is the book of the summer!!! Very Brideshead Revisited and Saltburn coded, but with a strong focus on race. Iβve heard very good things, and I love MERKY Books for their support of BIPOC authors.
The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong | VINTAGE | 05/13
In the rain-soaked town of East Gladness, Connecticut, nineteen-year-old Hai is on the verge of ending his life when heβs unexpectedly stopped by Grazina, an elderly widow suffering from dementia. After their fateful encounter, Hai becomes her caretaker, and over the year, their unlikely relationship evolves into a transformative bond, profoundly shaping both their lives. Ocean Vuong is one of those authors Iβve been desperate to read, but havenβt been drawn to any of their existing work. It feels like Iβve been waiting for this book to happen. With the Jack Edwards stamp of approval, I expect greatness.
The Devil Three Times by Rickey Fayne | LITTLE BROWN | 05/13
Yetunde awakens on a slave ship, her dead sisterβs spirit her only companion. Desperate to survive, she strikes a bargain with the Devil, who grants her protection and power in exchange for a sacrifice. Across 175 years, the Devil visits Yetundeβs descendants in moments of crisis: a conjure woman, a man passing for white, feuding brothers, a girl who speaks to the dead, and others. Each faces the Devilβs offer of salvationβand the question of whether he can save himself. I meanβ¦ did we all not just watch Sinners??
The Book of Guilt by Catherine Chidgey | JOHN MURRAY | 05/15
In England, 1979, triplets Vincent, Lawrence, and William live in isolation at the government-run Sycamore Home, under the strict supervision of the enigmatic Mothers: Morning, Afternoon, and Night. Their lives are controlled by three booksβThe Book of Dreams, The Book of Knowledge, and The Book of Guiltβdictating everything from their nightmares to their lessons and sins. When the government plans to shut down Sycamore Homes, the boys begin to question the truths theyβve been taught, uncovering dark secrets that challenge their sense of belonging and the value of their lives. This year, Iβm giving speculative fiction a chance, and this plot brings to mind Donβt Worry Darling, The Truman Show, WandaVision, and Never Let Me Goβall of which I enjoyed. Fingers crossed for this one.
Objects of Desire by Neil Blackmore | HUTCHINSON HEINEMANN | 05/15
Hugo Hunter, the celebrated gay novelist of the 20th century, became famous in the 1950s-70s with two masterpieces, mingling with literary icons like Truman Capote and James Baldwin. But as the 1980s unfold, the arrival of AIDS and Hugo's dwindling funds put him in a precarious positionβuntil his publisher offers him two million dollars for a memoir and a new novel. The catch? Hugo is an imposter who stole his previous works, and now he must decide how far heβs willing to go to produce a third. Iβm thinking Yellowface meets Capote vs. The Swans. Simply adore an old New York settingβbonus points for the media angle. Iβm am so sat.
Consider Yourself Kissed by Jessica Stanley | HUTCHINSON HEINEMANN | 05/27
When Coralie meets Adam, she's a newcomer to London, feeling lost and adrift, but Adamβs wit, charm, and devoted fatherhood quickly win her over. Ten years later, their life together seems perfect, yet Coralie feels something essential is missing, or perhaps she has lost a part of herself along the way. Set against a backdrop of British political upheaval and the chaos of the pandemic, Consider Yourself Kissed explores how personal relationships and larger societal events intersect, weaving a poignant love story that balances humor, heart, and the complexity of change. At its worst, this could be Ali Smithesque (sorry, not sorry); at its best, it could be the kind of marriage/family/community saga I line up beside my Claire Lombardo novels and lend to people I love. Given that itβs a chunkier book, Iβm hoping for the latter.
BONUS SECTION ALERT π¨
and teamed up to offer Bookstackers a curated catalog of summer readsβspecifically, 20 books published in 2025βwritten by Substackers, and I wanted to share because I thought this was BRILLIANT!
WHAT YOU READ THIS MONTH
Each month, Iβll be asking some of my favorite readers to share a book they read that monthβone they loved or one they hatedβand tell me all about it.
Morgan Dick read We Could Be Rats by Emily R. Austin
Emily Austinβs blend of dark humour, tenderness, and quirk has made her an auto-buy author of mine. We Could Be Rats, released earlier this year, is a coming-of-age story about sisterhood, messy families, and the strength it takes to keep going in a world that makes increasingly little sense. I loved it.
Jenna read The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by Victoria E. Schwab
I wanted to love this book . Like, I really wanted to love it. My mom recommended it repeatedly, convinced this would bridge our disparate tastes. A friend lent me her paperback copyβwhich felt luxe after a streak of Kindle reads. I was devoted to Addie LaRue, keeping the lights on as my partner slept beside me, soaking up another few pages, waiting. But the entire experience felt like just thatβwaiting. Where this book could've offered countless character arcs, Addie's plateaued quickly. She had 300 years to explore the world, yet we found her only in Europe and the US. She had centuries to dive into every nook of herself, but instead searched for someone else to do the heavy lifting of her own introspection. Maybe that's the point. Maybe it's impossible to grow when you have a lifetime of first impressions, but not a rep in single meaningful connection. Maybe, given all the time in the world, our deepest desire remains heartbreakingly simple: to be remembered, to be known. Maybe thatβs the point, and maybe if I'd seen that painted between the lines, I'd love this book. But I didn't. Like Addie herself, this book only left me wanting to be known.
What was your fave read from April?
Talked to myself and said YES, YES, YES when I read this sentence. "If you ever get a chance to live alone in your twenties, you absolutely should." YES
All aboard the Deborah Levy train!!! π€ππ₯°