Beth Fish Reads: Nine Books You Might Have Missed in April

30 April 2012

Nine Books You Might Have Missed in April

I haven't written a must-read post in a long time and thought it was time to revive this feature. It's hard to believe April is over, but I'm looking forward to better weather and, of course, heading to New York (in just a few weeks!) for BookExpo America (BEA). Here are some great books you may have missed this month. Be sure to check out my Imprint Friday and Today's Imprint Read posts for more recommendations.

It'd Be Criminal to Miss These

Seth Greenland looks at blogging, politics, crime, and the contemporary American way of life in the dark, satirical The Angry Buddhist (Europa, 9781609450687). S. J. Parris's Sacrilege (Doubleday, 9780385535472) invites you to take a trip to 16th-century London where ex-monk Giordano Bruno gets entangled in a complex murder that may have it roots in medieval Canterbury. Cozy fans won't want to miss Nancy Atherton's Aunt Dimity and the Village Witch (Viking, 9780670023417), a fun puzzle of a mystery complete with a diary, quirky characters, and a ghost.

Reunions, Reconciliations, Relationships

In Roberta Rich's historical novel The Midwife of Venice (Gallery, 9781451657470), Hannah Levi reluctantly agrees to help deliver a Christian baby, unknowingly setting off a chain of events that starts a family rivalry and threatens her plans of being reunited with her husband. Patrick Flanery's Absolution (Riverhead, 9781594488177) focuses on Clare Wald, who, like others in contemporary South Africa, is haunted by her memories of apartheid and her fear that it's too late for forgiveness. Sarah Pekkanen's skill at capturing the strength and importance of women's friendships shines in These Girls (Washington Square Press, 9781451612547), about three New York City roommates looking for satisfying careers and personal fulfillment.

Real-Life Musings

When Wenguang Huang was a boy in China, he slept next to his grandmother's (empty) coffin; in The Little Red Guard (Riverhead, 9781594488290) he talks about his family and the clash between old and new caused by Mao's Cultural Revolution. How have climate change and an increasing global population affected the essential nature of the food we eat? Josh Schonwald's The Taste of Tomorrow (Harper, 9780061804212) takes a look at the science of what we put on our plates. Attention all book nerds! Whether you're a reader, author, or editor you don't want to miss James W. Hall's fascinating Hit Lit: Cracking the Code of the Twentieth Century's Biggest Bestsellers (Random House, 9780812970951), a critical look at the key to popular success.

April may be over but it's not too late to run to your favorite bookstore and pick up one or two or all of these must-read titles.

20 comments:

Tea, 4/30/12, 6:08 AM: You have to love Aunt Dimity. Fine books....
Veens, 4/30/12, 6:13 AM: Adding this to my TBR... I think I really would love to read that cozy mystery :)

Thank you for the recommendations :)
Marie Cloutier, 4/30/12, 6:26 AM: You know how I feel about Absolution- I'm glad to hear the Angry Buddhist is good, too. I have it in my TBR and should read it for the Europa Challenge.
you know, the minimum level for the challenge is 1 book so if you wanted to participate.... :-) but it's OK if not too :-)
(Diane) Bibliophile By the Sea, 4/30/12, 7:15 AM: This is a great feature, especially because I missed several of these last month:)
Sandy Nawrot, 4/30/12, 7:17 AM: I ordered Absolution from the library after I read Marie's glowing review, and there are a few more here that I need as well. I like this feature!!!
Daryl, 4/30/12, 7:47 AM: Noting titles, authors .. thank you as always for the reviews/reccos!
Vasilly, 4/30/12, 9:10 AM: My tbr list is growing! The Little Red Guard, The Taste of Tomorrow, and Absolution are being added. :-)
Carrie K., 4/30/12, 9:34 AM: Ack - there are simply too many good books out there! My to-read list has veered so far from any type of reality at this point it's kind of scary. LOL
Zibilee, 4/30/12, 10:05 AM: I like this feature too, and though there are a few that I have read, and a few waiting for me, a lot of these are new to me, and now I am very excited about them! Great post today!
Nise' , 4/30/12, 10:40 AM: I just brought Sacrilege home, but I so enjoyed Prophecy on audio that I might so that route with this one as well. Also, have These Girls on my get it now list.
bermudaonion, 4/30/12, 2:50 PM: Yikes! I've read one of these and only have one other on my shelves. I need to do some shopping!
Andi, 4/30/12, 3:25 PM: Really good-lookin' books! I'm especially interested in The Angry Buddhist.
Meg @ write meg!, 4/30/12, 4:25 PM: How interesting! I'm especially intrigued by Hit Lit -- sounds like a book right up my alley! And These Girls was great; such a poignant story.
Julie P., 4/30/12, 4:31 PM: I need to read SACRILEGE soon!
caite, 4/30/12, 7:36 PM: Yes, just too, too many books.....
sarah pekkanen, 4/30/12, 8:19 PM: So excited to see THESE GIRLS included! Thank you!
Jenners, 4/30/12, 9:08 PM: Great list … and I'm intrigued by Hit Lit!! What a neat idea.
Serena, 5/1/12, 5:18 AM: Great list. Just finished The Opposite of Me by Sarah Pekkannen. really good book.
Jo @ Booklover Book Reviews, 5/1/12, 6:47 AM: I cannot believe April is over already... So many great titles there, The Angry Buddhist and Sacrilege are new to me, both intriguing. Thanks for the reminder of what a great month it was for new releases.
Robin M, 5/3/12, 9:16 PM: Great list of books. Adding some to my wishlist.