Top April Reads!

Here in the Midwest the phrase 'April showers bring May flowers' is in full force it seems. It also means having ridiculous allergies that make the outside miserable, so no better time to sit in the sunny spots inside and read! Though I hope that where all of you are has been a bit better weatherwise and we all get more sunny outdoor reading days soon! April brought some new favorites for me, as well as a book I didn't expect to love as much as I did. It also brought Indie Bookstore Day and I'm so excited to share the reads I gathered on my adventures. How was April for you all? Any books you think we should check out?

The Ending Writes Itself by Evelyn Clark - Maggie

4.5 / 5 Stars

Six authors are brought to a private island owned by one of the most famous authors in the world, Arthur Fletch. They think its for a writing retreat, instead its to compete against each other to finish his last novel, since he has passed away.

They are now given colored paper, a typewriter and seventy-two hours to finish the novel and potentially change the track of their careers. That is until one of them ends up dead, and now they find themselves in a house with mysterious doors and tunnels on an island with no technology and no way to access their phones until the safe unlocks. As they try to finish the novel, they are also fighting to make it to the end of the weekend.

I really enjoyed this book. It was definitely a step out of what I usually read, but it is also co-authored by one of my favorite authors (V.E. Schwab) and even with its lack of magic you can see her dark influence within the text. If you are looking for a fast paced mystery with a lot of twists and turns this book is for you!

Twister: The Original Screenplay by Michael Crichton and Anne-Marie Martin - Allison

4/5 Stars

As part of Maggie's Storygraph Challenge, I had to read a script this year, and I chose the original screenplay of the cult classic movie Twister. I have no idea why I was not aware that the guy who wrote Jurassic Park also wrote Twister, a movie near and dear to pretty much every meteorologist's heart, but alas, that was a surprise for me. Both movies have so much great action mixed with funny banter, and Crichton's style shines through even in this first pass of the movie.

It is indeed FASCINATING to see the beginning of where this story idea started. It is SO different from the movie. There was a lot more cattiness between Jo and Melissa arguing about Bill (eye roll), Dusty was just another dude and not the icon that Philip Seymour Hoffman made him to be (RIP legend), and THERE WAS NO AUNT MEG! Sure, the deployment of the instrument packs and the tornado chase scenes weren’t paced the same, but missing those other three were the cardinal sins to me. A lot of other noteworthy stuff was there though, and reading this screenplay makes you realize how much the actors brought to their roles.

This screenplay was 4 stars because the movie obviously was 5 stars. I still recommend giving it a read if you are a fan of the movie.

Rolls and Rivalry by Kristy Boyce - Maggie

4 / 5 Stars

The third book by Kristy Boyce that follows nerdy teenagers as they move through real life and also their Dungeons and Dragons campaign. This book follows Hazel during her senior year as she tries to juggle being in charge of the color guard, her best friend from childhood returning to her school, and her parents expectations. When Max comes back after moving away a few years ago, she expects them to feel connected again...until he lashes out and seems to dislike her. As Max and Hazel try to figure out how their friendship has changed in the last few years, they also learn how their lives have changed.

That is until Hazel decides to DM a DnD campaign with her friends, inviting Max to join. Now things are starting to feel like they were a few years ago, and Hazel can't help by feel her feelings for Max re-ignite. I just really love these young adult DnD books, they are sweet stories while having a lot of fun DnD references and moments that feel believable.

The Earthdivers Series by Stephen Graham Jones - Allison

4.5/5 Stars

I had never read any of the works by horror icon Stephen Graham Jones, but with the glowing recommendations of many of my fellow booksellers and a fantastically grim set of covers, I set out to read them all this April. Last time the author was in Albuquerque, he actually came and signed all of the stock we had of his in the store, which is SO FREAKING COOL. So, I took out my signed copies of each volume and got to work.

Four indigenous activists living on a near-future, apocalyptic Earth decide to use a time-traveling cave's powers to go back to the year 1492 and stop Columbus from "discovering" America by killing him, all in an effort to save humanity. Best laid plans, however, rarely survive contact with the enemy, and linguist, Tad, finds himself grappling with the morals of murder and his individual actions in the face of the overwhelming good that can be done for the world. What follows is three collected installments of blood-soaked catharsis in righting the wrongs of the past paralleled by near-future questions of which history is remembered in the collective consciousness as "true." The characters are grounded, the art is morbidly beautiful, and the story somehow dances between tragedy and inevitability. The first two collections were 5/5 stars for me, and the last collection was 4/5 stars for me.

A lot of new and exciting books are coming out in the next few months! What books are you looking forward to? Share some suggestions below!