Books on Deck: April 2024

April has something for everyone from mean boys to magical thinking, and of course a bit of poetry!

Below is a list of the books I am most excited about for the month of April. I wanted to share this with all subscribers this month as a little sneak peak. Starting at the end of this month, you’ll be able to find my most anticipated reads in my monthly reading rankings, which goes out to paid subscribers. Here is the one from March.

My March Reads Ranked

So if you like today’s post, be sure to upgrade to get all my reading thoughts and find out what I’m looking forward to in May.

In April I really looking forward to a few follow ups from authors whose work I have loved and who have been guests on The Stacks (Crystal Hana Kim, Amanda Montell, Leila Mottley). My goal is to keep this list manageable, I am only giving you the stuff I am *truly* anticipating and not a list of some titles I’ve vaguely heard of. Anything I have already read and enjoyed is in bold.

• The Stone Home by Crystal Hana Kim (April 2)
  After reading and loving Kim’s debut novel If You Leave Me, her next book is a must read on my list. The Stone Home is a work of historical fiction, about a mother and daughter sent to a reformatory center in South Korea in the 1980’s.

• The Age of Magical Overthinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality by Amanda Montell (April 9)
  If you’re already a fan of

  Amanda Montell
  I think you will be really pleased with this collection of essays about the ways our preconceived notions and biases impact our ability to reason.

• Bones Worth Breaking by David Martinez (April 9)
  Mixed race brothers Mike and David survived life in Idaho in a Mormon church by sticking together, but eventually their paths diverged which leads to David heading to Brazil for his mission, and Mike ending up in prison.

• Woke Up No Light by Leila Mottley (April 9)

  I was an early and eager fan of Mottley’s debut Nightrawling, but before she was a novelist, she was the youth poet laureate of Oakland, CA. I am excited to see what her poems are all about.

• Everest, Inc.: The Renegades and Rogues Who Built an Industry at the Top of the World by Will Cockrell (April 16)
  I really enjoyed reading this book. It is well reported and gives you a fairly balanced look at what it is like to climb Mount Everest from the first summit until now. There are flaws especially around how Cockrell discusses the Sherpa people and how heavily he relies on guides as sources. It is a fun one, but you should read it with a critical eye.

• Missing White Woman by Kellye Garrett (April 30)
  One of my goals for 2024 is to read more genre fiction, and this one looks promising. It is about Black woman on a romantic getaway with her boo, when a dead white woman is found in their rental and the boyfriend is nowhere to be found. Tell me that doesn’t sound good!

• The Way That Leads Among the Lost: Life, Death, and Hope in Mexico City's Anexos by Angela Garcia (April 30)
  A deeply researched look into anexos, informal drug treatment facilities, of Mexico City. I don’t know much about this book, but I do know it is the first to be written on anexos and I’m excited to learn more.

• Mean Boys by Gregory Mak (April 30)
  A cultural examination of mean boys, from the makers of fashion and culture to the makers of memes all the way to the marchers at Charlottesville. Mak argues that mean boys are the emblem of our society even to our own peril.

  Now it’s your turn. Tell me what books are on your April must read list?

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Reminder, this “Books on Deck” list will now be featured at the end of my monthly reading wrap-up posts that is exclusive for paid subscribers. If you liked this list be sure to upgrade.

You can see all the forthcoming books I’m looking forward to on my #teampreorder list over on bookshop.org!

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