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Must-Read Books April 2025 |
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| Promise Me Sunshine by Cara BastoneGrief-stricken after the death of her best friend, Brooklyn nanny Helen "Lenny" Bellamy strikes up an unlikely friendship with her charge's protective uncle, Miles, who has his own experiences with loss. As the pair try to make their way through Lenny's "Live Again" list, they discover they just might be what the other needs to move on. Try this next: Say You'll Remember Me by Abby Jimenez. |
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| Boudicca by P.C. CastBoudicca, the fiery-haired and ferocious widow of chief of the Celtic Iceni tribe, ascends to the tribe's throne in Tasceni in 60 CE. However, the Roman Empire is closing in, seeing a woman ruler as weak. Devoted to both her daughters and the goddess Andraste, Boudicca is determined to strike back at the Romans against all odds. For fans of: lush and richly detailed fantastical stories of lesser-known women in history and mythology, such as Babylonia by Costanza Casati and Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel. |
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| The Quiet Librarian by Allen EskensIn Minnesota, librarian Hana Babic, once the feared Bosnian fighter Night Mora, is forced to confront her past when her best friend Amina is murdered. To protect Amina’s grandson, she must unravel a deadly mystery tied to war-torn Bosnia, facing relentless enemies while balancing justice, survival, and the weight of her past. |
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Brother Brontë
by Fernando A. Flores
From Kirkus Reviews: "The year is 2038, and the Texas border town of Three Rivers is being run by a corrupt mayor, Pablo Henry Crick, who distributes book shredders to local youths to enforce the city’s book ban. One of Crick’s many haters is Neftali, who is losing her family home; she spends time with her former bandmate, Proserpina, wandering around the ruins of the city and the grounds of the town’s main employer, the Big Tex Fish Cannery, where most mothers are required by law to work. Neftali, Proserpina, and their friend Alexei are determined to change the town; as Alexei says, “We’re gonna take over one street, one neighborhood, one city at a time, until they’re forced to hand us our own part of the state, our own country.”
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| Theft by Abdulrazak GurnahThis acclaimed latest from 2021 Nobel Prize winner Abdulrazak Gurnah follows three interlinked young people navigating uncertain futures in Tanzania: Karim, whose mother left his abusive father when he was three; beautiful Fauzia, who'd been sick as a child; and Badar, who was sent to work as a servant boy in his uncle's household. "Gurnah is at the top of his game," raves Publishers Weekly. |
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| Back After This by Linda HolmesWhen she half-heartedly agrees to host a show about her dating life, podcast producer Cecily Foster is tasked with going on 20 blind dates set up for her by relationship coach Eliza Cassidy. But she keeps running into cute waiter Will on her dates, with whom she shares an instant spark of attraction. Is she falling for the wrong guy -- or making the right choice? For fans of: How to Get a Life in Ten Dates by Jenny L. Howe. |
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| The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham JonesIn 2012, college professor Etsy Beaucarne learns about a 100-year-old diary written by her great-great-grandfather, Lutheran minister Arthur Beaucarne, hoping she can utilize it to secure tenure. Contained within its pages are the confessions of Good Stab, a Blackfeet vampire seeking vengeance for the massacre of his people. For fans of: The Woods All Black by Lee Mandelo; Lone Women by Victor LaValle. |
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The King's Messenger by Susanna KearsleyIn 1613, Andrew Logan, a messenger for King James, embarks on a mission to frame an innocent advisor for treason, but as he unravels the truth alongside his spirited neighbor Phoebe Westaway, their growing bond challenges loyalty, justice, and the possibilities of love.
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| Harlem Rhapsody by Victoria Christopher MurrayIn 1919, Jessie Redmon Fauset becomes the first Black woman literary editor of The Crisis magazine, putting her at the forefront of Harlem's cultural renaissance, where she discovers talents such as Langston Hughes and Nella Larsen. But her ambitions and a secret affair with W.E.B. Du Bois threaten it all. Try these next: Piper Huguley's By Her Own Design; Tia Williams' A Love Song for Ricki Wilde. |
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| The Museum Detective by Maha Khan PhillipsPakistani museum curator and archaeologist Dr. Gul Delani gets a nighttime call from the Karachi police. She's hoping for news about her three-years-missing niece, but it's about a mummy and a sarcophagus in a remote drug hideout. With help from a wide variety of people, Gul investigates in this twisty, evocative series starter. Read-alikes: Elly Griffiths' Ruth Galloway mysteries; Sujata Massey's Perveen Mistry novels. |
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| Kills Well with Others by Deanna RaybournWhen a mole in the elite assassin organization the Museum leaks names to an Eastern European gangster who's murdering agents, assassins Billie, Helen, Mary Alice, and Natalie -- senior in status and age -- must root out the organization's mole and hunt down their new nemesis. |
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| Listen to Your Sister by Neena VielTwenty-five year-old Calla has recurring nightmares in which her younger brothers Dre and Jamie violently die. When Jamie runs afoul of a police officer at a protest, the trio flee to a remote cabin, where Calla's nightmares become horrifyingly real. Try this next: Model Home by Rivers Solomon. |
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| The Riveter by Jack WangBarred from military service in 1942 due to his race, Chinese Canadian Josiah Chang works in a Vancouver shipyard where he meets white Poppy Miller, but her parents take exception to their relationship. Trying to prove himself, Josiah goes to Toronto, where he's allowed to join the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion headed to Europe. Read-alikes: Adriana Allegri's The Sunflower House; Jamie Ford's Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet. |
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| Hammajang Luck by Makana YamamotoEdie is fresh out of her eight-year stay in prison on a frozen planet when Angel, her former partner in crime, returns. She has a new offer: one last job, taking down the trillionaire tech mogul that they failed to nab before. But trust will be hard to find again when Angel is the one who sold Edie out to begin with. Drawing on her Hawaiian background to blend authentic culture with action-packed heist hijinks, Yamamoto's book will appeal to fans of The Circus Infinite by Khan Wong. |
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| One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El AkkadIn his frank and thought-provoking blend of history and memoir, award-winning novelist Omar El Akkad (American War) examines the West's apathy and inaction toward Israel's ongoing destruction of Gaza. Try this next: The Message by Ta-Nehisi Coates. |
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| The Lost and the Found: A True Story of Homelessness, Found Family, and Second... by Kevin FaganAward-winning San Francisco Chronicle reporter Kevin Fagan's moving and intimate social history explores homelessness through the experiences of a pair of individuals trying to get by in San Francisco, California. Further reading: Seeking Shelter: A Working Mother, Her Children, and a Story of Homelessness in America by Jeff Hobbs. |
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Propaganda Girls : The Secret War of the Women in the OSS by Lisa RogakWorking in the European theater, China and Washington, D.C., Betty MacDonald, Zuzka Lauwers, Jane Smith-Hutton and Marlene Dietrich, each fascinating in her own right, together contributed to one of the most covert and successful military campaigns in World War II.
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| Speak Up, Santiago! by Julio Anta; illustrated by Gabi MendezThough he's bilingual, middle schooler Santi speaks way more English than Spanish. He's trying to change that while visiting his Abuela Emma in the Latin American neighborhood of Hillside Valley, but his frustration and embarrassment keeps getting in the way. This graphic novel series-starter is packed with authentic characters and crisp, bright artwork.
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| Papilio by Ben Clanton, Corey R. Tabor, and Andy Chou MusserIn this charming, fact-filled story, three creators take turns showing readers the stages of a black swallowtail's life, from caterpillar to chrysalis to butterfly. Each stage has its own style, but sweetness, humor, and solid information persist throughout. "Move aside, Very Hungry Caterpillar," declares Kirkus Reviews. |
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| One Wrong Step by Jennifer A. NielsenIt's 1939, and nobody has ever reached the top of Tibet's Mt. Everest. British 14-year-old Atlas and his dad hope to be among the first. Their climb, however, is charged with danger, from Nazi spies to a life-threatening avalanche. Fascinating details will keep you turning the pages of this historical adventure. |
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| The Otherwhere Post by Emily J. TaylorBecause Maeve’s father famously unleashed horror with writing-based magic, she keeps a low profile, living under a fake name. An anonymous letter claiming her father’s innocence prompts her to learn the arcane magic for herself and uncover the truth. This fantasy mystery infuses a slow-burn romance with dark academia vibes. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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