April is truly a fantastic month for bookworms. Climbing temperatures mean it’s the perfect time to reap the rewards of bringing books outdoors. Imagine cracking the spine of a fresh new title while lying in the park. Or consider packing a novel for your camping trip. Escaping into a book while soaking up some vitamin D can benefit more than just your mind and body, too. There’s always the bonus possibility that you may spy someone else palming an actual bound piece of writing and spark up a conversation (@hotdudesreading exists for a reason — a handheld screen is really no match when it comes to public displays of bibliophilia).
Wherever your latest reads take you, we’ve got you covered with another monthly installment of the best new books to check out. Stories of celeb crushes, the trials of womanhood, forbidden romances, and futuristic office culture are just a click away. Any of the six titles ahead are sure to warrant double takes from curious onlookers who only wished they had something great to read.
Daredevils
By Shawn Vestal (Penguin Press)
Out April 12
When you’re forced into a Big Love-style, fundamentalist Mormon camp for having a secret boyfriend, it’s time to run — which is exactly what Loretta, the 15-year-old protagonist of this story, does after being sold into sisterwife-dom by her disapproving parents. While under the thumb of a polygamist named Dean, Loretta meets a couple of like-minded rebels and escapes with them in search of freedom. In his debut novel, Vestal (who has already explored this part of the country, in a collection of short stories called Godforsaken Idaho) depicts the wild, youth-fueled road trip you always you wish you’d taken, all set under the starry banner of the West in the dusty 1970s.
The Bed Moved
By Rebecca Schiff (Knopf)
Out April 12
Growing into womanhood is no easy task, and with her collection of 23 short stories, Rebecca Schiff captures the unapologetic darkness of the female psyche. The book is full of perfect moments when humor, sadness, lust, and soul delicately converge, like a choreographed dance — even if the stories are about casual sex or internet addiction. Schiff has a special knack for shedding insight on the modern-day female experience, and she does so with ease through the lens of infatuated narrators.
Sunday’s on the Phone to Monday
By Christine Reilly (Touchstone Books)
Out April 5
Fiction has a longstanding affection for complicated New York families (the Glasses and the Tenenbaums come to mind), and the tribe of five at the center of Christine Reilly’s rich debut is no different. The story follows the lives of Claudio and Mathilde Simone and their three very different daughters from NYC to the ‘burbs of Long Island. Throughout the novel, Reilly sketches a makeshift family tree that shows the multiple roles we play throughout our lives (i.e. Mathilde, the mother; Mathilde, the sister; Mathilde, the daughter) and how they morph as we face challenges like family illness, soul-crushing debt, and the search for creative fulfillment. Do novels have soundtracks? If so, we’d want to stream this one — its musical mentions nod to iconic bands like The Smiths, The Four Seasons, Fleetwood Mac, and The Beatles (whose “She Came in Through the Bathroom Window” inspired the book’s title).
Nowhere to Be Found
By Bae Suah, translated by Sora Kim-Russell (AmazonCrossing)
Out April 14
We’re lucky this 1998 Korean novella was discovered and translated into English, because it goes to show that coming-of-age truly is a universal experience that knows no cultural boundaries. This breezy story is told through the eyes of a nameless narrator who feels like a female Korean version of Catcher in the Rye’s Holden Caulfield. She unceremoniously loses her V-card, takes on unfulfilling jobs, and drifts into the thick fog of existentialism in search of higher meaning. There is a beacon of light through all the haziness, but it’s up to the narrator to decide if she’s prepared to explore what her mind is capable of.
The Regional Office Is Under Attack!
By Manuel Gonzales (Riverhead)
Out April 12
Sci-fi freaks and magical-realist devotees will flock to this debut novel by Gonzales, whose 2013 collection of short stories, The Miniature Wife, brought similarly fantastical visions to the page. (Think: men who speak through their ears and planes that circle their landing strips for decades.) Part Kill Bill, part The Departed, this tale centers around the Regional Office, an underground entity filled with female assassins (who better?) trained to keep the world safe from evil forces. When a plot emerges to take down the office from within, a series of absurd events begins to unravel, with two opposing characters at the helm.
Crush: Writers Reflect on Love, Longing, and the Power of Their First Celebrity Crush
By Cathy Alter and Dave Singleton (William Morrow)
Out April 5
For most teenagers, having a secret celebrity crush is a powerful experience — that’s the subject co-editors Cathy Alter and Dave Singleton set out to explore in their new anthology, Crush. They’ve gathered an impressive list of contributors — Roxane Gay, James Franco, Andrew McCarthy, Emily Gould, Stephen King, to name a few — to share what their first celebrity loves mean to them, then and now. There are tales of sexual awakenings, obsession, identity crises, and heartbreak in these illuminating pages about Hollywood heartthrobs, rock star musicians, and even fictional characters. It’s an enjoyable read for anyone (ahem, everyone) who has ever loved a famous person.
Girl About Town
By Adam Shankman & Laura L. Sullivan
Out April 19
If you're into Old Hollywood glamour and rags-to-riches with a side of romance, then you're going to get your readings' worth with this title.
Girl About Town tells the story of Lucille O'Malley who — almost overnight — becomes the toast of Tinseltown, Lulu Kelly. But her newfound stardom came at a cost, one that ultimately gets her framed for murder.
A Fierce And Subtle Poison
By Samantha Mabry
Out April 12
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