
April seems to have lasted forever! The mercury’s rising, and with it, so has my desire to enclose myself in an air conditioned room with good books for company. And boy, have I read some really interesting books this month — across genres. My favorite fantasy genre features strongly this month, along with contemporary fiction, a cozy mystery, and a collection of short stories.
Reading wrap-up for April
I read seven books this month, including three for the Book Bingo challenge. This month’s reading saw me back in Belterra in the company of witches, mermaids, dragons, and vampires; walking the mountains of Arunachal Pradesh; hanging out with a young single mother desperately trying to make ends meet; and lounging by the pool at a retirement community in Arizona.
(Click on the book covers to purchase the book on Amazon.)
Fantasy
Blood & Honey and Gods & Monsters by Shelby Mahurin: I continued the Serpents & Dove trilogy that I started last month, and absolutely loved all three books. They’ve made it to my favorites list, and possibly will be among the books that I would love to re-read in a few years. I loved the world building — I mean, witches and witch hunters, ware-wolves, mermaids, and dragons, and Old Gods who roam the earth, what’s not to like? The plot line, the character arcs, the friendship and love and loyalty — it’s a brilliantly done series and I’m so glad I picked this up, albeit reluctantly. Sometimes, the most unexpected of books come into your orbit in the most unexpected of ways. If you enjoy fantasy, this trilogy is highly recommended!
The Scarlet Veil (The first book in a duology) and The Shadow Bride by Shelby Mahurin: Once I had finished the Serpents & Dove trilogy, I missed Belterra so much that the real world felt a bit flat. You know when books do that to you, right? You’re not sure you’ll be able to enjoy another book, at least for a while! So when I saw this duology set in the same world, of course I dived right in! It took me a while to get into the story — a somewhat steamy vampire romance — but once I did, I thoroughly enjoyed the books. Mahurin has got her pacing, plotting, and character arc development down really well.
Contemporary fiction
Margo’s Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe: As the child of a Hooters waitress and an ex-pro wrestler, Margo Millet’s always known she’d have to make it on her own. So she enrolls at her local junior college, even though she can’t imagine how she’ll ever make a living. While she’s still figuring her life out, she ends up having a short-lived affair with her English professor, which gets her pregnant. Despite everyone’s advice, she decides to keep the baby, mostly out of naiveté and a yearning for something bigger.
Now, at 20, Margo is alone with an infant, unemployed, and on the verge of eviction. She needs a cash infusion, and fast. When her estranged father, Jinx, shows up on her doorstep and asks to move in with her, she agrees in exchange for help with childcare. Then Margo begins to form a plan — to start an OnlyFans as an experiment. Soon, however, she finds herself adapting some of Jinx’s advice from the world of wrestling to build up her online persona, and before she knows it, she’s turned her OnlyFans into a runaway success. Could this be the answer to all of Margo’s problems, or does internet fame come with too high a price?
Quite a quirky book, this, with some unpredictable, rather weird characters. The throughline, though, is the judgement that people attach to women’s bodies and the assumptions they make about their character and “goodness” based on that. This was quite a different book, and a rather interesting read. Recommended.
Short story collection
Tales from the Dawn-Lit Mountains: Stories from Arunachal Pradesh by Subi Taba (A book by a BIPOC author): This book came up for review in a bookish group that I am part of, and the moment I saw the strap line: “stories from Arunachal Pradesh”, I was hooked.
Featuring stories that showcase the ethnic, indigenous tribes of the state, living under the shadows of magic and realism in the isolated mountain lands, Taba brings to life the culture and beliefs of the tribes of Arunachal Pradesh.
The stories are complemented by stunning black and white illustrations by Jompi Ete, which add a vibrancy and depth to Taba’s evocative descriptions.
If you’d like a glimpse into the culture and tribes of Arunachal Pradesh, this book is a must read!
{Full review coming soon}.
Cozy mystery
Murder Runs in the Family by Tamara Berry (A book published in 2025): When an impulsive decision forces Amber Winslow to flee her former life with nothing but the clothes on her back, she heads to the sunny state of Arizona and the luxury accommodations of her grandmother’s retirement community. Never mind that Amber’s never actually met her estranged and eccentric grandmother.
To her surprise, though, not only does her grandmother, Jade, welcome Amber with open arms, she seems to know a lot about her considering the two have never met before.
On her first morning there, Amber’s shocked to learn that George Vincent, a.k.a. the Admiral, was found dead on the night of her arrival. And much to her dismay, no one seems particularly distraught over the news of his death or the disappearance of his prize pet tortoise. All anyone can talk about is a missing Vincent family heirloom, and they’re quick to blame Jade for both the Admiral’s murder and the theft of the priceless ring.
Amber doesn’t want to admit the woman she’s just met, and who accepted her without question, could be a villain, but her grandmother and her circle of friends are definitely hiding something. And Amber won’t rest until she finds out what that is, and clears her grandmother’s name while she is at it.
This is an absolute delight of a novel. I especially loved Jade’s character, her irrepressible bonhomie and joie-de-verve is contagious. Also delightful were the retirees and their little intrigues, the betting pool they run on almost everything, and the closed-room murder plot line. Highly recommended!
Over to you: What was on your reading list this month?
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