April Round Up

The saying goes that April showers bring May flowers and we certainly had our share of rain near my home. While I read a dozen books in April, it was not a great month in terms of really great ones. Here is my wrap up of top five best books and not great books for April of 2025, in no particular order.

Best

1. Three Weeks with My Brother by Nicholas Sparks. While I have read quiet a few of Mr. Sparks' books, I had not read this one. It is a non-fiction book about a three week trip with his brother. The book also includes stories of his childhood and the strong relationships with his siblings. Five stars.

2. Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy. This book is about a a family on an island near Antarctica and a woman mysteriously washes ashore. This book is highly recommended and is on everyone's TBR pile. It lives up to the hype. It is deeply moving and will be with me for a long while. Five stars.

3. Leverage by Amran Gowani. This book is an ARC from NetGalley and the first book for the author, hopefully not his last. This book is a page-turner about a hedge-fund manager who loses $300 million and is given a few months to make up the loss. Plenty of twists and turns especially if you love a good financial thriller. Four stars.

4. The Stolen Queen by Fiona Davis. I always enjoy books by this author and this one is another winner. This book tells the story of a lost Egyptian artifact along with the story of family loss and rediscovery. Four stars.

5. By Any Other Name by Jodi Picoult. I have read everything by this author. However, this book is very different than her other books. This book tells the story of two women and is set in two time periods, current day and Elizabethan England. The book proposes that Shakespeare was not the author of the plays and poems he is credited. Fascinating book. Four stars.

Now for those that I did not enjoy as much.

1. The Griffin Sisters by Jennifer Weiner. I love all of Jennifer Weiner's books and was looking forward to this one. It is the story of two sisters who were famous music stars until the band mysteriously broke up. This is not an altogether bad book just not her best.

2. Heartwood by Amity Gaige. This book is the story of the search for a lost hiker on the Appalachian Trail. Book was OK, nothing spectacular.

3. Parents Weekend by Alex Finlay. This is also an ARC and I have read other books by this author. The book was too hard to follow. There were too many characters and I could not keep them straight.

4. How the Light Gets In by Louise Penny. This is another in the Inspector Gamache series. I love this series but this book was also just OK. Not the best in the series.

5. Deep Cuts by Holly Brickley. I love music, all kinds of music and thought this book would be perfect. This book had lots of positive reviews. This book was slow, slow and slow. Not at all for me.

On to May and, until next time, keep turning those pages...