It’s rained a lot in the UK in 2024 and March into April is no exception. As ever, it is raining books in my house; a deluge that has given rise to my April 2024 reading preview. Here are the novels that I’m hoping to check out this month.
One book, not in the video, as strictly it was a March choice, is Sebastian de Castell’s Play of Shadows. I started this right at the end of March, and am now just over halfway through. I’m hooked on this tale of theater prophecy and expert duelists!
I predicted last month that I wouldn’t get around to reading the Song of the Huntress by Lucy Holland, and whilst this hardly makes me a prophet (theater or otherwise), it was a correct prediction. This reimagined tale of British folklore will be my first full read of the month.
My second read will be for another author I have reviewed on GeekDad (having reviewed both Holland and de Castell before). The Collapsing Wave is a follow-up to Doug Johnstone’s, The Space Between Us, a first contact/immigrant parable set in Scotland. The first book was heartfelt whilst shot through with veins of dark humor and I very much enjoyed it. I hadn’t necessarily expected to see a sequel, but I’m glad we’ve got one and I’m looking forward to reading The Collapsing Wave.
The Waterstones science fiction book of the month for March was Shannon Chakraborty’s, The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi. A tale that promises swashbuckling female pirates, sorcerers, and magic artifacts. It looks to be a solid modern fantasy, one that probably would have passed me by if it wasn’t for it being picked as a book of the month choice. I’m looking forward to diving in.
Children’s Reads.
Just a couple of children’s choices this month. Louder than Hunger by John Schu is a book that deals with eating disorders. It’s a prose poem, and I think semi-autobiographical. This is an issue that affects countless families across the globe and I wanted to highlight this book to GeekDad readers, in the hope that it may be of use to some of them.
Alastair Chisolm is one of my favorite discoveries of the last few years. He writes thought-provoking novels for young teenagers. A new book by him is very exciting, which is why I was thrilled to receive a copy of his latest book I am Wolf. It’s another book set in a post-apocalypse world, this one with huge mechanoid animals. Can’t wait to check it out!
My Book Group Pick
My book group is meeting again in April. This month, we’re reading I’m Sorry You Feel That Way by Rebecca Wait. My wife loved this book and recommended I read it with my book group. It’s a contemporary family drama featuring twins. I don’t know much else about it, but looking out to finding out more.
And Finally…
The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu has recently found its way onto Netflix. I’ve had this book sitting on the shelf for a number of years, so before I watch the dramatized version, I thought I ought to read the source material. I’ve made my children read various books before they watch the movie, so I need to make sure I act the same way, lest I lose all credibility. Of all the books on my April list, this is most likely to slip off the end. After all, it’s just another brick in the to-be-read tower!
