April 2020 Reading List
Books to read in April 2020, including Perfect Tunes, The Book of Longings, Good Boy, Little Family, and The Hiding Place.
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New April 2020 books on my reading list for the month, plus a nonfiction World War II book that many readers consider a modern classic.
There’s little I can say about these past few weeks that hasn’t been said. Most of us have been spending almost all of our time in our homes.
Some of us are bored, some of us are feeling a little frantic, trying to work and manage kids at the same time.
Across the board, I think we’re all worried. There is a lot to worry about, to be sure.
Like many readers, when everything started going crazy, I had a little trouble focusing on the books I was reading. Now in our third week of being home, I’m finding that focus again–even as things continue to change day by day.
It is always a relief to settle in with a great book, and I’m glad to have some highly anticipated reads coming up in April.
I hope you, too, are finding something that gives you comfort. If it’s books, you might like some of these hopeful books, or these lighthearted reads.
I’d love to know what other books are working for you in these crazy times–please share in the comments!
Books to Read in April 2020
Author: Emily Gould
Source: Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster via Edelweiss
Publish Date: 04/14/20
Quick Take
- Life in pre-9/11 New York City
- Early 20s ambitions contrasted with mid-30s realities
- Themes of music and motherhood
In the early 2000s, Laura arrived in New York City with big dreams of a musical career. Fifteen years later, her teenage daughter Marie is asking questions about her father and her mother’s abandoned musical dreams. This “delightful and poignant tale of music and motherhood, ambition and compromise” is one of my most-anticipated books of April 2020.
Author: Sue Monk Kidd
Source: Viking via Edelweiss
Publish Date: 04/21/20
Quick Take
- Historical novel about Jesus' fictional wife
- Adds women's voices to Biblical stories
- Good for fans of The Red Tent
I don’t typically read religious fiction, but on reading The Red Tent, I found that I do like reading historical fiction set in Biblical times–particularly when it adds womens’ voices where they haven’t been before. That Sue Monk Kidd is the author of this book cemented its place on my reading list.
This is the story of Ana, the young wife of Jesus and sister of Judas. The book is described as “Grounded in meticulous research and written with a reverential approach to Jesus’s life that focuses on his humanity,” and I can’t wait to dive in.
Author: Jennifer Finney Boylan
Source: Celadon Books via Edelweiss
Publish Date: 04/21/20
Quick Take
- Memoir perfect for dog lovers
- Reflections on how dogs love, teach, and transform us
I have a weakness for animal memoirs and it’s been too long since I’ve read one. What better time than now–when I’m finding comfort in silly dog videos, and my own beloved labrador has just turned 14? (Amazingly, he remains energetic and healthy, if a little deaf.)
Good Boy is Jennifer Finney Boylan’s memoir of the seven dogs that taught her about love and life as she grew from a young boy to a middle-aged woman. I expect some sadness, but just as with our life with dogs, the sadness of a great dog story is oh-so-worth it for the joy of the journey.
Author: Ishmael Beah
Source: Riverhead Books via Edelweiss
Publish Date: 04/28/20
Quick Take
- Novel by author of the memoir A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier
- Homeless children in Zimbabwe create a family
Beah’s memoir Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier was horrifying, riveting, and sensitive. I knew I had to read his first foray into fiction, about five children who have created a makeshift home and family in an abandoned airplane in Zimbabwe. I anticipate that Beah’s own experiences lend particular credibility to the emotional threads of this story and I can’t wait to read it.
Author: Corrie Ten Boom
Source: Library
Publish Date: 01/01/71
Quick Take
- Memoir of a leader in the WWII Dutch resistance movement
My Thoughts
The Hiding Place is Corrie ten Boom’s memoir of her life in Holland, starting from her simple days in her family’s watchmaker shop to her time as a leader in the Dutch underground. Ten Boom hid Jewish people from Nazis and ultimately lost her family in concentration camps. I decided to listen to the audiobook after hearing about this book for years, and I feel the dread of the Nazis moving in on their small but comfortable lives.
Resistance movements are fascinating and I’m looking forward to learning more about her role (side note: if you are ever in Amsterdam, don’t miss the fantastic Verzets Resistance Museum. It’s small, but the interactive exhibits bring the people of the resistance to life.)
What are you reading in April?
Life is crazy and I’ve been completely neglecting visiting blogs, but am glad I found my way here today. I’m looking forward to Perfect Tunes, too and have been considering The Book of Longings, too. Like you I loved The Red Tent, though usually avoid religious leaning books. Monk Kidd’s book sounds so appealing, but the length has in part scared me off. I didn’t request an ARC, but will wait instead to see what others (you) think of it. Stay well!
Glad to hear from you, Susie! I haven’t been making the rounds to other blogs as I like to either (and I just realized I never got an email notice of your comment, so now I need to troubleshoot that!). I’m hoping The Book of Longings works for me, especially right now. I’m having a little trouble slogging through books that feel heavy, so if it’s not enough of a page-turner I may have to put it aside for later. Now more than ever, some books just seem to be the wrong book at the wrong time, rather than books I wouldn’t actually like otherwise.
I have The Book of Longings as an eGalley and I’m excited but nervous to read it! It’s certainly a significant topic, so we’ll see how she handles it. I think a lot of people will be talking about it this year.
I agree! She’s brave to take it on. I trust Kidd as an author–hopefully she handled this well AND wrote a great story!