It’s the first Thursday of the month. You know what that means, ’cause we do this on the first Thursday of every month! Time to report!
What is the best book you read in April 2016 and why did you love it? It doesn’t have to be a newly published book, or even SFF. We just want to share some great reading material. Feel free to post a full review of the book here, or a link to the review on your blog, or just write a few sentences about why you thought it was awesome.
(And don’t forget that we always have plenty more reading recommendations on our Fanlit Faves page and our 5-Star SFF page. And we’ve also got a constantly updating list of new and forthcoming releases.)
As always, one commenter will choose a book from our stacks.
We’ve got a couple of giveaways still current. Find those here!
We’re updating our theme, so things may be a little messy or slow until we’re finished. Thank you for being patient with us!
Listening Library’s new all-star cast audio version of Grimm’s Fairy Tales.
https://fantasyliterature.com/reviews/grimms-fairy-tales/
Guy Gavriel Kay’s Children of Earth and Sky.
He’s one of my favorite authors, and his new book is another beautifully told story.
Penderwicks in Spring, Jeanne Birdsall in audio (by Listening Library) this one made me laugh and cry and wonder what comes next. That was my only 5 star for April.
I had several four stars:
The Invisible Library, Genevieve Cogman
One Good Dragon Deserves Another, Rachel Aaron
Dark Heir by Faith Hunter
Chaos Choreography by Seanan McGuire
Fire Touched, Patricia Briggs
Valentine’s Rising, EE Knight
The Protector’s War, SM Stirling
Sorry, Tale of the Thunderbolt by EE Knight was the four star, not Valentine’s Rising which I gave only 3 stars.
I had a pretty good month in April and have a hard time deciding which was the best book. Laurie R. King’s latest Russell/Holmes novel, The Death of Mary Russell, was fun. I wouldn’t call it the best (Justice Hall) but it ties up dangling thread that’s existed in the series for a long time.
Cherryh’s Visitor had an interesting twist–the Kyo finally show up with something to show Bren. I had guessed what the something was, but what he does with it was very surprising to me.
Probably my favorite was Martha Wells’s The Edge of Worlds, a great return to the world of the Raksura.
Wow, there is no way I can pick one! I would say Seanan McGuire’s very different and haunting Every Heart A Doorway, Faith Hunter’s Dark Heir, Benedict Jacka’s Burned, and RJ Blain’s Pack Justice.
Ooh, I forgot that Burned came out last month! I’ll have to find a copy!
I forgot I may have accidentally reread Heather Gladney’s Teot’s War and BloodStorm for the umpteenth time. These two books are among my absolute favorites with their taste of both science fiction and fantasy.
I really enjoyed Javelin Rain by Myke Cole. The Last Mortal Bond was also good but I think my expectations were too high before reading this one.
Hmmm, April kind of sucked for me. Nothing I read was bad, but none of it was great either. On librarything, I seem to have rated everything I read last month 4 stars:
The Girl with All the Gifts by M.R. Carey (probably my favorite of the month)
Two Serpents Rise by Max Gladstone
The Vital Abyss by James S.A. Corey
Books 11 and 12 of the The Walking Dead by Robert Kirkman
I am definitely zombied out for awhile.
Moon Called by Patricia Briggs- Book #1 in the Mercy Thompson series. The cheesy cover almost scared me off but the book was very good. Mercy is a shape-shifting VW mechanic who gets into hot water with some werewolves. Fun book and I’m starting Book #2 in the series in about 10 minutes (literally).
Skeleton Man by Tony Hillerman- A plane crash in 1956 sends over a hundred bodies into the Grand Canyon, one of them with a briefcase full of diamonds attached to the wrist. Thirty years later, a Native American boy tries to pawn one of the lost diamonds for $20, which gets the attention of the Navajo Tribal Police, the FBI, and some bad guys who want all of the diamonds. The plane crash part is based on a true story.
Edison’s Alley by Neal Shusterman was a fun and fascinating middle-grade book.
Larklight, by Philip Reeve was quite fun, too.
I’m happily working my way through the Alex Verus series, by Benedict Jacka, and finished Veiled in April. Looking forward to Burned next.
Of Noble Family, by Mary Robinette Kowal, was probably the best “adult” book I read in April. What an ending to the series! Now I’m eagerly awaiting her Ghosttalkers book later in the year.
Kevin s, if you live in the USA, you win a book of your choice from our stacks.
Please contact me (Marion) with your choice and a US address. Happy reading!