It’s the first Thursday of the month. Time to report!
What is the best book you read in April 2022 and why did you love it? It doesn’t have to be a newly published book, or even SFF, or even fiction. 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.
As always, one commenter with a U.S. mailing address will choose a book from our stacks. If you’re outside the U.S., we’ll send you a $5 Amazon gift card.
The Messenger (Gabriel Allon, #6)- Daniel Silva
Have to The Long Game, sequel to Heated Rivalry, by Rachel Reid. Hockey MM romance where Shane and Ilya were rivals as teenagers and when both went to the NHL, everyone kept assuming they were rivals including their teams, management, league management, reporters…
Meanwhile, they’d been maneuvering around for years while keeping it their relationship from just about everyone. This book is about really moving forward in the relationship.
Other highs were rereading vols 1 and 2 of Heartstopper. I still need to watch the tv show.
None are fantasy this month, but I very much enjoyed Amor Towles “A Gentleman in Moscow,” Nancy Horan’s “Loving Frank,” and David Benioff’s “City of Thieves.” The writing for all three immersed me in a particular time and place and told me stories I didn’t know I needed to hear. More fantasy in May I hope!
The Last Kabbalist of Lisbon by Richard Zimler. It’s not fantasy. Just a powerful reminder of how awful life can become when religious zealots take charge
“Cold Cereal” by Adam Rex. It’s a middle-grade novel about an evil cereal company that is stealing magic for nefarious purposes!
The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones
What a book! A cautionary tale for sure. I’m not a fan of hunting myself. I do think this might give pause to any hunter who might read it. The horrifying moments are brilliant, but also I felt there was a comparison of the plight of the elk with the plight of Native Americans, which was also done amazingly well and with subtlety. This is my first read of Jones’ work and it won’t be my last. Time for a deep dive into his backlist, while also keeping an eye out for future work.
The Empire’s Ruin by Brian Staveley
This is the first book in a new series in the same world as the Chronicles of the Unhewn Throne series. The story opens some 5 years after the end of the last series. Gwenna, a badass Kettral warrior from the first series, is the dominant POV. The world Staveley has created is very diverse and fascinating. Most of the action takes place outside the Empire boundaries so new countries, cultures, and beliefs are brought vividly alive. The plot moves along briskly as two of the POVs encounter such lethal challenges that it drives new, and of course significant, directions in their development. Mysteries hinted about in the first series get fleshed out – some – in this book. While having read the first series is not a prerequisite for this book, it helps.
I’ve raved about this series before here, but my favorite from April was The Bone Shard Emperor by Andrea Stewart. I didn’t enjoy it as much as the first book, but a worthy successor, and she’s taking the plot into some interesting places.
But April was a great fantasy reading month for me–I also enjoyed Neverwhere, Elatsoe, A Spindle Splintered, and The Empress of Salt and Fortune.
“Deadly Relations – Bester Ascendant” is the second volume of Babylon 5’s Psi-Corps Trilogy, telling how Alfred Bester came to be the sinister Psi Cop we know from the series.
Started re-reading Isaac Asimov’s transcendent Foundation series, beginning with “Prelude to Foundation”. The dialogue between Hari Seldon and Emperor Cleon is spectacular.
The Borgias: The Hidden History, by G.J. Meyer. The real story of these infamous historical figures is just as absorbing as all the rumors.
I finally finished the Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan and it was amazing. It is definitely a masterpiece and I can’t wait to continue with the series.
Katharine,if you live in the USA, you win a book of your choice from our stacks. If your address is outside of the USA, you will get a $5 Amazon gift card.
Please contact me (Marion) with your choice and a US address. Happy reading!