Just in time for spring’s warmer weather, April’s new book offerings bring forth a gust of romantic beach reads, celebrity memoirs, crime thrillers and more.
This month alone, Molly Shannon, Robin Roberts and Viola Davis share their life stories and inspirations, and Pulitzer Prize winner Jennifer Egan is back with “The Candy House.” Mix in some high-tech sci-fi, time travel, historical gothic horror and nonfiction, and consider your April reading list full. We’ve rounded up 19 of the month’s most anticipated books, all available at Amazon.
‘A Family Affair’ by Robyn Carr
From $11.99 at Amazon, available April 5
The latest from Carr, the bestselling author of “Virgin River” (adapted for the popular Netflix series), comes this uplifting beach read focused on Anna, an empty nester forced to deal with the aftermath of her husband’s sudden death.
‘Lessons in Chemistry’ by Bonnie Garmus
From $14.99 at Amazon, available April 5
In her debut novel, Garmus tells the story of Elizabeth, a scientist working on an all-male research team in 1960s California who later finds herself starring in a popular TV cooking show where she dishes out lessons on equality.
‘The Candy House’ by Jennifer Egan
From $14.99 at Amazon, available April 5
This highly anticipated release from Pulitzer Prize-winner Egan (“A Visit from the Goon Squad”) is set in the high-tech world, exploring what happens when a new technology lets you not only access all of your memories, but share them and access other people’s memories, as well.
‘Sea of Tranquility’ by Emily St. John Mandel
From $11.99 at Amazon, available April 5
In her time travel novel that spans from 1912 Vancouver to a post-pandemic 23rd-century moon colony, Mandel (“Station Eleven”) blends sci-fi with mystery, love and humanity.
‘Arrival Stories: Women Share Their Experiences of Becoming Mothers’ collected by Amy Schumer and Christy Turlington Burns
From $13.99 at Amazon, available April 5
Comedian and actress Schumer and supermodel and maternal health activist Turlington Burns share their own stories and those from a variety of women about motherhood and health care. Among the contributors: Serena Williams, Jill Scott, Sienna Miller and Amber Tamblyn.
‘The Return of Faraz Ali’ by Aamina Ahmad
From $14.99 at Amazon, available April 5
Ahmad’s debut novel is about a man sent to cover up a young girl’s death in the red light district of Lahore, Pakistan, his hometown. But once there, he must come to terms with his past as he seeks to unearth family secrets.
‘Hello, Molly: A Memoir’ by Molly Shannon
From $14.99 at Amazon, available April 12
If you loved her on “Saturday Night Live” and movies like “Superstar,” you’ll want to pick up Shannon’s new memoir that traces her life from a tragic accident that killed her mother, sister and cousin when she was just 4 years old to her comedic career at “SNL” and beyond.
‘Write for Your Life’ by Anna Quindlen
From $12.99 at Amazon, available April 12
Whether you’ve always wanted to be a writer but don’t know where to start, are looking to hone your craft or just love learning about the art of the written word, the Pulitzer Prize-winning Quindlen offers words of wisdom on recording daily experiences. As she says, “To write the present is to believe in the future.”
‘Brighter by the Day: Waking Up to New Hopes and Dreams’ by Robin Roberts
From $11.99 at Amazon, available April 12
The “Good Morning America” anchor shares advice, wisdom and guidance she’s discovered through her work, spiritual practices, conversations and more in this uplifting book sure to give you a sunnier outlook on life. “Our daily pleasures, however momentary, are cause for celebration,” she writes. “When happy feelings rise and recede — when our circumstances waver — joy is what anchors the soul.” We’re in.
‘Woman, Eating’ by Claire Kohda
From $13.99 at Amazon, available April 12
Love a good vampire novel? Sink your fangs into Kohda’s debut novel, a fresh spin on the genre focused on Lydia, a young vampire who is constantly hungry, but chooses to drink pigs’ blood over that of humans and spends her time watching “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” episodes and checking out food porn videos.
‘Dream Town’ by David Baldacci
From $14.99 at Amazon, available April 19
The third installment in Baldacci’s bestselling Archer series finds Aloysius Archer, a P.I. and WWII vet, in 1953 Los Angeles on New Year’s Eve with pal Liberty Callahan and screenwriter Eleanor Lamb, who goes missing before she can hire Archer to investigate who may be out to kill her.
‘Kingdom of Bones’ by James Rollins
From $14.99 at Amazon, available April 19
Rollins continues his long-running Sigma Force series with this latest installment where Commander Gray Pierce and Sigma Force must uncover why the ecosystem around a Congo village is quickly turning uber-predatory and threatening to spread globally. Is it nature? Or is someone pulling the strings?
‘The Memory Librarian: And Other Stories of Dirty Computer’ by Janelle Monáe
From $12.99 at Amazon, available April 19
She sings. She acts. And, with her debut book, Monáe now adds author to her resume. The collection of Afrofuturistic stories by Monáe and collaborators — and based on her “Dirty Computer!” album — looks at race, love, gender, sexuality, technology and more.
‘Good Eats: The Final Years’ by Alton Brown
From $16.99 at Amazon, available April 26
If you love watching Brown’s cooking shows, you’ll want to add the fourth — and last — volume of his bestselling cookbook series to your repertoire. Thanks to its 175-plus recipes, along with tips, facts, notes and photos, your dinner guests will certainly thank you.
‘Finding Me’ by Viola Davis
From $14.99 at Amazon, available April 26
The Oscar-, Emmy- and Tony-award-winning Davis reveals her life story in this new memoir. Calling it a love letter of sorts to herself, the actress says she “wrote this for anyone running through life untethered, desperate and clawing their way through murky memories, trying to get to some form of self-love.”
‘City on Fire’ by Don Winslow
From $14.99 at Amazon, available April 26
Bestseller Winslow (“The Power of the Dog,” “The Border”) returns with the first of a new trilogy that puts a modern, multi-generational gangster spin on “The Iliad,” set in ’80s and ‘90s New England, Hollywood and Las Vegas.
‘How to Tell a Story: The Essential Guide to Memorable Storytelling from The Moth’ by The Moth, Meg Bowles, Catherine Burns, Jenifer Hixson, Sarah Austin Jenness & Kate Tellers
From $12.99 at Amazon, available April 26
Fans of nonprofit storytelling organization The Moth, which, since 1997, has presented 50,000-plus stories, won a Peabody Award for its “The Moth Radio Hour” and boasts a popular eponymous podcast, will be drawn to this guide to, yep, telling stories. From toasts to eulogies, from job interviews to social events, this book will help you with ideas, structure, delivery and more.
‘Fight Like Hell: The Untold History of American Labor’ by Kim Kelly
From $14.99 at Amazon, available April 26
Journalist Kelly chronicles the history of America’s labor movement, from Asian farm employees to Jewish garment laborers to incarcerated workers, and their struggles for fair wages and equal protection. Rife with inspiring stories, it delves into the stories of often-unsung heroes fighting for their rights and those of others.
‘The Fervor’ by Alma Katsu
$14.99 at Amazon, available April 26
Historical fiction meets gothic horror in this genre-bending novel from Katsu (“The Hunger,” “The Deep”). In a 1944 Japanese internment camp where a sinister disease swiftly spreads, a mother and daughter, along with a reporter and missionary, work to discover the demonic forces behind it.