The Best Book Club Books Out in April

Ivar has been living by himself, save for a few animals, on an island north of Scotland for decades. Then, after all that time of minding his business, an impoverished Scottish minister, John, shows up to evict him. But the process doesn’t go too smoothly. When John first gets to the island, he falls and hurts himself, and it’s Ivar who takes care of him. Though the two men don’t speak the same language, they learn to communicate, and Ivar is able to see himself through another person for the first time in a long while.

Here, Bardugo weaves that usual spell of her particular brand of dark and engaging fantasy with a tale set in the Golden Age of Spain. It’s the 16th century, and Luzia is a lowly kitchen servant who can perform light magic. When her mistress realizes her talent, she tries to exploit her to the benefit of bored nobility. But, this leads to Luzia gaining the attention of Antonio Pérez, who is trying to get back in good with the king after a disgrace. As Luzia gets deeper into the world of miracle workers, seers, and alchemists, she becomes more known, and therefore more in danger if the fact of her Jewish heritage were to get out. But there is a familiar, Guillén Santangel, who could help secure her future…even if their secrets may be worse than hers.

On August 12, 2022, Salman Rushdie was stabbed while on stage, where he was set to give a lecture. In this memoir, he recounts life immediately following the violent attack, which came — perhaps ironically — 30 years after he survived the fatwa placed on him.

With these roundups, I always try to strike a balance between informing y’all of new, buzzy releases and putting you on to something new. Considering the popularity of Emily Henry at this point, my inclusion of this romance belongs in the former category.

With Funny Story, we’ve been gifted an opposites-attract, fake-dating story that starts off a bit messy. Daphne’s fiancé Peter leaves her for Petra, and Petra leaves her fiancé Miles for Peter. Then, these two Messy Melindas invite both their exes to their wedding. So, naturally, Daphne and Miles decide to fake date and attend the wedding. But, practical children’s librarian Daphne may find more than she bargained for in the chaotic Miles.

Following Disability Visibility, leading disability advocate Alice Wong has edited another anthology that gives a voice to the disabled experience. The writers here explore what intimacy means. They place value on sex, yes (and how sexual liberation and disability justice relate, for instance), as well as community, friendships, and caregiving.