“’Tis the good reader that makes the good book; … in every book he finds passages which seem confidences or asides hidden from all else and unmistakably meant for his ear,” wrote Ralph Waldo Emerson in “Society and Solitude.”
What was true in 1870 when Emerson penned those lines remains true today. Adventurous readers will find much that speaks to them among the Monitor’s 10 best books of April.
Why We Wrote This
Tales of reinvention and courage are threaded through our reviewers’ picks for the 10 best books of April – including a globe-trotting adventure story and a history of the animal rights movement.
Our reviewers’ picks this month include a futuristic novel that, amid its harrowing adventure, unfolds moments of resilience and kinship. And an ambitious debut novel follows a Parisian girl in the 1880s who must keep traveling or risks death.
Among the nonfiction selections is Doris Kearns Goodwin’s “An Unfinished Love Story,” a tribute to her husband, the late Dick Goodwin, who was a speechwriter and adviser to Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson. She blends history with memoir in her account of the 1960s – a pivotal era that included the Civil Rights Movement.
Real Americans, by Rachel Khong
Rachel Khong’s dazzling second novel probes issues of class, race, genetics, and identity. Her gripping narrative encompasses several love stories, political repression, the promise and limits of science, and the reverberations of dark secrets through two intertwined Chinese American families.
I Cheerfully Refuse, by Leif Enger
Why We Wrote This
Tales of reinvention and courage are threaded through our reviewers’ picks for the 10 best books of April – including a globe-trotting adventure story and a history of the animal rights movement.
In a rickety sailboat on storm-tossed Lake Superior, a grieving musician flees a powerful enemy. Set in a speculative future in which the supply chain has failed and a lethal drug holds sway, Leif Enger’s latest novel steers a harrowing course through a broken world. Yes, it’s grim, but in Enger’s capable hands it’s also a riveting story of resilience and kinship.
Clear, by Carys Davies
Weather whips and worlds collide as a Scottish minister recovers from an accident under the care of the solitary islander he’s been dispatched to uproot. Despite the harsh Shetland Islands landscape and the punishing realities of an 1840s Scotland undergoing transformation, gentleness – and even joy – seep through the murk of this evocative tale.
A Short Walk Through a Wide World, by Douglas Westerbeke
In Douglas Westerbeke’s imaginative debut, French preteen Aubrey literally has to keep moving: If she stays in one spot for more than several days, her body revolts. (Warning: There will be blood.) A life of globe-trotting adventure ensues, but also days marked by detours as she hunts for clues to her mysterious malady. The novel is a fleet-footed winner.
The Murder of Mr. Ma, by SJ Rozan and John Shen Yen Nee
Judge Dee, a lithe martial arts master struggling with PTSD after World War I, teams up with earnest scholar and budding novelist Lao She to investigate a string of murders around London in 1924. Amid the whirl of crescent kicks, rooftop chases, and snappy dialogue, characters confront addiction, defy prejudice, and deliver justice. It’s a cinematic ride.
The Paris Novel, by Ruth Reichl
Following the death of her difficult mother, Stella, a 20-something New Yorker, flies to Paris to find herself. From this familiar premise blooms a moving portrait of self-discovery and creativity complete with delectable dishes, haute couture, a painter from the past, and a famous bookstore sheltering eccentrics and poets. It’s a treat from a true gastronome.
An Unfinished Love Story, by Doris Kearns Goodwin
Historian Doris Kearns Goodwin was married for more than 40 years to Dick Goodwin, a speechwriter and adviser to John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson. In the years before Mr. Goodwin’s death, the couple went through hundreds of boxes of his memorabilia from those administrations. This affecting book, blending history, memoir, and biography, is a personal account of a pivotal era.
Our Kindred Creatures, by Bill Wasik and Monica Murphy
This fascinating history traces the shift in American attitudes toward animals in the decades after the Civil War. The authors describe the era’s widespread mistreatment of animals and profile the activists who convinced their fellow citizens that the prevention of animal suffering was a just cause.
Alien Earths, by Lisa Kaltenegger
Astronomer Lisa Kaltenegger, who directs the Carl Sagan Institute To Search for Life in the Cosmos, documents the quest for extraterrestrial life with winning enthusiasm. Explaining how she and her colleagues utilize cutting-edge tools like the James Webb telescope along with biological, geological, and computer-modeling methods, she makes the science accessible and fun.
There’s Always This Year, by Hanif Abdurraqib
Basketball as a metaphor for life is only a (quick) first step into this powerful memoir by Hanif Abdurraqib. The author’s words celebrate not only coming-of-age but also agelessness. His goal, like that within the sporting arena, is clear: Protect home court.