The Best Books of April

Julie Chan is Dead by Liann Zhang

The Ephemera Collector by Stacy Nathaniel Jackson

This exciting Afrofuturist debut (sadly) doesn’t sound too far off from reality. Xandria Anastasia Brown is a librarian in Los Angeles in 2035 who, along with AI helper bots, curates the African American Ephemera collection and American Historical Manuscripts. But long COVID has taken a toll on Xandria, and the lapses in her memory are getting worse. It makes it hard to work and to deal with the hostile corporate takeover attempt threatening the library. When the library goes into emergency lockdown, stranding Xandria in the archive, she realizes everything she has collected and everything she believes is under attack. — Liberty Hardy

Zeal by Morgan Jerkins

Morgan Jerkins, the bestselling author of Caul Baby, pens a modern-day love story that rights the wrongs of a star-crossed past. When Ardelia and Oliver find each other, they discover each of them has a family history full of holes and secrets. Is it possible that their love story stretches back through the generations to a newly freed man looking for the woman he loves whose family fled in the Great Migration? — Rachel Brittain

Accidentally on Purpose by Kristen Kish

Ever since her breakout moment on Top Chef, Kristen Kish has graced television screens around the world. Now, she’s an Emmy-nominated host of the same television series. In her new memoir, Kish shares her story of her childhood as a Korean American adoptee growing up in the Midwest. Readers follow her journey working in the restaurant business, making a name for herself, and working towards becoming a well-known TV personality and queer icon. — Kendra Winchester

Marriage Bargain with the Comte by Parker J. Cole

Talk about another cover you can just stare at for hours at a time! This is a friends-to-lovers, marriage of convenience romance set in the Court of Louis XVI and on the island of Saint Domingue (which I discovered reading reviews, as the description doesn’t mention it). Dieudonné, Comte de Montreau, ends up in a sticky situation when he rescues a friend from a ruination plot only to be caught in a compromising situation with her himself! So they get married.  — Jessica Pryde

This Monster of Mine by Shalini Abeysekara

This debut is a legal thriller and romantasy inspired by Ancient Rome! Four years ago, someone tried to murder Sarai and failed. Now she’s out for revenge, looking for the culprit by working as a prosecutor with a magical ability to tell if someone is lying. Sarai must investigate her case with one of the city’s four judges, Tetrarch Kadra, who has a reputation for cruelty—and is also a suspect in attacks similar to what happened to Sarai. She must walk a fine line, trying to get answers while not tipping Kadra off to the fact that she’s investigating him. And possibly also falling for him… — Liberty Hardy

When the Tides Held the Moon by Venessa Vida Kelley

And this is a queer historical cozy fantasy about a Puerto Rican immigrant and a merman. In 1910s New York City, Benny is hired to build a new tank for a Coney Island amusement park. It’s the home of Rio, an actual merman stolen from the East River. As Benny spends time with Rio and getting to know his gentle soul and kind heart, he realizes he has met his soulmate. But his love with Rio will mean setting him free, which may cost Benny his job, his family, and the merman he loves. — Liberty Hardy

Happy Land by Dolen Perkins-Valdez

When Nikki is summoned to North Carolina by her estranged grandmother, she expects to finally get some answers about her family’s complicated recent past. Instead, Mother Rita tells her the shocking story of her great-great-great grandmother, Queen Luella, and the Kingdom of the Happy Land. Her grandmother insists the land they stand on must be protected at all costs. If what Mother Rita is telling her is true, it might explain a lot about her family. But can they reclaim what’s been taken from them after all this time? — Rachel Brittain

Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng by Kylie Lee Baker

Horror author Paul Tremblay calls Kylie Lee Baker’s new novel “a compelling, gory, ghostly romp.” Crime scene cleaner Cora Zeng has seen truly horrifying messes at her job, but nothing comes close to witnessing her sister being pushed in front of a train. The trauma continues to play over and over in her head, especially the words the murder shouted at her before fleeing the scene: “Bat Eater.” She fights to set these thoughts aside to prepare for the Hungry Ghost Festival, when the gates of hell open. Still, Cora can’t seem to tell the difference between fiction and reality anymore, and she keeps finding bat carcasses at crimes scenes. It’s almost like a message waiting for her. — Emily Martin

The Summer I Ate The Rich by Maika and Maritza Moulite

Don’t Cause Trouble by Arree Chung

Twelve-year-old Ming is having a hard time in middle school. Poor kid—not only does he feel awkward about his bowl cut and thrift store style, but he’s put into an ESL class despite English being his first language. Luckily, he meets Vikrum and Marcus, and as their friendship grows, he begins to express himself. — Rachel Rosenberg