Notes from the Shelf

While I was out at a bookstore, there was a flyer for indie book recommendations for April as well as a reminder of Independent Bookstore Day, which is on Saturday April 26th.

First, to go through the list of indie books for April.

1. Tilt by Emma Pattee- this is on my 25 Anticipated Fiction Books for 2025 list. 229 pages, contemporary fiction/thriller, published March 25
2. The Sirens by Emilia Hart- also on my 25 Anticipated Fiction Books for 2025 list. April 1 publication, 352 pages, fantasy/historical fiction
3. Audition by Katie Kitamura- April 8 publication, 208 pages, contemporary fiction
4. Wild and Wrangled by Lyla Sage- April 15 publication, 368 pages, second chance romance. #4 in the Rebel Blue Ranch series.
5. Say You’ll Remember Me by Abby Jimenez- April 1 publication, 416 pages, romance
6. Heartwood by Amity Gaige- April 1 publication, 320 pages, mystery/thriller
7. The Story She Left Behind by Patti Callahan Henry- March 18 publication, 352 pages, historical fiction/mystery
8. I See You’ve Called in Dead by John Kenney- April 1 publication, 304 pages, humor/contemporary fiction
9. When the Moon Hits Your Eye by John Scalzi- March 25 publication, 326 pages, science fiction
10. Murder by Memory by Olivia Waite- March 18 publication, 112 pages, science fiction/mystery. #1 in Dorothy Gentleman series.
11. Hot Air by Marcy Dermansky- March 18 publication, 208 pages, literary fiction
12. Bad Nature by Ariel Courage- April 1 publication, 304 pages, literary fiction
13. The Paris Express by Emma Donoghue- March 18 publication, 288 pages, historical fiction/mystery
14. The Hymn to Dionysus by Natasha Pulley- March 18 publication, 416 pages, fantasy/classic retelling
15. Sky Daddy by Kate Folk- April 8 publication, 368 pages, experimental fiction/romance
16. Murder at Gulls Nest by Jess Kidd
17. Stop Me If You’ve Heard This One by Kristen Arnett- March 18 publication, 272 pages, queer fiction
18. O Sinners! by Nicole Cuffy- March 18 publication, 464 pages, horror
19. The Savage, Noble Death of Babs Dionne by Ron Currie- March 25 publication, 368 pages, thriller/mystery. #1 in Babs Dionne series.
20. Sour Cherry by Natalia Theodoridou- April 1 publication, 312 pages, gothic retelling
21. This Book Will Bury Me by Ashley Winstead- March 25 publication, 480 pages, mystery/thriller
22. Killer Potential by Hannah Deitch- March 18 publication, 320 pages, thriller/mystery
23. Hunchback by Saou Ichikawa, translated by Polly Barton- Originally released in Japanese June 22, 2023, English publication date March 18, 2025, 112 pages, contemporary fiction
24. The Night Trembles by Nadia Terranova, translated by Ann Goldstein- Originally released in Italian February 22, 2022, English publication date April 1, 2025, 192 pages, historical fiction
25. Worthy of the Event by Vivian Blaxell- April 1 publication, 296 pages, queer nonfiction-essay

Out of the above books, I’m most excited to read Tilt by Emma Pattee, The Sirens by Emilia Hart, Heartwood by Amity Gaige, and The Savage, Noble Death of Babs Dionne by Ron Currie. Are you adding any of these to your TBR list?

Also, as I mentioned earlier, Saturday, April 26th is Independent Bookstore Day, where there are over a thousand bookstores across the U.S. participating in the event, some with author meet and greets or exclusive merch. There’s one bookstore close to me that is celebrating, so I plan to go check them out! That bookstore is also a part of the Chicago bookstore crawl, where if you visit 10-15 independent bookstores in one day, you get 10-15% off at every store for the year! I don’t live downtown though where most of the books are, so I cannot participate in that, but it sounds fun. Let me know how it was if you participate in it!

Here is the indie website list to check out what bookstores in your state have planned for Independent Bookstore Day.

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