Books Completed in April 2026

 The Masquerades of Spring, Ben Aaronovitch
The fourth of Aaronovitch's seasonal novellas set in the "Rivers of London" universe. But this one has a twist: it's set in the United States, where Englishman Augustus Berrycloth-Young—friends call him "Gussie"—lives in New York City enjoying the delights of the Jazz Age, hiding the fact that he is not only one of those who practices "the love that dare not speak its name," but that his lover is Black. Helped by a talented valet called Maximillian Beauregard, Gussie's living the good life, until Thomas Nightingale shows up on his doorstep, seeking help. Somewhere in the wild, there's an enchanted musical instrument on the loose, and Nightingale wants it confiscated and returned.

Aaronovitch writes a mean Bertie Woosterish romp crossed with magic. Gussie is a gem of a narrator and if you're a "Rivers" fan, you'll want this for your collection.

 The Home Front: The Best of "Good Housekeeping" 1939-1945, Brian Braithwaite, Noëlle Walsh, Glyn Davies
Big "coffee table book" I found in a thrift shop, reproductions of the British edition of "Good Housekeeping" during World War II. Lots of articles about keeping a stiff upper lip, being thrifty, working your Victory Garden, and ads for conserving food. A snapshot of the times.

 Anne of a Different Island, Virginia Kantra
A modern take on Anne of Green Gables, with unpredictable Anne Gallegher returning to her home on Mackinac Island after the death of her father, who always understood her ways. She hopes to become closer to her mother, who runs the island fudge shop, but she arrives without her doctor fiancé Chris, who can't leave his pediatric patients, and pretty sure she's lost her teaching job at an exclusive school because she objects to banning certain books in the school library. At the dock to meet her is Joe Miller, an older boy who always teased her, who's also her late father's apprentice in the carpentry business.

As Anne helps her mother, and her "bosom friend" Daanis, married and a new mother, she begins to understand herself, and her mother's special reliance on Joe.

This was sweet, and I cried at the end.

 Between the Lines: Master the Subtle Elements of Fiction Writing, Jessica Page Morrell
Picked this up at a book sales and glad I found it. Author provides concrete excerpts of writing she considers good examples of descriptions, characterizations, flashbacks, theme, etc. An excellent addition to your writing library.

 Deep End, Ali Hazelwood
This story was very popular last year, and the main characters even had a cameo in Hazelwood's Problematic Summer Romance. College student and championship diver, Scarlett Vandermeer is still recovering from a traumatic diving accident and is unable to dive at her best. Her teammate Penelope discovers Scarlett has certain sexual kinks that Pen's boyfriend, the Olympic champion swimmer Lukas Blomqvist, would like to indulge in as well, but she (Pen) doesn't want to. So Pen, who's actually broken up with Lukas drunkenly suggests Scarlett and Lukas get together—just sexually, you understand.

Naturally, it becomes much more than that. As Scarlett works through her trauma, it turns out Lukas' infamous calm actually stabilizes her. But for two people who are trying desperately not to fall in love, they're doing it pretty well.

Still don't get Pen's reluctance to tell people she and Lukas broke up a year earlier, so what she does near the end of the novel really makes me hate her, even if she apologizes for it.

 The Ride: Paul Revere and the Night That Saved America, Kostya Kennedy
Long ago I read Esther Forbes' Paul Revere and the World He Lived In, which she used as a template for her classic Johnny Tremain young adult novel. It's still as complete a bio of Revere as you can get, but if you're just curious about the famous Ride (which, as even Revere would have told you, he didn't finish; Samuel Prescott did) and what prompted it, this is an enjoyable modern review of the times and the man.

  Re-read: Mr. Revere and I, Patrick Lawson
How could I read a book about Paul Revere's ride without re-reading a childhood favorite, the story of Revere's ride told by his faithful horse?

Of course, Revere didn't own the horse he rode that night; she was a borrowed mare named, they think, Brown Bess. But who cares when this delightful story is narrated by Scheherazade—just call her "Sherry"—who was originally a proud British cavalry horse brought over to guard the city of Boston from those terrible Rebels. Brought to ruin by her frankly stupid owner, Sir Cedric Barnstable, Sherry eventually pulls a noisome cart, but is rescued by the Sons of Liberty as a horse for Paul Revere to carry dispatches with.

Full of sly criticisms of stupidity of the British officers (who bought their commissions) and even the local prominent citizens like John Hancock and Samuel Adams, this book is a delight from beginning to end, actually portraying Revere's backbreaking trips in realistic style. Worth reading even by adults.

 This Way Up: When Maps Go Wrong, Mark Cooper-Jones and Jay Foreman
Apparently, these guys, The Map Men, are famous on YouTube, but I bought this because I've always been a little potty about maps. Would have loved to have been a cartographer. The Map Men talk about...surprise!...maps. Like a global map sold by IKEA which completely left out New Zealand (they apologized). Or trying to complete a map in the 1700s when the world wasn't completely explored. Or trying to navigate London...using a map of Paris (privately I didn't understand the purpose of this).

The problem with this book is when it's good, it's good, but then the authors start goofing around. I guess in an effort to make the Donner Party story less grim, it's told in this terrible style that I found really offputting. Telling the story of the deadly shortcut that led to the Donner downfall needn't have been told in a flip matter. Some other chapters are also depressingly flip. I expected to like this more.

 The Complete Guide to the Bible, Stephen M. Miller
Tempted by this when I saw it at Walmart. Containing maps, vintage images, pullouts containing additional info, modern photography, Miller walks you through each book of the Bible, explains the significance of each, points out any relevance to modern life, and provides other insights. Enjoyed this. Biggest takeaway, however, was: don't get involved with Assyrians. They perfected the art of torture.

 Fight, Sloane St. James
Callahan Woods is a wildland firefighter. Since being betrayed by his fiancée, Molly, a former childhood sweetheart, Cal has sworn off permanent relationships and lets any woman he gets involved with know it. Into his life walks Prescott Timmons, new EMT recruit. It's sparks aplenty, and they're not in the wildfires.

But "Scottie" is hiding a very big secret, one Callahan might never get over.

Whew, is it hot in here? Spice aplenty in this firefighter romance, plus you learn about the process of fighting wildfires and how the men and women live during fire seasons. Scottie's past is unique compared to other romances I've read.

 Robert Heinlein, Leon Stover
This is Stover's 1987 biography/examination of the life and fiction of Robert Heinlein. He certainly is a Heinlein enthusiast: he compares him to Mark Twain, and states that Have Spacesuit Will Travel should be as famous as Huckleberry Finn. (Okay, Have Spacesuit Will Travel was my first Heinlein and probably my favorite, but I'm also a Finn fan--so, sorry, Leon...no.) Did enjoy reading Stover's POV on characters like Friday, Valentine Michael Smith, Delos Harriman, and more.

 The Geographer's Guide to Romance, India Holton
Professor Elodie Hughes was a flighty but magically talented geographer at Oxford when she entered into a marriage of convenience (he wanted quieter digs) with stern, grumpy Professor Gabriel Tarrant. Their wedding night turned out to be magical for both of them, except neither knew how to communicate that. So it's been a year since they've seen each other when both Professors Tarrant are summoned to a magical eruption in a small Welsh village. It's growing in power, and if it can't be stopped, the rampant magic may destroy England.

Fighting wild magic, Welsh villagers glad for the business magic brings to their town, bonkers tourists, a pet goat, and their irresistible attraction to each other, Gabriel and Elodie scramble to halt disaster. A comic romantasy period romp.