everything i read in April

this month's issue is sponsored by the Nashville Library, where I got all these books

In April I read books in short, lusty bursts. April is THE gardening month for Tennessee, with our last frost occurring usually after the first week so I’ve been busy elsewhere. However, the books I did read were mostly top books for me so let’s get into it.

Two-Step Devil by Jamie Quatro

A southern gothic novel about a man, called the Prophet, who lives in the rural mountains of Alabama and sees visions. While scrounging for art supplies in the dump, he sees a girl in zip ties being shoved into the back seat of a car before being driven off. He feels God is telling him it’s his life mission to rescue her. The two develop an unlikely friendship against the backdrop of the Prophet’s art filled cabin.

While I initially was drawn in by the premise, I found this book to be a bit of slog. The Prophet’s visions are strewn with partial Bible verses and deeply steeped in American Southern Pentecostal linguistics. On a personal level, I actually found it really challenging to engage with neutrally and it made me dislike him as a character.

I don’t think this is going on my favorite books for 2025, but it was creatively written and I appreciate the unflinching honesty with which Quatro approached the good and evil in all of us.

Fundamentally by Nussaibah Younis

Nadia Amin is a freshly minted PhD graduate hired by the UN to implement the subject of her doctoral research in Iraq— namely, rehabilitating ISIS brides being held in an internment camp. She quickly learns theorizing about how to help people on paper is a completely different kettle of fish to actually providing support. Despite the heavy subject matter, this book rips along and Nadia’s sense of humor and wit is completely captivating.

I loved this book so much. It accomplishes what all the best storytelling does, in my opinion, by exposing its readers to nuanced and complex concepts, while never coming across preachy or like a history class. I learned so much about what it looks like to work in some of the most intensely charged human crises centers, without even realizing how much I was absorbing because I was having such a good time with the story. Younis covers the complex and broken systems within humanitarian aid, radicalism, feminism, and the nuances of what it can look to like to be Muslim in our current world, all while delivering hilarious and lovable characters so real you want to reach out and touch them.

I highly recommend this book. If Margo Has Money Trouble and A Thousand Splendid Suns had a baby, it’d be Fundamentally. Weird sounding combo but it works.

The Keeper of Lost Things by Ruth Hogan

Well this was a deliciously cozy read. Laura is recovering from a bad divorce when she strikes out on her own and follows up a job posting for a housekeeper. Her employer, and ultimately friend, Anthony is a kindly older gentleman from another era, and a collector of many “lost things”. Things he leaves with Laura, along with his entire house and estate when he dies, with the impossible charge to try and return them to their owners.

With the help of the neighbor girl who has Down’s Syndrome, and a handsome gardener, not to mention the disruptions of the house ghost (yes, really) Laura embarks on a mission that not only ultimately heals her broken heart, but all hearts determined to love at all costs.

Stylistically, I’m not usually a big one for dual timelines, which I feel is very much “the thing” in contemporary lit these days, but this worked for me. It almost read like a collection of short stories, tied together by an overarching plot, which some could argue, is how we remember a life. If you need something that feels cozy, enjoy a touch of magical realism, and like happy endings, please pick up this book.

Forever Strong by Gabrielle Lyon

My non-fiction pick for this month was fantastic. I really needed a kick in the pants to clarify “my why” when it came to remembering care for my health— especially now in my midlife. Dr. Lyon covers the importance of protein for creating skeletal muscle when it comes to living a long and healthy life. A former geriatrics doctor, Dr. Lyon found time and time again with her patiences, that the key to disrupting common aging health conditions— dementia, the loss of bone density, and even hormone production— all come down eating the appropriate amount of protein and resistance training.

A good, clear book full of practical takeaways. Small personal testimony is that ever since switching up my diet to prioritize 140g of protein daily, my energy levels which were lagging tremendously, have spiked. I feel reborn. My periods have been less painful, I sleep longer, and my mental health feels so well supported. Good book if you’re in the market for something like that.

That’s all I have for you this month! If you’re looking for more recommendations you can check out the other books I’ve read this year. And in the name of full transparency, all the links to the books listed are affiliate links, which means if you choose to purchase one from Bookshop.org I earn a very small percentage with no added cost to you. Thanks for reading a long and if you’ve read any of these and want to talk about them in the comments I’m HERE.

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