Per our predictions from the last Highlights post, March was indeed a tricksy month, with the odd 50 degree days followed by a lovely snowstorm smack in the middle of the month. But sure, SURELY, April will be actually spring?? Right?? Either way, we always have our books to get us through the odd weather events. Here are a few we’re looking forward to this month!
Serena’s Picks
Book: “Burn the Kingdom Down” by Addie Thorley
Publication Date: April 7, 2026
Why I’m Interested: To be honest, this one wasn’t on my radar at all until I received an ARC in the mail unexpectedly. But a quick perusal of the book description revealed several tropes that I particularly enjoy! A revenge story built around avenging the death of a beloved sister, an unwanted engagement, and plenty of court politics set in a fantasy world. I also really like the unique cover art on this one, and am excited to see if the story lives up to the same high!
Book: “The Tricky Business of Faerie Bargains” by Reena McCarty
Publication Date: April 7, 2026
Why I’m Interested: I’ve been chasing the high of the “Emily Wilde” books for a while now, so naturally this one stood out once I came upon it this spring. Aside from my normal interest in Fae/Faerie stories, I’m intrigued by many aspect of this book. A heroine who was stolen away as a child and spent one hundred years in Faerie before coming back to the human world and working as a sort of go-between? The entire concept of the Faerie world intersecting with the human one through the bureaucratic process of creating a business to run their bargains through? All interesting stuff!
Book: “We Become Darkness” by Grace Morrow
Publication Date: April 7, 2026
Why I’m Interested: As opposed to my first pick on this list, I’m interested in this one despite the cover. I’m not sure what is happening here, but I don’t love it. Character art is always a bit of a hard sell, but this one is particularly off-putting. Anyways, the story itself sounds interesting. It is yet another arranged marriage story, so that particular romance may be overrepresented this month. But it also features what sounds like a unique take on Vampyrs, so I’m excited to see how that all plays out here!
Kate’s Picks
Book: “Yesteryear” by Caro Claire Burke
Publication Date: April 7, 2026
Why I’m Interested: The march of the tradwife thrillers/horror/satire continues, and this was the first one that actually caught my eye in this trend when it was announced a couple years ago. Natalie is an influencer with millions of followers, a perfect looking family, and a platform that espouses the joys and benefits of living a ‘traditional’ Christian lifestyle, even though she hides scandals behind a smug disposition. So when she wakes up one morning and finds herself to be an actual traditional wife on a farmstead in what appears to be the early 1800s, she realizes that perhaps the ‘good old days’ aren’t so good after all. I’m far from being sick of this kind of trad wife satire and this one sounds like it pushes many boundaries, so I’m very stoked.
Book: “Japanese Gothic” by Kylie Lee Baker
Publication Date: April 14, 2026
Why I’m Interested: After really loving “Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng” I was totally thrilled seeing that Kylie Lee Baker had a new adult horror novel coming out this year! And this one sounds like it’s a two time period time travel horror? In the present, Lee has to flee the U.S. after killing his roommate and ends up back in Japan, living in his father’s abandoned house. In the past, disgraced samurai Sen is hiding from Imperial soldiers in a house off the beaten path. Both of them are seeing the other over centuries. I cannot wait to see what Baker does with this one!
Book: “Molka” by Monika Kim
Publication Date: April 28, 2026
Why I’m Interested: Another follow up to a horror novel I just loved! Monika Kim really stood out with “The Eyes Are The Best Part”, and with “Molka” she takes on voyeurism and stalking. Dahye and Hyukjoon have fallen into passionate love, but are caught in a compromising position on video. Then that video gets posted all over the internet, causing a scandal. Hyukjoon is wealthy and he can flee South Korea until the heat dies down. Dahye cannot. When she becomes the new target of another voyeur, she starts to find her rage overflowing, especially as her past secrets start coming out. Sounds salacious. I can’t wait.
What books are you looking forward to this month? Let us know in the comments!
The Library Ladies 