15 New April Books
Here are works on and of the West, including The Oracle’s Daughter, Brand New Beat, and Questions 27 and 28 that we’re excited to see published this month.
THE PENGUIN BOOK OF THE INTERNATIONAL SHORT STORY, EDITED BY RABIH ALAMEDDINE AND JOHN FREEMAN
In this extensive collection, Alameddine and California Book Club host Freeman gather brilliant short stories from six continents. The book features a mix of well-known and emerging writers, including Haruki Murakami, Mia Couto, Salman Rushdie, Olga Tokarczuk, and Colm Tóibín. Penguin Press, April 7
THE ORACLE'S DAUGHTER: THE RISE AND FALL OF AN AMERICAN CULT, BY HARRISON HILL
Sarah Green was born into the Aggressive Christianity Missions Training Corps, a militant Christian cult founded by her tyrannical mother, Deborah Green. In this riveting narrative, author Hill traces Sarah’s escape at 26 and how it helped bring justice for her mother’s victims. Hill also situates the cult within its broader historical moment, exploring how it took shape in the United States and the members involved. He focuses on three women of the cult: Deborah, Sarah, and Maura, one of the group’s earliest members, who became a target of abuse. Scribner, April 7
AGAINST BREAKING: ON THE POWER OF POETRY, BY ADA LIMÓN
In times of chaos and fear, Limón turns to poetry. Her past collections have provided readers with a sense of wonderment and sensitivity to the beauty of the world. Now, in this essay, she continues with her goal of making poetry more accessible and more of a service to a public that desperately needs soothing. Poetry connects us to the natural world and reminds us of our shared humanity, Limón urges us to understand. Scribner, April 7
SPLASHED THINGS, BY LEIGH LUCAS
After her former boyfriend dies by suicide, a young woman is left reeling. In this poetry collection, San Francisco–based writer Lucas traces the woman’s grief—and the subsequent waves of depression and panic. Readers follow the speaker through funeral services, therapy sessions, and subway rides, where memories of her ex surface unexpectedly. A raw, intimate look at loss and the lingering of love, even after death. BOA Editions, April 7
BRAND NEW BEAT: THE WILD RISE OF ROLLING STONE MAGAZINE, BY PETER RICHARDSON
Richardson sketches the origins of Rolling Stone and its lasting impact on journalism and music coverage. Beginning its narrative in 1967, the book shows how the publication grew out of counterculture and rock and roll, shaping a style of reporting that was bold and unafraid in its coverage of culture and politics. Brand New Beat offers an insider’s look at a publication that helped redefine American journalism. University of California Press, April 7
TROIKA: THREE GENERATIONS, THREE DAYS, AND A VERY AMERICAN ROAD TRIP, BY IRENA SMITH
In this modern-day nonfiction odyssey, three generations of women set out on a road trip to California’s Central Coast: our middle-aged narrator; her mother, in her 70s; and her twentysomething daughter. What begins as a simple three-day drive deepens along the way, as they face a winter storm, unfriendly ostriches, and a search for plant-based milk. Explorations of migration, motherhood, and intergenerational trauma punctuate this account. She Writes Press, April 7
UNSTUCK: 101 DOORWAYS LEADING FROM THE BLANK PAGE TO THE LAST PAGE, BY RAMONA AUSUBEL
From award-winning author Ausubel comes a collection of over 100 exercises to help you carry your projects through to the finish line. Written in the first person and filled with personal stories and advice, Ausubel’s book speaks directly to readers, keeping them engaged every step of the way. Tin House, April 14
AMERICAN SPIRITS, BY ANNA DORN
Perfume and Pain author Dorn is back with a novel about a pop star, Blue, who is shuttered in the woods after the pandemic hits, derailing the tour that would have been the pinnacle of her career. Instead, she finds herself creating music with her longtime producer, the woman rumored to be her lover. Forcing her way into their dynamic is the superfan whom Blue hired to manage her tour, a wannabe singer and Redditor obsessed with being part of the creative respite. Things take a dark turn. Simon & Schuster, April 14
KILL DICK, BY LUKE GOEBEL
In Brentwood, college dropout Susie sinks into lethargy, surrounded by her family’s riches, aided by a pill habit. But her life of leisure and luxury comes to a fast halt when the addicts around her start being murdered by a serial killer on the loose, and Susie seems fit to be his next target. When her path crosses that of a grifter professor, her turn toward darkness accelerates in this satirical thriller, reminiscent of The Shards, about chaos, youth, and addiction. Red Hen Press, April 14
THE LEFT AND THE LUCKY, BY WILLY VLAUTIN
In this portrait of blue-collar America, dedicated housepainter Eddie Wilkens meets his neighbor Russell, an eight-year-old boy from an increasingly unstable home. They offer each other companionship, with Eddie revealing the world beyond their block to Russell, who dreams of escape. In return, Eddie finds that his friendship with Russell—which begins to look like a father-son relationship—allows him to shed some of the grief that has haunted him, alleviating his lonesomeness. Harper, April 14
THE DEAD RINGER, BY DANE BAHR
A bank robber on the run who has been betrayed by his partner in crime and half brother, Benjamin Kilt should be dead by now. Instead, his path crosses with that of Bonnie, an Indigenous 13-year-old in need of an escape from an abuser. She joins Benjamin when he sets out to get revenge. Full of suspense and action, this captivating Montana Western, set largely in 1935, will have readers’ hearts pumping. Counterpoint, April 21
THE PHOTONIC EFFECT, BY MIKE CHEN
After being stranded in space for 10 years, Captain Demora Kim and her crew finally return home, only to find the Cluster, once an alliance of peaceful planets, fractured and involved in a civil war. Caught between her duty to the Cluster as captain of the Horizon and her responsibility to protect her already-tired crew, Demora must decide which comes first. When an attack leaves thousands dead, neutrality is no longer an option, and the captain faces an impossible choice. S&S/Saga Press, April 21
BEFORE I FORGET: A MEMOIR (AND THEN SOME), BY ARAM SAROYAN
From the author behind one-word poems comes a new memoir, Before I Forget. The son of legendary writer William Saroyan, Aram Saroyan revisits a life shaped by art, family, and fame. He shares stories from his early years, including time spent around figures like Richard Avedon and Marilyn Monroe, while also reflecting on how he found his own voice. Spanning back to the 1950s, the book also includes rare photos and two novellas. Three Rooms Press, April 21
A PLACE FOR WHAT WE LOSE: A DAUGHTER'S RETURN TO TULE LAKE, BY TAMIKO NIMURA
In this unconventional memoir, Nimura weaves together her father’s unpublished account of his life and time in the Tule Lake incarceration camp and her own reflections on being both a daughter and a mother. In A Place for What We Lose, Nimura creates a vivid, thoughtful work that explores intergenerational trauma, parental loss, and how these histories continue to shape identity and relationships across generations. University of Washington Press, April 28
QUESTIONS 27 and 28, BY KAREN TEI YAMASHITA
In the 1940s, when the U.S. government forced 120,000 people of Japanese heritage into concentration camps—including many of its citizens—the government required that its prisoners answer a questionnaire to be considered for release. But two of the questions, one about the military and another about renouncing the Japanese empire, prompted deep divisions among those at the camps. Based on history, Yamashita’s innovative novel fictionalizes the stories of these divisions. The result reveals a concealed corner of American history with depth and nuance. Graywolf Press, April 28
Jessica Blough is a freelance writer. A former associate editor at Alta Journal, Blough is a graduate of Tufts University where she was editor in chief of the Tufts Daily.
Elizabeth Casillas is an assistant editor at Alta Journal. A graduate of California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, she has previously written for the Poly Post and Enspire Magazine.
Upcoming Releases: A Host of Spring Reads
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13 New February Books
12 New January Books
