There’s a lot to look forward to in April — Easter, Passover, Ramadan, spring break — and there’s also taxes (kidding, unless you’re getting a refund). The good news is: A new month also means new books and audiobooks on Scribd. The latest releases cover a wide range of topics, perspectives, and genres from both bestselling and debut writers.
The authors of acclaimed works like Black Hawk Down, Shutter Island, and The House in the Cerulean Sea return with Depression-era historical fiction, true crime set in Baltimore, and dystopian sci-fi that may remind you of a childhood favorite. There’s also plenty of material by first-time authors, whose debuts include time travel noir, a saga of sisterhood, and family crises in gentrifying Brooklyn. If the end of spring break has you turning to educational reads, this month also ushers in Simon Winchester’s coverage of the information age and Jean Twenge’s analysis of generational divides. Memoirs on loss, healing, and the Black experience (plus a lighthearted tell-all by Broadway star Chita Rivera) top off the fantastic reading options available this month.
Spring may be a season of change, but Scribd’s best new books and audiobooks are a constant companion.
A Living Remedy by Nicole Chung
In her second affecting memoir (following All You Can Ever Know), Chung mourns the loss of her mother and father while skewering the systems that failed them. A Korean American adopted by white parents, the author reflects on race, class, and how family members often hide their grief from one another. Chung’s pain is visceral, and the helplessness she portrays is something we can all relate to after the pandemic.
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The House Is on Fire by Rachel Beanland
Beanland (Florence Adler Swims Forever) bases her historical fiction on the Richmond Theater fire, which claimed 72 lives on December 26, 1811. The story follows four characters of various backgrounds, perspectives, and levels of privilege, holistically recreating a disaster that became politically charged in the aftermath. Fast-paced and riveting, The House is on Fire is a character-driven story that explores the best and worst of humanity.
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Camp Zero by Michelle Min Sterling
Annihilation meets The Handmaid's Tale when Rose, a Korean American sex worker determined to provide for her mother, and Grant, a teacher trying to escape his family’s reputation, arrive at a climate refugee settlement in remote Canada. Sterling’s thrilling plot moves quickly between Rose, Grant, and an all-women society called White Alice. Tensions build in each storyline as it becomes apparent that nothing is as it seems.
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House of Cotton by Monica Brashears
Broke and afraid, 19-year-old Magnolia Brown accepts a strange job offer at a funeral home, where she helps scam vulnerable customers by dressing as their lost loved ones. Haunted by her own deceased grandmother, Magnolia’s experiences become increasingly more bizarre. Brashears infuses Appalachian folklore into this unsettling but captivating horror story.
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Carmen and Grace by Melissa Coss Aquino
Cousins Carmen and Grace grow up neglected and poor until they find a family in the Daughters of Durka, a drug cartel run by women. When their leader dies, Grace takes on the role of kingpin, while Carmen, who’s pregnant, considers a new path. Aquino’s debut is an emotional saga about the challenges of escaping poverty and the powerful pull of female friendship.
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Enter Ghost by Isabella Hammad
After working in London for years, Palestinian actress Sonia visits her sister in Haifa, finding a much different homeland than the one she left. Sonia helps a theater troupe organize a new rendition of Hamlet amid rising political and religious tensions. Plimpton Prize-winner Hammad (The Parisian) gives readers a glimpse of the Palestinian diaspora while revealing how courage and creativity often align. Enter Ghost is gorgeously rendered and deeply human.
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You Could Make This Place Beautiful by Maggie Smith
In lyrical prose, poet Smith (Keep Moving) chronicles her journey of heartbreak and healing after a difficult divorce, discussing themes like gender roles, the patriarchy, and motherhood with striking vulnerability. Above all, this memoir proves that the end is often a new beginning.
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Life Sentence by Mark Bowden
Bowden’s acclaimed repertoire includes books on U.S. military escapades (Black Hawk Down), the hunt for Pablo Escobar (Killing Pablo), and the lead-up to the January 6 insurrection (The Steal). In Life Sentence, the author and journalist covers gang violence. This story tracks Montana “Tana” Barronette, the leader of one of the most dangerous gangs in Baltimore. Alongside Tana’s story, Bowden explores the cyclical nature of violent crime and the systemic changes required to free countless Americans from their “life sentences.”
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The Trackers by Charles Frazier
Frazier, the award-winning author of Cold Mountain and Varina, returns with a historical fiction novel about a wandering soul pursued by an unmoored artist. Val Welch is commissioned to paint a mural in Dawes, Wyoming, where he’s welcomed by rancher John Long and his enigmatic wife, Eve. When Eve inexplicably disappears, Val begins a country-wide search that lays bare the painful realities of the Great Depression.
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Pomegranate by Helen Elaine Lee
Aptly named, Pomegranate is a multifaceted and vivid exploration of marginalization and redemption. It follows Ranita Atwater, a queer Black woman attempting to rebuild her life and reunite with her children after spending four years in prison. Her story deals with sobriety, trauma, and systemic racism, but hope is a constant theme. While Lee doesn’t shy away from the injustices of the American prison system, she does so without losing sight of Ranita’s story.
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The Making of Yolanda la Bruja by Lorraine Avila
Yolanda Alvarez sees foreboding visions when a new student arrives at Julia De Burgos High School, and she must draw on the wisdom of her family, friends, and bruja ancestors to prevent the worst. Avila uses Yolanda’s singular voice as a deaf, queer, Afro Latinx teen to explore vital themes like gun violence in America and how certain perspectives are ignored. The Making of Yolanda la Bruja celebrates community and legacy.
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Flux by Jinwoo Chong
Strap in for the wild ride that is Chong’s debut. It begins with three timelines following seemingly unrelated characters before slowly and cleverly revealing how their stories intertwine. The result is a mind-bending mystery with elements of noir, sci-fi, and speculative fiction. Flux is unlike anything hitting the shelves this year.
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Wings in the Wild by Margarita Engle
After her parents are imprisoned for creating illegal art, 16-year-old Soleida flees Cuba alone, becoming a refugee in Costa Rica. There, she meets Dariel, a Cuban American boy. Their love blossoms through shared passions for art and activism. Engle (The Surrender Tree), a former Young People's Poet Laureate, winner of the Pura Belpré Medal, and the first Latinx author awarded a Newbery Honor, delivers another stunning novel-in-verse about a new generation unafraid to fight for what’s right.
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Good Girls Don’t by Mara Wilson
Good girls don’t talk back. Good girls don’t disobey their parents. Good girls don’t disappoint their fans. Writer and former child actor Wilson (“Matilda,” “Mrs. Doubtfire”) opens up about her struggle with the pressure to please other people while growing up in the spotlight on set and dealing with the turmoil of her mother’s death. This memoir is candid, humble, and above all, painfully relatable.
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Small Mercies by Dennis Lehane
In 1970s Boston at the height of desegregation tensions, Mary Pat Fennessey’s teen daughter goes missing the same night a young Black man is found dead. Mary’s probing questions raise the hackles of the Irish mob, hinting at a possible connection between the two events. Lehane, whose body of work includes bestselling novels like Shutter Island and Mystic River (both of which were adapted into blockbuster films), delivers a new gripping thriller that’s dark yet hopeful with themes of race and class at the forefront.
Start Listening APR 25
Knowing What We Know by Simon Winchester
In our modern, tech-driven world, any fact is accessible with a few taps and swipes, but that may not be such a good thing. In a blend of history and journalism, Winchester (Land, The Professor and the Madman) chronicles our relationship with information — how we’ve gathered, stored, and accessed it — with special attention paid to new advancements that may simultaneously broaden our worlds and narrow our ability to think.
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Searching for Savanna by Mona Gable
Savanna LaFontaine-Greywind was 22 years old and eight months pregnant when she was brutally murdered in 2017. Her case is horrific but not unique, with policymakers, law enforcement, and the media continually ignoring the dark truth. Gable’s true crime account is an eye-opening reckoning with the epidemic of violence against Native women — and a call to action for systemic change.
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Ordinary Notes by Christina Sharpe
In a kaleidoscopic blend of memoir, cultural criticism, and analysis, Sharpe (In the Wake) paints a vivid picture of Blackness in America. Her notes reflect on personal and historical moments alike, allowing readers to see how collective experiences inform individual lives. Ordinary Notes is as vulnerable as it is incisive.
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Chita by Chita Rivera
Drawing on her seven decade-long career, during which she earned three Tony Awards and the Presidential Medal of Freedom, actress and dancer Rivera gives a rich account of life in the entertainment industry. From escaping the typical Latinx typecasts to working with major players like Stephen Sondheim and Liza Minnelli, Rivera’s career is a storied tale of hard work and breaking the mold.
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Generations by Jean M. Twenge
Have you ever wondered why your Boomer parents say certain things, or wished you could better relate to your Gen Z co-workers? Generations is an excellent and fascinating resource for bridging those gaps. Psychologist Twenge (iGen) analyzes the six generations that make up the U.S. today, digging into the historical events and tech advancements that have shaped us, defined us, and divided us.
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New to Scribd or trying to catch up on must-reads? Even more remarkable titles await in Scribd’s best new books and audiobooks from months past.
About the Author: Lanie Pemberton
Lanie is a San Diego-based freelance writer with many Scribd Snapshots and recommended reading lists under her belt. She loves reading about animals and the natural world, with plenty of murder mysteries peppered in. When she needs a break from writing and reading, Lanie can be found taking long walks under the SoCal sun, usually alongside her husband and pampered pittie, Peach.
