April showers are over, and the May flowers are deep in bloom. It’s the perfect time to catch up on some great books, and this month’s selections are sure to please. The list this month includes memoirs, mysteries, and historical fiction. Find a quiet spot and lose yourself in an adventure.
5 Books You’re Sure to Love
The Next Day: Transitions by Melinda Gates | Memoir
The Next Day: Transitions is a new memoir in which Melinda Gates writes about significant transitions in her life. Transitions are defined as moments when we step out of our familiar surroundings and into a new space that, for most people, is shadowed by confusion, fear, and indecision. This book includes the death of a very dear friend, becoming a parent, the end of her 27-year marriage to Microsoft’s Bill Gates, and her departure from the Gates Foundation.
Heartwood by Amity Gaige | Mystery Thriller
Heartwood is a dramatic story of a rescue team’s race against time when an experienced hiker mysteriously disappears on the Appalachian Trail in Maine. Set in 2022, the aftereffects of the pandemic are featured, but the pandemic itself is not. This is a missing person thriller, an inspiring wilderness survival tale, and the exploration of the complexities of mother-daughter bonds. It is a beautifully written, dramatic story of love, healing, survival, and acceptance of self.
Shadow of the Queen by Scott Finley | Murder Mystery
Shadow of the Queen is set aboard the luxury liner Queen Victoria in the immediate aftermath of the 1929 stock market crash. The story follows the ship’s head nurse, Maeve Chandler, as a seemingly straight-forward passenger death spirals into a complex web of murder, international intrigue, and Communist plot. A very original element is the book’s handling of Agatha Christie as a fictionalized character who, as a ship’s passenger, helps to solve the murder.
The Pretender by Jo Harkin | Historical Fiction
Set in the Tudor period, The Pretender brings to life the little-known story of Lambert Simnel. From humble beginnings as a peasant boy, Lambert’s life takes an astonishing turn when, at just ten years old, he becomes a claimant to the English throne as Edward VI, the last of the Plantagenet line. Royal intrigue and court life, complex themes of identity, power, and destiny unfold, weaving a tapestry of ambition and survival.
The Float Test by Lynn Steger Strong Literary Fiction
The Float Test is a slow-burning family drama set in Florida, where the four Kenner siblings come together after their mother’s sudden death from a heart attack during her daily morning run. The family’s adult children are all at crisis points in their own lives. Here they try to untangle decades of betrayals and sorrow, and reclaim their sense of home. The Float Test is a testament to the power that family has to both nurture and destroy us.
If you are an Amazon Prime member, you get a free Prime Read each month. Right now, our favorite is Casino Girl: A totally addictive crime thriller by Leslie Wolfe.
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