Welcome to April!

It was a pretty good reading month for me. I didn’t read as much as I wanted, but do we EVER read as much as we actually want?

I’m pretty sure I could read five books a day, every day, for an entire month and still be sitting here thinking “I should have read more!”

It was more about quality than quantity for me this past month with a couple of really solid reads.

I finished Missing In Flight by Audrey J. Cole. This was a tense thriller about a woman whose baby goes missing on a plane, and people start questioning whether she even had the baby on there, to begin with.

Unfortunately, it was one of those books that required a fair bit of suspension of disbelief, and ultimately it became too much. Not one I’d recommend.

After a lunchtime discussion with a friend about John Grisham, someone we both loved back in the day, we realized that neither of us had read The Brethren so decided to read that.

I’d tried it multiple times before but couldn’t get into it. It’s about three judges in prison, who are running a big scam together. It was a bit different than the usual Grisham fare, which is why I think I struggled to read it many years ago.

There was no typical “hero” like most Grisham novels, and there was a lot more to the story than many of his novels around that time. It was very different from his usual, although the writing style was still there.

I am glad we had that discussion because I really enjoyed this book! There’s something about Grisham novels that always brings back the “nostalgia” in me. In my teenage years, I’d be reading John Grisham novels and my mum would bring me “supper” at about 9 pm – usually a bowl of rice krispies and some toast.

Well would you believe it but while reading The Brethren, I found myself at 9 pm craving rice krispies and toast! And you better believe I made myself some. There’s just something about that sort of familiarity in books that I love and always embrace.

I next read Split Second by Douglas E. Richards. I’ve read one of his books previously, which was Portals, and loved it. If you are a fan of Blake Crouch and books like Dark Matter, be sure to read this author as he writes in that light sci-fi style which is very easy to get into.

This one is about a physicist who discovers a way to send something back in time. It’s only able to send something back by a fraction of a second. Is that a big deal? Considering two groups of people are prepared to kidnap and kill to get this secret, you better believe it is.

I didn’t quite read this in a split second, but boy was it close. One of those books that draws you in and takes over your whole life. I’m now working on the second one in that series.

I listened to Lock Every Door by Riley Sager. This is the third novel I’ve read by Riley and might be my favourite. It’s about a young woman who gets a new job apartment sitting at a building whose residents are all rich and famous. But like many thrillers – everything at this building isn’t what it seems.

I next listened to For You And Only You by Caroline Kepnes. The fourth and final novel in the You series – at least for now. And personally – I hope it is. I loved the first two, thought the third one was solid – but this one? There really wasn’t a story to be told there.

I give it pass marks just because of one particular scene that caught me off guard and had me exclaiming out loud – but if any more books are released in this series, I’ll likely not read them. This one was 16 hours too which is a heck of an investment.

I’m spoilt for choice when it comes to library audiobooks to listen to next, as I had about 6 different holds come in at once. Three of them are novels by Linwood Barclay so I’ll likely start one of those and let other patrons get access to the other books.

I’ll start the You TV adaptation soon. I’m excited to watch that, especially with the later series being different than the books. I’m not quite done Reacher season 3 yet, as we watch it as a family and we’ve been busy with other shows. Particularly, LOL: Last One Laughing UK. If you are a fan of UK and adult humour – highest recommendation.

And of course, I can’t end this introduction without talking about my biggest project ever, which is Book Notification. We’ve now hit the 72,000 author mark on there, which is more than 20x the authors listed on Order Of Books. The lists are cleaner, have numbers, are printable, and you can track the books you’ve read.

We have the excellent What’s Next feature so you can keep track of series you are reading, a Book Release Calendar, and so much more. We also just added the “select all” feature this month – so users can mark an entire series read in just a couple of clicks.

And of course the biggest feature of all is in the site name – you get to follow your favourite authors, and get notified of new books by them!

So if you haven’t signed up yet, be sure to head on over to Book Notification. 

Each month we give away 5 $25 Amazon gift certificates to random subscribers. 

To win all you have to do is be a subscriber. Nothing more! When we go to hit “Publish” we take a list of all of our subscribers, throw them into a random draw and those are the winners.

Our winners this month are:

Amy from Parsippany, NJ
Pat B. from Ilion, NY
Linda L. from Wilmington, DE
Mel from Cleveland, OH (email begins with ‘dott’)
Rhoda R. from Boucherville, QC

All of you have been e-mailed. If you don’t see anything, check your junk folder or contact me.

Graeme
OrderOfBooks.com

Quotes of the Month

“I have begun everything with the idea that I could succeed, and I never had much patience with the multitudes of people who are always read to explain why one cannot succeed.”

– From Up For Slavery by Booker T. Washington

“History has an open-door policy. Any fool can walk right in.”

– From Slough House by Mick Herron

“Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans”

– Attributed to John Lennon but by Allen Saunders in Readers Digest initially.

“The nice part about being a pessimist is that you are constantly being either proven right or pleasantly surprised.”

– George Willis

Submit your own quotes; just hit reply. Book-related is great but happy to share non-book related too! Love seeing quotes from books! Thanks to Chy, novamom and Cathi for this month’s quotes.

Book Recommendations

In this section, I give 3-5 random book recommendations from readers of the newsletter. They can be old books, they can be new. Feel free to e-mail suggestions to me. Just hit reply. If you wish to add a description for the book around the same size as the ones below that’d be great too! 

The First Ladies by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray: This one was recommended by Rosemary, who wrote:

“I just finished reading “The First Ladies” and it was so good. It is a novel about the extraordinary partnership between First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and civil rights activist Mary McLeod Bethune. I was really unaware of the start of the civil rights movement and how these two women influenced the many changes that President Roosevelt followed through with for the betterment of the citizens in the United States. It is a stark contrast compared to the unrest in the United States today.”

Justice Never Rests by William Kolibash and Jon Land: Michael wrote in to recommend this, calling it a great read.

It’s the real-life story of U.S. Attorney William Kolibash, who spent 20 years taking down criminals in West Virginia and beyond. From drug lords and mobsters to cult leaders and traffickers, he faced them all—and won.

Kolibash didn’t play by the book. He used new tactics like RICO laws and task forces to go after criminals no one else could touch. He helped bust moonshiners growing weed, jailed a mob boss, and took down a deadly cult leader.

Even with threats against his life, he never stopped. Because justice, like Kolibash, never rests.

Elvis Cole & Joe Pike Series by Robert Crais: An oldie but a goodie – always happy to recommend this great author when someone writes in to recommend him.

Laura wrote in to say she is reading the latest book in the series, The Big Empty.

“I now have an author who is new to me, and I look forward to his books. Robert Crais. I am reading The Big Empty and am impressed with his writing. The story moves quickly, has interesting characters and has some really good dialogue. Maybe other readers know of him or would like to try him.”

It’s always fun when you discover an author like that because they have been around for awhile, and have so many books to keep you entertained.

This is a terrific series and if you haven’t read it yet, be sure to check it out. You won’t be disappointed!

Society of Lies by Lauren Ling Brown: Star wrote in to recommend this one by debut author Lauren Ling Brown, stating that “It is a well written fiction novel and deals with the Societies on campus, a great 1st book.”

It was a Reese’s Book Club Pick, and Reese can never steer you wrong!

When Maya returns to Princeton for her college reunion and her sister Naomi’s graduation, she expects a weekend of memories—until Naomi is found dead. The police say it was an accident, but Maya isn’t buying it.

As she digs into her sister’s final months, she uncovers Naomi’s ties to the elite Sterling Club—and possibly the secret society within it, just like Maya once was. The deeper she goes, the more she realizes Naomi didn’t know what she was getting into—and that Maya’s own past at Princeton holds dark secrets that might explain not just Naomi’s death, but others before her.

The Last King of California by Jordan Harper: I need to read more books by Jordan – I loved She Rides Shotgun. My good friend Keith wrote in with this recommendation. Always enjoy his reviews and trust him. Here’s what he wrote about this one:

“I knew I was in for a treat when the audiobook version of Jordan Harper’s “The Last King of California” started with a laudatory foreword by S. A. Cosby. What followed was an epic modern noir tale set in the high desert near San Bernadino, CA”

“I tried and failed three times to adequately summarize this “Hamlet-esque” novel populated by violent biker gangs, stoners and various other outlaws engaged in a war for survival, set against a realistic backdrop of drought and brushfires in the California dessert.”

“Suffice to say that if you are a fan of S. A. Cosby and Don Winslow (like me), then put this book on top of your “To Be Read / Listened To” list! Trigger Warning: this book has graphic descriptions of violence, drug use and insanity. This warning isn’t mitigated by Stephen Graybill’s dry, matter-of-fact delivery that still manages to vividly convey the emotions and inner turmoil of the various players. Kudos to both author and narrator! 9/10”

Thank you Keith.

April Book of the Month

Strangers in Time by David Baldacci: Set in war-torn London in 1944, David Baldacci’s newest novel follows a grieving bookshop owner, Ignatius Oliver, and two teenagers—Charlie, a street-smart boy surviving through petty theft, and Molly, newly returned to a city and life that no longer feels like home.

With no families to rely on, the three form an unlikely bond inside The Book Keep, a quiet refuge from the chaos around them.

But secrets from their pasts and dangers on the streets threaten to tear them apart, and as bombs fall, they must rely on each other to find hope, healing, and a chance at survival.

10 More Notable Books Releasing in April

Brought to you by BookNotification.com where you can get updated on all the upcoming books by your favourite authors with your own personalized calendar!

April Charities

While I appreciate all offers of donations to show your appreciation for the site and newsletter, I’d much rather you do that by supporting some great causes.  Each month I pick a few select charities broken down by our most popular countries or topics that you can support instead.   Thanks! Feel free to donate to a similar charity but in your own area.

I rotate this list each month.  Feel free to suggest a favourite charity – hit reply.

Pictures of the Month:

This dream bedroom was submitted by 25 different people! If I ever become bedridden, I’ll be fine as long as it’s in one of those!

Submitted by Carla

Submitted by Norma

Send in your own to site@orderofbooks.com or by replying! Images, jokes, etc. We’ll take it all! Bit of a backlog but working my way through it.

Your Thoughts!

Last month I asked what books you wished had a sequel. The answers are later in the newsletter.

This month’s question is: what’s your favourite reading snack or drink? And do you have any habits related to food and drink when eating?

I mentioned earlier that when reading The Brethren, it brought me back to being a kid reading Grisham, and I had a hankering for rice krispies and toast.

For some reason, many years ago I was craving a Kit Kat bar. I was in the middle of a book that wasn’t very good, but I wanted to finish it. I got to 90% and decided to “treat” myself to that kit kat, to spur me on for the last ten percent of the book.

That has now become a trend, and every time I get to 90% of a book, I find myself putting it down, throwing on the kettle, and then popping to the convenience store for a Kit Kat or Kit Kat Chunky. 

Other snacks generally involve chips or crackers. Something I can munch on slowly. Basically, all unhealthy snack food for me! But hey I balance it out by running half marathons while listening to books so it’s okay I guess!

What about you? What are your favourite reading snacks or drinks?

E-mail us your feedback to site@OrderOfBooks.com or just reply to this e-mail, and we’ll pick the best comments and feature it in next month’s newsletter. Five people will also randomly win a $25 gift certificate to Amazon.

Reader Mailbag!

Click here to read.

Book Notification
Order of Books » Newsletter » OrderOfBooks April 2025 Newsletter

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