By Anais Aguilera, Katie Norris, and Sophie Poirier
Happy April! Take a look at which books have sprung up the bestseller lists this month and which authors are about to take social media by storm.
Amazon
Creeping up the charts at the start of this month is Charles Spencer’s newly released memoir, A Very Private School. Named Sunday Times Best Selling Memoir, Spencer’s memoir offers a gripping, heartbreaking and fascinating account of his experience at boarding school and the cruelties he often experienced there. In what becomes a moving account of childhood reclamation, Spencer’s work is much more than just a nostalgic step into the past.
Another new release making its way up the charts is Way Back by Sara Cox. As a second Amazon novel on the charts that takes a leap back into the past, it seems nostalgia is the mood for April. Cox tells the story of Josie who, despite earning the perfect life she dreamed of as a child, feels that something is amiss. In order to find out why she isn’t happy, she has to go back, dig deep and retrace the crucial steps that have led her to this moment.
WHSmith
Two thrilling murder mystery novels hit the WHSmith Top 100 Bestsellers chart. The first one also happens to be the Richard & Judy Book Club pick for Spring 2024; Rob Rinder’s The Trial follows a trainee barrister named Adam Green who is set to take on his first case — and it will be one for the books. Green is tasked with defending repeat offender Jimmy Knight who is suspected of the murder of a beloved policeman. However, as the case proceeds, the truth becomes ever more unclear.
Sink your teeth into another exciting whodunnit with A Death in the Parish by Reverend Richard Coles. This installment of the Canon Clement Mysteries reunites readers with Canon Daniel Clement as he deals with the aftermath of the last murder that rocked Champton. Now, in between family drama and hidden secrets, a ritualistic killing sends the community back into chaos.
Waterstones
When Manni Coe received a haunting text message from his brother Reuben, who was living in a care home for adults with Down’s Syndrome, he knew what he had to do: leave his home in Spain and return to England to be there for Reuben. Through Manni’s writing and Reuben’s illustrations, the two tell their story of pain, love and the true meaning of brotherhood. brother. do. You. Love. me. was published in 2022 but was named Waterstones’ March 2024 Non-Fiction Book of the Month in anticipation of Manni’s upcoming second novel.
Every month, Waterstones highlights a book from a Welsh author. Most recently, it was Lie or Die, a thrilling young adult (YA) debut from A. J. Clack. When Kass finds herself on a reality show pitched as Big Brother meets Mafia, she’s expecting entertaining challenges and friendly competition - not an actual risk to her life. Where it becomes clear that this is far more than just a game is when contestants start dropping dead.
Social Media
Even with spring beginning to bloom, HorrorTok – the beloved horror niche of BookTok – is still booming. One popular book making the rounds on the platform is The Ruins by Scott Smith. A friend group’s idyllic Mexican getaway takes a turn when someone’s brother goes missing. As the group travels into the wilderness in search of him, they find more than they bargained for. Something sinister may be lurking in the ruins tucked inside the jungle. With most of the novel set deep in the Mexican jungle, this book is the perfect atmospheric page-turner that has been praised by the likes of Stephen King.
For something less sinister and more hopeful, try Erik J. Brown’s All That’s Left in the World. This is a post-apocalyptic YA romance novel set in a world where a virus has killed off most of the population. With nowhere else to go, two young boys flee together and try to survive. As feelings grow between the two, will their secrets threaten to pull them apart or will they hold on to each other when nothing else is left?
Noteworthy Author
This issue’s noteworthy author is Shannon Chakraborty, an American author of historical fantasy novels. A self-proclaimed history nerd who describes her work as “historical fan-fiction”, Chakraborty’s work takes inspiration from Islamic mythology and Middle Eastern settings. She is best known for The Daevabad Trilogy, whose debut novel, The City of Brass, was published in 2017 to critical acclaim. Her most recent novel and first outside of the trilogy, The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi, recently won a coveted Listen List award from the American Library Association.
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