#SBS April Monthly Wrap-Up

Welcome to our monthly feature where we talk about what we read, adopted into our libraries, and what’s on our minds. After hosting #SignedBookSundays on instagram for 4+ years, we are transitioning to this format as a way to share signed books and talk about bookish (and personal) highlights. Join us the last Sunday or last day of every month (or whatever day today is…we are busy!)!

In Case You Missed It

• Feature of Cli-Fi & apocalyptic Book Recs for Earth Day!
• Author Interview with Amanda Panitch about Gone Dark!
• Feature of Netflix Book Adaptions watched recently!
• Event recap of FanX!
• Author Interview with Joy L. Smith celebrating the release of Turning!
• The where to buy signed books page has been updated and I have found as many April YA releases, as I could – of course I keep adding more and more when I find them…check it out!
• We curate a Bookshop page with most of the YA New Releases – please consider supporting us by buying books through our links or shop, or we have a Ko-Fi!

What We Read

Kelly: Well this was a slow reading month for me…somehow I only read 5 books this month.
The standouts were:

• I Kissed Shara Wheeler by Casey McQuiston – 5 stars – Every Casey book has been absolutely completely different, but you can count on it being an amazing character study…this one is a mystery wrapped up in some seriously messy coming-of-age plots. Releasing May 3rd – many thanks to Macmillan Audio for the advance review copy!
• If the Shoe Fits by Julie Murphy – 4.5 stars – this adult contemporary retelling of Cinderella, may just be my favorite Cinderella retelling yet! Just cute and sweet and slightly wholesome even with the wild reality tv show plot.

Christy: I feel like I read more books than I actually did, which means it was a good reading month. I read more books than listed here but they’re all books I need to review so stay tuned!

• The One True Me and You by MK England – What a WARM HUG to fandom this book was! I expected nothing less since MK is amazing and a total geek. This was everything I needed!

What We Hauled

You too can be obsessed with signed books, look here for where to buy a copy from your favorite author’s local indie or preorder incentives that include bookplates.

Kelly’s Highlights

• Dig Two Graves by Gretchen McNeil – Released April 26th – Many thanks to Disney-Hyperion for the advance readers copy!
• Man O’ War by Cory McCarthy – Releases May 31st – Many thanks to the author for the advance readers copy!
• Youngblood by Sasha Laurens – Releases July 19th – Many thanks to Penguin Teen for the advance readers copy!
• Belladonna by Adalyn Grace – Releases August 23rd – Many thanks to The Novl for the advance readers copy!
• Coven by Jennifer Dugan & Kit Seaton – Releases September 6th – Many thanks to Penguin Teen for the advance readers copy!
• Scout’s Honor by Lily Anderson – Available now! – Many thanks to Macmillan for the gifted finished copy!
• How to They/Them by Stuart Getty & illustrated by Brooke Thyng – Available now! – Many thanks to Sasquatch Books for the gifted finished copy!

Christy’s Highlights

• Scout’s Honor by Lily Anderson – Out now
• This Rebel Heart by Katherine Locke – TY to Random House for this beauty!
• The Agathas by Kathleen Glasgow and Liz Lawson – TY to RH for adding to my summer murder TBR
• Pet that Cat! by Nigel Kidd and Rachel Braunigan – TY to Quirk Books. I read this book immediately and wanted to adopt another cat.
• Secrets So Deep by Ginny Myers Sain – TY to Penguin Teen!
• We Made It All Up by Margot Harrison – TY to LBYR!

What We Hope to Read

Kelly’s TBR

I read nothing from my supposed hopeful TBR – bookworm problems am I right? So it stays the same and I keep adding the new books to the never ending list…

• Man O’ War by Cory McCarthy
• Not My Problem by Ciara Smyth
• The Chandler Legacies by Abdi Nazemian
• Bitter by Akwaeke Emezi
• Mirror Girls by Kelly McWilliams
• Loveless by Alice Oseman

Christy’s TBR

I will officially graduate this month and finally be FREE after 18 months! But I am also traveling 3 weeks of the month soooo….

• The Genesis Wars by Akemi Dawn Bowman
• The Date From Hell by Gwenda Bond
• Tin Man by Justin Madson

On the Top of Our Minds

Kelly: 

I swear I’m still in such a stalemate. I thought I read a good amount of books, but I haven’t really in according to my new average (usually about 8 a month). I feel like whenever I take time off, I lose the whole day anyway…and never accomplish the few goals I set for myself. So yeah a rut.

Even though I didn’t read as much, I watched some amazing things this month were Our Flag Means Death on HBO Max and Heartstopper on Netflix. Both of these shows are so queer and so good and ABSOLUTELY COMPLETELY DIFFERENT – OFMD is bloody, violent pirates *very gay & funny pirates* – and the Heartstopper is just a sweet gem of softness.

Christy:

Every time we write this post, I’m like, what did I even do this month? I settled into my job (loving it). Settled further into our house (we are in major redecoration mode, having tried to fit our cool-toned mid-century modern decor into our very modern neutral-to-warm toned home that has a completely different layout). Did a ton of Disney planning for trips I’ve changed or added at the last minute. Watched a lot of TV.

Oh, I did run a virtual Disney race weekend in Disneyland and my first big local race (with 50mph winds – yikes). We had a great trip to Disneyland and WonderCon (my reminder to write that post). Got to finally wear two Disney bounds I planned pre-pandemic.

Anyone else feeling the weight of the world right now? Every time I’m on social media, I feel like I’m doom scrolling. Worried about democracy. Worried about the planet. Worried about war. Worried about the continued war on marginalized people. Midterms are coming up – have you checked your voter registration? Be sure to get to know your local candidates because so much of this political warfare is happening at the state and local level.