April Reads

Strangely enough, three out of the five books I read in April were set in Door County, Wisconsin, and they were all very good stories, but that is definitely where the similarities end.

My favorite book of the month was most definitely Hello? by Liza Wiemer. This fabulous story interweaves the lives of five Door County teens in a fabulous tale with an amazing twist. I don’t want to tell you more about this one just yet because Liza Wiemer has agreed to do an interview about this novel later this spring. So hang tight – or better yet – pick this book up and read it before I feature her interview. I promise you are going to love this book.

The official description of Lucy Sanna's The Cherry Harvest sums it up well: 

“A memorable coming-of-age story and love story, laced with suspense, which explores a hidden side of the home front during World War II, when German POWs were put to work in a Wisconsin farm community . . . with dark and unexpected consequences.”

Lucy Sanna writes riveting and sometimes disturbing scenes that leap off the page to take your breath away. I am incredibly pleased that Lucy Sanna will be the July 28 Books & Beer featured author. Learn more about this event here. I have so many questions I want to ask her about her journey in writing this novel.

My final April read set in Door County was the third installment in Christine DeSmet’s cozy mystery series set in and around a fudge shop in Door county. I really enjoy mysteries and Five-Alarm Fudge was no exception. I am definitely going to go back and read the two books that came before this one.

I also jumped into another mystery series out of order when I picked up Thirty and a Half Excuses by Denise Grover Swank. This is the third book in the Rose Gardner Mystery series and is not set in Door County. Even so, it was another good read. I like this sassy main character and will certainly want to follow her future adventures.

Finally, I read The Imposter Bride by Nancy Richler. This historical novel set in post-World War II Canada begins with the emigration of a European war refugee and her subsequent marriage in Montreal, where her true identity is called into question. The story then jumps a few years to follow her daughter who has been left behind when her mother disappeared from her life (and her father’s). Although it was well-written, I found this story to be rather despondent and had a hard time caring about the characters. 

I'm curious what you've been reading. Drop a comment below and let me know if there are books that I should be adding to my list!