The temperature is finally rising, which means it's the perfect season to pick up a book! Spring clean your mind by diving into pages that offer an escape from everyday life or a chance to learn something new and explore diverse perspectives.
Our April "Required Reading" list includes a memoir by MTV pioneer Bill Bellamy, the third book in the "Honest June" series and the first novel from EGOT John Legend's imprint. From young adult mysteries to queer literature, no matter what type of book you’re looking for, you’re sure to find something that sparks your interest this spring.
Life and Other Love Songs
Anissa Gray (Berkley Hardcover, April 11, 2023)
In this intergenerational mystery, the Armstead family must deal with the disappearance of their patriarch when he doesn't return home after work one day. Confronting decades of hope, anger and grief, they try to piece together Oz’s life and the memory he’s left behind. It's a powerful saga of one Black family, from the Great Migration through the 1990s.
Price: $25
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Rosewater
Liv Little (Get Lifted Books, April 25, 2023)
Just on the verge of 30, South Londoner Elsie is still trying to figure out her life. When she's kicked out of her social housing and moves in with childhood bestie Juliet, she realizes the life and love she's been craving has been right in front of her all along in this highly anticipated first title from EGOT John Legend’s publishing imprint.
Price: $28
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Top Billing': Stories of Laughter, Lessons, and Triumph
Bill Belamy (Amistad, April 25, 2023)
In Bill Bellamy's debut memoir, the actor and MTV trailblazer shares an all-access backstage pass to his memorable life. It's a fun and nostalgic romp through the world of ‘90s pop culture through the iconic comedian's eyes.
Price: $30
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Take My Hand
Dolen Perkins-Valdez (Berkley)
Now available in paperback, Dolen Perkins-Valdez's novel is based on the real-life case of Minnie Lee and Mary Alice Relf, two young sisters who were sterilized without their knowledge or consent in Montgomery, Alabama in the 1970s. It's a gripping and harrowing account of the healthcare system for Black Americans, then and now.
Price: $14
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Black Girls Must Have It All: A Novel
Jayne Allen (Harper Perennial, April 11, 2023)
The third and final installment in Jayne Allen's "Black Girls Must" trilogy: Tabitha Walker finally has the life she wants of motherhood and success at work. But when competitors are brought in at her station and her carefully structured life plan starts to unravel, she turns to her friend squad and village to get through it all.
Price: $17
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Honest June: Secrets & Spies
Tina Wells (Random House Books for Young Readers, April 4, 2023)
From best-selling middle-grade author Tina Wells comes the third engaging book in the "Honest June" series. When a newly discovered family secret involves the entire town, truth-teller June must navigate friendships, first loves and the secret's ultimate fallout.
Price: $14
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Minor Notes, Vol. 1
Joshua Bennett and Jesse McCarthy (Penguin Classics, April 11, 2023)
Scholars Joshua Bennett and Jesse McCarthy bring together a collection of perpetually out-of-print and impossible to locate Black poets whose work are a reflection of the Reconstruction, Civil War and Jim Crow eras, a crucial part of the vibrant tapestry of African American thoughts and words.
Price: $16
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The Wishing Pool and Other Stories
Tananarive Due (Akashic Books, April 18, 2023)
Award winning author Tananarive Due's new 4-part collection of scary short stories examine horror, suspense and science fiction through the lens of racism, Afrofuturism and the supernatural, with plenty of enticing details to keep you hooked on every page.
Price: $30
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Symphony of Secrets
Brendan Slocumb (Anchor, April 18, 2023)
Author and violin enthusiast Brendan Slocumb returns with another gripping drama around music. When professor Bern Hendricks discovers that the most famous composer of the twentieth-century composer stole his music from a young Black female musician, he will stop at nothing to get the forgotten woman the credit she deserves.
Price: $25
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Zora Books Her Happy Ever After
Taj McCoy (Harper Collins, April 25, 2023)
After hosting a book reading for a charming author at her D.C. bookstore, Zora find herself in a love triangle with the writer and his seemingly grumpy best friend in this flirty rom-com read.
Price: $16
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