Read This Next: April 2024

This year is zooming by; it’s hard to believe we’re already deep into spring! If you’ve been following the monthly book blogs (and a huge thank you if you have!), you know I usually hit around 52 books a year. For the past several years, I've tracked my reading through the annual Goodreads challenge. But friends, this is the first year I’ve fallen behind! Why? Well, my hobbies seem to be constantly fighting for my attention.

Earlier this month, I threw my hat in the ring to test knit a pattern. For those unfamiliar, a test knit is when a designer selects a few knitters to try out a new pattern and provide feedback before it goes public. It’s typically a volunteer situation without yarn support. Essentially, you get early access to a pattern in exchange for helping spot any errors. Last year, I aimed to participate in a test knit but was never selected. So you can imagine my surprise when I received an email from the designer, pattern attached, inviting me to join the testing!

Now, you might be wondering what this has to do with reading. Well, the test knit kicked off in early April, and the designer plans to release the pattern by the end of May. This means I need to finish my sweater by mid-May. If you caught my 2023 knitting recap, you know it usually takes me about a month to knit a sweater. Thus, knitting has pretty much monopolized my April, nudging my reading time to the back burner.

However, the books that have made it to my nightstand this month are an eclectic mix that is absolutely worth the read. As always, there seems to be something for everyone on this list: from an insightful exploration of poverty in America, to a quirky mystery, to a thought-provoking sci-fi tale that spans past, present, and future.

In these reviews, I always specify whether I listened to the book or physically read it. I also link all the book cover images to their Goodreads entry, so you can browse more reviews if you're curious.

Poverty, by America
Matthew Desmond

Stats: Nonfiction, 5 hours and 40 minutes

Quick summary
This book explores the systemic issues that entrench poverty in the United States, casting a sharp light on how societal structures and policies contribute to and sustain economic inequality. By dissecting the often invisible mechanisms that undermine the economic stability of millions, Desmond challenges readers to consider how policy, capitalism, and privilege all play a role in creating the economic disparities that have exponentially widened over the past 50 years. Desmond's call to action urges a reevaluation of the American dream and the structural changes necessary to achieve it not just for some, but for all.

What I thought:
It is simply not enough to “feel bad” for the millions of Americans struggling year after year. Until we understand how and why the current systems aren’t working, we can’t take steps towards a solution that lives up to the promise of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for all Americans. As easy as it can be to blame “the system”, it’s more than past the time where we need to own up to the fact that we all could be doing more. That’s what I liked the most about this book. Not only is it incredibly short, it gives potential solutions to the poverty problem and steps that everyday people, like you and me, can take.

Who should read it:
This is required reading for everyone who has never lived near or below the FPL (Federal Poverty Level).

The YouTube Formula
Derral Eves

Stats: Business, 10 hours and 3 minutes

Quick summary
The descriptive subhead is really doing all the work for this one: “how anyone can unlock the (YouTube) algorithm to drive views, build an audience, and grow revenue.”

What I thought:
I was asked to read this book for work, as my company is looking to expand its social footprint by adding a YouTube channel to our mix. While I’m fairly well-versed in traditional and social media best practices, I have very little experience with video. What I liked about this book was it told you exactly how to look at your analytics and how to manage your channel based on your findings. I realized that this information could also apply more broadly, and I could use the same strategies in other areas.

Who should read it:
Anyone else who went to school in the early aughts when YouTube didn’t even exist yet so it wasn’t in the marketing and advertising course curriculum.

The Other Valley
Scott Alexander Howard

Stats: Science Fiction, 304 pages

Quick summary
Odile is a high school student living in the present. On either side of her rests two valleys, one that is 20 years in the past, the other is 20 years in the future. Travel between the valleys is highly regulated by the Conseil, as interference could significantly alter history and the future. In the midst of the vetting process for her potential future at the Conseil, Odile recognizes two visitors she wasn’t supposed to see from the future who were on a mourning tour to see their son before his untimely death. Knowing that she shouldn’t get involved, she can’t help herself from falling for him.

What I thought:
If you regularly read the blog, you know I’m a sucker for existential tales that make you question what you would do if you were in the main character’s shoes, and The Other Valley delivered on this premise. This was another book on the Goodreads editors’ most anticipated debuts in 2024. Many likened it to The Measure, which I’m pretty sure I have recommended to anyone who will listen to me. It took me a while to get into this story, but once I did, I was hooked.

Who should read it:
Fans of The Measure, The Giver and Sea of Tranquility.

Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone
Benjamin Stevenson

Stats: Mystery, 384 pages

Quick summary
In this darkly humorous mystery, a family reunion on a snowy mountain resort becomes the backdrop for a series of confessions. When a body is discovered on the mountain, our narrator, Ernest Cunningham, an amateur detective and unsuccessful mystery story writer, is desperate to get to the bottom of who murdered the victim, praying it wasn’t someone in his family… again.

What I thought:
This one showed a lot of promise, and then meandered heavily in the middle, causing me to lose interest by the (anti)-climatic ending. At first, the narrator was quirky, giving a fresh voice to the whodunit novel trope, but as the book continued, I found myself feeling his style drifting to a more YA tone.

Who should read it:
I believe I picked up this recommendation on r/suggestmeabook because I enjoyed The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle. If you’re looking for a mystery where you’re dropped into the middle with unreliable narrators, I definitely recommend checking out the latter. Sorry, Ernest.