After a good read? Look no further than our top five recommended books in April!
The Model Murder, A Tea Ladies Mystery, Amanda Hampson
In a shadowy city lane in Sydney, 1968, a young man is shot dead. The police think they’ve found their culprit, but Hazel, Betty, Irene and Merl know better. When the Tea Ladies begin quietly asking questions about the laneway murder, they uncover a tangled web of lies involving missing money, organised crime – and a truth someone is willing to kill to keep buried. The Model Murder is the fourth instalment in the Tea Ladies cosy crime series.
RRP $34.99, Penguin, available 21 April
Bitza (books one and two), Andrew Daddo
This is a fabulously funny junior fiction series for children, told from the point of view of a dog looking for a new family. From unashamed mutt dog lover, Andrew Daddo, bestselling author of more 25 books and illustrated by Stephen Michael King. Bitza is a hilarious doggy protagonist sure to win the hearts of readers aged seven and over with his silly hijinks. The first two books in the series are available now, with the next two coming in September.
RRP $14.99, Penguin Random House
When lemons give you life, Anna Johnston
From bestselling author of The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife (recently optioned by Netflix), comes a sharply funny and deeply moving novel. Retired Michelin-star chef Griff Barlow has lost his appetite for life – he’s living in aged care and has been diagnosed with dementia. His estranged sister is grappling with a late-in-life ADHD diagnosis and a frightening health reality of her own. As secrets simmer and second chances collide, both siblings are forced to confront what it really means to choose life.
RRP $34.99, Penguin Random House, available 28 April
I’m Not Mad (Anymore), Bron Lewis
A fiercely funny, feminist debut about mental health, motherhood, and female rage from Bron Lewis – comedian, podcaster, and regular guest on Have You Been Paying Attention? Bron left her decade-long career as a high school teacher to become a standup comedian. A mother to three young children, her show, Obviously, sold out around the country and poignantly tackled the subject area of women’s mental health in general, specifically post-natal anxiety and depression. Hilarious, ridiculous, and honest.
RRP $34.99, Affirm Press
The Woman in The Seal Skin, Lauren Keegan
An atmospheric and compelling historic novel set in Scotland in1695. Malie is a young woman who was raised on talk of selkies – shape-shifting seal women who shed their skins to seduce fishermen on the Scottish shores. Malie’s life on land is predictable and safe, her future is mapped out. But just like the seals in the sea, there’s a wildness in her soul that can’t be tamed and deeply yearns for the ocean. When Malie finally accepts this, everything changes for her and the cloistered community of the island people who surround her.
RRP $34.99, Affirm Press
