April 2025 TBR list: Last month I finished 5 out of the 7 books on my TBR, and added two. I want to read 8 books this month. I have been approved for 5 Netgalley advanced readers copies this month.  2 books are among my most anticipated books of the year The Maid’s Secret and The Staircase in the Woods. I have raised my feedback score on Netgalley from a 72% to a 74%. I have read 20 out of my 75 books yearly goal.

The Sirens by Emilia Hart is about sisters separated by centuries but bound together by the sea. From the description, the sisters may be modern-day sirens. Sirens from old Greek tales would sing songs luring men at sea to die crashing into the rocks. I have not read Wayward Emilia Hart’s breakout bestseller but have heard great things and plan to read it soon. The Sirens will be published on April 1, 2025.

The Staircase in the Woods by Chuck Wendig is a horror thriller. The story is about five high school friends who go on a camping trip. The boys find a staircase in the woods that goes up. One brave camper climbs the stairs, and then the staircase vanishes.  Twenty years later, the campers, now grown-ups, return. They see the staircase has reappeared. Their friend is found the same age as when they went in. Chuck Wendig is one of my favorite authors every book has received five stars. I am very excited to read his next novel. The Staircase in the Woods is published on April 29, 2025.

The Maid’s Secret by Nita Prose Is the third book in the Molly the Maid series. This series is a cozy mystery that I did not know I needed in my life. Molly is a maid on the spectrum who cannot read facial cues. She is polite to a fault and treats everyone the same. I don’t know if she is the perfect person to solve mysteries. However, she always puts a smile on my face. In The Maid’s Secret, the hotel she works at is hosting an antique TV show. Molly brings in some old trinkets from her grandmother, and one piece is worth millions. She decides to auction it off but it is stolen before she can. I know Florence Pugh has the rights to the first book. I hope it gets made. I desperately want to see this series get made into a movie. The Maid’s Secret will be published on April 8, 2025. 

How to Steal Your Own Fate by Kristen Perrin is the sequel to How to Solve Your Own Murder. After the events of the first book, Annie Adams is settling into the estate that she won. She meets a fortune teller. I don’t know if this is the same one who started all the trouble in 1967. The fortune teller shares a cryptic message with Annie. Hours later the fortune teller is dead. How to Solve Your Own Murder has two murder mysteries. I was captivated by one of the mysteries. The other mystery was just okay. The publisher reached out and thought I would like the second novel more based on my critique.  How to Steal Your Own Fate is published on April 29, 2025.

The Map of Lost Places is edited by Sheree Renee Thomas and Lesley Conner. It is a short story collection that acts as a horror guide to haunting and haunted places. I wanted to read this book to discover new horror authors. Brian Keene wrote a new story for the collection. I am a fan of his work.  The Map of Lost Places will be published on April 22, 2025.

Gone, Baby, Gone by Dennis Lehane is the fourth book in the Kenzie and Gennaro series. This book is one of my favorites. The book is about a child abduction from a parent who just likes to party. Kenzie and Gennaro are doing it for the aunt who loves her niece. This book will have Kenzie and Gennaro teaming up with the police to bring the child home. The book gets interesting when it is revealed the mother ripped off drug dealers for 200 grand.  The ending of this book is one of the best that I can remember. I was inspired to buy the whole series. I wanted to review it for my blog. I also wanted to share the books with my mother and father-in-law. I gave them Shutter Island my favorite of Lehane’s and they loved it, so I wanted to share more.

The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton is a science fiction classic. It is about satellites collecting deep space dust and then falling to Earth. The satellite lands in Arizona. The satellite brought forth a disease that kills humans, plants, and livestock. The military sends a team to find a cure before the government gives up and nukes the area. The novel is a fun race against time that only Crichton can write. This is another book for the in-laws.

Lorne by Susan Morrison is a biography about Lorne Michaels the creator of Saturday Night Live. This book is huge. I have been reading it during breaks at work. I’m 30% through the book. It just got to Saturday Night Live. The published book is 630 pages but I would not be surprised if my ARC is 800 pages.   SNL is about to hit its 50th anniversary. I was a huge fan of the show growing up. The book interviewed a lot of my favorite cast members and Lorne himself. Lorne is scheduled to be published on February 18, 2025.