It’s April, the month of bunnies, chicks, and chocolate. It’s officially spring, the clocks are back and there are so, so many books. Our lively Librarians have some more recommendations to help you choose your April reads. This month for the adults we have cheeky horror, mindfulness, samurai swordplay and a tsunami of bodily fluids! For the younger readers we have shark attacks and an evil plot to steal all the colour from the world.
Top fiction: Horrorstor by Grady Hendrix
Horrorstör was a wonderfully abstract title that delivered much more than I anticipated! I went in expecting a very traditional horror story and came out with my mind reeling, chock full of weird and wonderful monstrosities. It had a distinctly Lovecraft-esque spin to what it gradually revealed but with all the trimmings and trappings of a modern macabre plot piled on top. It was a whirlwind of a read, easy to zip through in a day, and I’d recommend it to anyone who enjoys a twisted yarn that has a tongue in cheek tone.
Top non-fiction: Mindfulness : A Practical Guide To Finding Peace In A Frantic World by Mark Williams and Danny Penman
After having read this book, I would describe mindfulness as slowing your life down to notice things more, for example, when you are on a walk really paying attention to all your senses asking yourself “what does the freshly mown grass smell like? What shade of yellow is that buttercup? Is it more like mustard, butter or the yolk of an egg?”
When eating a piece of chocolate, noticing how it feels on your tongue, how sweet it tastes, the warmth as it melts. Opening your senses to everything around you and slowing your experiences down can help you start to feel calmer and less anxious in this modern ‘frantic’ world.
This book is an easy read and guides you through an eight week course of mindfulness. It includes practical and easy exercises you can fit into your day. It also includes a CD that provides some useful mediations that are, again, quick, simple and straightforward to follow.
I am not sure I can say I actually found ‘peace’ while reading this book but it certainly helped to calm my mind and in times of stress I will certainly revisit this book in the future.
Top audio book: This Is Going To Hurt by Adam Kay 
“The hours are terrible, the pay is terrible, the conditions are terrible; you’re underappreciated, unsupported, disrespected and frequently physically endangered. But there’s no better job in the world.”
Welcome to 97-hour weeks. Welcome to life and death decisions. Welcome to a constant tsunami of bodily fluids. Welcome to earning less than the hospital parking meter. Wave goodbye to your friends and relationships…
I devoured this book in a single sitting. It is rare to find a book that can make you laugh and cry in equal measure!
Audiobook is exclusive to BorrowBox
Top comic: Lone Wolf and Cub by Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima
If you love Star Wars The Mandalorian, you should be reading the Lone Wolf and Cub manga, which inspired its main storyline.
The astonishing story of Lone Wolf and Cub was created by writer Kazuo Koike and artist Goseki Kojima.
When disgraced shogun Ogami Ittō’s family are murdered, he and his surviving son Daigorō are charged with treason and ordered to commit ritual suicide. But when the father gives his infant son a choice between a child’s toy and a ceremonial weapon, the baby chooses the latter and sparks a quest for redemption and vengeance.
Lone Wolf and Cub has long been hyped as one of the greatest manga of all time. As you can imagine, there is a lot of hyper-violence and a fair amount of gore, but the writing is superb as well. Kazuo Koike crafts a three-dimensional character in Itto. He’s far from the bloodthirsty killer he could have been, a philosophical warrior with deep love for his infant son, defeating his enemies through brain power as well as bloodshed.
Top children’s non-fiction: Adrift And Alone by Nel Yomtov and Patrick Kinsella
Drifting alone on the ocean for days on end. The hot sun is beating down, and water is all you can see in any direction. In these horrible conditions, there are some who have found the will to survive. These true stories detail the amazing events of people who have braved the elements on the open sea.
I thought that Adrift and Alone was a very thrilling story. If something like that happened to me, I probably would just cry and cry and then get scurvy!
What surprised me was how after the drama and the shark attacks, and the losing of limbs, some people just got straight back in the water!
Top children’s fiction: Rainbow Brite by Jeremy Whitley, Brittney Williams and Valentina Pinto
Fans of My Little Pony will love Rainbow Brite. It features best friends Wisp and Willow, who are full of wonder and imagination. Suddenly, Wisp is thrust into an evil plot to steal all the colour (no! not all the colour? Yes all the colour!) from the world and must escape with the help of Willow.
I wish I had been able to read this comic as a child. I know I would have been captivated as friendship; particularly female friendship is a very important theme.
The character designs and look are friendly and inviting and cartoony. Additionally, the comic lives up to the name of “brite” with fantastic colouring.
Have you read any of the books featured this month? If so, we’d love to hear what you thought! Leave your reviews in the comments below.
You can find out more about libraries in East Sussex by visiting the East Sussex County Council website.
