books

'I'm Mamamia's pop culture editor. Here are the 7 books I think you should read in April.'

Now and then a book comes along and reminds you of the power of storytelling.

A story that plucks you out of your daily life and takes you on a great adventure. A book that you think about constantly because you're so eager to race to the final page and find out what becomes of the characters. 

This month for me that book was The Way From Here by Jane Cockram. A book that spans 60 years and three countries and tells three women's stories. 

Here are the seven books I think you should read in April: 

The Way From Here by Jane Cockram

Image: Pan Macmillan/Mamamia.  As I said before, The Way From Here is a book that grabbed my attention on the very first page and kept it until the final chapter. 

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The book follows the story of the Anderson sisters - Susie and Mills - who grew up on a remote property in the Northern Territory. 

When Susie suddenly dies just days before her 40th birthday, she leaves Mills six letters and a mystery to solve. The letters take Mills on a journey through London, a tiny French Island, and the English countryside as she pieces together what happened to Susie during her gap year travels and how that event marked the rest of her life. 

The Way From Here is an intergenerational family mystery full of twists and turns and a whole lot of heart. 

Ten Steps To Nanette by Hannah Gadsby

Image: Allen & Unwin/Mamamia.  Australian comedian Hannah Gadsby became a household name after her Netflix special Nanette dropped onto the streaming service in 2018. 

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Her new memoir, Ten Steps To Nanette, tells the story of Gadsby's life leading up to the comedy special, the defining moments that inspired Nanette, and her powerful decision to tell the truth to an international audience, no matter the cost. 

Nanette is both hilarious and harrowing, much like the Netflix special, and it's a book you'll think about long after you've read the final sentence. 

The Club by Ellory Lloyd

Image: Mamamia.  

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The Club is a Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick which is perfect for fans of Big Little Lies and The White Lotus

The Home Group is a glamorous collection of celebrity members' clubs dotted across the globe, where the rich and famous can party hard and then crash out in its five-star suites, far from the prying eyes of fans and the media. 

At the three-day launch party of Island Home - the Group's most exclusive club to date - tensions rise and the bodies begin to pile up as the VIPs start to wish they'd never made the guest list. 

The Club is a fast-paced thriller, full of twists and turns, that will keep you guessing right up to the final page. 

The No-Show by Beth O'Leary

Image: Mamamia. Beth O'Leary knows how to write a bloody good rom-com. 

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Her previous books, The Flat Share and The Road Trip, have won hearts around the world and her latest novel, The No-Show, is said to be her best yet. 

The book tells the story of three women, three dates and one missing man. 

Both funny and sad, The No-Show is a book about dating, waiting, and the love that can find us in the most unexpected ways. 

Reputation by Sarah Vaughan

Image: Mamamia.  From the author of Anatomy of a Scandal (soon to be a Netflix series) comes Reputation, a timely thriller that you won't be able to stop thinking about. 

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Emma Webster is a respectable MP and a devoted mother. She's also accused of murdering a tabloid journalist. 

Reputation is a book about the story you tell about yourself and the lies others choose to believe. 

Memphis by Tara. M Stringfellow

Image: Mamamia.  Memphis is one of the most anticipated debuts of 2022. 

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In the summer of 1995, 10-year-old Joan, her mother, and her younger sister flee her father's violence, seeking refuge at her mother's ancestral home in Memphis.

As an adult with nothing left to lose, Joan returns to the home she hasn't visited since she was a child. She pours all her grief and rage into sketching images of the women in her life. Through this she learns to love and laugh again. 

Inspired by the author's own family history, Memphis is the Black fairy tale she always wanted to read growing up. It explores the power of what we pass down, and freedom, fate and forgiveness.

No Hard Feelings by Genevieve Novak

Image: Mamamia.  No Hard Feelings is a millennial coming-of-age story for fans of Fleabag and Everything I Know About Love

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Penny is underpaid, overwhelmed and not where she thought she'd be by the time she reached her late 20s. 

Her friends are getting married and being promoted, and Penny feels like she's just waiting. Waiting for her on-and-off-again boyfriend to ask her to stay the night, waiting to get that long overdue promotion at work, waiting for her real life to start. 

Fed up with waiting, Penny decides to start making things happen. If only she can stop doom scrolling through Instagram. 

No Hard Feelings is a funny look at wanting it all and not getting any of it. 

Keryn Donnelly is Mamamia's Pop Culture Editor. For more of her TV, film and book recommendations and to see photos of her dog, follow her on Instagram and TikTok.

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