News and Updates
I had such a great time celebrating Independent Bookstore Day yesterday by visiting my local indie bookshops! A huge shout‑out to Tea Olive Books in Griffin, Georgia—they’ve moved into a new space inside the historic mill building they’ve long called home, and it is absolutely fantastic.
Did you get a chance to visit a bookshop this weekend? I’d love to know which stores you explored—and, of course, which books followed you home.
This Week
Family history fiction is a genre that can sometimes hit very close to home. These stories often unearth long‑buried secrets or reflect relationships we wish had looked different. Because of that, this section may be an emotional read for some—please feel free to skip it if you need to.
Monthly Reading Challenge: Historical Fiction
Weekly Reading Challenge: Family History Fiction
I feel like I’ve read so many books set in libraries—especially those located in New York City—but this one uncovered secrets I never knew about one of my favorite landmarks: The New York Public Library. A hidden apartment, rare book thefts, and more combine to make this a story that will have you seeing the library in an entirely new light once you turn the final page.
On the family history front, the novel unfolds across a dual timeline, tracing the ripple effects of one family’s choices across multiple generations. With the library serving as the common thread tying everything together, it offers a compelling look at how a single decision can shape lives far into the future—even those not yet born.
If you’re looking for other great books for this prompt, try one of these reads recommended by our StoryGraph community:
- The Heiress, Rachel Hawkins
- Pachinko, Min Jin Lee
- The Thirteenth Tale, Diane Setterfield
- The Vanishing Half, Brit Bennett
New This week
Two of our Most Anticipated Releases will hit shelves this week, including one of our 5-Star reads for April. What’s in your basket?
Charles Bufalino pulls back the curtain on decades of family drama in his new memoir, Bufalino, releasing this week. The book traces the early days of not only his own powerful Sicilian mafia family but also their connections to other crime families, guiding readers through a web of alliances, betrayals, and feuds that severed ties—and ended lives—over the years.
Readers with an interest in mafia history or Teamster lore may find this a compelling pick. Those familiar with the Pennsylvania region the Bufalino clan once called home may also be intrigued by the lingering intersections between organized crime, government, and business in the area.
That said, if you’re coming primarily for details about the family’s alleged connections to Jimmy Hoffa, you may want to look elsewhere. Despite the implications on the cover, references to Hoffa are brief and often lean more toward conjecture than documented fact. You can read the full review here.
Salt Air Promises was our preview pick yesterday—and one of just two 5‑star reads for April! Francine Chiaramonte delivers a swoon‑worthy age‑gap romance that hooks you with a relatable female lead and a genuinely lovable heartthrob, then keeps you turning pages with sharp dialogue and an engaging, emotionally rich dynamic between them.
Though Chiaramonte may be best known for her poetry, this novel shows she’s equally at home in long‑form fiction. It’s the kind of story that’s hard to put down, and it left me eager to see what she writes next.
Salt Air Promises is self‑published and available on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited—well worth adding to your reading list this week.
In Case You Missed It
Last Week’s Prompt
What if there were a special place that appeared only when you needed it most—one that might slip away until the moment you truly could not do without it? And what if you never fully understood its value until it was lost again? For Martha, Henry, and Opaline, the bookshop is that elusive place. It is a source of wonder and unanswered questions, a space that seems to bridge time and place in order to protect and heal them at their most broken.
I give The Lost Bookshop 3.35 out of 5 stars. I appreciated the overall narrative and premise, but the execution fell short of its potential. The dual timelines felt less like interconnected threads and more like two separate stories running alongside one another without fully converging. Although the book is marketed as historical fiction and leans heavily on magical realism, these genres often seemed to pull the story apart rather than unify it. Choosing one approach more decisively might have helped anchor both the characters and the timelines more effectively.
I also struggled to stay engaged due to the multiple first‑person narrators and the frequent shifts between characters, timelines, and even different moments in the characters’ lives. This constant movement created a sense of congestion that made the novel more difficult to follow and, at times, disrupted the reading experience.
Last Week’s Articles
There’s something so magical about places built around books. From iconic bookstores to breathtaking libraries, we shared a list of 7 famous bookstores and libraries every book lover should see — including Powell’s, The Strand, the New York Public Library, the Bodleian, and more dreamy bookish destinations around the world.
If you love literary travel, beautiful libraries, and adding bookish places to your bucket list, this one is for you.
Last Week’s Preview
If you love stories with coastal charm, found-family warmth, and a heroine you can really root for, Salt Air Promises has so much to offer. Mallory’s move to Florida sets up a tender fresh-start story filled with community, emotional tension, and the kind of character growth that keeps you invested.
I give this 4.85 out of 5 stars. One of the strongest parts of this book is the setting — it feels bright, lived-in, and comforting in a way that makes the whole story glow. The friendships feel natural, the romance has a steady emotional pull, and the overall message about trusting yourself and taking a chance on love really shines through. This feels like such a lovely pick for readers who want romance with heart and atmosphere.
You can read the full review here.
Reading Challenge Prompts
I always say that fantasy isn’t a genre I read very often… and then I look at the list of fantasy sub-genres and realize I absolutely do. Think Practical Magic, The Hobbit, and so many others—they all belong here. Magical realism, in particular, hooked me a few years ago through Heather Webber’s writing, and I can’t wait to share some longtime favorites with you. I’m also excited to step a little outside my comfort zone this month and explore a sub-genre I don’t read often at all: paranormal fiction.
May is Get Caught Reading Month, and with several of our favorite authors celebrating birthdays in the weeks ahead, it felt like the perfect time to lean into imaginative, transportive reads. I can’t wait to see which fantasy books you choose to pick up this month!
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What I’m Reading
- Current print book: The Reimagining of Thornwood House, Jaleigh Johnson
- Current audio book: Worst. President. Ever., Robert Strauss
- Book I’m most looking forward to: Pretty Dead Things, Kelsey Cox
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