On My Shelf: Books Read April 2026

Normally, I’d be enthused about the number of books I read in April. But this time, I managed to get through so many books because I largely ignored reasonable bedtimes to carve out solo reading time. (Also, none of these books were tremendously long… and I technically finished the Edmund Fitzgerald book in March, but didn’t get around to writing it up in last month’s recap).

Still, it was a lot of books.

On one of my recent book recap posts, someone mentioned I seem to read a lot of depressing books. This is true!

I tend to be a melancholy person to begin with and gravitate toward fiction that mirrors that and, for the most part, memoirs (my favourite form of non-fiction) are typically written by people who have some level of trauma in their past.

True to form, there are plenty of depressing books on the list, but I enjoyed most of them!

• The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros

I’m not quite sure what I think about this book. I think I liked it?

It’s a quasi-connected series of vignettes that forms a novella about a Latino girl living in a rough part of Chicago and the difficult lives of the people she interacts with from her neighbourhood. I feel like I’d enjoy it more if I read it a second time, but I also didn’t enjoy it enough to necessarily read it again?

Content warnings. Sexual assault, domestic violence.

• March by Geraldine Brooks

3.5 rounded down to 4. I don’t really know what to think of this book either; it’s definitely depressing! It’s my least favourite Geraldine Brooks book so far, but… I can also understand why it won the Pulitzer Prize.

It reminds me a bit of reading Little House on the Prairie books and then reading Prairie Fires (Caroline Fraser) and Bright Lights, Prairie Dust (Karen Grassle). What I’m trying to say is that it’s sad to pull back the curtain on a warm-hearted story (in this case, the fictionalized world of Little Women).

Sad, but also compelling.

Content warnings. Graphic descriptions of slavery and war. Some strong language. Sexual assault (not graphic descriptions).

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button by F. Scott Fitzgerald

I’m not quite sure how to rate this book; I’ll opt for 3.5 stars rounded down to 3. I’m pretty sure I would have enjoyed it more if I hadn’t seen the film adaptation years before—knowing the “punchline” of what was going to happen did detract from the book (for me).

All the characters are sad in some way and there’s not much hope in the book. I liked it but didn’t love it. I also thought the movie had more emotional weight than the book.

I’m glad I read it, though, and since it’s a very short novella, it’s a quick one-sitting read.

A Guardian and a Thief by Megha Majumdar

This is a dystopian novel set in a future climate-ravaged India where people are trying to flee to America to escape famine and the breakdown of law and order. This book reminded me a lot of Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits by Laila Lalami. It’s a fascinating look at the ripple effects of people’s decisions.

The story is utterly heart-wrenching. I thought it had excellent character development and pacing. You’re made to both like and dislike almost every character which makes for interesting (if confusing) reading.

Depressing but impactful.

Content warnings. Occasional strong language. Some depictions of violence.

• The Gales of November: The Untold Story of the Edmund Fitzgerald by John U. Bacon

I didn’t think a history of shipping and shipwrecks on the Great Lakes could be can’t-put-it-down reading, but Bacon accomplished that very thing. This book provides an excellent overview of the general history of shipping in this region, its importance to war efforts, the development of various cities around the lakes and, of course, an exhaustive (but fascinating) look at the fate of the Edmund Fitzgerald.

Content warnings. Some strong language. Descriptions of peril.

• If Only Love: A memoir of second chances by Shelley Saywell

This was a compelling memoir and I really liked the back-and-forth storytelling (which isn’t always my favourite literary technique). That said, it was a bit repetitive in parts.

My biggest quibble is that I find excessive dialogue from past events (written as if it can be perfectly recalled word for word) a bit disingenuous, but that’s a matter of personal taste.

Content warnings. Occasional strong language. Sexual assault. Descriptions of substance abuse.

• Strangers: A Memoir of Marriage by Belle Burden

I did not expect to appreciate (enjoy is the wrong word!) this memoir nearly as much as I did.

Yes, there are layers of privilege to the author’s past, but that doesn’t take away from the trauma she went through during the sudden breakdown of her marriage and the writing is phenomenal.

I couldn’t put this down.

Content warnings. Occasional strong language. Limited (non-graphic) references to infidelity.

• Sister Wife: A Memoir of Faith, Family, and Finding Freedom by Christine Brown Woolley

I’m not rating this memoir.

I had no context for the show Sister Wives (and didn’t even know this book was about someone who had been on a reality-TV show). I picked this book up because John and I just finished watching a documentary about FLDS polygamy (Trust Me: The False Prophet, on Netflix).

Christine’s story was not what I expected. I guess I would describe her situation as more “mainstream”. She left her husband (as did three of his other wives), but I never got the sense she is against polygamy as a practice. It was a bit jarring and unsettling to read, but mostly sad. Her husband was manipulative and the whole situation is upsetting, especially as it pertained to his treatment of his children.

But it is a very different take than you tend to get when reading a memoir of a wife who escaped from FLDS.

Content warnings. Occasional strong language.

• Raised by a Serial Killer: Discovering the Truth About My Father by April Balascio

I’m not rating this memoir.

What a horrendously sad situation. What the author endured as a child is deeply traumatic. Her father was abusive and manipulative and, it turns out, a serial killer.

There are a lot of questions left unanswered at the end of the book and the focus is mostly on her turbulent childhood, not specifics of his crimes.

It was all deeply unsettling and is yet another reminder of the impact of generational trauma (her father was a horrible abuser but was, tragically, horrifically abused himself).

All of it was SO SAD.

Content warnings. Strong language. Descriptions of domestic, sexual, and physical violence. References to miscarriage.

• Rescued: A Young Mother’s Memoir of Survival on Newfoundland’s Forgotten Coast by Dawn E. Neill

This was an incredible story about a young mother living with her wanderlust husband in an abandoned village along Newfoundland’s Forgotten Coast. No running water or electricity! No neighbours! Weather extremes! I found the book a bit long in places (it could have been trimmed by 100 pages and been just as impactful), but she painted a vivid picture of the isolation and mental strain of life in the wild.

I really wish there had been more pictures in the book as I think that would have made the book come to life.

This would make a tremendous movie with some incredible experiences and larger-than-life characters.

Content warnings. Occasional strong language. Peril. References to infidelity.

• Can’t Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds by David Goggins

I don’t know how this book came onto my radar.

It’s… intense. It’s depressing. I also couldn’t stop reading.

Goggins grew up suffering horrific domestic abuse at the hands of his father. When he and his mother escaped, he continued to have all sorts of odds stacked against him. His response was to go into the Navy SEALs program and tackle ultramarathons and all sorts of other endurance events (with mixed success).

I have a range of thoughts about the book. It makes for compelling reading, but it’s unbearably sad. Goggins is running from emotional pain and seems to think physical pain will be his saviour. He also seems incapable of caring properly for himself (or others, in many cases). I suspect some people would find the book inspiring, but I mostly found it heartbreaking.

Content warnings. Pervasive (every single page) strong language. References to domestic abuse. Graphic descriptions of physical injury.

• Sorry, Not Sorry: An Unapologetic Look at What Makes Canada Worth Fighting For by Mark Critch

This book is hilarious. I laughed out loud a lot. That said, if you’re not Canadian and/or you happen to be a fan of Donald Trump, this book is not for you. A few spots dragged for me, but it’s a short read and there were some really interesting history lessons. It was written in response to Trump’s comments about making Canada the 51st state.

Half the book is a rallying cry to Canadians to celebrate our nation; the other half is descriptions of how Canada came to be (AND WILL REMAIN) an independent nation.

Content warnings. Occasional strong language.

• The Third Gilmore Girl: A Memoir by Kelly Bishop

This was yet another compelling memoir. I really enjoy behind-the-scenes memoirs of people involved in the entertainment industry and Bishop’s writing was engaging the whole way through.

Content warnings. Very occasional language; discussions of infidelity and abortion.

TOP PICKS FOR APRIL

• Fiction: A Guardian and a Thief. It was a pretty weak month for fiction, so this book wins, though I didn’t love it and it is SAD.
• Non-fiction: Strangers. This is not a book for everyone, but I could not put it down.

Your turn:

• What was your favourite book read in April?
• Have you read any of the books I’ve mentioned above?
• Would anyone characterize your reading preferences as depressing? (To be clear, I happily acknowledge and embrace that this is the material I gravitate toward! I wasn’t in the least offended by this generalization.)