A Preview of April Releases

April is already racing by so I’m putting out my picks pronto for this month. But before I do that, I wanted to say how sorry I was to hear that author Peter Matthiessen had recently died, and right before his latest novel “In Paradise” was due out. Ugh what a great writer, especially on topics about the natural world. I recall reading his nonfiction book “The Snow Leopard” in my twenties and being quite moved by it. If you get a chance, check it out along with his others. Have you read any of his books? And what did you think?

For April, there seems to be a number of good novels coming out (see list at right). I’m drawn to read “The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry” by Gabrielle Zevin about a bookstore owner on Alice Island (a fictional Martha’s Vineyard), who goes through a transformation of sorts, and redemption. Booklist says the novel’s also an homage to bookstores that “perfectly captures the joy of connecting people and books.” As a former indie bookstore employee, I can’t resist this new well-regarded novel that touches on the ins and outs of bookselling.

Meanwhile, “Be Safe I Love You” by Cara Hoffman is my edgier pick for April about the troubled homecoming of a female U.S. soldier who returns from a tour of duty in Iraq in time to spend the holidays with her family. All appears fine, as she offers to take her brother on a trip to visit their mother in upstate New York, but they wind up traveling to Canada instead. Library Journal calls the novel a searing tale of the “corrosive effects of war on the psyche,” and Ms. magazine says it’s “a riveting suspense story.” So I hope not to miss it.

Lastly I’m curious about Ayelet Waldman’s novel “Love and Treasure,” which weaves a story around the true history of the Hungarian Gold Train in WWII. Apparently the train carried a trove of stolen goods taken from Jews in Hungary and was bound for Germany when Allied soldiers intercepted it. Some of the trove was then re-stolen. The Boston Globe says the “book’s best moments explore subtle ambiguities … the human stories behind the looted objects flicker into life.” I haven’t read Waldman before but have heard good things about her books so I think I should give this one a try.

For movies in April (see list at left), I’m interested in seeing “The Railway Man,” which is based on the book by Eric Lomax, a British Army officer who was sent to a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp in 1942. Years after the war, Lomax set out to confront the man responsible for his torture there, which the movie explores. It stars Colin Firth and Nicole Kidman, which isn’t too shabby. I’ll likely see it if comes out around here.

Another film I’ll likely see is “Hateship, Loveship,” which is based on the Alice Munro short story. Holy smokes I didn’t know this was in the works. It looks like a quaint love story among outsiders, starring Kristen Wiig and Guy Pierce. You can’t go wrong there.

Even Nicolas Cage’s new movie “Joe,” which is based on the novel by Larry Brown, looks to be pretty good. It’s about an ex-con who helps a 15-year-old boy in a rough situation. The trailer reminded me slightly of the movie “Mud,” which I liked quite a bit, so I think I’ll see this one, too.

Lastly for albums in April (see list at bottom right), I plan to check out Joan Osborne’s “Love and Hate.” She’s always had a great sultry voice so I think there will be some songs worth checking out.

How about you — which new books, movies, or albums out this month are you most looking forward to?