Springtime is all about dusting off the winter cobwebs. If you’re blessed with a hayfever-resistant immune system, stepping out into the blossom-scented air is like welcoming an old friend back into your life: at once comfortingly familiar and wonderfully exciting. While the joys of spring often boil down to whether it will be hot enough to have an Easter Sunday barbecue, we like to focus on the endless opportunities in store now that the days are lighter and longer.

Perhaps that extra hour of light is the motivation you need to head out on a run or start the day with some morning yoga. At Refinery29 HQ we’re embracing the chance to sit back and get lost in an engrossing story. Whether it’s picking up a book over breakfast or finally becoming the person who reads on their commute, we’re shaking up our routines and getting stuck into some seriously spellbinding reads.

Last month, Team R29 dove into a darkly comedic tale of grief and loss in What a Shame by Abigail Bergstrom and explored a fantastical queer love story in Our Wives Under The Sea by Julia Armfield. This month we’re taking on a new set of thought-provoking titles, including a coming-of-age story with a difference and a collection of hot and heavy, erotic short stories.

To take a look at everything we’re reading this April, click through the slideshow ahead…

Refinery29’s selection is purely editorial and independently chosen – we only feature items we love! As part of our business model we do work with affiliates; if you directly purchase something from a link on this article, we may earn a small amount of commission. Transparency is important to us at Refinery29, if you have any questions please reach out to us.

Katy Thompsett, Sub Editor

Book Title: This Woman’s Work edited by Kim Gordon and Sinéad Gleeson

Why? It comes as no real surprise to learn that music writing, like so much of the music industry, is still dominated by the boys. This Woman’s Work seeks to challenge that dominance with a series of essays on music written by some seriously big (female) names. Top of the bill for me are Ottessa Moshfegh, Rachel Kushner, Maggie Nelson and Margo Jefferson. Oh, and Sonic Youth’s Kim Gordon is on editing duties. Rock and roll, baby.

Kim Gordon, Sinead Gleeson This Woman’s Work: Essays on Music, $, available at Waterstones

Sadhbh O’Sullivan, Health & Living Writer

Book: Maps of our Spectacular Bodies by Maddie Mortimer

Why? I’ve heard such wonderful things about this debut and I am so excited to read it. The novel is a coming-of-age tale at the end of a life, following the ways a diagnosis upends the protagonist’s world as the boundaries between her past and present begin to collapse. It is described as a “symphonic journey through one woman’s body: a wild and lyrical celebration of desire, forgiveness, and the darkness within us all.” Not to be missed.

Maddie Mortimer Maps of Our Spectacular Bodies, $, available at bookshop.org

Maybelle Morgan, Entertainment Editor

Book: Anonymous Sex edited by Hillary Jordan and Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan 

Why? Twenty-seven writers, 27 erotic short stories. This uniquely horny collection lets the anonymous authors deep dive into desire and what intrigues them about sex. From a hot and heavy retelling of the fairy tale of Rapunzel to bizarre and sensual tales of holographic and ghost sex, it’s weird and quite wonderful.

Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan, Hillary Jordan Anonymous Sex, $, available at Waterstones

Alicia Lansom, Editorial Assistant

Book: How To Kill Your Family by Bella Mackie

Why? After a rainy holiday spent indoors reading, I’ve finally made a dent in my TBR pile and I’m ready to invite another novel into my life. I’m in the mood for a darkly comedic book and, fortuitously, Bella Mackie’s bestselling satire is finally out in paperback. Discussing society’s obsession with murder, the story follows a young woman who has murdered six members of her family but currently sits in jail for another murder which she did not commit. Reviews hint that this book explores everything from dysfunctional relationships to class with a wickedly dark humour.

Bella Mackie How to Kill Your Family, $, available at Waterstones

Elly Parsons, Acting Managing Editor

Book: Manifesto for Misfits by Sink the Pink

Why? This year, classic London party Sink The Pink is coming to an end with a farewell ball in April (which sold out in under 10 minutes). In lieu of getting a ticket, I’ll be picking up Glyn Fussell’s new Manifesto for Misfits, which is available to pre-order now. It’s meant to be a joyful romp through embracing life as an outsider.

Sink the Pink Manifesto for Misfits – Pre Order, $, available at Queer Lit

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