Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.
All I can tell you for this list, is I kind of went off vibes! The full prompt is –
April Showers (Interpret this however you’d like: rainy day reads, books that make you cry, books that give you happy tears, books to wash away a bad reading experience, books set in rainy places, books with rain/raindrops/umbrellas on the cover, blue book covers, etc.)
I went with ‘books to help you forget the rain’ kind of vibes, for the most part! These are the kind of books that I think can take you away to a happy place, though maybe not quite all of them…but I’ll explain as we go!
Top Ten April Showers Books
Sorcery and Small Magics
Maiga Doocy
Genre: Fantasy Romance
Age: Adult
Format: ebook
Published: 15th October, 2024
Review
Rain (and nature in general) plays a role within this book, but mostly I’d recommend it for the days when it’s raining so much you want to escape from it and feel like you’ve been transported to another world. It’s really a wonderful book.
The Unlikely Pursuit of Mary Bennet
Lindz McLeod
Genre: Historical Romance
Age: Adult
Format: Paperback
Published: 29th April, 2025
Review
This is a wonderful book to curl up with and forget about the rain outside – it’s the kind of book that warms you up just thinking about it, and definitely makes me think of ‘sunny’. You can get lost in this one.
A Midnight Kiss on Ever After Street
Jaimie Admans
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Age: Adult
Format: ebook
Published: 4th July, 2023
Review
Similarly, this is another book to get completely swept away with – it’s got lovely fairy tale vibes, but in a very contemporary setting, in a way that makes you feel like magic could be lurking around the corner. If April showers are giving you the blues, this book will take care of it.
Scales and Sensibility
Stephanie Burgis
Genre: Historical Fantasy
Age: Adult
Format: ebook
Published: 4th October, 2021
Review
Another one to get lost in. This book is so warming and delightful. I think what a lot of these books have in common is there’s a fair bit of time spent outside, and I think when it’s raining out there, I love getting into a book with outdoor scenes and lovely weather! Makes me forget the gloomy grey clouds.
Voyage of the Damned
Frances White
Genre: Fantasy Mystery
Age: Adult
Format: Audiobook
Published: 18th January, 2024
Review
On the flip side, this one is darker – there’s murder and magic on board this ship, and Ganymedes is stuck there with a secret. This one stood out for this prompt because of the water theme, and sometimes I think slightly darker but still, ultimately, sweet books can work really well with showers!
Rise to the Sun
Leah Johnson
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Age: Young Adult
Format: Paperback
Published: 6th July, 2021
Review
Back to sunny books, this is the kind of book you want for a day where the showers are hitting so hard, that although it’s not as bad as winter, you can’t quite remember what summer feels like and need that reminder to get over the last hurdle to sunnier skies and warmer temperatures.
Bookshops & Bonedust
Travis Baldree
Genre: Cosy Fantasy
Age: Adult
Format: Audiobook
Published: 7th November, 2023
Review
This is pure fantasy escapism, and I highly recommend the audiobook – I haven’t yet read Legends & Lattes (still…) so I can safely say you don’t need to read that to get into this one. I think the audiobook makes for the perfect listen on days where the rain keeps you trapped inside.
Confessions of a Forty-Something F**k Up
Alexandra Potter
Genre: Comedy
Age: Adult
Format: Paperback
Published: 31st December, 2020
Review
I adored this book, and if you need something to help plant a smile on your face and keep it there, I couldn’t recommend anything better. There’s some really nice summery moments here, too, to remind us all of what comes soon!
Say You’ll Be My Jaan
Naina Jumar
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Age: Adult
Format: ebook
Published: 16th January, 2024
Review
This is the kind of book that makes me smile just thinking about it – a lovely, heart-warming tale that’ll have you kicking your feet and giggling, and of course thinking about these two instead of the showers outside.
The Supreme Lie
Geraldine McCaughrean
Genre: Sci-Fi / Dystopian
Age: Middle Grade – Young Adult
Format: ebook
Published: 15th April, 2021
Review
To end on something completely different…if your April Showers mood is more pondering the worst case scenarios, this might be for you! Rain features heavily in this one, and it’s commentary on fascism, corrupt politics, and the environment, like 1984 for younger teens. And this is all wrapped up in an honestly enjoyable, intriguing story. So if you want something that fits with listening to the raindrops on your roof, this one might just be it.
What books do you think of for April Showers? Any recommendations, or reviews you want to share on the above? As always, just let me know!
Unwrapping Words 