What We’re Reading–April 2026

Writing and reading go hand in hand, which means that in addition to our writing or editing projects, the staff of Literary Mama also has a long list of books that we’re reading and thinking about. We’d like to share some of those with you and hear what you’re reading as well!

Creative nonfiction editor Shellie Kalinsky recently read Educated by Tara Westover, and says of the memoir: “Tara tells her story with heartbreaking honesty and vivid detail. She takes readers back to her childhood where she lives with her survivalist, fundamentalist parents and her many siblings. Her grit and determination help her overcome abuse, neglect, and isolation.” 

Senior editor Katherine Murray has also been enjoying a nonfiction text titled, Momfluenced: Inside the Maddening, Picture-Perfect World of Mommy Influencer Culture by Sara Petersen. “This book offers a fascinating glimpse into the dynamics of influencer culture and how motherhood is inflected by capitalism,” she says. 

Emma Wismer, Literary Mama’s marketing director, has been on the fiction track with The Tin Flute by Gabrielle Roy. “As a Montrealer, this Montreal classic has been on my reading list for a long time, and I’m happy to be getting around to reading it. I’m enjoying the descriptions of the city waking up to spring after a long winter,” she says. 

The fiction book that is currently pulling me away from all my tasks is Ann Napolitano’s Hello Beautiful, which is my book club’s upcoming May selection. This novel, which spans from 1960 to 2008, tells the story of a man named William and his relationships with the Padavano sisters, four girls from a Catholic Chicago family. The characters and their choices are flawed, endearing, tender, and maddening and will give my book club plenty to discuss when we meet. 

What books have been keeping you up too late? Let us know!