Book of the Month: April

Three books stood out to me this month:  Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter, The Kitchen Front by Jennifer Ryan and The Museum of Lost Quilts by Jennifer Chiaverini. I have been thinking about them for several days to determine which one is my top pick. In any given month each one would have been my number one selection. Pretty Girls is an intense suspense novel concerning girls that go missing and The Kitchen Front is a lovely WWII historical fiction story about the lives of the women left behind and how they fed their families during wartime rationing. I am selecting The Museum of Lost Quilts as my favorite book of the month though.

Museum is a sequel to the author's popular Elm Creek Quilts cozy series. Jennifer Chiaverini wrote the novel in celebration of the 25th anniversary of the publication of the first book in the series. I was lucky to receive an advanced review copy from Net Galley. The book will be published at the end of the month on April 30, 2024.

In many ways this book is historical fiction. As one character researches quilts loaned for display, she finds clues to her hometown's past. During the Civil War, the ladies of the area quilt guild made a victory quilt with the names of local soldiers stitched into each block. Summer uncovers that there was another local quilt guild that made a victory quilt for auction too. The reality that these guilds were segregated by race shocks her. 

I believe that the author did a fantastic job of reviving the series which has not had a prior book published in well over 10 years. This is an amazing feat in itself. I wish the series could continue but it's had every story imaginable written into the series. It's time for it to end.