April 2026 Reads...

Below are the books I read in April along with my thoughts on them. I'm not doing any formal reading challenges this year, but I am continuing to read diversely. Since April was Autism Awareness / Acceptance / Appreciation Month, I read books by Autistic Authors. And I am reading another now by Maggie North. I have many other books by Autistic and Neurodivergent Authors that are sitting on my digital and physical bookshelves, plus I have a few on pre-order. In May, I'm going to continue to plug through my bookshelves, as I keep buying more than I can read. I must read faster...

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​COMPOUND FRACTURE by Andrew Joseph White

I can usually tell when an author who writes about a small town has never lived in a small town. I can also tell when an author has, and Andrew Joseph White obviously knows first-hand the nuances of living in a town very far removed from a big city. They're the same towns people avoid driving through and have horror stories written about. Compound Fracture isn't exactly a horror story, but a coming-of-age story about Miles who is just coming out as trans while also discovering he is autistic. It is also the story of friendship, hardship, class division, and revenge. This is not a sweet tale, but very gruesome and hard to read at times, but it is Miles' story that happened the summer before his senior year of high school.

The story is well-written, intense, emotional, shocking, realistic, and captivating to the very end. I never know what to expect from books by Andrew Joseph White, but I know it will be quite the ride. I already have his next book on my bookshelf.

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A SLICE OF AUTISTIC LIFE by Theresa Scovil

I have been following Autie-Biographical on multiple social media platforms for many years and often repost their comics, especially those that feel extra relatable. When I learned Theresa Scovil was publishing their first year of comics in a paperback book, I ordered it right away. (I believe they have more out now, which I must get.) It took me a while to actually read this book as I had already seen most of the comics already on social media. But it was nice to read through them again in a different medium and feel seen. Sometimes these comics teach me new things about myself or others, while other times I nod my head and smile or laugh out loud. I am very thankful to Theresa for sharing their talent and snippets of their life with us.

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