I’ve had a book haul of books I bought in Korea in progress for months at this point, and yet I’m still not getting around to posting it. Maybe next week or the week after? In the meantime, enjoy my wrap up of the books I bought in April.
I’m linking this up to the Stacking the Shelves meme hosted by Marlene @Reading Reality, which allows us to share the books we’ve acquired (either bought, gifted or borrowed) each week – even though I don’t post each week, I enjoy being able to see what other people are excited about. Please see my first post for a discussion of why I don’t participate weekly/my concerns about book hauls and over consumerism.
I have included links to purchase the books without supporting Amazon! If you’re based in the UK, please use the Bookshop.org UK affiliate links and support independent bookshops. If you’re international, Blackwell’s ship all over the world and the cost of delivery is included in the listed price, so no nasty surprises. And of course, you can always request a book from your local library or shop at a local independent shop instead!
This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me by Ilona Andrews
Maggie wakes up in a city she knows from the pages of an unfinished dark fantasy series. Soon, instead of trying to get home, she gets enmeshed in the schemes of princes, dukes and villains, all while trying to save them from a cataclysmic war.
This was my most anticipated release of 2026 so you can bet I had it on preorder. Check out my review here.
The Dispossessed by Ursula K Le Guin
A brilliant scientist attempting to find a new theory of time leaves his homeland in search of place more tolerant of his work. Initially feted, he soon finds himself used as a pawn in a deadly political game.
I was down in York for an exam and to visit my little sister and bought a couple of books whilst I was there. I’m thinking this one will be perfect for the “read a book from the 70s” r/fantasy bingo prompt.
Adapted from a seventeenth-century Chinese novel, this 18th-century Vietnamese masterpiece follows the life of Vuong Thuy Kieu, who agrees to a financially profitable marriage in order to save her family from ruinous debts, but is tricked into working in a brothel.
I bought this after coming across it whilst writing my discussion about novels in verse.
Paladin’s Grace by T. Kingfisher
A master perfumer, Grace, and a sock-knitting paladin without a God, Stephen, witness an assassination attempt that pulls them into a web of treachery and death.
Having read Swordheart in February, I was excited to pick up another book by T. Kingfisher and I’m happy to say I wasn’t disappointed.
The Apothecary by the Sea by Victoria Bennett
Victoria and her family move to the Scottish islands of Orkney. Inspired by the local landscape and folklore, she starts to build an apothecary garden by the sea.
I had this one on preorder and I’m hoping to read it in May.
Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke
English magicians have long lost the ability to perform magic, except Mr Norrell. Enter, Jonathan Strange, also a practicing magician, but otherwise the complete opposite of Norrell’s cautious control.
Having read and enjoyed Piranesi (albeit not as much as some people), I’m interested to see what this one is like. I’ve seen some very diverging opinions, so I got a secondhand copy and we’ll see how it goes.
Despite increasing restrictions on the freedoms of women on Earth, the first all-female mission to a planet in the Goldilocks zone is about to go ahead. But when things start going wrong on board, it looks like time for life on Earth might be running out faster than expected.
I’m always looking for interesting space-based sci-fi books to read and I haven’t heard much about this one, so I look forward to giving it a go! Also a secondhand find.
I also bought a load of books secondhand of books that I have already read but done own copies (or no physical copies of). Mostly, I got Ilona Andrews books and the Charlie Bone series (one of my childhood favourites that I handed down to my sister and so don’t have copies of anymore – but since I found them for 10 pounds total on Vinted I thought I might as well). (Thank you to Annemieke @A Dance With Books for putting me onto Vinted for buying secondhand books.)
I was pretty chuffed since I got all 14 of these books for 60 pounds (even though the Innkeeper Chronicles books were almost full price). I’m holding off on buying full sets of Kate Daniels on the off chance (very slim!) that they rerelease them at some point with better covers for the first few volumes.
Shop this list on Bookshop.org UK and support independent bookshops.
If you are based in the UK and want to support independent bookshops, please consider buying the books on this list via my storefront on Bookshop.org UK. If you do, I get 10% commission and so do British independent bookshops (without affecting the price you pay).
If you can’t buy the books right now but want to read them, please check your local library (or request them)! Together we can keep these important community resources alive.
What books have you acquired recently?
Have you read any of these books? Let me know what you thought!
Keira x.
![[Review] This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me by Ilona Andrews](https://keirasbookmark.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/featured-image-size-48.png?w=600&h=450&crop=1)
Keira's Bookmark 
