What I read in April 2026

In this blog, I am going to discuss about the books I have read in April 2026, and my key takeaways and what I learnt.

The Books:

1. White Nights - Fyodor Dostoyevsky

2. The Thursday Murder Club - Richard Osman

White Nights

This book is about the man (book refer him as a "Dreamer") who lives in the city of St. Petersburg, Russia - wandering the streets all by himself, and what happened when he met a girl called "Nastenka".

The Plot

One fine day, the narrator "Dreamer" is wandering the streets of Petersburg in solitude, meets the girl named "Nastenka" crying on the Petersburg's embankment. He agreed to be the friend while she waited for her lover to return, and he fell in love with her over the four nights, but kept the feeling hidden. When her lover failed to show up, Dreamer proposed and she accepted. But when her former lover shows up, she leaves with him and "friend zoned" our narrator.

My Thoughts

Well, I can't fully articulate what I learnt from this book. But I can write what I got, everyone has certain expectations, insecurities and when the expectations aren't met we feel disappointed, lost etc. Here in the story also, the narrator who lives in his solitude but has certain expectations, dreams about the love. And at the end, when "Nastenka" left him, even though he returned to his solitude again, yet he expresses gratitude for the momentary warmth and "whole moment of bliss" she brought into his existence.

Maybe that's what author wants to tell us, be happy with what we have and finding meaning in temporary things, not just contentment.

My rating: 3.8/5

The Thursday Murder Club

Lately I have been reading a lot of books in the Crime Thriller & Investigation genre, last month it was "The Girl in Room 105", and this month it's "The Thursday Murder Club" written by Richard Osman.

Summary

In a peaceful retirement village called "Coopers Chase", four unlikely friends -Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron and Ibrahim met up once a week to investigate unsolved murders.

But when a brutal killing takes place in their neighbourhood, the Thursday Murder Club found themselves in the middle of their first live case. And the rest of the story follows how they teamed up with local detectives Chris and Donna, and together uncovered the truth.

My thoughts

• At first I found it hard to get started, but once the plot started revealing, I found it very compelling and made me immersed in Coopers Chase and rooting for the club.

• The friendship between Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron and Ibrahim has great chemistry and complemented each other. The author makes sure everyone is a unique character for example:

  • Elizabeth - Leader of the group

  • Joyce - the quiet observer, but sharp when it counts

  • Ron - street smart, able to adapt to any situation

  • Ibrahim - a Psychiatrist, analytical and methodical

• Even though it didn't keep me on the edge of my seat, it was engaging enough to keep me invested throughout the investigation.

• At last, I felt it got rushed to fit conclusions for every murder linked to the investigation.

My rating: 4/5

My recommendation for this month would be "The Thursday Murder Club" a genuinely fun read with compelling characters and an engaging plot, not that the "White Nights" is bad - it just felt too complex for me.