April Stories

BOOK

WINNER

Heartless by Marissa Meyer

Catherine may be one of the most desired girls in Wonderland, and a favorite of the unmarried King of Hearts, but her interests lie elsewhere. A talented baker, all she wants is to open a shop with her best friend. But according to her mother, such a goal is unthinkable for the young woman who could be the next queen. Then Cath meets Jest, the handsome and mysterious court joker. For the first time, she feels the pull of true attraction. At the risk of offending the king and infuriating her parents, she and Jest enter into an intense, secret courtship. Cath is determined to define her own destiny and fall in love on her terms. But in a land thriving with magic, madness, and monsters, fate has other plans.

My Take: I absolutely ADORED this book! It tells the backstory of the Queen of Hearts, and it’s hilarious, witty, clever, SO entertaining… until the last few chapters, where it turns HEARTBREAKING!

RUNNER-UP

The Scandalous Sisterhood of Prickwillow Place by Julie Berry

There’s a murderer on the loose–but that doesn’t stop the girls of St. Etheldreda’s from attempting to hide the death of their headmistress. The students of St. Etheldreda’s School for Girls face a bothersome dilemma. Their irascible headmistress, Mrs. Plackett, and her surly brother, Mr. Godding, have been most inconveniently poisoned at Sunday dinner. Now the school will almost certainly be closed and the girls sent home–unless these seven very proper young ladies can hide the murders and convince their neighbors that nothing is wrong.

My Take: This book is absolutely hilarious: these spunky girls hide and solve a murder so they don’t have to go home to their horrible guardians. It’s funny and phenomenal!

MOVIE

WINNER

K-Pop Demon Hunters (2025)

Rumi, Mira, and Zoey are part of a popular K-pop girl group named Huntrix, but their real work is hunting demons to protect the world using music and dance. They work to maintain a magical barrier, the “Honmoon,” against demons. But when a group of demons appears, disguised as a rival boy band, their battle begins for the fans’ souls.

Starring: Arden Cho, May Hong, Ji-young Yoo, Ahn Hyo-seop, Ken Jeong, Lee Byung-hun

My Take: This was a movie my sister convinced me to watch, and I genuinely did not expect to enjoy it as much as I did. It’s very entertaining, with a catchy soundtrack, and some surprisingly good, strong messages.

RUNNER-UP

The Devil Wears Prada (2006)

Andy Sachs just graduated college with big dreams of being a journalist. She lands a job at the prestigious Runway fashion magazine, as the assistant to the brilliant, ruthless editor, Miranda Priestly. Andy, determined to survive the job through the year, must navigate the harsh workplace environment and the demands of the fashion industry.

Starring: Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, Stanley Tucci

My Take: This story, with its goofy, lovable characters, portrayal of the fashion industry, and business misadventures, is definitely on my list of cozy, rainy day, funny comfort movies.