I read very few books in April, and from the photo two are ones that were left over from February and March that I had forgotten in my last post, and so without further ado let’s get down to the books!
Bossypants by Tina Fey
I love Tina Fey, and her book certainly didn’t let her down, she writes exactly as she speaks, sorta like she’s your best friend and you’re settling down for a cosy chat over some chai tea and chocolates! Powered through this book on the bus journey to Sophies, a three and a bit hour journey (damn rush hour traffic), and some of that journey was spent feeling utterly dismal and dizzy and wondering what had I done to deserve travel sickness! It cheered me up and was like a breeze of fresh air, which I liked very much, it distracted me from feeling crap too which is always a good thing. I’d recommend this if you like/love her comedy style and delivery and if you’re a fan of biographies, it’s a very quick enjoyable read.
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce
I actually read this one a while back in February (I remembered commenting on Misfortune of Knowings blog post on the same book), as I said in my comment there, I felt this novel to be a bit forced in places, but overall it was a nice read. An unusual book to come across and one I am glad that I read. It reminded me of “We Need To Talk About Kevin” a wee bit, but that’s not a bad thing, I loved that book and its stuck with me for several years now. Would recommend Harold Fry if you like fictional books with journeys of self discovery, of mental anguish, relationships and redemption.
The Heart Of A Dog by Mikhail Bulgakov
Written in 1925 by a Russian doctor who also wrote satirical pieces for newspapers (before he was stopped…ok this won’t spiral into a history lesson, read up about this guy, he’s an interesting character who even wrote a book about overcoming morphine addiction -he was injured in one of the many war zones he worked in)…back to the boo in hand! You can look at this book two ways as a whimsical yet sci-fi-ish (sssh it’s a word now) story about a doctor with a strange and terrible hobby, or as a parable for the Russian revolution, whichever way you chose to read this, it is superbly written and very unputdownable (also a word now)! Thoroughly recommend, especially if you have an interest in Russian history and literature or odd and offbeat stories.
Winter Games by Rachel Johnson
This book, I’ll be honest, it’s so-so. I liked it but it wasn’t compelling. The story moves in alternating chapters between a grandmothers experiences in Germany just on the cusp of WWII and the granddaughters experiences set in modern day. I’ll be honest with you guys, I would have preferred a straight story about the grandmother, her character is much more relatable, better written and more enjoyable to read. The granddaughter seems very…slick? All gloss and no substance sort of character. I mean I liked the way the two stories overlapped and the final chapter was a good tying together of loose ends and whatnot, but something about the main character seemed ‘off’ to me. I’d recommend this book for a holiday or a bus journey read, nothing too serious and still a nice story, it just seemed to me to fall a little flat.
The Moving Toyshop (A Gervase Fen Mystery) by Edmund Crispin
LOVED this book. I am a big fan of ‘old fashioned’ murder mystery stories, and this one delivers, enjoyable characters, great story, fast paced has action, romance, danger everything you could ask for! The characters are warm and engaging, the story is light and bubbly almost, it fizzes along taking you on a most exciting journey. A ‘classic’ murder mystery with a locked room, a disappearing toyshop, bashes to the head, tied up heroes and a cunning villain. I would read this again in a heartbeat! Must try and find some more in the Gervase Fen series!
One Day by David Nicholls
This is the other book I read in March but had forgotten to include in my last round up. It’s sorta written for a female audience (I’m trying to avoid the patronising term chick-lit), with two characters Emma and Dexter who get together on the night of their graduation. What follows is a story of friendship and love with the story spanning twenty years. Each year, on the same date we visit both characters, this way we can appreciate the changes or the constants in their lives and how they include or exclude each other, it’s quite cleverly done. I went along for the journey, it’s a good will-they won’t they tale, with a really fabulous ending (I can’t ruin it for you, but it is a great and atypical of books in this ‘genre’). So overall a thumbs up, would recommend to anyone who likes an interesting relationship (and beyond!!) story.
Vegan With A Vengeance by Isa Chandra Moskowitz
It’s not a novel per se, but I can’t be the only person who reads cooking books for fun?
Right….?
I bought Veganomicon back in January, and I decided on a whim to get this vegan recipe book by the same author. I love flicking though this for recipe ideas and interesting flavours to pair together, and it has some fabulous muffin and cookie recipes that I plan to try in the near future! It’s a great recipe resource for vegans and for anybody who has an interest in fresh new ways to jazz up fruit veg and grains!
I am so sorry for the super late update, I was going to post this ages ago but I hurt my back while spring cleaning and I have been in serious pain with a herniated disc (it’s as much fun as it sounds) so much so that I couldn’t walk, sit comfortably, sleep, crochet, anything! Went to a super nice physio and we’ve a series of more appointments to ease the pain. Thanks to Aurora La Petite for the physiotherapist recommendation and for being really thoughtful, I appreciated it very much.
Hope you guys are keeping well!
Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them?
Stay safe,
Lany
xx
P.S. Also just claiming our blog on Blog Lovin’here, go on give us a follow! 🙂
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