
All the books I read in April
Somehow, it’s time for another wrap up already. Throughout April, I read 10 books, bringing my total for the year so far up to 41. Here are some thoughts on each of them, in the order I read them.
Gather the Daughters by Jennie Melamed
[ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ] This book about a secluded, cult-like community that enforces strict gender roles left me with very mixed feelings. I loved the obvious feminist slant and felt invested in the fate of the characters. However, some elements of the narrative felt like unnecessary shock factor that stretched my suspension of disbelief too far, jarring me out of the story. I also felt it majorly missed a trick by exploring gender roles without incorporating even a hint of a queer or non-cis character.
Mary’s Monster by Lita Judge
[ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ] This is a fictionalised graphic memoir of Mary Shelley, written in verse. From the off therefore, I admired it simply for how much it defies categorisation. Written in first-person, it has the intimate and immersive feel of a diary, as though we’re reading Shelley’s very own words, and it captures beautifully the emotion-fuelled Romanticism of Shelley’s own work. It offers fascinating insight into her early life and the inspirations behind Frankenstein, and the black-and-white artwork is suitably gothic and atmospheric. Intelligent, original and engaging; I adored it.
The Clocks in This House All Tell Different Times by Xan Brooks
[ ⭐ ] My first 1 star read of the year, sadly. Not only was this book not what I expected in a lot of ways, but the handling of sensitive subject matter left me feeling very uncomfortable. It perpetuated harmful stereotypes about people with disfigurements and disabilities, and seemingly excused unforgiveable behaviour. I seem to be largely in the minority, but it didn’t work for me at all.
Sum by David Eagleman
[ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ] This is a collection of 40 pieces of flash fiction, each one outlining a different concept of what the afterlife could be. Some are amusing, others are unsettling, and though I found it playful and fascinating as an overall concept, only a handful of the stories will realistically stay with me.
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
[ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ] This is a nuanced, understated and yet masterful tale of mounting tension, and a supreme example of the ‘less is more’ approach to horror. The tangible sense of fear and outright creepy scenes punctuate a general tone that is both ethereal and oppressive. Exploring notions of sisterhood, guilt, sexuality, storytelling and belonging, the balance of how much Jackson tells us, and how much she leaves to our imagination, is spot on. This heightens the unsettling nature of the story, and means it can be read as much as a tale of madness as it can a classic of the haunted house genre.
From the Heart by Susan Hill
[ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ] This subtle novel was surprisingly effective. It explores big social issues, but does so with sensitivity, avoiding sensationalism or scandal. The punchy prose and swift pace reflected to me the idea of our heroine’s life moving too fast, beyond her control. It is, after all, about the insular pain of not being true to yourself due to societal pressures, and thus becoming a passenger in your own life. Its brevity evoked a sense of supressed emotion, lost potential and quiet reflection on what could have been; with its power lying equally in what is left unsaid.
The Breakthrough by Daphne du Maurier
[ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ] du Maurier does sci-fi? Why not! As always, she is a master at setting the scene and creating an evocative and tangible atmosphere that instantly transports me. The juxtaposition of the rugged beauty of the landscape and the technology of a research facility worked really well. I also loved the moral ambiguity of the story, which called into question an abuse of power, and the murky problems of consent and ethics involved in scientific experimentation. The eerie feel of the story has du Maurier’s trademark of something sinister lurking beneath the surface, and it culminates in an obvious though nonetheless unsettling warning about the danger of pushing science too far and meddling with nature.
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day by Winifred Watson
[ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ] This was a perfectly pleasant read that made for some light, easy escapism. It’s essentially about a middle-aged woman learning to break free from the rigid routine of her daily life, and though the ‘scandal’ she finds herself embroiled in is all pretty tame by today’s standards, the heroine is very endearing, and the story itself full of cosy wit and charm.
The Lost Words by Robert Macfarlane (writing) and Jackie Morris (artwork)
[ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ] This book combines acrostic poems with stunning artwork to celebrate the relationship between the beauty of the natural world and the language we use to describe it – whilst reminding us how important it is to preserve both. The poems are highly approachable, playful and engaging, with each one focussing on a different plant or animal, the name of which is disappearing from every day use in children’s vocabularies; the idea being that we need to reconnect with the wonder of the world around us.
Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer
[ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ] This sci-fi novel follows a group of female scientists on an expedition into a strange, mysterious environmental disaster zone known as Area X, to try and uncover its secrets. The setting and general atmosphere are the biggest highlights of the book, being both ethereal and absorbing. There were chilling moments and striking images throughout that will certainly stay with me. I also really enjoyed witnessing the breakdown of the group dynamic as Area X got under the characters’ skin. The characters themselves are held at such a distance, however, that I struggled to connect emotionally. By the time we reach the climax, we have no greater understanding of the bizarre goings on inside Area X, and are left with more questions than ever, which was ultimately frustrating.
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It was a reading month of ups and downs, featuring both my first 1-star review of 2018, and two of my favourite reads of the year so far, the latter of which being Mary’s Monster and The Haunting of Hill House.
What was your favourite read in April?
Love your short reviews. It’s amazing that you got through ten books this month! My favourite book of this month was Boy Proof by Cecil Castellucci, I’ll probably have a review up in the next few days! Happy Reading x
That’s lovely to hear! Thanks for stopping by 🙂
I love Shirley Jackson so much. We Have Always Lived at the Castle is my favourite.
Me too! Those are the two novels by her I’ve read so far. I loved both but We Have Always Lived in the Castle is my favourite as well 😊
Have you read The Lottery and her short stories? They are perfect little creepy things 😁
I read a few of her short stories last month and really liked them! I read The Lottery years ago at school, but I definitely plan to revisit it and explore more of her work 😊
The Haunting of Hill House sounds amazing, I’m determined that this is the year I finally read some Shirley Jackson other than The Lottery. And I’ll definitely be starting with Hill House, because a friend who knows my tastes very well read We Have Always Lived in the Castle and said she was positive I’d hate it, and I’m not entirely sure what to make of that, but I figure Hill House will be a safer place to start at any rate. And Susan Hill’s another author I really need to check out.
Ooh, that’s interesting! I loved both so I’ll be very intrigued to see how you get on with her work. But yes, Hill House is very much gothic in tone and nuanced in its themes, so could well be your cup of tea.
Susan Hill’s an interesting one. She’s not someone who stands out as an obvious favourite, and yet I’ve somehow read 6 novels by her, so there’s obviously something that keeps drawing me back. Ironically though, given they’re generally her most famous works, her ghost stories have so far been my least favourite 🤷🏼♂️
She’s one of those authors I’ve always taken for granted that I’ll love unconditionally, so when my friend said she was sure I would hate We Have Always Lived in the Castle I was so surprised. She was so definite about it too – like, there is no doubt in her mind that I will hate it. Naturally that just increased my curiosity about the book and I FULLY intend to read it…. but in case I DO hate it I feel like I should start elsewhere.
Oh, that’s so interesting! Where would you recommend starting with Hill? I was under the impression her ghost stories were amazing so I probably would have started there, but I don’t want to get this wrong.
That’s how I always felt about her too, so I’m very relieved to have enjoyed her work so much thus far. Let’s hope it’s the same for you!
As for Hill, Black Sheep has stayed with me (it’s bleak historical fiction about trying to escape the ties of low social class), and I was really impressed with the subtle power of From the Heart (which is about being suppressed by societal norms).
Ooh Black Sheep sounds fantastic, I’ll keep an eye out for that one!
Not sure how well it matches with the book, but the movie of “Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day” is absolutely DELIGHTFUL. ^-^ I’ll definitely have to look up the book.
Oh yes, I’d heard there was a movie adaptation! I’ll have to keep an eye out for it 😊
Oh no! I had high hopes for The Clocks in this House… 😦 Sucks that it didn’t work for you!
It has a lot of good reviews though, so hopefully you’ll still enjoy it!
I selfishly wish these were each posted individually with a link to your Goodreads page, because I have so much to say about each!
I wonder if the Xan Brooks is so loved by people because they inject sympathy in a way that is offensive but don’t realize it? For instance, I hate when people claim things like they love individuals who have Down’s Syndrome because those individuals are so sweet and love to hug. While that’s a nice sentiment, it also suggests that anyone with that particular disability is somehow “bad” for having a rough day or, gasp, other human feelings.
I’m interested in Sum because I have a great love of flash fiction. If you have not checked her out yet, seek out Lydia Davis. She should be at your library. She’s the master of flash fiction, and funny, too.
The Haunting of Hill House is a great book, one that many discover in a college classroom that discusses Gothic literature. Most people, at one time, used to read “The Lottery” in high school, and that was all they had heard about Jackson. I highly recommend you watch the film version called The Haunting (1966), but don’t you DARE watch the Catherine Zeta Jones monstrosity.
Are you going to read the other two books in the Annihilation trilogy?
That could well be the case in some instances. I do think there’s an element of some people feeling they need to be seen to like books with ‘diverse’ characters, in case disliking them is seen as being unsupportive of difference. (i.e. “If I dislike a book with a black main character, people might think I’m racist…”) A bad book is a bad book though, regardless of whether it has characters that are disabled, queer, black, trans, etc. In fact, books that seemingly set out to support difference, but reinforce harmful stereotypes are in no way helpful, which was how I felt about the Xan Brooks novel.
Thanks for the recommendation; I’ll be sure to look into Lydia Davis’s work.
As for the rest of the Annihilation trilogy, I’m really torn. The first book certainly intrigued me and left enough open for me to want answers, but looking into reviews of the other books, it seems to be a near unanimous opinion that we never get those answers, and that the next two books are a real slog to get through. Have you read them?
I have not, though the author just did a reading in my town. I skipped it to go to a Samantha Irby reading instead. She is HI-larious.
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