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As mentioned in my April review yesterday I only finished reading two books this last month.
Normally I get a lot of reading done by listening to audiobooks. That way doing laundry, walking to nursery or cooking dinner all become reading time, which I love. However, in April I just had no audiobook on the go. Also, a lot of my listening time was spent with podcasts. Which are pretty great, too.
Then, I broke one of my own rules. I am reading multiple books at once. Most of the time I have a non-fiction book on the go as well as a novel but try to finish those before choosing another from the respective category. Right now, I am switching between two different novels, three Christian non-fiction books and one memoir. This situation was partly caused by library holds becoming available but mainly by my over-excitement.
Anyway, let’s talk about the books I did finish in April!
Interestingly, both books were by authors I have discovered this year: Daphne du Maurier (I know, why did I not come across her before 2023?!) and Stacey Halls.
Jamaica Inn by Daphne du Maurier
This was April’s pick for the book club I became a part of this year. In February I read Rebecca, which is probably in my top 10 of books I read thus far. Jamaica Inn was great, albeit not quite as gripping as Rebecca.
After her mother’s death, Mary Yellan’s only option is to move in with her aunt Patience, who Mary hasn’t seen in a decade. After her arrival Mary is shocked to find her aunt a changed woman, married to a violent and brooding husband. The secret’s Mary discovers about the goings-on in her uncle’s Inn are worse and more terrifying than what she could have imagined. And then there is Jem, her uncle’s shifty brother who she finds herself attracted to…
The plot moves quite slowly in the beginning and the whole story is quite dark and dreary. It gets rather thrilling in he latter half of the book however and some quite clever, unforeseen events occur. I wasn’t a big fan of the ending, as it felt a bit rushed and not very true to the main character, who I otherwise adored. But overall a very gripping read!
4 out of 5 stars from me.
Mrs England by Stacey Halls
I read The Familiars by Halls for my book club earlier in the year and had enjoyed that quite a lot. Mrs England was even better in my opinion. I really like the era of time it was set in (early 20th century) and the protagonist was very likeable.
Ruby May is a nurse, trained to look after children. She takes on a position in the wealthy England household in West Yorkshire. However, many things about this family are unusual and Ruby’s sense of unease grows. She has to confront her own harrowing past in order to prevent history from repeating itself.
All the characters are written really well and there is a lot of mystery and intrigue. The plot moves unpredictably but not in a way that felt unrealistic.
Again, 4 stars!
What about you?
What have you read in April? Anything to recommend?
This is Day 70 of my 100 Day Project. You can learn more about my 100 day project by reading this post. If you want to do your own 100 day Project, I would recommend checking out the 100 Day Project website.
I love hearing your thoughts and input on what you most like to read on here. It would mean so much if you would fill out my very short reader survey. Thank you!
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