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Time marches on, and suddenly it’s the first of May. One of my favourite months of the year – the leaves on the trees outside my window are nearly in full leaf. We have the promise of better weather to come. April does seem to have sped by, and I feel as if it was a fairly slow reading month. I enjoyed most of what I read, but I did get a bit bogged down with one of my 1937 reads – more of that later – and probably spent longer reading it than I may have done had I been really enjoying it.
On to the books I read in April, seven books read – three of those on Kindle – and three books were a little bit longer at around the 400 page mark, not that that is especially long, but perhaps a bit longer than the average.
I began April reading a book for my second book group, a group that is part of the virtual WI I have joined. Three Women and a Boat (2020) by Anne Youngson is a novel about a friendship forged along the canals of England. Two women throw their lot in together to help out a stranger, an elderly woman who is ill but needs to get her beloved narrow boat to Chester.
I decided to read the third Thursday Murder Club book next – The Bullet that Missed (2022) by Richard Osman as that WI book group will soon be reading the fourth and so I felt I had better get back to reading them. In fact I shall be starting book four later today. I had enjoyed the first two instalments of this series, the characters are so engaging and the novels themselves quite easy reading. However, if I am honest I hadn’t really understood the hype – and the astonishing sales figures. I wasn’t in a mad hurry to read the third book – which I only acquired because Liz passed it on to me, promising me that the third book is even better than the second (which in my opinion is better than the first). This book is better than the second, the voices of Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron and Ibrahim continue to be thoroughly engaging and there is a lot to entertain in this book. Gangsters who after five minutes in the company of Elizabeth and Joyce are as soft as butter may not be realistic but we don’t want too much realism with books like this and Osman makes it a lot of fun.
Karen and Simon kicked off their latest club week on the 15th of the month, this time it was the year 1937 and I had several books to read but in the end chose to start The Citadel (1937) by A J Cronin on my Kindle. It was just as well that I started my 1937 reading a week early as both my reads were a bit longer than I had anticipated – you can’t really tell on Kindle and I hadn’t looked up the page length before starting. I really enjoyed The Citadel so I am delighted I decided to read it, my first by him. The tagline on the cover of this Bello books Kindle version – ‘the classic novel that inspired the NHS’ the novel opens in 1924 as newly qualified Scottish doctor Andrew Manson arrives in a small Welsh mining town to take up a position of an assistant doctor. We then follow his progress as he marries, and leaves Wales for London and the lure of a private practice.
My second read for the 1937 club, also on my Kindle, was Busman’s Honeymoon (1937) by Dorothy L Sayers. I haven’t read as many books by DLS as I have by say Agatha Christie, but I have enjoyed several books by her before. However, I did start to get rather bogged down by this one, and it slowed me down, which is never a good sign. I started to enjoy it initially, chuckling at the bright breezy voices of Wimsey and Harriet and the easy banter between them and the ever present no nonsense Bunter. However after a while it got a bit tedious – there was just too much of all that and not enough actual story to keep the reader’s attention. It is a longer book for a Golden Age style – and really I wonder if that isn’t the problem. I became irritated by the long bits of dialogue entirely in French between Harriet and Peter – so unnecessary – the one thing about a Kindle – you can get instant translation. None of these conversations move the plot along in any real way so could be entirely skipped by those who, like me, are completely monolingual, but it makes me wonder why is it there at all? Anyway Peter and Harriet get married, go on Honeymoon with Bunter – someone dies, Peter solves it – eventually. I wish I had read Margery Sharp instead.
My next read took me back to my Margaret Drabble reading which I have been so enjoying. The Waterfall (1969) by Margaret Drabble is unfortunately out of print – but definitely worth tracking down I think. Though judging by Goodreads – not everyone would agree. This is a novel about love – the love a woman, Jane feels is such a necessity it becomes all consuming. The novel opens just as Jane is about to give birth to her second child, shortly after having been left by her husband. Jane begins an affair with her cousin’s husband James. It is a novel about sexual awakening and obsession and I found it very impressive.
Diary of a Void (2020) by Emi Yagi – translated from the Japanese by David Boyd and Lucy North was passed on to me by a friend a couple of months ago. The intriguing premise really appealed to me. Apparently this was a prize winning novel in Japan. Described as a subversive novel it is essentially a novel about a woman working in a male dominated company who avoids harassment and getting stuck with the menial tasks by pretending she is pregnant for nine months and beyond. Her big lie becomes all consuming, with a pregnancy app on her phone, towels padding her abdomen, and pregnancy aerobics, soon though the lines between fiction and reality become oddly blurred. Thoroughly entertaining and quirky.
My final read of the month was The Road to Lichfield (1977) by Penelope Lively which was a Christmas gift from Jacqui. I persuaded my other book group to read this one in May – so I’m now wondering what everyone else will think about it. I really enjoyed it – it is a subtle novel that explores identity, consequences and memory. It centres around Ann Linton who leaves her family home in Berkshire to drive to her father’s home in Lichfield when he is taken into a nursing home. Every other weekend or so, Ann drives what rapidly becomes a familiar route, to camp out in her father’s house, sorting through the years of family papers and visiting the old man in the nursing home. While in Lichfield she meets school master David Fielding who her father occasionally went fishing with – and the two begin an affair. I may yet write fully about this book so I shall say no more for now.
I don’t think I have many plans for my May reading – although I know Liz has bought me that new biography of Barbara Comyns for my upcoming birthday – we discussed it at length beforehand – so I will hopefully dive into that soon. I will be reading the Fourth Thursday Murder Club book and I have just bought a copy of my next Drabble read from Ebay – The Realms of Gold which appears to be out of print and a bit longer than the last few Drabble novels I have read.
Whatever you read in April I would love to hear about it, and what are your plans if any for May?
I have Busman’s Honeymoon in the TBR – I may not rush to it! I want to read more Penelope Lively so I’ll be interested to read your full review if you decide to do one. Wishing you great reads in May Ali!
Thank you, yes I can’t really recommend Busman’s Honeymoon, but the Lively was excellent.
I’m sure it’s just because Harriet and Peter have to show how intelligent and sophisticated they are, very tiresome, you did make me laugh!
Lol, yes, I am sure you are right but it was irritating. Glad I made you laugh.
Thanks for a lovely April round up review Ali. I have enjoyed and been inspired by all your posts. Now I am thinking about reading the Penelope Lively Road to Lichfield and the Diary of a Void – that was does sound delightfully quirky. I am hoping to read Night and Day in May and I know from your blog that you really liked that one, so I am looking forward to that and rereading your old post on that. Happy May Reading and hoping we all get to enjoy some spring sunshine too!
Glad you like the sound of The Road to Lichfield and Diary Of A Void. I really hope you enjoy Night and Day.
I share that feeling of having the promise of summer to come although this year I think we’re all more desperate than usual for it to start!
I think we have all been feeling a bit let down by the weather. Fingers crossed for proper spring days.
I’ve only read two or three on your April list; of these, I largely share your opinion of them. After Gaudy Night, I found Busman’s Holiday quite disappointing; Harriet & Peter were actually just a teeny bit tedious. Although it’s been many years since I read Lively’s Road to Lichfield, I remember just how much I loved it (I think it’s one of my favorites by Lively). As you note, it’s a subtle, well written novel that deals with important topics in an understated way. As for Drabble, she’s isn’t one of my favorite writers but I did enjoy The Waterfall. Hopefully you’ll review Realms of Gold, which looks quite interesting! (my favorite Drabble novel is The Radiant Way).
Oh I am glad you agree with me on those books. I hope to get to The Realms of Gold later in the month.
I often find that the longer it takes me to read a book then the less I am enjoying it! The Drabble sounds interesting,. I have never read her so not sure where would be best to start.
Yes, it’s definitely a sign that I’m not enjoying something so much if I read it more slowly. I’m not an expert on Drabble, this year I began with her early novels. I would recommend The Garrick Year or The Millstone.
Thanks!
I like May too and am looking forward to an improvement in the weather following what must have been one of the wettest Aprils for many years! Fingers crossed…
It’s lovely to hear that you enjoyed the Penelope Lively, and I’ll be interested to hear what your book group think of it. My secondhand copy of Drabble’s The Waterfall has just arrived, so it’s on the pile for the future. I’ll need to read The Millstone first, though, just to carry on in publication order. 🙂
That’s a such shame about the Dorothy L. Sayers, especially as it was one of your Club reads. Ah well…On the upside, you’re going to love the Comyns biography as it’s so thorough and well researched. Definitely something to look forward to!
Ooh delighted to hear that you will be reading The Waterfall. I really hope you enjoy it after you’ve got to The Millstone. And I am really looking for to the Comyns biography.
Some nice April reads Ali, and isn’t it lovely to have Spring appearing at last! I didn’t get to the Sayers for 1937 although I would have liked to, though I don’t think it’s by any means her best and I haven’t read it for ages. Very interested to hear your thoughts on the Lively though – I’m keen to read more of her adult fiction and this one gets really good reviews. Look forward to seeing what you read in May!
I would definitely recommend that Lively, it was so good. Happy reading in May to you.
I’ve tried a couple of Dorothy L Sayers books but they didn’t really grab me – I did find the Wimsey character very irritating.
Diary of a Void sounds much more to my taste. I’m intrigued how she could keep up the pretence for so long….
Yes, Wimsey can be irritating, though I found him less annoying in other books. Busman’s and has rather put me off reading more by DLS for a while.
Hi Ali, I finished reading four books in April, which is my best month this year. My favourite reads were The Other Gwyn Girl by Nicola Cornick and Anne’s House of Dreams by L.M. Montgomery. In May, I plan to continue with some of my favourite series.
I hope you will enjoy your May reading and that the weather will be nice for us!
Blessings, Jessica 💌
Well done on having a better month! It’s always lovely to get back to a series you’re enjoying, so I hope you enjoy your reading in May.
I have enjoyed the novels I’ve read by Drabble and Lively and have several others to read but I don’t have the two you mentioned and they do sound appealing. I agree with you about the Osman books, each one in the series is better than the last. I was lukewarm about the series and now I am hooked. Your review of the Citadel is intriguing and I will keep my eyes open for it.
My favorite reads in April were What Not by Rose Macaulay and Loving Without Tears by Molly Keane.
Grier
Yes and I just finished the fourth Osman book yesterday.
What Not and Loving without Tears are both great books. Enjoy what you read next.
Serendipitously, I found a DDM novel at yard sale Saturday and realized it was “that time.” Do you need help holding Reading DDM week this year? I’m happy to help!
I’m not doing it this year, but I hope you enjoy reading it.
Ok–I’ll miss it but I know you’ve had a tough year. I’ll save it. Maybe next year?
I’m astounded you’ve managed to hold off on reading the Comyns until your actual birthday month! I’m looking forward to hearing your thoughts on it … a good month, I am not sure I’d have the patience for screeds of French in the middle of a crime novel and I would be able to read it! Trying a bit hard, I think!
I remember going through a Sayers phase. I have a vivid memory of holding the bright yellow library books, reading them on the bus to school, when I should have been trying to learn French and German vocab. I have got a Drabble on my shelf, The Dark Flood Rises, with themes of ageing, natural disaster and the refugee crisis. Also partly set in the Canary Islands. It sounds great!
I can’t recall just how far I got with my DLS reading, but I know I didn’t end up finishing (no reason, just got distracted by other reading projects). It sounds like you had a great month, overall, though. April’s reading was a little more crammed than the other months in 2024 so far, for me, so we’ll see how that affects May’s reading. Lots of great books, but I seem to be more focussed on what I haven’t gotten to reading yet, rather than what I have read!
I’ve read a few DLS but definitely not in any kind of order. I always preferred Agatha Christie and Ngaio Marsh.
I am currently in a massive blogging slump and struggling to get another post written.