Thanks to a few long weekends in April, I managed to read six books. I’m not the type of person to have several books on the go at once, I like to dedicate my time to one book at a time so this many in a month was pretty good for me.
I got into the month with Monika Kim, starting with her debut novel The Eyes Are the Best Part which I have been meaning to read for ages. I just love the cover, it really gives you a taste of what you’re in for reading this one. It’s as dark and twisted as you think it would be, such a unique horror I’ve never read anything like it! I’m super excited to learn that this will be made into a movie, directed by Greta Lee, hopefully it’s out this year!
Following on from this one, I went straight into Monika’s latest release, Molka. Can you tell I have a weak spot for horror? Molka is the Korean term for hidden cameras to capture voyearistic images and videos, it’s been a huge concern of this happening more and more in Korea. This makes the book even more horrifying and combined with female revenge it makes for a thrilling read.
To completely switch things up, I picked up Main Characters by Bobby Palmer as I was lucky enough to receive an ARC copy. This book has been described as “you've never read a love story like this one” and truly I hadn’t. The plot follows the love story of Clara and Seb however each chapter is told through the voice of everyone else around them which could be friend’s, family or simply a passerby. If you are a fan of Sally Rooney or Coco Mellors then I highly recommend you give this one a go, it will be released at the end of June so pre-order your copy now.
The hype for Yesteryear has been huge, so big that we sold out of our first shipment! Don’t worry though as we have more on the way arriving in the next couple of weeks. If you haven’t heard about Yesteryear it’s a debut novel from Caro Claire Burke which revolves around a tradwife influencer who one day is suddenly transported back in time to live like an actual traditional wife. This one was hard to put down and I had no idea where it was going right till the end. I’m already hanging out for Caro’s next book!
Next up was another upcoming release The Things We Never Say by Elizabeth Strout. Lizzy had read this earlier and enjoyed it, I trust her recommendations so gave it a go. Once I picked it up, I couldn’t put it down and I just never wanted this book to end! The main character Artie Dam is a real treasure. If you loved the likes of The Correspondent then you should definitely pick this one up!
I ended the month with my Book Club pick, Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan. This was my first book that I’ve read of Keegan’s and it was a great read, I’m keen to read all her previous books now. This book is a 110 page novella centered around Bill Furlong and hints at the Magdelene laundries that were prevalent in Ireland. It’s a book that explores morals and the consequences of doing the right thing. Small Things Like These may be only a 110 page novella but it definitely had me thinking long after and researching more into the institutions that held women captive in Ireland.
Let me know what you read in April and what was your overall favourite of the month.
You can check out more of my picks to see what else I’ve been enjoying. Happy reading!