April's Reading

April's reading has been fairly varied. I did get a bit bogged down in a cosy mystery! I reminded myself of the wonderful Quentin Blake's The Rights of the Reader, especially Number 3 "the right not to finish a book". Somehow, I couldn't stop myself from reading to the end, however. This doesn't happen very often but I always feel discombobulated when I'm not engrossed in a book and loving it.

So, I was very glad when I finally reached the end of Dee MacDonald's A Body in the Village Hall. There was nothing wrong with the book, I just didn't care enough about the victims or the main characters!

In sharp contrast, I absolutely rattled through Glenda Young's second outing of the Seaview Hotel novels. The Scarborough setting is exhilarating, I could almost feel the sea spray, and the characters are so very likeable.

Alongside the crime I have also been reading Katherine Rundell's excellent book about John Donne. This book received some absolute rave reviews from scholars and luminaries like Rose Tremain, A N Wilson, Andrew Motion and Claire Tomalin. The book is amazing, giving insight into such a complex character and exploring all facets of Donne's personality and life. A N Wilson's review best sums up my feelings about the book, which I found deeply satisfying and exhilarating. "This book unravels that knotty, witty, passionate poet John Donne. Completely at home in the middle of this Sacred and Profane Love Machine, Katherine Rundell has produced what is in itself a paradoxical and beautifully crafted work of literature - something much greater than mere critical simple biography." Of course, I then had to read much of Donne's glorious poetry.