April Abridged.

I can’t believe how quickly  the months seem to be passing.  I find myself at the end of another month having read some fabulous books, six physical books and I have got through two audio books as well (one I will review in May as I ran out of time).  These books have taken me from Spain to France, New York to London and from the world of art to a gritty crime drama and the wars of the reformation.  All books reviewed are at the end of this post and you can search for any you may have missed.  My top three books of this month are:

The Burning Chambers by Kate Mosse. If you read my review of this on Monday it will be of no surprise that this is one of my favourite books for the month.  I have been a fan of Kate Mosse since her first book, Labrynth was included in Richard and Judy’s Book Club in 2005.  Set in the sixteenth century, during the religious wars of the reformation, the narrative follows Minou and Piet as they are thrown together during this tumultuous period.  This has it all, a love story, action, adventure, secrets, a mystery to solve and wonderful characters.  This is a must read for Historical Fiction lovers.

Little Big Man by Katy Regan.  This was a beautiful book to read, very emotive and poignant.  It follows ten year old Zac as he decides to look for his dad with the help of his best friend Teagan.  Katy Regan really captures Zac’s voice and has such a wonderful understanding of his emotions, relationships and what he is going through.  As well as Zac’s narrative we also see how his mum Juliet is dealing with this, as Zac’s dad left under a shadow.  Finally is Mike’s narrative, he is Zac’s granddad, and it is through him we find out what happened ten years ago when  Zac’s dad left.  A wonderful story of a family in crisis, forced to deal with its issues by a ten year old boy.

The Muse by Jessie Burton.  I loved Jessie Burton’s first novel The Miniaturist, so was looking forward to what she would write next.  The Muse is very different to her first book, it has a split narrative set in 1936 Spain, where an art dealer and his family move to get away from Vienna, and in the process befriend a young man and his sister and their lives become entwined.  In London 1967, Odelle begins working at the Skelton Gallery for the mysterious Marjorie Quick and finds herself embroiled in the mystery surrounding a painting bought in by a man she met at her friends wedding.  Many issues are raised including race in the 1960’s, women in the art world and the importance of fame. This is a wonderfully written book, very descriptive and full of atmosphere; a feast for the senses.

If you have missed any of my reviews all are available on my blog now.  I hope April offers more fantastic reads.