April reminded me of the downside to signing up to too many reading challenges – namely, forcing myself to struggle through book just because it fits in with a prompt. Author surnames beginning with ‘U’ are not common!
To see more about the books I loved and hated this month, click here.
What I’ve learned this month:
1. To sign up to fewer challenges. See the start of this post.
2. Politics is a complicated and often dull subject. However, this month I’ve learned how important it is. On 23rd June, the UK public will vote whether to leave or remain in the European Union. What scares me is how little evidence we have, and how easily many of us have made up their minds based on scare tactics and media rhetoric. So, I read a book about it. It’s not a clear cut issue, of course it’s not, but it helps all of us to know about the little evidence that is available. To all my fellow Brits, please read this book. Or if not this one, then another one. If not a book then the internet, but cut through all the bullsh*t that the media would have you believe and make your mind up for yourself, based on facts.
3. Loving an author’s previous work does not preclude you from disliking their latest novel. Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go is a beautiful novel, as is Nocturnes, a collection of short stories. The Buried Giant, however, was a chore, and nowhere close to his best.
4. The true pleasure of a book group. I took over moderating of the Mental Health Book Club on Goodreads and can’t describe how much I’m enjoying it. It’s been wonderful meeting new people, who have excellent taste in books, and have helped widen my knowledge of mental health literature – both fiction and non fiction. If you suffer from a mental health condition, love books and want to meet others like you, join us!
On the menu for May
You can see all of my choices and reviews by following me on Goodreads, let me know what you’re reading so I can get inspired!
NB. Some of my reviews do include spoilers, so please check the top of the post for a warning before reading.
Martha Is 