Books: March & April Reads

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

This is one of the best books I have read in a long time. At over 700 pages, and with a gruelling backstory of appalling childhood abuse, it is not for the faint hearted. It reminded me a little of Donna Tartt's The Secret History, in so far as the main characters meet at university. Just a heads up, I sobbed almost solidly through the final 100 pages of this novel.

The Invisible Ones by Stef Penney

Another brilliant novel: I listened to this one on my commute, and the narrator was absolutely superb with the different characters' voices. This centres around a private investigator in a hunt for a missing adult in a gypsy community. There are some brilliant twists in this tale.

The Trap by Melanie Raabe

I was lucky enough to win a copy of this book. The story unfolds at quite a rate and is a quick read but I either didn't like the writer's style or the translation. The plot - an author planning to lure her sister's killer into a trap is pretty intriguing, but I won't be seeking out any more of her novels.

The Gathering by Anne Enright

The wonderful Irish tones of Fiona Shaw reading this frank story about the death of Liam, one member of a large family is very engaging. The death dredges up stories of the family over generations and childhood mysteries as they prepare to gather for the funeral.

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

Although I enjoyed it, I'm not quite sure why this book got all the attention it did - am I the only one to think this? I think that the three main female characters were all pretty interchangeable (versions of each other under slightly different circumstances) - maybe this was the point? The interminable drinking was enough to make me not want to drink again!

An Artist of the Floating World by Kazuo Ishiguro

This was an absolute dud for me. Again, I listened to this one, but the narrator was wooden, and to be honest so was the story. Disappointing.

Love Mrs Jones X