Reading round-up: April

April was an average month in terms of reading. I read a lot of extracts and free first chapters of books- Kindle is great for this- but the following four are the only books I finished. Here's April's belated reading round-up.

Jamaica Inn by Daphne du Maurier

Jamaica Inn is a Gothic tale set on the ragged coasts of Cornwall and is a fun, quick read akin to a modern day thriller. The narrator is Mary Yellen, who is sent to live with her aunt and uncle at the notorious, barren and inhospitable Jamaica Inn. Mary finds her Aunt Patience a battered woman living under the violent thumb of her husband Joss Merlyn. Jamaica never hosts travellers, and Mary is suspicious as to how the Merlyns survive with no custom, but she soon discovers the reason why - Jamaica Inn is the centre of a smuggling ring. Mary struggles with her morality and who to trust. She confides in two men, the first being the local vicar and the second Joss's brother, Jem, who she is attracted to despite herself. The novel comes to a violent conclusion, beginning with a drunken confession of Joss's: the smugglers are, in fact, wreckers. I was interested to read this novel as the BBC released a mini TV series of this over the Easter weekend. I really enjoyed both watching the series and reading the novel, and would definitely recommend both. I would really recommend Jamaica Inn to most readers, particularly fans of thrillers and the gothic. I'd also recommend the novel to teens, both boys and girls, as the language is understandable and there is a lot to be taken away from the novel. I think it sets up some interesting discussions on morality, the roles of men and women, bravery and redemption. You can read my full review of Jamaica Inn here.

Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg

Written by the COO of Facebook, Lean In was bound to be dissected on social media, and I was initially put off reading it due to the criticisms of the book written around the time of its release last year. Lean In is a business and self help book that focuses on the lack of women in leadership roles, the causes of this, and what we as women can do about it. One criticism of the book is that it does not discuss the history of the patriarchal structures that effects women in work. The book just stops short of stating, but implies, the idea that women have internalized sexist ideas of women in work, and focuses on motivating them to succeed and lead in the workplace. An additional criticism is that Sandberg ignores intersectionality; she does not give recognition to the fact that there is huge variety of women in work, or the plight of the many women being leaned on in order for other women to succeed at work (e.g. often non-white, underpaid nannies). Despite these problems I enjoyed the book; it was well researched and it was interesting reading Sandberg's personal experiences at Facebook and Google. I do think Lean In raises some pertinent points; such as how both men and women can both fail to recognise our own gender based prejudices despite recognising it in other people, and how as women we often mentally leave our workplace before we physically leave our jobs. If you're interested in feminism, equality at work, or a women looking to succeed in business, I would really recommend this book. It won't solve all your problems but it might make you think.

When Nights Were Cold by Susanne Collins

When Nights Were Cold was recommended by Blair on her excellent blog, and I picked it up for 99p in the Kindle sale. It's short and is nicely edited to form a well-paced story. At the turn of the century in Victorian London, Grace Farrington is living with an overbearing father and meek mother, both of whom insist their daughters must stay at home until they marry, despite Grace's passion for mountaineering. Mountains, particularly the Mattahorn, are at the heart of this novel as much as Grace is. Grace (or Farrington as she becomes known) obsesses over the latest expeditions of the time and forms a mountaineering club at her female college with four other girls. The club plan mountaineering expeditions, and slowly, cracks begin to form in the girls' friendships, culminating in a fatal trip to the Alps. We are told some details of the tragedy at the beginning of the story, but the more we read on, the more we realise it might not have happened as Farrington encouraged us to believe. I'd really recommend this book to everyone as it was a smart, interesting, quick read.

A Winter Book by Tove Jansson

A Winter Book is a collection of short stories for adults written by Finnish writer Tove Jansson, known as the creator of the Moomins. It’s a beautifully produced book, with textured paper and a soft dust jacket and accompanying photographs of Jansson in her native Finland. The collection of stories are on the theme of winter, and are deceptively simple, the first set of stories being told from a child’s perspective, and the latter from an adults. The stories focus on incidents in Jansson’s life, most seemingly innocuous, but when examined a little closer, reveal universal concerns about nature, life, art, hope and ageing. My favourite story in the collection is ‘Parties’. It is a telling perspective into a child’s understanding of adult parties (“I know a lot that I don’t talk about”), complete with music, hangovers and fry-ups. A Winter Book is a mixed bag of stories, and not always coherent in narrative and theme, but is a nice addition for fans of Jansson’s work. It would make a lovely gift for those who are a fan of short stories, stories of the sea, or stories told from a child’s perspective. You can read my full review of A Winter Book here.

That's it for this month. To browse more of my monthly reading round-ups, click here.