Discover three new must-read books with reviews of our April subscription box picks, all themed around being true to yourself and the life you want.
Local Voices: These Days, by Lucy Caldwell
What’s the craic?
April 1941. Belfast has escaped the worst of the war - so far. Following the lives of sisters Emma and Audrey - one engaged to be married, the other in a secret relationship with another woman - as they try to survive the horrors of the Belfast Blitz, These Days is an unforgettable novel about lives lived under duress, about family and about how we try to stay true to ourselves.
Paperback Down says…
This is a beautifully written book about two young women trying to be true to themselves in a world that's already decided who they ought to be. But it's also the story of a city - if you're from Belfast or have relatives who've lived in the area, you'll be well familiar with stories of families seeking shelter from the Belfast Blitz by fleeing into the countryside and hills surrounding the city - but this book brings to life just how truly terrifying those dark days of Easter 1941 must have been. Lucy Caldwell meticulously and evocatively captures the darkness and horror of being a civilian in a city under fire.
Sci-Fi/Fantasy: The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, by V.E Schwab
What’s the craic?
France 1714. A desperate woman makes a desperate deal in the dark - a bargain to live forever but be remembered by none.
So begins the invisible life of Addie LaRue, a shadow muse to artists throughout history, forgotten friend, confidante and lover, slipping away with the morning light. Addie passes through lives, desperate only to leave a trace of herself. Until the day she walks into a small bookshop in Manhattan and meets Henry, who remembers her.
After 300 years Addie's life is restarting, but the devil never plays fair. As Henry and Addie's lives start to intertwine, they must face the consequences of the decisions they've made and the prices to be paid.
Paperback Down says…
This book gave me a book hangover - you know what I mean, that feeling when you reach the end of the story and you can't bring yourself to let it go. When you're just left wanting more - more of these characters, more of this world, more of this story. Or failing that to just dive straight back into it and read it all again. This enchanting adventure across centuries and continents is ultimately about a young woman looking for recognition, looking to be seen for who she is in a world that instantly forgets her - and don't we all know a little bit about that? An unforgettable heroine and an unforgettable book!
Bucket List Books: Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen
What’s the craic?
"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife".
For Mrs Bennet, a mother to five daughters, little else is of consequence than the prospect of a successful and advantageous marriage for each of them. Her daughter Elizabeth, independent and spirited, has other ideas.
When the wealthy and eligible bachelor Mr Bingley moves into the neighbourhood he seems everything one could want in a husband; engaging friendly and obliging he forms a quick attachment with Elizabeth’s beloved sister Jane. His friend and companion Fitzwilliam Darcy makes a less favourable first impression on Elizabeth, she thinks him arrogant and conceited whilst he seems indifferent to her quick wit and lively mind.
When she later discovers that Darcy has involved himself in the troubled relationship between Bingley and Jane, their relationship seems destined to be one of animosity but both are about to learn the folly of judging from first impressions.
In the sparkling comedy of manners that follows, Jane Austen creates one of the most powerful and enduring love stories of all time whilst superbly satirising the gossip, snobberies and social conventions of provincial middle-class life.
Paperback Down says..
An enduring story of misunderstandings and mixed first impressions, this is a classic enemies to lovers tale filled with witty banter and caustic observations on class snobbery and societal machinations. A book which gets better and better every time you read it!
Which will you choose?
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