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March/April 2020 Reads
1st May 2020 in 
Well, friends, it’s been a month. In the last post I said I’d read a lot – over 50 books – and that’s the case for March and April too, where I read 45 books. For January and February, this high number was due to a lot of travelling, and of course now it’s because of the exact opposite!
I’ve been doing a lot of comfort reading, and I’m also finding it hard to concentrate. So one thing that links all these books is that they’re compelling, though all for different reasons. All took me away from reality, which was exactly what I needed. If you also need a bit of immersive escapism, I hope these help:
The Emma Press Anthology of Love, various poets – I had a truly blissful morning, sitting on the windowsill with the sun shining on me, reading these poems aloud to my wife as she built a window-box for succulents. So many beautiful, funny, affecting poems.
Believe Me, J.P. Delaney – This was such brilliant silly fun! The setup was a big draw for me: aspiring actress turned honey trapper turned undercover forensic psychologist. Exactly the escapism I needed.
The Temple House Vanishing, Rachel Donohue – Shades of Picnic at Hanging Rock and The Virgin Suicides, as it’s dark and dreamy and all about the murky inner lives of teenage girls.
The Deep, Alma Katsu – This novel has ships, a doomed queer romance, and creepy sea myths – all my favourite things!
Goldilocks, Laura Lam – A hopeful space adventure. Laura Lam never gets it wrong, and this is her best yet.
Two Eerie Tales of Suspense, Paul Torday – It’s hard to describe exactly what I like about Paul Torday’s books. They’re so strange, and yet so familiar. I really enjoyed this, and immediately went and bought his novel The Girl on the Landing.
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What are the best books you’ve read recently?