April has been another very busy month and consequently the TBR pile hasn't had much of a dent made in it. The beginning of the month was taken up with urgent paid work and the latter weeks have been dedicated to getting 'The Reign Of The Winter King' ready for publication, organising events and anthologies and trying to get back to other hobbies I enjoy. Consequently, it's another low month in terms of the number of books I've read. However, I've thoroughly enjoyed what I have read, even if each book has taken me considerably longer to read than it normally would.

Books read this month: 7

Annual Total: 53

Reviews

Historical

Miss Aldridge Regrets - Louise Hare (Had forgotten until I finished this and was reading about the author that it was by the same person as 'This Lovely City' which I also loved. Well worth a read. Full review was published here.)

Crime

The Windsor knot - S J Bennett (A fun cosy crime, starring HM Queen Elizabeth II as a detective. There are many reasons why this shouldn't work. None of them are relevant. Pure fun and weirdly believable!)

Non-Fiction

The Life and Times of George IV - Alan Palmer (read this because I felt guilty after listening to the Horrible Histories song which contains the line, 'I had just ten years on the throne, do you remember that? No all that you remember is... I was really fat.' Now know a little more about the Regent King.)

Romance

Lemon Drop Cottage - K T Dady (latest in the Pepper Bay series. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Full review coming on 7th May)

Thriller

Lady Audley's Secret - Mary Elizabeth Braddon (billed by the library as young adult. Not convinced it is. Enjoyable book, glad I read it, but quite tame by modern thriller standards. Could have been shortened considerably.)

Missing Pieces - Tim Weaver (Book group pick for this month. Raced through it in a couple of days, having started it quite late. Brilliantly put together, though the ending when it came felt a bit flat. Also - didn't understand the inclusion of his main 'series' character in a non-series book unless it was to set up a sequel.)

Never Saw It Coming - Linwood Barclay (Not the longest of his books, but packed a lot into the few pages. As a writer I'm in awe of how he weaves characters from other books into so many different stories and makes it utterly plausible and natural. Would love to get an insight into how his brain works and how he keeps track of everything across so many otherwise unrelated books.)

Book Of The Month?

It has to be George IV if only because my head is full of history at the moment because of Arthur and the Horrible Histories obsession. It's rekindled my interest in the lives of the monarchs and I've got a few more lined up to read about over the next few months.