April New Release Books

I've picked out a bunch of books that probably could not be more different from one another - from metal bands and murder to western outlaws, these are my favourite new release books for April.

The Thunder of Giants by Joel Fishbane. Set in 1937, Andorra Kelsey is on her way to Hollywood to become a star. At 7 foot 11 she has always been seen as an embarrassment to her family. Set to act in a movie about the life of Anna Swan, a giantess who toured the world in the 19th Century, Andorra and Anna's stories unfold as two different woman, both trying to prove their worth to the world as more than a sum of their proportions.

Boring Girls by Sara Taylor. Misfit Rachel finds her place in a heavy metal band and a kindred spirit in her friend and fellow metal-head Fern. But the metal scene turns out to be a dark and misogynistic place. A violent encounter leads the girls down a path of revenge, a path which they won't return from.

The Dressmaker of Dachau by Mary Chamberlain. With England on the brink of war, 18-year-old Ada Vaughan, an ambitious seamstress, dreams of a career in couture if only she can escape her dreary family life. Ada gets her wish after an encounter with the charming Stanislaus von Lieben and is catapulted into a glamorous and romantic life. But a trip to Paris with her lover quickly sees them trapped in France with a Nazi invasion on the doorstep. Ada is taken to a German slave camp and must survive the only way she knows how - by being a dressmaker.

The Winter Family by Clifford. Being a fan of Cormac McCarthey I've always had a soft spot for literary westerns. Spanning three decades, a ruthless group of outlaws traverse American from their beginnings during the American Civil War to their final standoff in the territories of Oklahoma.

How to Get Out of a Reading Rut

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Last year, before I had even started my blog I went through a bit of a reading rut. I was still reading books but it seemed like everything I picked up was uninspiring and I was losing interest merely chapters into any given book. For someone who loathes to leave books unfinished, I was barely giving them enough time to grab my attention before I would get bored and want to abandom them. So, in the course that I go through a lacklustre spell like this again, I've put together a few thoughts on how to get out of a reading rut.

Give yourself a break. Obviously if you have a book blog, a reading rut can effect more than just what you read (which is why it's always good to have some other topics to chat about). But I really think taking a break is the best thing. We read because we enjoy it and the day that it becomes more of a chore than an enjoyable past time is the day you should take up another hobby. Not forever of course but if you need a week or two off you may just find your interest returning.

Switch it up. I've burnt myself out before by reading too many similar books. I think I went through a period of reading lots of historical fiction set in post-WW1 Britain while at the same time watching Downton Abbey and everything started to resemble one another. Switch things up by going for a genre you wouldn't usually pick or...

Re-read an old favourite. Sometimes if I read a few books in a row that I haven't really enjoyed it's nice to revisit a well-loved book in my collection. And if I'm feeling uninspired and lazy reading a favourite is a sure fire way that I know I'm going to enjoy the book plus I don't have to work too hard.

Question your attention span. We live in a world of shortening attention spans. Spending time on social media, reading short and sweet blog posts and web articles all contribute. Less time spent on devices can greatly help me get back into reading as I find my mind isn't wandering off after 140 characters or wondering if something more exciting is happening without me. 

Try an audio-book. It's like reading but you don't even have to open your eyes! What could be better?

Do you have any great suggestions for getting out of a reading rut?

Judging A Book By Its Cover

I am a terrible judger of book covers. Not terrible in the sense that I pick nice covers whose stories turn out to be totally pants but I am terribly judgemental of them. If things are looking too pink, too girly, too cursive writing-ish on the cover, I tend not to touch it with a barge pole. (This despite the fact that some of my favourite books come from the horribly-named Chick-lit genre).

A while ago while I was perusing through some books online, I came across two different covers of the same book. On seeing the first cover I immediately scrolled past it, passing it off as something not really for me. But, as soon as I came to the second cover it caught my eye and had me ready to drop my pennies.

We all know that old chestnut of not judging a book by its cover but actually (as we all know) cover art serves a very important part in the books we choose to pick up and in making an all important first impression. It's also something that marketing teams and publishing houses spend quite a bit of time developing in order to appeal to the right niche.

So, the book in question? Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty. When I saw the first cover with it had an exploding candy lollipop on the front which made me automatically think it was too much of a chick-lit book for my taste. When I saw the cover art for the second cover, of a full moon over an ocean I was intrigued (I've also noticed I have a thing for calm yet mysterious looking book covers.) I went back to explore Moriarty's books and editions most of them (like many books) had several versions of cover art available and there was always one version over the others that caught my eye and would have influenced whether I picked it up or not.

Up until now I didn't realise how much the covers actually influenced me. Since then I've come to regard Liane Moriarty as one of my favourite newly discovered authors and this got me thinking about how potentially I might be missing out on lots of good books by judging their covers in such a way.

The next time I see cover art that immediately turns me off I've decided to make a mental note not to be put off by them, as who knows? They could be my next favourite read. I'd love to know what makes a good/bad impression on you when picking up books?