Precious Reads of April

 April is a promise that May is bound to keep - Hal Borland

March came and went in a blink of an eye, and before I knew it, April was here.

After such a wonderful month of reading, I thought it would be hard to get into a groove in April, but that couldn't have been further from the truth. April was an AMAZING month of reading. I read four books (and started on another but I'll reveal that next month :) instead of five, but I'm still really happy with that.

I'm usually not one to focus on the amount of books I read, so long as I'm reading and enjoying what I'm reading, I consider that a win. Quality over quantity always.

I hope the quote above is true and that May is a month full of great reads as well (so far it has proven to be), but this post is all about the four books that changed me this month.

Without further ado, here are my precious reads of April :)

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald 

Image taken by me

This novel follows main character Nick Carraway as he moves to New York and gets entangled in the life of his glamorous neighbor across the bay, the infamous Jay Gatsby. Set during the roaring 20s, The Great Gatsby is ultimately a story about glamour, what it costs, and a commentary on the “American Dream.” It’s a tragedy about a rather simple man who went after his dreams and, like Icarus, flew too close to the sun.

For some reason I can't explain, I really picked up this book thinking I wouldn't like it. I went into it blind, and while I had obviously heard of The Great Gatsby before, I never had any interest in reading it -- until I embarked on my Classical literature journey. 

I remember being 10-15 pages in when I thought to myself "damn, the writing is good." The prose is gorgeous, simple in the way it communicates emotion until you come across a simile that takes your breath away.  I love the way Fitzgerald writes about industrialization and that he referred to it as "The Valley of Ashes." After I read that phrase alone I was hooked. 

The beginning was a little slow for me, but once Nick meets Daisy and gets intertwined in the lives of Jay Gatsby and the other cast of characters, I found that it picked up quite a bit. There's drama, a hint of mystery, and a character study of a man who seemingly has it all, but comes away with nothing that really matters. 

One of the most heartwarming and heartbreaking things was finding out who Jay Gatsby is. I don't want to include any spoilers, but like all humans he is a multifaceted person, and learning about his background very much touched me. Jay Gatsby is an interesting character to read about because he is wealthy. I find that wealth is often shrouded in mystery. The wealthy are put on a pedestal and are people to aspire to, but Fitzgerald pulls back the curtain and shows a human side to their wealth. It taught me that just because someone is monetarily wealthy, that doesn't automatically mean that they are wealthy in love, community, or health.

Overall, I am very happy I read this book. I understand why it's a beloved classic even though it wasn't considered a success during Fitzgerald's lifetime. I would totally recommend this book and I have to check out his other novels.

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier 

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What made me want to start reading this book was all of the intrigue I'd seen about it on social media. Rebecca follows our unnamed narrator as she is swept away from her mundane life in Monte Carlo and falls in love with widow Maxim de Winter. They get married (don't worry, this is not a spoiler), and she moves into his estate called Manderley. Our narrator is thrown into a completely different life and she has to come to terms with everyone comparing her to her love's first wife Rebecca.

First and foremost, I absolutely loved this book. I went into it with high expectations just because I saw so many people talking about it on social media. When I say it lived up to all my expectations---it lived up to my expectations. In fact, my expectations were exceeded.

I've never read a body of work that felt so cohesive. I was immediately drawn into the world of Manderley and into the thoughts of the narrator even though she is never given a name. Another thing that drew me in were the ways in which Du Maurier tackled broad concepts like death and memory. 

To me, I feel that because of this novel I looked at the concept of memory in a new light. When one remembers something pleasant in the past, it's nostalgic. But when one remembers something sad or the memory contains loss, it's tragic. It kind of sounds simple, but the idea was eye opening to me.

There are so many plot twists that had me gasping. I was on the edge of my seat until the very end because even when I had less than ten pages to go, I had no idea what was going to happen. Rebecca is a psychological thriller, and this is not a genre I dabble in often, but oh my goodness, I'm so glad I read this masterpiece. There is an absolute reason why this book was deemed the best novel of the century.

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë 

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Honestly, Jane Eyre was probably one of my favorite reads this month (Rebecca is a close second, though). I absolutely loved it. In fact, I adored it. Never before have I rooted for a character as much as Jane. She is someone who will stick with me forever and I can't wait to read more of the Brontë sisters.

Ok, so what made me pick this one up? Last month I read Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë so I was already exposed to the Brontë sisters. However, as with a lot of my tbr, social media was definitely an influence. Over and over and over again people were telling me that I HAD to read Jane Eyre. The selling point was that "if you want to read a book about self-respect, you need to pick up Jane Eyre." 

I love reading about self-respect so I was very much intrigued. Jane Eyre is about a girl who's delt a bad hand at birth. With no parents to raise her, she's placed into the care of her wretched aunt Reed and tormented by her supposed family members. When she finally gets the opportunity to go away, she takes it and her life finally begins. She goes to school and once she tires of that, she applies to be a governess and work for Mr. Rochester at Thornfield Hall. Everything is as it seems until "the monster upstairs" starts causing a ruckus... 

Throughout the novel audiences follow Jane as she grows into herself and what she wants out of life. One aspect of the novel that makes the writing feel so intimate is the point of view. Not only is the novel written in first person, but there are multiple times throughout the book where Jane is literally talking to the reader as she tells us all her thoughts and what worries her. It truly felt like a friend was confiding in me and I loved it.

It's the reason why I couldn't help but squeal and kick my feet when all the romance was brewing. To me the romance read to be intimate and true. Jane knows herself well, Mr. Rochester knows himself well, and they know each other to a tee. They can read each other like a book and those were some of my favorite moments in the book.

I love how Jane is so sure of herself and her principles. She is the definition of self-respect. She will make a hard choice, not because it's easy, but because she knows it's best for her. It's truly admirable to see and it makes me want to be a better woman as well.

The writing was absolutely gorgeous and I couldn't put this book down. I feel at home with Charlotte's writing and I am excited to read Vilette by her next. 

Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf

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Reading Mrs. Dalloway was quite a journey. From what I saw about it online, I went into this book thinking I would dnf it due to the stream-of-consciousness style of writing it has. I had never read any fiction by Virginia Woolf before this so despite what people said online, I was excited to pick it up.

Especially after reading Jaye Eyre, I wanted to read something short and sweet.

Let me tell you this book is short, but not sweet. It's a little more sour. In a good way. Mrs. Dalloway follows Clarissa Dalloway as she gets ready for a party she's hosting in the evening. So the majority of the book follows her as she preps and comes into contact with people around town from her past and present.

What can feel jarring about this novel is the fact that every few paragraphs the reader is in the mindset of someone else. Because of this, it required me to read slowly and focus so I could keep track of all the characters and their thoughts. While I understand this could be annoying for some, while I was reading it a word popped into my head, a word that acted as a lens I could view this novel through.

That word is 'Sonder.' 

Sonder is the realization that everyone you meet (strangers, friends, people etc) are all living a life as vivid and full as you, as me. They're going through trials and tribulations and madness and grief and joy and all the things. And I found that when I chose to look and read Mrs. Dalloway through this 'sonderful' lens, I got more out of the story and all the characters I'm meeting. Especially since the story is about the passage of time as we follow the thoughts of these characters who are all interconnected, it made it more intriguing for me to pay attention.

I loved the themes of memory and aging. For some reason these characters hate to age, but the more one ages the more they realise they have more time behind them than ahead of them which is understandable. I liked how everyone had a silent madness to them, how everyone feels guilty about something, how everyone has those "what-if" questions and how everyone is thinking about what others think of them.

It's deeply human, and again, brings the concept of sonder to mind. While it isn't the most engaging novel, viewing it through that lens gave it enough merit for me to finish it. And now that I have finished it, I am really glad that I read it. 

What Virginia Woolf does in this novel is masterful and after doing more research on the author, Mrs. Dalloway very much feels like an extension of herself. Not a self-insert, but an extension of her mind and her heart. A lot of Woolf's work is written in a stream-of-consciousness style, and since I was able to conquer this one I am excited to read her other works as well. 

Alas my precious reads of April has come to a close. May is looking to be an amazing month of reads as well. I'm currently on my third book and can't wait to see what I end up finishing.

Until next time ~