We read for all sorts of reasons – to learn, to laugh, to understand – but one of the biggest ones is to be moved, and research has found that readers who were ‘emotionally transported’ by a novel experienced boosts in empathy. ‘A book is a heart that only beats in the chest of another,’ as author Rebecca Solnit put it so perfectly.
All four of this month’s paperbacks chosen by the GH VIP reader panel and our guest judge, author Daisy Buchanan, are big on emotions of all sorts, from heartbreak to joy. Happy reading!
‘When I read a book I love, I want to push it into people’s hands – that’s what Good Books does’
Daisy Buchanan, author and guest judge
Buy your books from Bookshop.org (via your local bookshop) with a 10% discount using code LOVEBOOKSHOPS.
Buy Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall with a copy of Good Housekeeping in selected Tesco stores and save £2
Good Books April 26 Collection Winner
Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall (John Murray)
This beautiful 1960s-set novel about a farmer’s wife reconnecting with an old flame moved some of the reader panel to tears. "The way the story unfolded was sublime and the storytelling was engaging. There’s a wonderful twist at the end that I didn’t see coming," said one reviewer.
Good Books April 26 Collection Reader Favourite
The Death Of Us by Abigail Dean (Hemlock Press)
This exquisitely written look at the impact of a horrific crime on the disintegration of a marriage was praised by the panel for the way it portrayed the relationship between the two main characters. ‘This is a book that will stay with me – and there aren’t many I can say that about," said one.
The Women At Ocean’s End by Faith Hogan (Aria)
Readers loved this poignant story of a 90-year-old woman looking back on her life, and her friendship with two newcomers to the small island off the Irish coast where she’s always lived. "I loved the warm female relationships – particularly the bonding of the three women," said one reader.
The Women At Ocean's End by Faith Hogan
The Women At Ocean's End by Faith Hogan
Confessions by Catherine Airey (Viking)
Set between New York and Ireland, this elegantly written debut about three generations of women won readers’ hearts with its well-developed and complex characters. "Stylish, atmospheric and utterly addictive – I couldn’t stop thinking about it,’ said guest judge Daisy Buchanan.
