Dorset, Somerset &amp; Bristol

<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="770" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2023/04/00-bailey-hill-books-334969983_160289453514538_3982628864712776375_n_Fotor.jpg" alt="bailey hill bookshop" class="wp-image-83450" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2023/04/00-bailey-hill-books-334969983_160289453514538_3982628864712776375_n_Fotor.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2023/04/00-bailey-hill-books-334969983_160289453514538_3982628864712776375_n_Fotor-800x616.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2023/04/00-bailey-hill-books-334969983_160289453514538_3982628864712776375_n_Fotor-400x308.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2023/04/00-bailey-hill-books-334969983_160289453514538_3982628864712776375_n_Fotor-768x591.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2023/04/00-bailey-hill-books-334969983_160289453514538_3982628864712776375_n_Fotor-682x525.jpg 682w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



The bods at the independent <a href="https://baileyhillbookshop.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Bailey Hill Bookshop</a>, in the historic market town of Castle Cary in South Somerset, have been in the business of providing the perfect match between customer and book for over 40 years.



It&#8217;s a fantastic place to browse (even if you&#8217;ve got your (well-behaved) dog with you), as their shelves are filled with books of every genre – from contemporary and crime fiction to local and natural history and every kind of leisure pursuit – published by independent, national and international publishers. If they haven&#8217;t got what you&#8217;re after, they can usually get it for you for the very next day.



Here are Claire&#8217;s suggested reads for this month. Some are just out, others are new in paperback, a couple are old favourites. They all look brilliant.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="499" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2023/04/00-april-books-1.jpg" alt="What to read in April" class="wp-image-83420" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2023/04/00-april-books-1.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2023/04/00-april-books-1-800x399.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2023/04/00-april-books-1-400x200.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2023/04/00-april-books-1-768x383.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2023/04/00-april-books-1-900x449.jpg 900w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



Maureen Fry and the Angel of the North by Rachel Joyce



This short novella brings together the previous characters of Rachel Joyce’s novels.&nbsp;The story tells us about Queenie Hennessy and the link she had with Harold and Maureen’s&nbsp;son.&nbsp; It is a gentle heartfelt story, both sad and uplifting, told in a compelling and absorbing little read. Transworld, £12.99, hardback



Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey



A crime novel and history lesson all in one!&nbsp; Written from the perspective of a detective laid up in hospital reading history books and trying to solve one of the biggest mysteries: who killed the princes in the tower?&nbsp; Much has been written about Richard III but this delivers a different conclusion as to who the murderer was. Penguin, £8.99, paperback



Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak



This story jumps forward and backwards in time. Beginning in a troubled and divided Cyprus in 1974 and following the family to present day UK. It is a love story about the island, a couple in love and an enigmatic fig tree!&nbsp; An unusual and&nbsp; powerful story full of beauty and diversity.&nbsp;Penguin, £8.49, paperback



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="499" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2023/04/00-april-books-2.jpg" alt="what to read in april" class="wp-image-83424" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2023/04/00-april-books-2.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2023/04/00-april-books-2-800x399.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2023/04/00-april-books-2-400x200.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2023/04/00-april-books-2-768x383.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2023/04/00-april-books-2-900x449.jpg 900w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



Lucy by the Sea by Elizabeth Strout



Having loved all the Lucy Barton books by Elizabeth this is the story of Lucy and her ex-husband William as they share a house in Maine during the Covid lockdown.&nbsp; Lucy is in late middle age and is coming to terms with all that life has thrown at her.&nbsp; It brilliantly&nbsp;portrays all the feelings associated with the isolation of the pandemic and her reflections on what her life is. Penguin £14.99, hardback 



Fup by Jim Dodge



One of my all time favourite reads.&nbsp; This strange little quirky book is this story of a 99-year=old grandfather and his grandson who share their home with a large irascible duck who is partial to whisky. This heartwarming and hilarious book is quite magical and to tell you anything more would be to spoil it.&nbsp;Canongate Books, £9.99, paperback 



The Last Remains by Elly Griffiths&nbsp;



This is Elly’s 15th crime novel featuring DCI Harry Nelson and Dr Ruth Galloway.&nbsp; I just love these two characters and the “will-they-won’t-they” ever get together!&nbsp; This time the pair uncover a human skeleton behind a cafe wall in King&#8217;s Lynn.&nbsp; A fast-paced thriller that never disappoints if you are an Elly fan. Quercus Publishing, £22.99, hardback



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="499" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2023/04/00-april-books-3.jpg" alt="what to read in April" class="wp-image-83427" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2023/04/00-april-books-3.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2023/04/00-april-books-3-800x399.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2023/04/00-april-books-3-400x200.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2023/04/00-april-books-3-768x383.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/dorsetsomerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2023/04/00-april-books-3-900x449.jpg 900w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



I Mona Lisa by Natasha Solomons (local author)



This novel is told&nbsp;through the voice of the painting herself.&nbsp; The story begins as she is created by the artist Leonardo da Vinci, with whom she falls in love and can hear her voice. We then follow her throughout her life as she is stolen, hidden away and has many travels until finally being housed behind glass in the Louvre being watched as millions of people have admired her daily. A clever way of telling the tale of this great painting. Cornerstone, £9.99, paperback 



The Space Between Us by Doug Johnston



A meteor strikes over Edinburgh and three people are thrown together in an adventure that none of them could imagine would play out. All the characters are all lively and engaging. A pregnant woman fleeing her abusive husband, a troubled&nbsp; teenager and a mother who has cancer and has lost a child. Find out what links them and where it takes them.&nbsp; I couldn’t put it down despite it being not the sort of book I would normally choose. It is slightly Science Fiction but I was hooked. A very uplifting read. Orenda Books, £9.99, paperback



Leviathan by Rosie Andrews



A dark gothic mysterious tale of witchcraft and superstition.&nbsp;It&#8217;s Norfolk in 1643. A brother has been summoned home from the army by his young sister in a letter accusing their new servant of improper conduct with their widowed father.&nbsp; By the time he arrives home his father is close to death and the servant imprisoned. He sets about trying to untangle events and solve the mysterious goings on. Bloomsbury Publishing, £9.99, paperback







<a href="https://baileyhillbookshop.com/">Bailey Hill Book Shop</a>, Fore Street, Castle Cary, Somerset BA7 7BG. 01963 350917.

9 books to add to your reading list: a local bookshop recommends

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