April/May Book Club

After spending the winter slugging my way through War and Peace and then getting lost in The Divergent Series I am very glad to be back on a more varied diet of reading material. So here's what eye've been up to! 

Emma - A Modern Retelling by Alexander McCall Smith: This book is exactly what the title suggests; Jane Austen's Emma condensed and set in the 21st Century. I went to the book store (yes, they still have those) intending to buy something different, saw this and didn't look back. Emma is my favorite of Austen's books, so I already knew the plot and characters very well, but it was so fun for me to see how McCall chose to modernize them.  If you're a fan of Austen this is definitely for you. 

Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline.  Orphan Train is the story of two orphans, Molly a 17 year old girl in 2011, and Vivian who we first meet in 1929.  The novel follows their individual stories and shows us how they intertwine while painting the picture of what it was like to board an Orphan Train in New York City and head West to find a new life.  Fans of historical fiction, this book is for you. 

Devil in the White City - Murder, Magic and Madness at the Fair that Changed America by Erik Larson. Devil in the White City tells the story of H.H. Holms the mass murderer who terrorized the 1893 Chicago Worlds Fair.  I have yet to start this book, but I have always been fascinated by Jack the Ripper (whom Holms has always been compared) so I am very excited to start. 

What are you all reading this month? I am always looking for new things! -xo Sydney