April Reads - Designed For Your Reading List

With brighter evenings and warmer days ahead, April feels like a bit of a reset. It’s the time of year for walking, sitting outside a little longer and finding new hobbies. A good book fits right into that. Whether you’re by the beach, stretched out on the grass near Ravelin or perhaps tucked into your favourite corner at the library, it’s a great moment to pick up something new. 

We may have missed World Book Day in March, but we’re still taking the chance to share some reads this month which you can access online just by being a UoP student.

1. A Tale of Two Cities

Author: Charles Dickens

Genre: Historical Fiction

Theme: Hope and Perseverance 

A tale of Two Cities is a historical novel published in 1859 by Charles Dickens. Set in London and Paris before and during the French Revolution, the novel follows the story of Doctor Alexandre Manette, a French physician released after eighteen years of imprisonment in the Bastille.

The novel is divided into three parts. The first introduces the aftermath of imprisonment on Doctor Manette and his reunion with someone important. The second shifts to life in London, weaving together the lives of several central characters. The third part returns to a turbulent Paris, where a dramatic trial and powerful truths emerge. 

While the writing style can feel challenging at first, many readers find the story increasingly compelling as it builds. If you’re interested in historical fiction, the French Revolution, or timeless themes like justice, sacrifice and redemption, this classic is well worth adding to your reading list.

This novel is available as an ebook, free to access using your university login.

2. Possession 

Author: A.S. Byatt

Genre: Romance

Theme: Identity and Belonging

Possession is an exhilarating novel published by A. S. Byatt in 1990. It is the tale of a pair of young scholars researching the paper trail around the previously unknown love life between famous fictional poets Randolph Henry Ash and Christabel LaMotte. As they explore fictional diary entries, letters and poetry, the novel highlights differences between the present day and the Victorian era but also similarities of modern academia and mating rituals. 

If you’re interested in exploring themes on ownership and independence between lovers, the practice of collecting historically significant cultural artefacts and the possession that biographers feel towards their subjects then this novel might be worth adding to your reading list.

This book is available in the library, check for availability and reserve a copy if you’re interested. 

3. Loop 

Author: Brian Caswell

Genre: Science Fiction

Theme: Identity and Belonging 

Loop is a collection of short stories published in 2006 by Brian Caswell. Each story provides an unexpected scenario, from inter-dimensional time travel to alien encounters, exploring how choices shape our lives and the inevitability of change. 

Blending elements of science fiction with deeply human themes, Caswell moves between humour and tragedy, the everyday and the extraordinary.

This book is available as an ebook, free to access using your university login. 

Let us know if you gave these books a read and what you thought of them, we'd love to hear your opinion (@myportsu)!