Best Books of March
As I say every month, I’m shamelessly stealing this idea from Jessica Lahey. She has a recurring monthly date where she reviews all the books she read that month. Book reviews are important for authors, and I want to get better about doing this.
So. I’m going to review them here and also online, but I’m going to do it a little differently. I’m only going to review the stuff I really liked. I don’t see a reason to spend my time writing about something I didn’t love; it’s just using up more of my energy. So only positive reviews.
These are the books I liked (or mostly liked) from March.
Crooked Kingdom (Leigh Bardugo): This is the sequel of Six of Crows, which I read—and loved—a few months ago. I think I liked this book even better than the first one, and since I rated that one five stars, I guess this one is off the charts? Hearing the backstories made me see all the events from Six of Crows in a different light, and I was so sad to say goodbye to this story on the last page.
Happiness, a Mystery (Sophie Hannah): This is the book I won last month, and it’s set to be published at the beginning of May. I LOVED this book. Instead of a whodunnit, it’s a howdunnit, treating the search for happiness as a classic mystery. If you’re missing The Good Place, you’ll happily sink into this story (especially if you understand that Chidi has been replaced by a British crime writer). It was so so so good. And I totally want to do the idea that comes towards the end of the book (when you read it, you’ll know what I mean).
The Secret Guests (Benjamin Black): It was a solid read. Not gush-worthy, but I’m definitely glad that I spent time with the story. It’s a fictional account of the princesses—Elizabeth and Margaret—being hidden in Ireland during World War II. So it’s The Crown meets Irish history meets a mystery (sort of). It was interesting to read it just as we started to shelter-in-place because the princesses are sheltering-in-place due to the war. It was nice to spend time with characters in a parallel situation.
The Truants (Kate Weinberg): Another solid read. I kept wanting to pick it up, but I also guessed most of the story early in the book. So reading became an act of confirming rather than being surprised. Still, I’m a sucker for any book set at a school, and a large chunk of this book was set at a college. A worthy, four-star read.
Plus, I re-read The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, which is always enjoyable.
What did you read last month?
3 comments
Here are my March reads:
The Sound of Rain by Gregg Olsen. I was expecting something else because the two previous books I’d read by this author were based on true events, and this book is a work of fiction. Nonetheless, I enjoyed it and would read more fiction by this author.
In the Heart of the Fire by Dean Koontz. I have been a big fan of Koontz since high school. This was a quick, enjoyable ride that I would say is typical of his style.
Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid. I had several friends rave about this book so I had to give it a go. I listened to an audiobook version, which I highly recommend because it’s read by a cast. The ending wasn’t quite what I expected but I liked the book overall.
The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harwood. This was my neighborhood book club’s March selection and not something I would likely have picked up on my own. Having said that, I really enjoyed it! It was well-written and unique.
Pandemic by Robin Cook. This book just happened to be next in my queue as COVID-19 cases began to ramp up in the U.S. I like Cook’s writing and have read several other books by him. I ended up enjoying this book, and although the title is “Pandemic,” it really bore very little similarity to our current circumstances, and it actually ended up being about something a little different in the end.
Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate. This book had been on my “Want to Read” list for a while, and I finally got it from my public library. The book was well-written, and I enjoyed it.
Ooh, I have The Truants on my library wishlist, but couldn’t remember why. So I’m glad you are recommending it. I also am going to go and add Happiness, A Mystery, because I AM missing The Good Place! I’ve also added a couple of Sharon’s recommendations, and I’m going to pop back to see what everyone else read. I am loving this new regular feature.
I, sadly, did not read any books in March. I probably dabbled (I did), but I didn’t finish a single book. Doing better in April though.
I thought I had commented on this post before; obviously not…! :p I read a grand total of two books in March. I thought I’d be blazing through book after book during this time of isolation — obviously not. :p (Sigh.) The books I read were “The Cult of Trump” by Steven Hassan and “State of the Union” by Nick Hornby. Reviews of both are up on my blog.