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.
The Echo Wife (Sarah Gailey): I was speechless when I finished this book. It is incredible, and it becomes even more incredible when you read the acknowledgments. It is the story of a scientist who has perfected human cloning, only to have her ex-husband create a clone of her. It is a story about our uniqueness, but it’s also (heads up) about abuse and the way it shapes us. Beyond five stars.
Klara and the Sun (Kazuo Ishiguro): Another heart-stopping, gorgeous book. I waited a year for this book, and it did not disappoint. In the near future, teenagers are gifted artificial friends, like Klara. There is a… situation… for lack of a better word, similar to how there was a situation in Never Let Me Go. You understand it by the final chapter, though it takes almost until the end of the book for the whole situation to become clear. Best to go in with no spoilers, but understand that you may feel confused. And that’s okay.
Clanlands (Sam Heughan and Graham McTavish): The ChickieNob and I bought the audiobook version and made our own Men in Kilts on the cheap while we went on indoor walks in Scotland. We tried to stick to the Highlands to match the stories from the book with the actual landscape, though we sometimes cheated and ended up virtually walking around Edinburgh or Glasgow. The audiobook is fantastic, read by the authors. While we’ll probably buy the television series when it comes out, this was an excellent alternative choice, and we learned so much about Scottish history.
Romancing Mister Bridgerton (Julia Quinn): After three prior four-star Bridgerton books, I finally hit a five-star one. I really loved this brother’s story, maybe because I like Penelope so much. I liked the slow dawning of feelings, the support of each other’s writing life, and friendships that exist intertwined with the romance. This has been my favourite one in the series so far.
The Safe Place (Anna Downes): I chose this book due to the pool on the cover, but I was glad to spend time with this creepy thriller set in southern France. Was it completely unlikely? Yes. Did I want to shout at the main character a few times, “What are you doing?” Yes. But it was a great beach read, albeit consumed in my house sans beach.
Good Neighbours (Sarah Langan): Third heart-stopping book in one month. This story was incredible. I could not put it down; especially the commentary it made on life in the suburbs and how we can convince ourselves (and each other) of things. It was a little bit Stand By Me and a little bit Stepford Wives. I burst into tears at this quote: “Your first real best friend is almost like a romance. I still miss her. Every day.”
What did you read last month?
5 comments
Ooh, some great recommendations there, Mel!
I read four books in March — all reviewed on my blog, as well as Goodreads:
* “Katherine’s Marriage” by D.E. Stevenson (for my DES online fan group — a sequel to her earlier novel “Katherine Wentworth”).
* “Eudora Honeysett is Quite Well, Thank You” by Annie Lyons (the Gateway Women book club pick for March)(also known as “The Brilliant Life of Eudora Honeysett” in some markets). I wasn’t sure about this one, but wound up enjoying it quite a lot.
* “The Vanishing Half” by Brit Bennett (the March pick for another online book club I belong to, which we discussed at a Zoom meeting last weekend). Took me a while to get into it, but I finished the last half in a couple of hours.
* “The Thursday Murder Club” by Richard Osman. Recommended to me by several people (including you, I think?). There’s a bit of social commentary in here, but mostly it’s just a whole lot of fun. I enjoyed it hugely, and my online book club above is now reading it this month too!
I always get some great ideas for books to add to my TBR list from this post every month!
My best reads of March follow. . . I have omitted the books I read that were just so-so.
The Henna Artist by Alka Joshi. Two of my book club friends recommended this book. It was not exactly what I expected, but I really enjoyed it.
The Kept Woman by Karin Slaughter. A classic Slaughter novel involving some of my favorite recurring characters from this author.
A Big Little Life: A Memoir of Joyful Dog by Dean Koontz. The writing style of this short biography is not really similar to Koontz’s usual style. I found this book heartwarming and light-hearted, and I think anyone who has ever loved a pet could relate to it.
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab. This book started a little slow for me, and it took me a while to get through the first third. After that, the pace picked up, and I ended up really enjoying it! Unique and well-written.
The Guest List by Lucy Foley. I loved the setting, the story was well-paced, and I did not guess the ending. My only (mild) criticism is that I really didn’t like any of the characters.
And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie. Mel, you inspired me to start reading this author’s books, and this one was great. I definitely did not predict the outcome!
I did not like the end of Klara and the Sun – I enjoyed the storytelling, but not the story, if you know what I mean.
Thank you for sharing these books! I am adding most of the titles to my reading list…
I am a little nervous about reading Klara and the Sun… I’ve been avoiding heartbreaking books, but it sounds so intriguing I think I may read it anyway.
Oooh, I love Kazuo Ishiguro, so I’m going to hunt out that book! And The Echo Wife. I love your book posts.
I haven’t finished a book since early March, when I read all the All Souls Trilogy (The Discovery of Witches, etc). I haven’t even rated them, because I can’t decide what to give them! A bit like the TV series, I enjoyed the story (and I read ALL the books) but there are lots of little bits about it and the writing that annoy me!
I need to at least finish one book this month, so I have something to say next month!