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 reads that month. Book reviews are important for authors, and I want to get better at 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.
Murder Your Employer: The McMasters Guide to Homicide (Rupert Holmes): This book’s cleverness was a slow burn, so you only truly understood the brilliance of the writing in the last pages. A lot of fun, and I read somewhere that the author is working on a sequel.
The Thursday Murder Club (Richard Osman): ChickieNob and I listened to Lesley Manville read the audio version while we walked. This book is so so so good, and Lesley is a fantastic reader—such an enjoyable way to spend a half hour every afternoon.
The Writing Retreat (Julia Bartz): The book was like a bag of chips in both a good way and bad way. I couldn’t stop reading once I got into the story, popping page after page into my eyes, but I felt a little unsatisfied. It’s a solid debut, and I’m curious to see her next book.
A Fatal Grace (Louise Penny): It’s the second book in the Inspector Gamache series. I read these mysteries more for the characters and setting than for the mystery itself. The plot was problematic, and the fat-phobic descriptions bothered me, but the positives outweighed the negatives. On to the next book in the series.
What did you read last month?
2 comments
Great to see you back, Mel! I hope you had a good break. <3
I read three books in March, and enjoyed them all (all reviewed on Goodreads & in my blog):
* "Oscar Wars" by Michael Schulman. My goal was to finish this book before the Oscars ceremony on March 12th — and I did it! It's a long but entertaining history of the Oscars, focusing on certain eras, contests and themes. Some of the stories I knew, while others I'd never heard of.
* "Killers of a Certain Age" by Deanna Raybourn. I first read this one back in December, but I wound up re-reading it for my Gateway/Lighthouse Women book club. I enjoyed it just as much the second time around — just a whole lot of fun! About four 60-something women who have spent the past 40 years working together as professional assassins (!) for a secretive international organization, now targeted for elimination themselves — by whom, and why? Loved this one! 🙂
* I also read "A Fatal Grace" by Louise Penny. The victim was a despicable character, and I agree the fat-shaming was a bit off-putting… but Gamache and townspeople are great characters, and I love the unabashed Canadian-ness of these books. I'll be reading book #3 as soon as I finish my current book! (Bono's memoir… it's very good, very entertaining, but it's long and very dense, and I'm finding it slow going…!)
Ooh, two of your books are on my want to read list, so glad to read your reviews! I read several good books in March.
The Girl with the Louding Voice: I was rooting for main character Adunni throughout. Hers was a compelling story, and it was hard to believe that it was set in the present day.
Olga Dies Dreaming: I really enjoyed the author’s writing style, the characters and the setting. Looking forward to reading more of her books.
The Bruno, Chief of Police books 5-11. I was finally able to forgive the author for what he did near the end of book 4, and continue on with this series. I love listening to these on audiobooks, because I am terrible with the pronunciation of French words and place names, and Bruno has become one of my favorite characters.
Unlikely Animals by Annie Hartnett: This book tackled some heavy topics, but in a lighthearted way. I also enjoyed the little bits of local history that were sprinkled in.