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.

A Death in Diamonds (S.J. Bennett): Just when I thought this series had hit peak awesomeness, Bennett does it again by writing a great mystery with great characters that sounds like it was written 60+ years ago. This one is set early in Queen Elizabeth II’s reign, and it’s an impressive feat to create dialogue that sounds as if it could have happened in 1957. While you should read the first three books in this series in order, you could technically read this one first (or at any time) and not be confused about any of the characters/events.

Green Dot (Madeleine Gray): It is very difficult to create a single character who is very much of their age that appeals to multiple age groups, but the ChickieNob and I both enjoyed Green Dot. Does the main character make terrible decision after terrible decision? Yes. But she owns it and learns from it, and you end up loving her for it.

Listen For the Lie (Amy Tintera): There’s a line in the book about how it’s better to be interesting than likable, and that sums up this book. Every character is terrible. And you can’t really cheer anyone on. But it’s interesting and a quick read. It makes for a good beach read.

First Lie Wins (Ashley Elston): Two books about lying, back to back. And both are quick, easy reads. But this one was the stronger novel with a deeper plot. The surprises keep coming and coming and coming. I was blown away and guessed very little of it. I loved this book and would read future ones by her.

The Golden Compass (Phillip Pullman): The twins didn’t want to read His Dark Materials, so this was my first re-read after first encountering the books 20ish years ago. Being back with Lyra was like re-entering Wonderland or finding your way back into Narnia. There’s a reason these books are classic fantasy literature. Moving on to the next book in the series.

I Promise It Won’t Always Hurt Like This (Clare Mackintosh): I waited for this book to be published for a long time since it was first announced, and it was worth the wait. This is the most brilliant book I will read this year. I knew I loved Mackintosh’s writing, and she has taken her loss — two, actually, the loss of her son at five weeks and the loss of her father — and given readers a map to a new place. I don’t say this facetiously; I think every person should read this book. I think you should read it before you need it so you know the resource is there when you are mourning. Because everyone will mourn at some point. You WILL get lost mourning, but it is easier to accept being lost when you know you have a map in your bag than when you don’t see how you will move forward. This book is such a gift, and I am grateful she wrote it and shared her story.

What did you read last month?