Hello readers! March was a blustery month, with snow and storms and plant-killing temperatures (I know better than to plant this early, I got impatient). But spring is nearly here, and the trees are blossoming everywhere I look. This winter felt very long, but I’m already excited just to be able to sit outside on my deck again.
Here’s what I read in March:
- The Storyteller by Dave Grohl (audio)
- The Suite Spot by Trish Doller
- Small Pleasures by Clare Chambers (audio)
- Laundry Love by Patric Richardson
- Booth by Karen Joy Fowler
- Black Water Sister by Zen Cho (audio)
- The Princess Trap by Talia Hibbert
- Peach Blossom Spring by Melissa Fu
- The Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki (audio/ebook)
- The Soulmate Equation by Christina Lauren (audio)
My favorite reads:
I’ve already reviewed Peach Blossom Spring and Laundry Love. My other favorite this month was Ruth Ozeki’s The Book of Form and Emptiness, which didn’t disappoint. Benny and his mother are incredible characters, and I loved this story about the power of books and words. I didn’t love the audiobook, though, and was happier once I switched to e-book. I also highly recommend Small Pleasures, a novel nominated for last year’s Women’s Prize about a female journalist in the 50s who sets out to report a story about an alleged virgin birth, but ends up forming a personal connection with an entire family. There were some things in this book I struggled with, but found it very moving overall, and loved the characters. I also recommend Black Water Sister (beautiful cover art).
Most disappointing reads:
I was disappointed by Booth, as I described in my review. I was also a little disappointed in The Storyteller. I was enthralled by the first half, and loved seeing the rock revolution of the early 90s through his eyes. I also loved hearing about how Grohl came to be in Nirvana in the first place. But I was surprised to find the second half somewhat tedious, with a ton of name-dropping and cute stories about his kids (though I did enjoy his story about Joan Jett reading his daughter to sleep). I was happy to find that Grohl is who I expected – a nice, down to earth guy who loves what he does. But the latter part of his story wasn’t all that interesting and the telling of anecdotes felt disjointed (though noting with sadness that this week Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins died).
On the blog:
In March I posted about the best books set in small towns, discussed this year’s Women’s Prize longlist nominees, and responded to a Book Club Survey about favorite books and books I want to read.
Books for challenges:
- Nonfiction: The Storyteller, Laundry Love
- Nature/Environment: Laundry Love (I’m stretching a little here)
- Historical: Booth, Peach Blossom Spring, Small Pleasures
- Reading All Around the World: Peach Blossom Spring (Taiwan)
What I’m reading now:
For the TBR Pile Challenge, I’m finally reading Quiet by Susan Cain, a fascinating book about introverts and how our culture and workplaces don’t value their strengths. I’m finding a lot of applications to my work, actually; for example, Cain encourages leaders to listen more and to provide time for independent work for those who need it. I’m also reading The Candy House, the new book by Jennifer Egan that’s related to A Visit from the Goon Squad.
What’s coming up:
I have ARCs of Young Mungo by Douglas Stuart (author of Shuggie Bain) and The Unquiet Dead by Stacie Murphy (I loved A Deadly Fortune).
Added to my TBR:
Books from the Women’s Prize longlist! Build Your House Around My Body, Creatures of Passage, Careless, and The Final Revival of Opal & Nev, to name a few.
Things that made me happy this month:
Jasper and Max continue to be adorable. Which is a very good thing because they are constantly getting into trouble!
The other thing that made me happy was getting back to normal, a little bit – we had a visit from family, bought summer concert tickets at our favorite venue, and are planning a vacation for June I’m very excited about.
That was March – wishing everyone a very happy spring and good reading!
