Was it me or was March the longest month ever? We didn't have a lot of spring-like weather and I felt like I spent too much time indoors except for a few shorter walks each day. March was a birthday month for both my daughter and DIL but, no formal get togethers or cake celebrations just yet. So far my husband, daughter and SIL are fully vaccinated and I'm getting my final vaccination tomorrow (fingers crossed). My son and DIL should be eligible by the end of April, so hoping by summer we can all gather once again.
On a positive note, more indoor time in March meant for a lot of reading and mostly all were really enjoyable reads.
I read 21 books but, 7 were children's books with significantly fewer pages than the norm. Here's a breakdown:
Favorite Reads in MARCH
- We Begin at the End, Chris Whitaker - 4.5/5 Setting: CA and MT
- Band of Sisters, Lauren Willig - 4/5 Setting: France/WWI
- The Wife Upstairs; Rachel Hawkins - 4/5 Setting: Alabama
- Quiet in Her Bones; Nalini Singh - 3.5/5 Setting: New Zealand
- I Am a Bird, Hope Lim - 5/5
- The Best Place in the World, Petr Horacek - 5/5
- Mother May I; Joshilyn Jackson - 3.5/5
- The Four Winds; Kristin Hannah - 5/5 Setting: TX and CA
- The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek; Kim Michele Richardson - 5/5 Setting: KY
- A Cat's Tale: A Journey Through Feline History; Dr. Paul Koudounaris - NF - 3/5
- The Darkest Evening; Ann Cleeves - 4.5/5 Setting: UK, Nortumberland
- The Boy in the Field; Margot Livesey - 4/5 Setting: UK, Oxford
- Convenience Store Woman; Sayaka Murata - 5/5 Setting: Japan
- Between Two Kingdoms; Suleika Jaouad - NF/Memoir - 4/5
- Jasmine Green Rescue Series; A Goat Called Willow; Helen Peters - 5/5
- A Kitten Called Holly; Helen Peters - 5/5
- A Duckling Called Button; Helen Peters - 5/5
- A Lamb Called Lucky; Helen Peters - 5/5
- A Piglet Called Truffle; Helen Peters - 5/5
- Do No Harm; Christina McDonald - 2/5 Setting: WA
- Miss Benson's Beetle; Rachel Joyce - 4/5 Setting: New Caledonia (no review yet)
- The Lightness; Emily Temple
- Dark Horses; Susan Mihalic
- Finish - Strangers on a Train; Patricia Highsmith
- Review - Miss Benson's Beetle
- Book Group Pick - The Night Circus; Erin Morgenstern (read in 2012 so I will need a refresher)
- Later; Stephen King
- The Sanatorium; Sarah Pearse
- Island of Sea Women; Lisa See
- The Night Always Comes; Willy Vlautin
- Nives; Sacha Naspini
- Vera; Carol Edgarian
- Infinite Country; Patricia Engel
- The Henna Artist; Alka Joshi
- Good Neighbors; Sarah Langon
- Hour of the Witch; Chris Bohjalian
I can't wait to see what you think of Island of the Sea Women, which is pure Lisa See and I loved it.
ReplyDeleteI've heard nothing but rave reviews of that one. Glad you loved it. I also want to read the Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane. The Bonesetters Daughter was one I read twice - love how she writes.
DeleteThat was some impressive reading month!
ReplyDeleteI did have an above average month for books!
DeleteMarch is always the longest month! I'm so glad it's over with. Good luck with your second vaccination dose tomorrow. I hope all goes well. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Lark, after yesterdays #2 dose of vaccine, I just feel super fatigued which I'll take for avoiding Covid.
DeleteYou had a great reading month! So many good books and a nice variety as well. I certainly felt that March went on for far too long. It was cold and in my case, a poor reading month.
ReplyDeleteI notice several readers saying March was way too long, I agree. Hope April is a good month for you.
DeleteI'll be interested to hear what you thought of Miss Benson's Beetle. You had a very good reading month!
ReplyDeleteCath, Hope to have my review up tomorrow as I'm a bit fatigued after vaccine yesterday.
DeleteThe Book Woman of Troublesome Creek is one of my favorites! So glad you liked it too. My husband, daughter, and I are getting our first shots in early May. My son is under 16 so not sure when he'll be eligible. Hopefully soon!
ReplyDeleteGlad you loved Book Woman. It will be nice when all of our loved ones are vaccinated. Good luck
DeleteYour review of Convenience Store Woman prompted me to pick it up... and I'm loving it so far. Happy April!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you are enjoying Convenience Store Woman JoAnn. Happy Easter.
DeleteGreat reading list! Both last month and this. So glad to know you will be fully vaccinated. We have some overlapping books coming up. Happy Reading in April.
ReplyDeleteJudy, I'll be curious to compare thoughts on our "overlapping books" for April.
DeleteThe only thing I know for sure, is that I will be reading The Green Mile for April since there is a read-along for it. I forgot about Later, which I have too so maybe I will follow it up with his new one.
ReplyDeleteI bought myself a copy of Shuggie Bain even though I swore I would not. The subject matter is close to what I dealt with when I was a child but that first page was so well-written. I got suckered into buying it. Oh, and I have Nan Rossiter's new book and it comes out this month so I will read that one and host a giveaway too.
I never heard of Shuggie Bain but I just looked it up and WOW, sounds like my kind of read. I put it on hold at the library. (So sorry it might relive the darker side of childhood for you but, even though we've never met in person, I think you turned out great!
DeleteThe Bookwoman of Troublesome Creek was soo good. I absolutely loved that book! Yeah, Dark Horse is definitely an acquired taste, so I'm not surprised you DNF'd it. Anyway, I hope you'll have an equally fruitful April!
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoyed Book Woman - never expected to like it so much.
DeleteI am tickled to see Convenience Store Woman popping up all over the place. I picked it up from the library yesterday, but won't get to it for a few more days. Haven't seen event a hint of a negative review of it anywhere.
ReplyDeleteNovels, especially crime novels, set in modern Japan fascinate me, I guess because Japan was such a closed society for so long. It's good to see so many good translations finally showing up in this country, and to see several Japanese writers enjoying the success.
I've seen a few negatives and, it is a different kind of story but the translation is excellent. I hope you will love it Sam.
DeleteThe Four Winds is on its way to me. I think it might be up next.
ReplyDeleteOh good, it's a sad but wonderfully written story.
DeleteYou're the second blogger to ask if March felt super long! :) I wonder why I thought that the month flew by!
ReplyDeleteMy goodness, you sure read a lot of books! I'm looking forward to reading The Four Winds (on audio) later this year. Glad to know it was a winner for you. I'm also very interested in We Begin at the End. It's gotten such great reviews, so far. I see you're rereading The Night Circus. I listened to that several years ago and really enjoyed it, once I got a handle on the characters and odd plot. ;)
I plan to read another installment in the Deborah Crombie series and will start in on The Splendid and the Vile. I think I'll read Writers & Lovers and continue rereading Gift From the Sea. Other than that, I'll keep reading from my backlist shelf, which is my 2021 goal. So far, so good!
Have a good month, Diane!
LOL, maybe March flew by for you because your Peloton took you on so many adventures LOL. In 2021 The Night Circus was a print read and I loved it but, I requested the audio from the library so we will see. I do recall it was a different kind of story for me. I recall loving Gift From the Sea - I owned a copy at one point too. Happy April, Les.
DeleteVicki, I never expected to like Book Woman of Troublesome Creek as much as I did. Hope you do as well.
ReplyDeleteI think I will get the print copy of We Begin at the End per your comments about wanting the print version. It looks like a good one ... and I'll try to go into it blind or not knowing too much.
ReplyDeleteMarch flew by for me, but then, it always does. I think it's because it's such a busy month for my family. By now you are fully vaccinated--congratulations! My husband gets his first dose Friday. I am glad you had such a good reading month! Mine was fairly good too. I hope April will be a great month for you all around, Diane!
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