Books Read in March: 22
Books Read for the Year: 64/200
Topical Books/Monthly Goal Books:
Don’t Give Up by Kyle Idleman (Spiritual/TBR). It turned out to be excellent timing for this read, considering the current state of the world.
Rebecca, by Daphne du Maurier (classic). It’s been so long since I read this…apparently I was mentally mixing it up with Jane Eyre. Thoroughly enjoyed this re-read.
As Old as Time, by Liz Braswell (TBR). Loved this re-telling of Beauty and the Beast.
The Here and Now, by Ann (TBR) Brashares. This was an odd read. I enjoyed The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants much more.
Odd & True, by Cat Winters (TBR). This was a fairy tale, but not, about two strong sisters trying to determine truth from fiction.
For Review:
What the Other Three Don’t Know, by Spencer Hyde. I’m kind of on the fence on this one. I enjoyed it—and loved—the banter between the characters, but their almost-instant bonding felt like a stretch for me.
The Deep, by Alma Katsu. I love stories about The Titanic, so this was a natural pick for me. However, the narrative felt quite disjointed to me, making it a less-than-engrossing read.
The Immortal Conquistador, by Carrie Vaughn. It’s been years since I read any of the Kitty books, but I enjoyed this tale of a vampire conquistador/Wild West citizen and some of his adventures.
The Rome of Fall, by Chad Alan Gibbs. High school football in small-town Alabama—and the power wielded by those involved in it. I don’t even like football, and I enjoyed this. The whole times I was reading this, I kept thinking of Joshilyn Jackson’s gods in Alabama. “There are gods in Alabama…” (One of my favorite books ever.)
Queen of the Unwanted, by Jenna Glass (review forthcoming). Okay, so I probably should have read the first book in The Women’s War series before reading this…but at the same time, I had no problems figuring out what was going on. I enjoyed this, although the culture was quite depressing.
The Amish Teacher’s Dilemma, by Patricia Davids. A sweet, uplifting romance, perfect for these trying times.
Sparrow, by Mary Cecilia Jackson. Parts of this were very hard to read, but in the end it was inspiring as well as entertaining. I’m all for women learning how to be strong. And ballet.
Tigers, Not Daughters, by Samantha Mabry. This…was not an easy read. There are several POV characters, which can be confusing, although the sisters area all so distinct it was easy to keep them straight in my mind. One of them is pretty unlikable. And one of them is dead, so there’s that. I also didn’t get a good sense of the culture the book is touted for, either. It seemed like a secondary detail at best, and pretty generic in truth to me. (One of my closest friends is Latin-American, and this family and cultural surroundings just seem bland in comparison.)
The Sea Glass Cottage, by RaeAnne Thayne. RaeAnne Thayne is one of the very few romance authors I’ll read without questions. This is another solid read from her.
The Last Human, by Zack Jordan. This was an okay read, but I didn’t love it. The author made me feel sympathy for a gigantic spider-alien, which really says something, considering my fear of spiders, but some of this just didn’t quite add up to me.
The Darkness We Hide, by Debra Webb. I enjoyed this, which seems to wrap up The Undertaker’s Daughter story. Lots of dark family secrets are unearthed here, and as always, I enjoyed every page.
Jack Kerouac is Dead to me, by Gae Polisner. This book broke my heart. In a good way. It’s not bright and cheery, but is a strong coming-of-age story and I highly recommend it.
Night of the Dragon, by Julie Kagawa (review forthcoming). I’ve thoroughly enjoyed this series and I hate to see it end, but this was an excellent conclusion…even if it didn’t quite end how I hoped.
Ruthless Gods, by Emily A. Duncan (review forthcoming). The second dark and mesmerizing book in the Something Dark and Holy series. This may be dark and bloody and cold…but the writing is phenomenal and I am totally invested in these characters.
The Lucky Ones, by Liz Lawson (review forthcoming). May’s twin brother was killed in a school shooting a year ago. She’s trying to get her life back together—and then she meets the boy whose mother is representing the killer in court. This is about survivors of a school shooting and what they go through. It doesn’t deal with the shooting itself much, just focuses on the devastating aftermath.
We Didn’t Ask for This, by Aldi Alsaid (review forthcoming). I guess my main issue with this book—the one that niggled at the back of my mind the entire time I was reading—was how unbelievable it was to me that an entire high school of kids was basically being held hostage and the cops weren’t trying to get them out. That one thing was enough to make the book itself farfetched and unbelievable.
Just Because:
Smoke Bitten, by Patricia Briggs. Because the Mercy Thompson series is, hands-down, one of my favorite series ever. I read this straight through in one sitting, as my reward for Working From Home Week One.
Left Unfinished:
The Earl Not Taken, by . I wanted to enjoy this, but Poppy and Rhys seemed like caricatures to me, and some of the details and action felt completely unbelievable to me, aespecially in that setting/society.
The Red Lotus, by Chris Bohjalian. I think I read about 30% of this…but, honestly, if you don’t care about the characters, what’s the point of reading?
Privateers, by Charlie Newton. I barely started this one. The first scene felt like a bad action movie, and I just wasn’t in the right mindset for that.
The Rogue, by Lee W. Brainard (Planets Shaken). Lots of scientific jargon in this one and it felt like the characters were lecturing—“As you know, Bob…”—making it impossible for me to like them.
Tomorrow Is Another Day 
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