Oh, March. It started off so strong, and I had such high hopes for it. But, alas, it ended up being my lowest number of books and number of pages so far, and the first month that I didn’t reach all of my goals.
I started off the month with Mardi Gras break, which meant a week off of school to do nothing but read (and ignore all of the grading I should have been doing). I managed to read FIVE books during this week! However, when I came back to school, I was hit with the perfect storm of cheerleading tryouts and the end of the grading quarter all in one week, so I got very little reading done. It took me 10 days go read The Red Tent, which is saying something because I really enjoyed it.
I was happy with the amount of women authors and strong female characters that I read during this month — I had a goal and I smashed it. I didn’t finish my nonfiction book for March, however, so it looks like I’ll be doubling up in April.
Books are listed in the order they were read. For more mini-reviews, check out my What I Read tag.
Monthly Stats
- Total Books Read: 9
- Total Authors Read: 9
- Total Pages Read: 3,170
- Total Books Quit: 0
- Average Days Per Book: 3.44
- Average Pages Per Day: 102.9
Long Story Short…
- If you want to be confused for basically the whole book, read The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton.
- If you want an adorable love story, read What If It’s Us by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera.
- If you think murder can be hilarious, read My Sister, The Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite (and feel accomplished for reading the 2019 Tournament of Books winner).
- If you want to read a quirky story about death and superstition, read The Night Tiger by Yangsze Choo.
The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin
Premise: The Gold siblings are young when they decide to visit a fortune teller in 1960s New York. This fortune teller is different, though, and gives each child an exact date when they will die. Each child must take the knowledge with them, and it shapes who they become.
Rating: 3 Stars
Thoughts: This book was fine. Just… fine. I thought the premise was intriguing (and the cover is soooo pretty), but it mostly fell flat for me. I wanted more intrigue, more dissection, more thought into who the characters are and who they become and how they are shaped by knowing the day of their death. Instead, we are given a brief overview of their lives and a vivid description of their downfalls, especially for the later characters (the ones who live longer).
I did like that each part was from the point of view of a character, starting with Simon, the youngest child who also happens to be the first to die. However, whew. There were some vivid scenes in there that I just did not need to read. Call me a prude (maybe I am), but listening to Simon’s point of view on audiobook just set the tone for the book to be a bit much… except it wasn’t. After Simon dies from AIDS, the rest of the characters are a bit of a letdown. Klara seems like an amazing human being, but we basically get a double speed overview of her life and an excruciatingly slow portrayal of her death. Then Daniel felt just so disconnected, and I could not care about him at all. I did like Varya, but I also felt like she was a bit forced. Overall, I just think the story needed more depth and analysis of the characters, and maybe a bit more suspense.
Who Should Read It: Anyone who likes family dramas. Anyone who likes generational stories.
My Sister, The Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite
Premise: Aooyla and Korede are sisters, and they stand up for each other. Korede is the skilled nurse, the neat-freak, the meticulous one. Aooyla is the younger beauty, carefree and always attracting men. Aooyla is also a killer.
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Thoughts: So I listened to this one on audiobook, and I really, really enjoyed it. The storytelling, the format, the pronunciation and dialect of the narrator were just all perfection. This book is satirical in it’s examination of family and the lengths one should go to for family. Some of the moments were outrageous, but that only serves to highlight how crazy it is that there is a beautiful woman murdering her boyfriends, and there is her pragmatic sister who always comes along to help clean up the mess.
The story really examines family structures, but it highlights the tropes in an obvious way. Aooyla is always the most beautiful woman in the room, and Korede is always the ugliest. Their mother drastically favors one girl over the other, but Korede accepts her role in the family and seems to be the only person who doubts their future, as if Aooyla’s habit of murdering her lovers is just an unfortunate happenstance. In addition to the family structures, the novel looks at men and women and they way they interact, leaning in to stereotypes and pointing a lens at what it means to be a beautiful woman. There were some hilarious moments, some poignant moments, and some moments that I know I will be thinking back on months from now.
Who Should Read It: Anyone who likes reading about serial killers. Anyone who enjoys family drama. Anyone looking for a quick, funny read.
What If It’s Us by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera
Premise: Arthur is in New York City for the summer, helping at the law firm where his mom works. Ben is a New York City resident, stuck in summer school. When they meet at the post office, there’s sparks, which Arthur loves and Ben runs from. What follows is an adorable love story… maybe.
Rating: 4 Stars
Thoughts: I knew this would be an adorable, cheesy, lovely love story, and it totally met (and exceeded) my expectations. I’ve read and enjoyed Simon vs. the Homo Sapians Agenda (and the subsequent movie Love, Simon) by Becky Albertalli, and They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera was one of my favorite YA novels of the year last year. So when I saw these two YA LGBT+ authors were teaming up, I knew we were in for an epic love story.
I wasn’t so prepared for the depth of the story. These characters had baggage — commitment issues, class divisions, educational insecurities from learning disabilities… it was all on the table. And I thought they handled it so well. The characters weren’t scared to speak up about their idiosyncrasies, and they navigated their relationships (with friends, family, and romantic partners) so well… probably better than a normal teenager might. But, despite all the baggage, the story never felt heavy. It was light and adorable and funny (these characters are so snarky!), and I just really enjoyed myself while reading of their meet-cutes and star-crossed paths.
Who Should Read It: Anyone who loves a love story. Anyone looking for a sweet romance with some heft to it. Anyone needing a break from dark, heavy books.
The Glass Ocean by Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, and Karen White
Premise: In 1915, Caroline and Tess board the Lusitania for very different reasons: Caroline because her husband felt compelled to travel to London to sell a rare piece of artwork, and Tess because she wanted to steal and copy said artwork. Fast forward to 2015, and Sarah Blake is determined to get to the bottom of this story, even if it means exposing people she cares about along the way.
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Thoughts: Ugh, I just love historical fiction. I go away from it for a while, read contemporary stuff, but, at the end of the day, historical fiction books are books that make me want to keep reading. And this book had so much of the stuff I love about historical fiction. There was romance, there were two timelines showing the past and present, there was an historical event I knew very little about.
The historical event really took second stage to these characters though. I really, really liked these characters. Sarah (in our present-day timeline) was willing to do anything for her mother, and her love story was my favorite. Caroline was fighting the struggle between an absentee husband who she really truly loved and the handsome guy from her past that kept popping up. Tess was focused on her relationship with her sister and how to navigate standing up for herself when she felt her morals were compromised. I just loved these characters so much. Sure, there were some plot points that didn’t feel fully fleshed out (the whole conspiracy, really), but I enjoyed all of the story lines and I could not put this one down.
Who Should Read It: Anyone who loves historical fiction. Anyone who enjoyed The Forgotten Room. Anyone looking for a great love story (or two! or three!)
Five Feet Apart by Rachael Lippincott
Premise: Stella has cystic fibrosis. It’s ok — she’s made lists. Lists of medications she needs to take, to do lists for the day, lists for her life. Not on her lists? Will, who also has cystic fibrosis, which means that they must be at least 6 feet apart from each other at all times.
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Thoughts: Ok so remember how The Fault in Our Stars is like one of my favorite books ever? After that book came out, there was a smattering of YA novels (and TV series, and books) that were termed “sick lit” — as in, sick kids and them facing their own mortality but also doing things like falling in love… that’s pretty much the gist of it. And while I despise the term “sick lit”, I do like the premise. Teenagers are singularly capable of dividing their minds between existential questions and… Snapchat. I see it with the students I work with every day, and I enjoy books that show this beautiful division of mind eloquently.
And this book kind of did that. I read this book in basically one sitting (it’s pretty short), and I loved it so much. The characters suffer from cystic fibrosis, and they know they will die, but they are also struggling to figure out how to live as well… they (the characters) aren’t allowed to be near other people with CF, but most of their time is spent in hospitals around other kids with CF. The dichotomy of facing a terminal illness and also falling in love and also watching your friends go on senior trip without you and also seeing your friends dying around you… the author balanced these opposing ideas well, and I thought there was a lot of nuance in her storytelling. Plus, it was just a great story, and I only cried a little bit.
Who Should Read It: Anyone who loved The Fault in Our Stars. Anyone who is a sucker for a YA romance. Anyone who plans on seeing the movie Five Feet Apart.
The Red Tent by Anita Diamant
Premise: In the Bible, Dinah is only mentioned once, when her brothers must avenge her rape. This novel gives Dinah’s perspective on her life, taking a look at the role women played and the bonds that formed between them.
Rating: 4 Stars
Thoughts: I had no idea what to expect from this novel. Knowing that Anita Diamant was a Jewish author who wrote about Jewish texts, I knew she would have some Old Testament perspective, but I was surprised at how entertaining and in-depth the story was. I know she took some liberties with her storytelling (some reviewers were upset about her portrayal of Jacob and the reason he changed his name to Israel), but from a secular point of view, I thought her story was well-crafted and very women-forward. In particular, her relationship with the women around her made me feel warm and fuzzy — it showed the best of what female friendship could be like.
I took off a star because it was pretty graphic in some parts. Maybe it’s because I was listening to the audiobook? Maybe it’s because I haven’t experienced childbirth yet? Either way, her descriptions of childbirth and rape and menstruation were vivid and a bit too much for my liking. I do think this is what made it so powerful, however, and I know this book will stick with me for a while.
Who Should Read It: Anyone who likes historical fiction. Anyone who likes strong female characters and female relationships. Anyone who wants to know more about a minor character in the Old Testament.
The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton
Premise: Aiden must solve a murder, and to do that, he inhabits the bodies of eight different people, all present at Blackheath, and all with secrets to hide. He lives the same day over eight times, and he must avoid people trying to kill him or thwart his attempts to save Evelyn Hardcastle.
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Thoughts: This book was the craziest book I’ve ever read. And I’m still struggling with my rating. On the one hand, it was super unique, had so many twists and turns, and kept me on my toes the entire way. On the other hand, I felt like there were some plot crossovers that just didn’t add up or even contradicted each other? Nothing I can put my finger on, but it just felt… inconsistent. But really, this book was so confusing most of the way. You don’t actually find out about the rules of the game until chapter 10! I spent ten whole chapters as confused as the main character, who woke up one morning and had no idea who he was. In fact, I even went back and read the blurb and wasn’t even sure I was reading the same book that the blurb was describing.
But overall, I enjoyed the crazy. A few chapters in, I decided to just sit in my uneasiness and let everything be revealed to me, which worked well up until the point where the characters started figuring things out without telling the reader… They probably gave me all the information I needed to figure out the killer(s), but I did not figure it out because it was so damn hard to keep track of all of these plot lines. But I enjoyed it. But it was also hella confusing.
Who Should Read It: Anyone who enjoys a twisty mystery. Anyone who likes to be surprised. Anyone with a great memory.
The Night Tiger by Yangzse Choo
Premise: When Ren’s master dies, Ren sets out to find his master’s missing finger. When that leads him to Dr. Anton and, eventually, to Ji Len, things go haywire.
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Thoughts: There is no synopsis in the world that can accurately sum up this book in a few words. There was a mystery (missing finger? someone selling body parts? mysterious people dying? where’s the tiger?), a romance, a bit of history, and a lot of family and friend drama. All of this was tied up in beautiful language and a hint of superstition and magic.
The story lines of this book really grabbed me, and the characters felt so real and honest. I especially loved Ren, the devoted 11 year old who is determined to return a finger back to the doctor who he truly believed will turn into a tiger if he doesn’t get this finger back. His innocence, his charm, his ability to get himself in and out of sticky situations was so endearing. I also really loved Ji Len, who was just struggling to support her mother, who deeply missed her brother, and who is a strong woman who can fight back. I came for the story, but I definitely stayed for the characters.
Who Should Read It: Anyone who likes a quiet mystery. Anyone who loves reading different characters. Anyone looking for a multicultural book.
The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George
Premise: Jean Perdu owns The Literary Apothecary — a boat and bookshop that prescribes books to people in need. The only person he can’t seem to find help for is himself, while trying to overcome the loss of his great love 20 years ago.
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Thoughts: What to say about this book? I thought it would be a quirky tale about a bookstore owner (a la The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry), but this one was more… more. More love. More analysis of the world. More love-making. More traveling (it should really be the Not-in-Paris Bookshop). More detail and description. Less plot, for sure.
I enjoyed the book. It made me a bit weepy, definitely more sentimental. It reminded me how great love can be. It made me want to set sail and take an extravagant trip around France. There were many times where it didn’t hold my attention, however. There was a lot of description and long, drawn-out preaching on love and life and death… probably more than I would have liked to read. Definitely don’t skip the book recommendations at the end, though, because they are perfect.
Who Should Read It: Anyone who loves thoughtful novels. Anyone looking for books about book lovers. Anyone wanting to read a story about love.
