I think I’m finally getting back into a good reading groove. It was so tough to read during my first trimester. If I wasn’t working, I was pretty much sleeping or curled up in bed watching something on my phone. It feels phenomenal to be excited (and able) to pick up a book before falling asleep! AND, my favorite time of the year is starting up…. it’s warm enough to read outside. I am already picturing lazy weekends outside with a good book and a big hat. Can’t. Wait.
WHAT I READ IN MARCH 2021
SORROW AND BLISS by Meg Mason
3.5/5 Stars
Sorrow and Bliss seems to be everywhere right now. I will say, I am in the minority for not enjoying it, so don’t be dissuaded from reading it just because I didn’t love it. the novel follows the main character Martha as she navigates her life while struggling with an undiagnosed mental illness. It’s deep and light; funny and serious. Books about mental illness can be challenging to read, but Meg Mason strikes the perfect balance of being realistic, showing the good and bad through a humanizing lens. My biggest issue was that at times it felt too real. Martha was struggling so much at points and it was really difficult to read how she was treating her friends, family, and husband. It was real, but also tough to read at times.
ELIZA STARTS A RUMOR by Jane L. Rosen
3.75/5 Stars
Okay, I overall really liked Eliza Starts A Rumor. If you read and liked The Gifted School and Friends and Strangers, I think you’ll like this as well. Bouncing between a rotating cast of characters, the book follows a group of friends and neighbors with a central theme of the goings on from a locally run and crowdsourced internet forum. Honestly, I think half of the reason why I enjoyed it so much is because I love being in various local Facebook groups– part informative, part entertainment. The book has a super lighthearted tone while carrying some heavier subject matter (the #metoo movement, internet catfishing, anxiety disorders, infidelity). There is more depth to it than originally meets the eye.
THE FLATSHARE by Beth O’Leary
5/5 Stars
Is this the perfect British Rom-Com? I loved The Flatshare so much. It was exactly what I was in the mood to read: something sweet and charming. I fell in love with all the characters and thought the concept was unique. Two strangers are strapped for cash so they decide to become roommates. Not in the typical sense though. Leon works the night shifts, so he occupies the room during the day and Tiffy sleeps in the room at night. They’ve never met and start a friendship through sticky note correspondence… I couldn’t get enough.
THE KINDEST LIE by Nancy Johnson
3.5/5 Stars
This is Nancy Johnson’s debut novel. I absolutely loved the premise of this book, but found it to be a tiny bit lacking in…. something. I kept reading because I wanted to know how things turned out for the main characters, but I did want more. Ruth, one of the main characters, returns to her hometown from Chicago after she tells her husband that a secret she’s been keeping since she was a teen. Before college, she gave birth to a son who she gave up for adoption. The circumstances around the adoption were a secret to her so she returns home to find out more information about where her son ended up. The second main character is a troubled young white boy nicknamed Midnight who Ruth befriends while back home. The plot tackles motherhood, personal identity, and race in a unique way.
THE NATURE OF FRAGILE THINGS by Susan Meissner
4/5 Stars
My sister recommended this to me and I enjoyed it! I think if I hadn’t just read The Four Winds, I would have enjoyed it even more. This is about a woman who answers a mail-order-bride ad in a newspaper and moves across the country from NYC to San Francisco to become a stranger’s wife and his daughter’s mother. One morning, while her husband is away on business, a pregnant woman knocks on the door and their lives unravel and intertwine as they uncover secret after secret. I couldn’t put this down! My only issue is that I wish it had been longer… I felt like it wrapped up a little too quickly!
Would love to know what you’re reading lately? Anything that I should put to the top of my list?
READ WITH ME
Some many good recommendations! I can’t wiat to start reading!!
http://www.elspethsdaybyday.com
This is always my favorite post of yours! I’ve put The Nature of Fragile Things and The Flatshare on my list 🙂 thanks for sharing!
I recently read The Rosie Project and really enjoyed it! Light-hearted at times but enjoyable.
Loved the Rosie Project! Great read ~ funny and sweet.
So many good recommendations on here that I hadn’t heard of yet!
I had such a good month of reading with so many books that I loved (haven’t had that feeling in a while!). My top picks from the month are:
Anxious People
The Girl with the Louding Voice
Hum If You Don’t Know the Words
The Bookwoman of Troublesome Creek
How To Pronounce Knife
All of these were just so incredible. Best month of reading in a while 🙂 Highly recommend them all!
Flatshare has been on my list for the LONGEST time. It sounds like it will be the perfect palette cleanser for Spring. Definitely moving it up the list! Thanks, and congrats on baby BOY! 🙂
Great reading suggestions! Here are several I have read this year. First one has been my favorite.
The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell
Group
Mystic Summer
Where The Lost Wander
Thank you for posting what you read. There is a blogger who posts reviews on 5 or 6 books a month that she reads. Her blog is called Mix and Match Mama. You might want to check her out. She does great reviews on the books she has read at the end of each month.
I recently read Good Neighborhood by Therese Anne Fowler. Also, for fun have you ever read Danielle Steele? She is an author I have followed for years.
I just finished Between Two Kingdoms and think you would really like it! I read it in less than two days and then immediately signed up for the writing prompts the author sends out every Sunday.
If you liked The Flatshare, you would also love The Switch by the same author
yes! i read it a few months ago and loved it!!!
I always look so forward to your monthly book post. I also loved The Flatshare so much!
If you liked the Gifted School, have you read ‘Cobble Hill’? It’s by the author of Gossip Girl but has that same revolving cast of characters from a small community vibe. It definitely wasn’t what I expected but did make for a fun read!