Wrapped up 9 books in March! That brings me to 26/100 for the year! I still haven’t quite found my place in the reading community (and I’m not sure if I even want to or if that is a necessary thing) but I am continuing toward my goal.
In order of completion (all books are linked):
#1. The Last Romantics by Tara Conklin: (☆☆) I wanted to love this book. I adore a good family drama and this one seemed to fit the bill - it spanned generations and offered looks at complicated relationships (and not just romantic ones). It is the story of four siblings, 3 sisters and 1 brother, who lose their father when they are quite young and spend the rest of their lives dealing with a complicated “Pause” taken by their grieving mother where they had to fend for themselves at young ages. The siblings come apart and together on and off throughout the whole book which SHOULD be beautiful but fell flat for me. I think if I would have liked just ONE of the characters, I might have felt better about it. The writing itself is beautiful.
Read if you like: The Nest by Cynthis Sweeney or The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin
#2. The Dreamers by Karen Walker Thompson: (☆☆☆) I had high hopes for this fantasy novel but it fell a bit short. I enjoyed the read but ultimately felt there were too many characters and I didn’t feel connected to any of them. I adore the premise - a sleepy college town falls… asleep!?! And then, while asleep, the dreamers are in this whole other heightened state of dreaming and scientists are recording high levels of brain activity. It felt like a story I had read before but in a new and inventive way.
Read if you like: Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandal
#3. Looker by Laura Sims: (☆☆) Another HUGE miss for me. This was definitely my most disliked book of the month. The story follows a woman post-breakup. She is angry, hurting and obsessed with a famous actress that lives in her neighborhood. I was expecting a thriller or even a mystery but I really think this book was something else - a mental health character study? Is that a genre? I finished it and liked its rawness but I’m discovering I’m NOT a 100% comfortable with books solely about obsession.
Read if you like: The show YOU on Netflix (probably based on a book) or book by Gillian Flynn (author of Gone Girl)
#4. The Winter Sister by Megan Collins: (☆☆☆☆) This was a Book of the Month pick and a solid read. I enjoy a mystery that has a conclusive, literal ending. The main character in this book, Sylvie, is confronting her past and returning to her childhood home to face both the complicated relationship she has with her mother as well as the unsolved murder of her sister Persephone. Many of the reviews of this book critiqued the “same-ole” storyline, but I don’t read a ton of mystery so it felt fresh to me. I also felt deeply for Sylvie’s character and the 20 year guilt she held on to surrounding her sister’s death. To me, the story was about her transformation as well as closure for the family.
Read if you like: The Broken Girls by Simone St. James
#5. Beguilement (The Sharing Knife series #1) by Lois McMaster Bujold: (☆☆☆) This book was IRL Book Club pick for the month of March. It is the first book in a four-book series and our book club had an insightful discussion about Fawn and Dag and their relationship. Essentially, this book is a little bit romance, a little bit fantasy. The young female character, Fawn, runs from home, pregnant and full of shame. On the road, she crosses path with Dag, a Lakewalker who patrols the land fighting creatures called malices. I enjoyed this book, but definitely wish there had been less focus on the romance and more on the magic!
Read if you like: Any of the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon
#6. The Municipalists by Seth Fried (☆☆☆☆) This one started out a bit slow but it made me very happy. It follows the story of a man named Henry, who has a tragic past and who no one quite likes as an adult. Henry works for the US Municipal Survey and his job is his life. Hilariously, he is sent on a mission to save the world with a boozy know-it-all named OWEN, who also turns out to be a projection of the agency's supercomputer. The pair gets in and out of some hilarious situations and I must say I enjoyed it quite a bit. It also presses the envelope on the relationship we have with our friends Siri and Alexa.
Read if you like: Her (the movie), or Robot and Frank (also a movie). Apparently I think this book should be a movie.
#7. Less by Andrew Sean Greer (☆☆) Not a fan of this one. The main character, Arthur Less, travels around the world in order to be away/out of the country when his former lover marries. Over the course of his life, Less has written a couple of semi-successful novels (his third has just been rejected) and he is approaching age 50. He kind of bumbles around having good things happen to him and I just don’t know how to feel about it.
Read if you Like: Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert (which is also NMS)
#8. Tash Hearts Tolstoy by Kathryn Ormsbee (☆☆☆☆) Highly recommend this one. This is my second book by this author and I’m anxious to read more! This particular YA novel follows the story of high schooler Tash and her bff Jack as they navigate some moderate success from their web series. Their series is a modern take on Anna Karenina and I enjoyed reading about all the passion the teens involved brought to Tash’s project. There is a solid mix of coming of age confrontations, familial drama and potential romantic love in this lovely piece of writing.
Read if You Like: Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine
#9. The Rule of One by Ashley and Leslie Saunders (☆☆☆☆☆) I’m always going to be a sucker for a YA Fantasy with a female protagonist (or two in this case). The Rule of One did not disappoint and I am jazzed for the sequel. It is set in the near-future US where the government has imposed a rule that each family may only have ONE child. Needless to say, the main characters in this case are TWO - twins Mira and Ava to be exact. Their father is a prominent member in the government, which makes their secret that much more juicy! The two sisters trade places every day until they are outed; then begins their quest to survive. It was like an odd, modern, twisted Elizabeth and Jessica (Sweet Valley High).
Read if You Like: Divergent Series, The Testing series
See you next month!