Boy, did March ever throw me and my reading for a loop! Ironically, I think I was reading more than ever. Unfortunately, a heavy majority of it was excessive consumption of the news. Not great for my mental health or my reading goals, frankly. I’ve cut back now, and am only reading the news once a day, which will hopefully be helpful through April. Somehow, I still managed to read 11 books. It’s a lot of fiction, but I do have nonfiction going–I’m just mid-book in most of those right now. Hopefully April will see that nonfiction count tick up again.

The Books of March

1. Blood Magyck by Nora Roberts (#3 The Cousins O’Dwyer Trilogy). Other books from this trilogy have popped up in previous months, and I finally read the conclusion. In a lot of ways it was very similar to her other fantasy work, but it was set in Ireland and I did really enjoy the series.
2. Little Pilgrim’s Progress from John Bunyan’s Classic, adapted by Helen Taylor. I read this with Sophia for school. I don’t add a lot of the kids books to my reading count, because it just gets too overwhelming, but this one was too good to not add. I love the original Pilgrim’s Progress, but Helen Taylor’s adaptation is just wonderful.
3. What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty. This book was a thought-provoking look at what can go wrong in a marriage. In some ways, it was really sad, but the ending was satisfying. In a nutshell, Alice gets amnesia and forgets the last ten years of her life, including her pending divorce, and through the process of trying to remember really digs into the elements that make a good relationship, and what can make it fall apart.
4. Keeper’s Reach by Carla Negger (Sharpe and Donovan #5). Oh you thought I had finished my series mystery binge? Nope. Still going strong on the light fiction. We’re isolated, people. No judging! 😀
5. The Farm by Joanne Ramos. Jane is a single mother, struggling to make ends meet. Golden Oaks is an elite resort for surrogate mothers, complete with food, personal trainers, and specialized medical care. The fee she will be paid for growing a healthy baby would solve all of her money problems for the forseeable future. But at what cost? This was really interesting, kind of dystopian, but good!
6. Upstream: Selected Essays by Mary Oliver. I’ve recently stumbled across a few Mary Oliver quotes that I love, so I picked up this volume of essays just for kicks. I do love her writing. She has such an elegant, lyrical style. It was a great, relaxing choice.
7. Liar’s Key (Sharpe and Donovan #6) by Carla Negger. Fun fact: there are 9 books in this series. 3 left for the month of April!
8. The Light in the Ruins by Chris Bohjalian. This historical fiction mystery shifts back and forth between 1955, when Serafina is investigating the murder of Francesca Rosati, and the events in 1943-44 that led to the death of Francesca’s husband and children, and ultimately her murder too. In a genre that has, dare I say it, NEARLY been overdone, this book was excellent and unique.
9. Wicked Never Sleeps (The Hex Files #1) by Gina LaManna. This is my new light mystery series read. Dani DeMarco is a retired Detective for NYPD’s sixth borough, Wicked–where all the magical beings of New York reside. When a high profile double murder occurs, Dani is called out of retirement for her unique magical abilities that may be key to solving the case. I really enjoy the fantasy element as a twist in this series. The magical element reminds me of Harry Potter or A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness. It blends traditional magical elements (werewolves, vampires, witches) with unique variances and world building. Overall, an enjoyable, light read.
10. Wicked Long Nights (The Hex Files #2) by Gina LaManna. Another venture into the 6th borough finds Dani back on the case to figure out why apparently healthy people are dying.
11. The Art of the Infinite: The Pleasures of Mathematics by Robert D. Kaplan and Ellen Kaplan. This book was a fantastic deeper look at math. I wouldn’t say I’ve had a bad relationship with math in my life, but it is definitely not where my interests lie. This book made the intellectual study of mathematics (beyond basic facts and working functions) interesting and accessible. Kaplan goes through the proof of some of the most important concepts of mathematics, such as why you cannot divide by zero. I have plans to work through some more Advanced Math or Calc now, and then go back and reread it, just to see what else I can get out of it. Excellent book!

There you have it! What were your favorite March reads? And more importantly, what’s on your list for April?