March was a good reading month after a slower February. 5 books completed–3 of them for my reading challenge–and another one started. It’s a bit of an epic, so I’ll be on that one for awhile. I picked it up on March 28 and hoped maybe I could squeeze it in, but ain’t nobody got time for that. I read for enjoyment now, not like in college when I had to plow through on a schedule!
This was much better than the other Man Booker prize winner I’ve read. It was long, though, I’ll tell you that much. I ranked it 4 stars on Goodreads, but now that I’m a month away from it I honestly couldn’t really tell you why, so maybe those stars don’t mean much.
I had planned to replace my “book that takes place in Asia” for the reading challenge, but this one, my original pick, was available as a library e-book, so I pounced. I read it quickly and enjoyed the story, but the writing was only so-so. All of the cultural details were fascinating, though, because I’m not that familair with Chinese traditions. And I was morbidly interested in reading such a detailed account of foot binding. It made me sad, but it was definitely an integral factor in the novel’s plot trajectory.
I devoured this book on an afternoon when I couldn’t concentrate on writing and needed a break. It was recommended by Modern Mrs. Darcy. It’ll suck you in and then punch you in the gut, which honestly is sort of my favorite kind of book. I liked that Moyes made the more realistic choice, even though that wasn’t what you would want out of a romatic story. I hope to read more books by her.
We took a detour for book club in March and selected a non-fiction book. Only three of us met to discuss it, but I’m really glad I read this! It struck a nice balance between relatable anecdotes and hard statistics, which is tough to do. I enjoyed reading it AND I think it will really impact my thinking about habits and why I do things the way I do.
I wanted to love this one, I really did, but it was just a bit odd for my taste. The “Greek chorus” approach wasn’t my favorite conceit. My friend Meredith’s review on Goodreads says, “I get the sense that he’s more interested in the tricks he can play with language than with telling a story I want to know more about,” and I think I agree. I loved his jointly written novel Will Grayson, Will Grayson, but maybe it was actually the John Green in there that made it so good to me.
How was your March reading? Any good beach reads for spring break?
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