March 30, 2022
March 2022 Reading Wrap Up
How was your February reading?
March reading was challenging because my moods were all over the place! The War Against Ukraine and a 6 week old granddaughter in the hospital (she’s fine now!) caused me to be unfocused in my reading life. I read 3 light chick-lit books in 3 days at the end of the month, to jumpstart my reading mojo!
Out of 8 books completed, I had zero 5-star reads, five 4-star reads, and three 3-star read.
The most memorable and enjoyable fiction read of the month is The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle by Jennifer Ryan.
Did we read any of the same books?
***This post contains Amazon affiliate links.
Titles are Amazon affiliate links or my linked reviews.
ARC=Advanced Readers Copy (complimentary copy for review before pub date)
The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle by Jennifer Ryan
4 Stars. (ARC) Uplifting (WW11) historical fiction/women’s fiction. My review of Wedding Dress Sewing Circle will be published 5/31/2022.
Black Butterflies by Priscilla Morris
4 Stars. (ARC) Historical Fiction, Sarajevo. My review of Black Butterflies will be published 5/5/2022.
The Bookseller’s Promise by Beth Wiseman
4 Stars. (ARC) Contemporary Amish Fiction. Romance. Christian. My review of The Bookseller’s Promise will be published 4/19/2022.
The Bodyguard by Katherine Center
4 Stars. (ARC) Contemporary Fiction. Romcom. My review of The Bodyguard will be published 7/19/2022.
Let Your Life Speak by Parker J. Palmer
4 Stars. Nonfiction, Self Help. Not reviewed.
Nora Goes Off Script by Annabel Monaghan
3.5 Stars. (ARC) Contemporary Women’s Fiction. Romance. My review of Nora Goes Off Script will be published 6/7/2022.
Flying Solo by Linda Holmes
3 Stars. (ARC) Contemporary Women’s Fiction. Romance. My review of Flying Solo will be published 6/14/2022.
Under the Egg by Laura Marx Fitzgerald
2.5-3 Stars. Middle Grade Fiction. Difficult to feel connected with the story (probably my mood). Not Reviewed.
DNF (23%): The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman
Middle Grade Fiction from my Newbery Project. Underwhelmed.
QOTD:
What was your favorite March read?
Did we read any of the same books?
Which of these books is on your TBR?
ICYMI:
March Blog Posts:
Little Fires Everywhere
The Honeybee Emeralds
Ghost (and Middle Grade March)
Where the Lost Wander
Meet the Blogger (Book Tag)
I Must Betray You (and fav YA titles)
Code Name Helene
TTT: Spring 2022 TBR
These Precious Days
Castle of Water
TTT: 10 Women Authors and Their Debuts
The Book of Lost Friends
Sisters of Night and Fog
Happy Reading Book Buddies!
“Ah, how good it is to be among people who are reading.”
~Rainer Maria Rilke
“I love the world of words, where life and literature connect.”
~Denise J Hughes
“Reading good books ruins you for enjoying bad ones.”
~Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
“I read because books are a form of transportation, of teaching, and of connection! Books take us to places we’ve never been, they teach us about our world, and they help us to understand human experience.”
~Madeleine Riley, Top Shelf Text
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So sorry that your granddaughter was in hospital Carol, but great news that’s she’s home now! xx
Thanks Nicki! It’s scary when the littles are so sick!
Oh, I love Beth Wiseman! I haven’t read that particular book of hers, but I do really like her Amish Inn series
I think maybe it’s my first Wiseman! She tells a good story! I think you’ll enjoy it!
Gosh you are quick off the mark – March hasn’t even ended yet and you’ve already done your wrap up!
I can’t do chick lit at all – it just annoys me and I get frustrated because I think I could be spending my time on something more substantial
I hear you about Chick lit! I tread very carefully into the genre! Sometimes I just need the brain break or the balance of lighter reads….although I do like my chick lit on the substantial side! I have a few authors I avoid because of too much fluff and mediocre writing. I guess I’m willing to take a chance with chick lit occasionally in exchange for a purely entertaining, light hearted, and escapist story! Which is where I found myself at the end of March.
Favorite on your list is the Wedding Dress Sewing Circle– have read her other books on your recommendation and enjoyed them a lot! My best March book is the one I’m currently reading – Black Cake. Have you already read it??
I think you’ll like Wedding Dress Sewing Circle if you liked Kitchen Front! Lovely themes of friendship and women supporting women and living in England during the war.
I have read Black Cake and enjoyed it! If you search the blog you can find the review…maybe Feb or Jan?
You’ve read a lot more women’s fiction and romance than usual. Was that a conscious decision, the way the arcs happened to come in, or what you were in the mood to read?
I have had a really great reading month. The solid 5-star reads were Moonflower Murders by Anthony Horowitz, I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys, An American Marriage by Tayari Jones, and State of Terror by Clinton and Penny. The Kitchen Front by Jennifer Ryan was 4.5 stars for me. Two of these books were based on your reviews, so thank you for that.
There were some books that didn’t live up to the hype for me: Crying in H Mart and The Maid by Nita Prose. At this stage, I know what works for me and my reading life.
I was browsing Hoopla for an audiobook when I found “Master of the Game” by Sidney Sheldon. Back in the day, I used to devour his novels so I borrowed it. He is quite the storyteller. Since the story spanned a hundred years, it didn’t seem dated. It definitely reminded me of the nighttime soaps like Dallas and Dynasty, but I loved those, too!
I *think* I’ve mentioned that I read fanfiction but I also write it! I’m currently posting a 20k word story; my readers seem to enjoy it. I started writing it in January, and the process has brought me a lot of joy. And that’s the point of hobbies, right?
Well…I was in a funky mood in March and actually DNF’d 3 books in a row….only one I recorded because I didn’t make it past a couple of pages in the other 2! I usually turn to MG to get myself out of a slump but the 2 MGs I read were meh (1 was a DNF)…..so I looked at my ARC queue and noticed some lighter women’s fiction reads coming up so decided to read those! Plus they are quick to read and I was panicking this last week of March because my number of books read was so low! 2 were ok…,2 were meh. See….it was my mood I think!
I’m happy to hear March was a wonderful reading month for you! I’m thrilled you love Must Betray! If you liked Kitchen Front, you might love Wedding Dress Circle by the same author…it has similar tones and themes. I was underwhelmed by H Mart also. I think I expected more about the mother/daughter relationship and not as much about her music career. I skipped Maid because I read mixed reviews.
Yes, you did tell me you wrote fan fic. But not for what. I have only read a smattering of fan fiction for the #Chenford fandom (The Rookie IYKYK 😂). Some of it is too smutty for my taste though! That sounds like a fun hobby! Do you connect with other writers in the fandom?
I just started Diamond Eye today…I can usually depend on Quinn but do I really want to read about a Russian sniper right now?! She may win me over.
Happy reading Adrienne and thanks for your thoughtful comments!
I sent you a PM on Twitter with my fanfiction activities (I’m HKVoyage). As I was reading “The State of Terror” by Clinton and Penny, I had the exact same thoughts that you have with Diamond Eye. Although I absolutely loved the story, I’m going to stay away from political thrillers for a while.
I’m a Penny fan but not especially a Hillary fan, so I’m skipping it!
Looks like another reading month!
Great*
🙌
My fav was Echo Man!
Yay! 🙌
Glad to hear your granddaughter is doing better! Which of these was your favorite?
Thanks! My fav was Wedding Dress Sewing Circle 🙌
First, I am glad your granddaughter is home Carol. You read some great books this month. I have Wedding Dress Sewing Circle on my tablet, and am looking forward to it. I’m sorry to see you didn’t enjoy The Whipping Boy. I used to do a novel study with it every year (with my gr. 3s) and they loved it.
If you loved Kitchen Front you’ll love Wedding Dress Circle. Same author and themes of friendship and women supporting women during the war.
I am definitely looking forward to it.