Hello, hello! Random reading observation: at least half of my reading this month was audio. Where do you land on the audio/print breakdown? While I do love the accessibility of audiobooks (thank you public library!), sometimes I catch myself going longer than I’d like without listening to music, so I’ve been trying to balance books and music, and the past couple of months I’ve really been enjoying new albums by Joseph, Mumford and Sons, Needtobreathe, and Jake Isaac. Do you lean more into audiobooks, podcasts, music, or silence?
Book reviews…
The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi. I was inspired to reread this childhood favorite (correction: childhood OBSESSION) by a discussion on the podcast Shelf Respect (part of the Podcast Media Group), and let me tell you it really holds up. It’s the best adventure, absolutely bonkers and unrealistic in the best ways, with fantastic characters. Read it for yourself, then hand it off to a kid in your life.
It’s A Love Story by Annabel Monaghan is a heartwarming, enemies-to-lovers, forced proximity rom-com with a good amount of depth and five star chemistry between the two main characters. The main female character annoyed me a bit, and I wouldn’t call it a favorite, but I would read another book by this author.
A Wind in the Door by Madeline L’Engle is the second book in the Time Quintet (which starts with A Wrinkle in Time), and I absolutely adored it, maybe even more than A Wrinkle in Time, which is quite a feat. I couldn’t stop reading it, and it definitely made me cry. In this story, Charles Wallace is very sick, and Meg and some unlikely companions must fight evil to save him and save the world. It’s a beautiful story about love–not romantic love, but something deeper and more powerful. And my darling Meg is her lovable, prickly self.
Many Waters by Madeline L’Engle is the third book in the Time Quintet. It’s not as good, in my opinion, as the first two; but I enjoyed seeing Sandy and Dennis get their own story. Madeline pulls her inspiration very directly from Bible stories in this particular book, and in very creative ways. Unlike the first two in this series, Many Waters is more of a quiet, coming-of-age novel rather than a story with “big themes.”
The Pebble in the Pond: A Tale of Stuarts Landing by Suzanne Groves comes out April 14, and if you ever like to read Southern Fiction with a historical setting, this book is for you. It’s beautifully written with compelling characters, a strong sense of place, and a distinct voice that will transport you right to 1970s, small-town Virginia. Full disclosure: Suzanne is a writing buddy, but that just means I got to read the book early! My opinion is honest, and you should definitely snag a copy of her book!
And to round out March, of course I read two more of Jane Casey’s Maeve Kerrigan novels. Two more to go and I’m all caught up (sob!). When that happens, I will be unwell. I love these books so much!
That’s all for now. Thanks for reading! Take care of yourselves, take care of each other, and let me know some of your pockets of joy this month!
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