Over on Instagram I have a little account that haphazardly tracks some of the books I read. It’s called booksinourhands and it’s a love letter to the joy of holding books, smelling them, feeling their pages, and spending time curled up in armchairs, away from screens. The thing I love most about it is when people occasionally use the booksinourhands hashtag to share what they are reading with me. If you’re over on Instagram, please feel free to use it and tag me (or comment below).
I’ve been enjoying bringing a bit of the #booksinourhands flavour to Substack. Here are the books I read in March.
The Hiding Place by Kate Mildenhall | This book is the ultimate page turner, keeping me up well past my bed time during the few days it took me to read it. I read it when I was feeling quite anxious, which in hindsight was probably not my best reading choice: the jumpscares in this book had me on the edge of my anxious little seat, but of course they were also my favourite part. Being in my school mum era, the characters were beyond relatable from the school gate, I loved all their quirks and nuances. If you want the best kind of unlikely premise and a book you can’t put down, this is your book.
Seed by Bri Lee | Bri Lee herself said her book has a controversial ending and that was the only thing I was stuck on after reading this book. The mystery had me hooked from the beginning; I knew something was NQR and neither myself nor the characters could put their finger on it, but we collectively probably didn’t get the answers we were hoping for. I loved the setting and the seed bank and the riffing on Antinatalism and the choices we make in our lives. Have you read it? I’d be interested to hear other thoughts.
January: Gentle and Fierce by Vanessa Berry
February: The Outrun by Amy Liptrot
March: The Hiding Place by Kate Mildenhall
I went back to uni during March and of course my reading dropped immediately, overtaken by late nights sitting up at my desk reading academic articles after putting the kids to bed, instead of in bed turning pages. It’s not often I have a month of fiction but it was probably exactly what I needed during these past few weeks when I’ve been trying to grasp onto some sense of flow. I’m hoping to lull myself into more of a rhythm than a frenzy during the coming month.
What did you read during March?
I’d love to hear about it.
Lucinda Bain is a contemporary Australian writer based in Melbourne, whose work explores motherhood, place, memory, suburban life and the natural world. Lucinda is mother to three daughters – a role that deeply informs much of her writing. She is currently studying librarianship at the master’s level, which complements her identity as a reader, writer, researcher and observer of how stories locate themselves in both home and landscape.
Comments
Nothing yet. Say the first thing.
Sign in to join the conversation.