For The Love Of Books | What I Read In March 2018

A really light month of "completed" books read for me - lots of other things happening and the weather changing outside always forces a recalibration. Check out my video below for real-time reviews after completing each book. 

WHAT I READ IN MARCH 2018

  • The Astonishing Color Of After (BOTM) // This book started out a little hard for me to get into but once I did I ended up adoring it. Totally adoring and loving it. I loved the interplay between the present and the past, the treatment of the experience of grief, learning about Chinese/Twaianese traditions, the magic of the way she views her family memories, and the continual use of colors as descriptors for scenes and feelings. I feel like this is one that will stay with me for a long time. SO GOOD.
  • The Last Equation Of Isaac Severy (BOTM) // This one took a long time to hook me - not sure if that was due to my sporadic reading this month or the story itself. I almost moved on 1/2 way through but decided to give it one more try over a weekend getaway and I was glad I did overall (but also happy to move on to the next story). 

I also started Educated: A Memoir on the last day of March and am almost halfway through. Totally recommend already just for the writing style so far. 

This month I'm also sharing a video overview of what I read last month and what I am planning to read next month.

You can also view this video on my YouTube channel here

BOOK OF THE MONTH SELECTIONS FOR MARCH

It's also time to select new books from  Book Of The Month Club

As part of their Ambassador Program I get to order from their monthly selections a bit early in order to share with you and celebrate their new releases each month. 

This month I picked two books: 

I also received an advance copy of a book from the publisher which also happens to be a Book Of The Month option this month: The Girl Who Smiled Beads by Clemantine Wamariya & Elizabeth Weil. This is a non-fiction memoir telling the story of Clemantine and her family fleeing Rwanda and eventually gaining asylum in the United States. Looks like it's a preorder via Amazon so BOTM is your best bet at this time. 

FULL LIST OF WHAT I'VE READ IN 2018

JANUARY 2018

  • The Heart's Invisible Furies (BOTM) // I super, super loved this book. Just go read it. Now. 
  • The Woman In The Window (BOTM) // Perfect suspense book. Great beach read.
  • Everyone Brave Is Forgiven // It’s been quite awhile since I underlined passages in a non-fiction book but I did a few times in this one because the language and imagery used was just so beautiful. It’s a story that will stick with me.
  • The Year Of Less: How I Stopped Shopping, Gave Away My Belongings, and Discovered Life Is Worth More Than Anything You Can Buy in a Store // Super quick read on a topic I’m interested in - how less can mean more. This book is more memoir than how-to and I was interested in her story and all the ways in which she cake to having and wanting less. Glad I read it. It’s so much more than just a story of not shopping for a year.
  • Turtles All The Way Down (BOTM) // This one was a like but not love for me. I did really like some of the writing, especially towards the end, that related to the forward movement of life with mental illness. I think these kinds of stories are important and the pieces where he was writing about her self-talk/voices really resonated with me personally.

WHAT I READ IN FEBRUARY 2018

  • Bel Canto (finished this one right at the end of January) // I really, really enjoyed this book. I love her writing style and I loved the way the story flowed all the way until the end. It felt super abrupt - but I guess that's how life goes sometimes too. I loved the themes of adaptation, of love, of change, of escape (literally from the life you were living one moment before), and the push and pull between relationships. Oh and it totally made me want to go to an opera.
  • The Great Alone (BOTM) // I stayed up way past my bedtime to finish this one last night because I just couldn't stop reading. I loved this book. I loved that Alaska + the climate was basically a character. The subject matter is challenging for sure - violence, loneliness, family issues, etc. - but the story is rich and complicated and well-told. Love these kinds of epic stories. So, so good. 
  • The Broken Girls (BOTM) // This book legitimately freaked me out multiple times. The kids around here all know I was reading a scary book because I kept saying “this book is scary” - ha. Loved the twists and turns - I zoomed through the last half super quick. If you are looking for a haunting style of story this one’s for you. I actually almost stopped reading it at one point but I am so glad I finished. 
  • An American Marriage // I read this one without knowing anything about it because it was recommended highly by a friend (and then I saw it popping up everywhere). This is an emotional, real, raw and very well written story that is different from what I've been reading lately. I love being surprised. Beautiful, compelling writing that really gets to the heart of complicated human relationships. A line I loved : "But mostly my life is good, only it's a different type of good from what I figured on." This has been the lesson of my life as well.

You can see everything I read in 2017 here.

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4 thoughts

  1. AnnaMariePea says…
    04/03/2018

    Thank you for sharing this. I will give some of these books a try. I'm trying to read more this year.

    Reply 0 Replies
  2. mtercha says…
    04/03/2018

    I need that "for the love of books" as a physical stamp!! (While I'm saying that, I need a stamp that says something to the affect of "random fact" or"random" by itself). Anyway, the video was really cool, thanks for taking the time to share. Michelle t

    Reply 0 Replies
  3. mwear says…
    04/03/2018

    Circe sounds right up my oldest sons alley. I will look forward to hearing your thoughts on it.

    Reply 0 Replies
  4. sparkle says…
    04/09/2018

    I'm really enjoying "For the love of books." I love to read but had gotten out of the habit and didn't remember how much I enjoyed it. Loved the real time reviews this month.

    Reply 0 Replies