What I Read in March 2018

I only got to read another five books in the month of March, which keeps me eight books behind in my goal to read 100 books this year. On the bright side, though, I’m committing more to reading lately – and to finishing one book before I start another, rather than reading half of several books and then having to wait till they come up on the library list again! And also on the bright side, I loved three of the five books I read this month – all novels with thought-provoking premises, which I’d highly recommend.

5 stars:

This is How It Always Is, by Laurie Frankel: This novel about raising a transgender child was fascinating, and covered with exactly the right tone of empathy and acceptance. There were so many nuances I would never have considered, and I really enjoyed seeing how the entire family dealt with the challenge. The only part I didn’t enjoy was the Thailand portion of the book, where Poppy/Rosie were isolated and we didn’t get to see the family’s interactions. However, I would still highly recommend this book.

The Wife Between Us, by Greer Hendricks: This novel reminded me SO much of The Last Mrs. Parrish (which I read last month) that I felt kind of spoiled from the beginning. However, it was still a really intriguing read that I couldn’t put down, and I finished it in one day! Highly recommend this thriller by one of my favorite novelists (Sarah Pekkanen).

All We Ever Wanted, by Emily Giffin: This book isn’t coming out until June, but I got an advanced copy and was so glad I did. This read like a Lisa Scottoline book (which is a compliment, as I love her novels) – lots of twists and turns in a big legal-ish battle to figure out who’s right and who’s wrong. While Emily Giffin’s reads are usually pretty light and beach-y, this one was a hard hitting page turner – I ended up staying up to finish it in one night! The topic was incredibly timely (sexual assault and social media), and the characters were both likable and fascinating. The only thing I didn’t love was the romance that sprung up, which felt a bit contrived and detracted from the main plot. Overall, highly recommend this book!

4 stars:

Beartown (Björnstad #1), by Fredrik Backman: This was really interesting and current in the age of #MeToo. I found it fascinating to see what it’s like to live in a small town where sports are paramount in every bit of life. However, while I enjoyed the premise, the action was a little bit slow – the date rape didn’t happen until halfway through the book, with a lot of build up ahead of time, whereas I would have been interested to see less of the before and more of the aftermath. Still a novel I’d recommend, with a surprising ending.

3 stars:

You Need a Budget: The Proven System for Breaking the Paycheck to Paycheck Cycle, Getting Out of Debt, and Living the Life You Want, by Jesse Mecham: I’ve heard so many great things about this book, but found it fairly simplistic rather than life-changing. It seems like it was targeted more at people with significant consumer debt, rather than being a financial system for everyone. Not bad principles, and it was a quick read, but I didn’t find it all that helpful unless you’re out of control with your spending.

Any book recommendations for me? Follow me here on Goodreads to keep up with what I’m reading in real time.