March seems like it was a lifetime away!!! But I want to keep a record of the books I read each month of this year, so I am going to do my best to give a wrap up on the books I read in March.
I don’t know exactly what I was reading on audio on March, but whatever it was much have lasted the whole month because all of these books were read in the physical copy, except Olive Kitteridge, which I read on my Kindle.
March was a fairly good reading month–not the best ever as none of the books were five star reads, but not the worst either, because they were all three and four star reads for me.
Here’s a quick look at the six books I read in March 2023:
The Circus Train by Amita Parikh
4/5 stars
I have strong memories of reading this and rooting for the protagonist, Lena Papadopoulos. Leah is the daughter of an extraordinary headlining illusionist in a traveling circus during the years leading up to World War II. Lena yearns to be a medical doctor, but faces limitations placed upon her by her overprotective father and the disability she lives with as a result of an illness in her infancy.
I loved the setting of place and time–the Circus traveling Europe during World War II–of this novel. I also loved the character development and the way Lena faced the many hurdles and overcame much difficulty. It was a brilliant read that I thoroughly enjoyed!!
All Adults Here by Emma Straub
3/5 stars
This novel was my book club’s pick for March and it was the only book selection that I honesly wasn’t looking forward to reading. Thankfully, I can say that going in with really low expectations helped, because I liked it more than I thought I would.
This was a family drama story filled with lots and lots of drama. It centered around the adult children of Astrid Strick, a somewhat newly widowed mother who is figuring out life and exploring who she is all over again. Throughout the book, Astrid is realizing that she is not the parent that she thought she had been to her three children. She is dealing with the guilt of that realization while her adult children are all dealing with big issues of their own.
Needless to say, this wasn’t a popular book at our book club meeting. One of the biggest criticisms was that there were too many social issues going on. Yes, there was a lot going on and Straub touches on so many (maybe too many all at once) social issues, but people and, thus, families are extremely complicated. I saw growth in many of the characters here that was pleasantly unexpected.
The Messy Lives of Book People by Phaedra Patrick
4/5 stars
This is the second book I’ve read by Phaedra Patrick and I can’t quite remember how it came across my path, but I’m so glad it did! It was a really fun, heartwarming book focused on the love of books and writing.
In The Messy Lives of Book People, Liv Green is barely making it by as a maid for bestselling author Essie Starling while dreaming of one day becoming a writer herself. When Essie does suddenly, Liv is suprised to learn that Essie’s last wish was for Liv to complete her last novel. As Liv begins to write this novel, secrets from her past are revealed that change the course of her life.
A Flicker in the Dark by Stacy Willingham
3/5 stars
This was a fun thriller with lots of plot twists that kept me guessing and anticipating what would happen next all along the way. When Chloe Davis was twelve years old, six teenage girls went missing in her small town and her father was arrested as the serial killer of these girls and put in prison. Twenty years later, Chloe is a psychologist in private practice getting ready for her wedding when local teenage girls begin to go missing. The coincidence of these missing girls is one that Chloe cannot ignore.
Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout
4/5 stars
I made it a goal to read through Elizabeth Strout’s backlist since I have enjoyed some of her other books, but want to go back and read them in order. Her novels are character driven and I appreciate that along with how well developed those characters are–they truly seem like real people that could exist in any town. Retired schoolteacher, Olive Kitteridge, is a difficult woman who is struggling to come to terms with the changes that are taking place all around her–both in her small town and the world at large. As stories are told of the townspeople and loved ones in Olive’s life and the way they grapple with their own problems, Olive is brought into a deeper understanding of herself and her life. This was a beautiful story of a difficult, yet very real woman with incredibly real struggles.
Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead
4/5 stars
I put Great Circle on my TBR when it was released, but it fell off of my radar until a friend brought it to book club to share. At 672 pages this was an epic novel–just the kind that I love!!
Great Circle tells the story of a daredevil female aviator in prohibition-era Montana determined to chart her own course in life. This novel follows Marian Graves throughout her life, from infancy until the time when she sets out to circumnavigate the globe by flying over the North and South Poles.
In a duel timeline, it also tells the story of young adult, Hadley Baxter, who is cast to play Marian in a film centering on Marian’s disappearance in Antarctica. Hadley grows as both an actor and a person as she delves into Marian’s adventurous life.
I enjoyed Marian’s story much more than I did Hadley’s and thought the book would have been just fine focusing on the one character.
Have your read any of these…if not, be sure to add them to your own to be read list!
I had such fun revisiting these books from March.