For some people this March meant spring temperatures and basketball, but for me, it meant a fantastic month of reading! I've got three Standouts listed below, but I also read a number of really good ones. (If you'd like to know more about those, go ahead and visit me on Goodreads.)
*****
*****
Books Read in March: 8
Total Books Read in 2013: 20
Standouts:
Me Before You by Jojo Moyes - I love a book that has me rooting for pretty much everyone and everything in it! It uses quick, sharp lines spoken by flawed complex characters to ask questions, such as what it means to live a full, bold life, and to show us the persistence and the power of different kinds of love. I literally laughed out loud reading one page, then teared up as I read the next. Warning: have tissues handy.
The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult - I've been a fan of Picoult's books for a long time, and while I enjoyed her recent ones, it's this one that reminded me of how good Picoult really is at taking complex issues and presenting them in ways that are both entertaining and thought-provoking. One of my favorite things about her novels is how they ask more questions than they answer, leaving readers to decide for themselves. A quote from this book sums up Picoult's work in general - "It's easy to say you will do what's right and shun what's wrong, but when you get close enough to any given situation, you realize there IS no black or white. There are gradations of gray." A great example of this: Minka's story will live on in my memory for a long time, and so will Josef's, but for very different reasons. That is the power of a Picoult novel.
A Week in Winter by Maeve Binchy - Reading a Maeve Binchy novel is the equivalent of eating comfort food, and this, her last one, is no exception. I felt as if I was sitting around the table at the Stone House myself! When I finished reading, I wanted to turn back to the first page and begin again, not only because I knew how good it was, but also because I knew there would be no more books after this one. That these characters would not make an appearance in the next one or the one after. There is nothing like a Maeve Binchy novel and there never will be.
*****
Have you all read any of these Standouts? Do you want to? What are you reading right now? What's up next on you To-Read list?
Me Before You by Jojo Moyes - I love a book that has me rooting for pretty much everyone and everything in it! It uses quick, sharp lines spoken by flawed complex characters to ask questions, such as what it means to live a full, bold life, and to show us the persistence and the power of different kinds of love. I literally laughed out loud reading one page, then teared up as I read the next. Warning: have tissues handy.
The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult - I've been a fan of Picoult's books for a long time, and while I enjoyed her recent ones, it's this one that reminded me of how good Picoult really is at taking complex issues and presenting them in ways that are both entertaining and thought-provoking. One of my favorite things about her novels is how they ask more questions than they answer, leaving readers to decide for themselves. A quote from this book sums up Picoult's work in general - "It's easy to say you will do what's right and shun what's wrong, but when you get close enough to any given situation, you realize there IS no black or white. There are gradations of gray." A great example of this: Minka's story will live on in my memory for a long time, and so will Josef's, but for very different reasons. That is the power of a Picoult novel.
A Week in Winter by Maeve Binchy - Reading a Maeve Binchy novel is the equivalent of eating comfort food, and this, her last one, is no exception. I felt as if I was sitting around the table at the Stone House myself! When I finished reading, I wanted to turn back to the first page and begin again, not only because I knew how good it was, but also because I knew there would be no more books after this one. That these characters would not make an appearance in the next one or the one after. There is nothing like a Maeve Binchy novel and there never will be.
*****
Have you all read any of these Standouts? Do you want to? What are you reading right now? What's up next on you To-Read list?
You are a fast reader! I've only read one book this month. In my defense, I've been really busy with the A to Z Challenge stuff.
ReplyDeleteI really want to read The Storyteller! Have a great Easter weekend :)
ReplyDeleteAlex - no need to defend yourself! Everyone reads at their own pace and a lot depends on circumstances, etc.
ReplyDeleteOE - it was excellent, and if you enjoy historical fiction, you'll like it even more. Have great Easter weekend yourself! :)
Hi Madeline,
ReplyDeleteI haven't read any of the books you've mentioned, but The Storyteller and A Week in Winter sound especially good.
And congratulations on all your publishing credits already this year!
Happy Easter!
Donna - thank you! And Happy Easter to you, too. I think you'd really like both of those novels, but especially the Maeve Binchy one.
ReplyDelete