March 2020 Reads

In spite of a week or so where I didn’t pick up a book at all (thanks to stressing over COVID-19) I managed to finish 8 books.

That’s a pretty solid number for me, and while I usually emphasize quality over quantity, these hit the mark on both! All but one of my March books I loved and were either four or five-star reads!

The Standouts :

There were two books this month that are a step above the rest, and early favorites for making my book of the year list.

Oona Out of Order by Margarita Montimore

Nostalgia. Love. Heartache. Hope. Oona gave me all the feels, and I loved the time-hopping, the musical and pop culture references, and utter uniqueness that we see here. This book doesn’t really stick to one genre, which I don’t mind. It’s great for those who love women’s fiction, contemporary fiction, time travel, or coming of age stories.

Writers & Lovers by Lily King

Love Writers & Lovers. King’s writing is sensual and evocative, and this work of Literary Fiction is a beautiful exploration of living a creative life, dealing with loss, and choosing a path. I found myself being torn between wanting to keep reading and seeing how everything was resolved and not wanting the novel to ever end.

Five-Star Reads :

A couple more that I loved and rated five stars, but didn’t hit me quite as hard as the above standouts.

Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil de Grasse Tyson

I chose the audiobook of this title for my nonfiction read this month after hearing an interview with Tyson. He self-narrates, which I loved; the tone of his voice was rich and his passion for the topic is evident. Full of his unique humor as well as countless facts and insights about amazing topics, this is a great primer on big ideas.

The Holdout by Graham Moore

One part legal drama, one part thriller. Amazing, compelling story all around. This was a fascinating read with multiple timelines and enough twists, secrets, and deceptions to keep the reader guessing until the end. The Holdout is my favorite thriller of 2020 to date.

Four-Star Reads :

In Five Years: A Novel by Rebecca Serle

I should know better than to think I’m going to read a Rebecca Serle novel and enjoy a fun, light read. This book was, by all means, fun. I loved the descriptions of NYC and all the meals and wine the characters shared. But this book also kind of broke me. No regrets.

What You Wish For by Katherine Center

Catherine Center is quickly becoming a go-to author for touching stories full of hope and love. You can’t help but feel good when you’re reading them, even when there are things that break your heart a little. This book comes out in July, but I highly recommend you pre-order it or go read Center’s other books if you haven’t already.

Unfollow Me by Charlotte Duckworth

Unfollow Me is a suspenseful thriller that had some unlikable yet incredibly intriguing characters, which isn’t always easy to achieve. With its gripping plot and commentary on important issues such as postpartum depression and privacy in the age of social media it’s definitely one to read.

Three-Star Books:

I had high hopes for this one, but it didn’t leave much of an impression on me.

The Jetsetters by Amanda Eyre Ward

This book disappointed me. Truthfully, had it not been a Reese’s Book Club pick I probably would have DNF’ed it. It’s a very slow-paced character-driven novel, and I didn’t connect to a single one of the characters. The resolution fell flat for me as well, but if you’re a diehard RBC follower or love family dramas you might have better luck.

With March in the books I’m very happy I got so much good reading done. The one book I wasn’t so wild about definitely was counterbalanced by the seven other amazing reads, many of which I’ll be thinking about for a long time.

What was everyone else reading in March? Anything you can’t wait to get to in April? If you haven’t read any of these I rated four and five stars I highly recommend you add them to your April TBR!