3/1: American Spy by Lauren Wilkinson and read by Bahni Turpin (library audiobook, 2019) - Not as much of a spy thriller as you might think based on the title and opening scene. 3/5 stars
3/2: It Happened One Summer (Bellinger Sisters #1) by Tessa Bailey (library ebook, 2021) - Perfectly fine romance novel. 3/5 stars
3/4: Blank Spaces (Toronto Connections #1) by Cass Lennox (library ebook, 2016) - I'll definitely be reading more from this author. 4/5 stars
3/5: Conviction by Kelly Loy Gilbert (library, 2015) - Apologies to Suzanne who recommended this author to me, but this is a book with a serious case of marginalizing characters of color to focus on a very uninteresting white boy. I am also constantly disappointed by the depiction of intergenerational domestic violence in young adult literature. I will not be reading more from this author. 1.5/5 stars
3/6: The Ex Hex (The Ex Hex #1) by Erin Sterling (library ebook, 2021) - Lighthearted romantic comedy. I enjoyed it if I didn't think about it too hard. 4/5 stars
3/8: Come Fly the World: The Jet-Age Story of the Women of Pan Am by Julia Cooke (library, 2021) - Lots of interesting information told in a disorganized way. 3/5 stars
3/8: The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood (library ebook, 2021) - A beloved book I did not care for. 2/5 stars
3/15: Come a Little Bit Closer (The Sullivans #7) by Bella Andre (ebook I own, 2012) - A reread of a book that is a total comfort read for me. 5/5 stars
3/15: Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots (library, 2020) - I really enjoyed this look at the superhero genre from the side of the villains. 4.5/5 stars
3/16: The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune (library audiobook, 2020) - I loved this fantasy book all about found family. 5/5 stars
3/18: Finding Your Feet (Toronto Connections #2) by Cass Lennox (library ebook, 2017) - Not as good as the first book in the series, but I do think it's interesting to center romance novels around people who identify as asexual. 3/5 stars
3/20: Party of Two (The Wedding Date #5) by Jasmine Guillory (library, 2020) - Another snoozefest from Guillory. 2/5 stars
3/20: Woodrow on the Bench: Life Lessons from a Wise Old Dog by Jenna Blum (library, 2021) - Lovely meditation about being a caretaker for an old dog. This really hit me in the right place at the right time in my life. 5/5 stars
3/22: Caste: The Origins of Our Discontent by Isabel Wilkerson (library, 2020) - An important topic, but not my favorite writing style. 3.5/5 stars
3/24: On the Day I Died: Stories from the Grave by Candace Fleming (library audiobook, 2012) - Perfectly acceptable collection of YA horror stories. 3.5/5 stars
3/24: From Lukov with Love by Mariana Zapata (Kindle purchase, 2018) - The word "blink" appeared in this book 191 times. The two main characters communicated mostly by blinking at one another. It's a slow burn romance that never really ignited for me. 2/5 stars
3/25: The Secret (Single in Seattle #1) by Kristen Proby (Kindle purchase, 2022) - This series is going to be about the children of the With Me couples. For contemporary fiction, Proby can't be beat. I thought this one was pretty meh, but I'm sure the series will find its feet soon enough. 3/5 stars
3/26: The Vela by Yoon Ha Lee, Becky Chambers, Rivers Solomon, and S.L. Huang (library ebook, 2019) - I love the idea of a collaborative team writing a science-fiction novel, but this tale of a dying solar system and interplanetary espionage just didn't do it for me. It was readable, but that's about the best I can say for it. 2.5/5 stars
3/27: The Cloud Roads (Books of the Raksura #1) by Martha Wells (library, 2011) - I wanted to like this book about a shapeshifter trying to find more like him, but this is not Martha Wells at her Murderbot best. 3/5 stars
3/28: Heart Bones by Colleen Hoover (library, 2020) - Best Hoover I've read so far. 4/5 stars
3/31: Every Heart a Doorway (Wayward Children #1) by Seanan McGuire (library, 2016) - I was very drawn into this book. I'll definitely be reading more in this series. 4.5/5 stars
Total: 21 books (although a couple were more "novella length")
Average star rating: 3.4/5 stars
Did Not Finish:
A Hope Divided (The Loyal League #2) - Reading about the Civil War just wasn't what I wanted. DNF at 10%. Maybe someday I'll return to it.
This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar - This was not my style of writing. DNF on page 48.
Seafire (Seafire #1) by Natalie C. Parker - I wanted to love this book about a ship with only women and girls as crew, but at about 25%, I just gave up. Eh. It's for someone else, I guess.
Sheesh! 21 books for the month is a lot! Your average star rating is pretty good- I guess that's because you DNF books you truly don't like. I always enjoy your book reviews!
ReplyDelete21 books - amazing! I finished 10 which is high for me, but some were pretty short. I have only DNF'd one book so far this year, but I should have DNF'd one of the books I finished in March. I was going to read it as a buddy read so kept reading. I told the woman I was reading with it skip it since I gave it 2 stars, so at least I saved her some time I guess! My YTD average star rating is just shy of 4 which is pretty high! But I've only read 1 2-star book so far this year.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting array of books! Every time I read your book recaps I'm amazed at how few I have ever heard of. It's a good reminder of what a huge, vast library of books exist out there in the world!! :) That's good for you, because at the rate you read, you'll still never run out. ha!
ReplyDelete"he word "blink" appeared in this book 191 times. The two main characters communicated mostly by blinking at one another." This made me giggle.
ReplyDeleteAnother strong reading month for you! Nice job! I liked A Hope Divided, but you definitely have to be in the right frame of mind. Totally understand the DNF!