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Who is ready for some fantastic book recommendations for the month? They weren’t all five stars, but they were all highly enjoyable! There wasn’t a book this month that I wouldn’t recommend over and over. Read the Amazon descriptions carefully, a few of these titles might not appeal to my audience at large and may cover some topics you aren’t interested in delving deeper into.
Book of the Month Club is running a fantastic special right now, so if you’re interested in trying out their service FOR $1 DOLLAR, click here. By signing up, you’ll get an opportunity to try BOTM — paying only $1 for your first month — and I’ll get to add a free book to my box next month. In case you aren’t familiar, Book of the Month Club offers five books each month along with a review from one of their judges, and you get to choose one of them to arrive in your mailbox each month. Did I mention they are all hardback books and beautifully designed? After your introductory rate, you can opt to remain a member for $14.99 each month (billed quarterly) — that’s much less than the going rate of a popular hardback book. If you don’t like it after the first month, cancel your membership and you’ll have gotten at least one great book for a buck.
13. DARK MATTER BY BLAKE CROUCH
★★★★☆ | Scientific Thriller (audiobook)
From Amazon: “Are you happy with your life?” Those are the last words Jason Dessen hears before the masked abductor knocks him unconscious. Before he awakens to find himself strapped to a gurney, surrounded by strangers in hazmat suits. Before a man Jason’s never met smiles down at him and says, “Welcome back, my friend.” In this world he’s woken up to, Jason’s life is not the one he knows. His wife is not his wife. His son was never born. And Jason is not an ordinary college physics professor, but a celebrated genius who has achieved something remarkable. Something impossible. Is it this world or the other that’s the dream? And even if the home he remembers is real, how can Jason possibly make it back to the family he loves? The answers lie in a journey more wondrous and horrifying than anything he could’ve imagined—one that will force him to confront the darkest parts of himself even as he battles a terrifying, seemingly unbeatable foe. Dark Matter is a brilliantly plotted tale that is at once sweeping and intimate, mind-bendingly strange and profoundly human—a relentlessly surprising science-fiction thriller about choices, paths not taken, and how far we’ll go to claim the lives we dream of.
What I loved: I loved the momentum of this story so much. It never dragged or got boring and there were surprises around every corner. I also loved that despite the deep dive into the multiverse theory, it never felt overly “science-y” to me. I was able to keep up and it never seemed too much of a stretch to imagine this story (even though it’s obviously a stretch). This was a pretty atypical read for me [because: science fiction], but I found the story fascinating. It sparked many a conversation with my husband and I ended up buying the hardcover book for him last week so that we could discuss the finer points. He might have read it in a single evening.
What I didn’t: I don’t have much to report here. This isn’t my favorite genre, so I think if it had following up other novels outside my usual wheelhouse, I might not have liked it as much. It was a surprise in the midst of an otherwise typical month and I loved how Crouch convinced me that I could like reading about science.
I would recommend this book to anyone: who loves science fiction, fast-paced [not scary] thrillers, or who is looking to step outside of their reading comfort zone this month!
14. A STRANGER IN THE WOODS
★★★★☆ | News + Nonfiction
From Amazon: In 1986, a shy and intelligent twenty-year-old named Christopher Knight left his home in Massachusetts, drove to Maine, and disappeared into the forest. He would not have a conversation with another human being until nearly three decades later, when he was arrested for stealing food. Living in a tent even through brutal winters, he had survived by his wits and courage, developing ingenious ways to store edibles and water, and to avoid freezing to death. He broke into nearby cottages for food, clothing, reading material, and other provisions, taking only what he needed but terrifying a community never able to solve the mysterious burglaries. Based on extensive interviews with Knight himself, this is a vividly detailed account of his secluded life—why did he leave? what did he learn?—as well as the challenges he has faced since returning to the world. It is a gripping story of survival that asks fundamental questions about solitude, community, and what makes a good life, and a deeply moving portrait of a man who was determined to live his own way, and succeeded.
This was my selection for Collaboreads last month and you can find my full review here!
15. I’LL GIVE YOU THE SUN BY JANDY NELSON
★★★☆☆ | Young Adult (audiobook)
From Amazon: At first, Jude and her twin brother are inseparable. Noah draws constantly and is falling in love with the charismatic boy next door, while daredevil Jude wears red-red lipstick, cliff-dives, and does all the talking for both of them. Years later, they are barely speaking. Something has happened to change the twins in different yet equally devastating ways, but then Jude meets an intriguing, irresistible boy and a mysterious new mentor. The early years are Noah’s to tell; the later years are Jude’s. But they each have only half the story, and if they can only find their way back to one another, they’ll have a chance to remake their world.
What I loved: There are so many things to put into this category! I adored how the author developed the crushes and heartbreaks of these siblings. YA novels are often too flowery and the language gets so unrealistic, but Nelson did a great job of conveying middle school [and high school] angst in all of its glory. I loved the dueling points of view and two different timelines — you should know by now that it’s a winner in my book every time. I also loved the heavy artistic influence here. Both children are artistic prodigies, but I can relate so much to how Noah viewed the world. He frequently referenced “painting in his head” and would freeze time in his mind to capture a feeling or moment. I especially loved how the parents addressed the topic of Noah’s sexuality. It was important to them and they addressed it, but they never trivialized what he was going through or made him feel like less than exactly who he was. Ultimately, this was a story about a family, and how its members learned to cope with tragedy, secrecy, love.
What I didn’t: Again, nothing much to report here. Just another adorable YA book to add to your must read list.
I would recommend this book to anyone: who loves YA romance, but not in the steamy sort of way. This stays right in the vein of Eleanor & Park and A Sun is Also a Star.
16. THE GOOD FATHER BY NOAH HAWLEY
★★★★☆ | Contemporary Fiction (audiobook)
From Amazon: As the Chief of Rheumatology at Columbia Presbyterian, Dr. Paul Allen’s specialty is diagnosing patients with conflicting symptoms, patients other doctors have given up on. He lives a contented life in Westport with his second wife and their twin sons—hard won after a failed marriage earlier in his career that produced a son named Daniel. In the harrowing opening scene of this provocative and affecting novel, Dr. Allen is home with his family when a televised news report announces that the Democratic candidate for president has been shot at a rally, and Daniel is caught on video as the assassin. Daniel Allen has always been a good kid—a decent student, popular—but, as a child of divorce, used to shuttling back and forth between parents, he is also something of a drifter. Which may be why, at the age of nineteen, he quietly drops out of Vassar and begins an aimless journey across the United States, during which he sheds his former skin and eventually even changes his name to Carter Allen Cash. Told alternately from the point of view of the guilt-ridden, determined father and his meandering, ruminative son, The Good Father is a powerfully emotional page-turner that keeps one guessing until the very end. This is an absorbing and honest novel about the responsibilities—and limitations—of being a parent and our capacity to provide our children with unconditional love in the face of an unthinkable situation.
What I loved: I love Noah Hawley. If you aren’t familiar — he’s a writer for the show Fargo and wrote another novel I reviewed here back in the fall. I love how his books read more like a movie — there is very little down time and he spends much more time on character development and driving the plot, than he ever does on setting the scene. Given the kinds of books he writes, I think this style is perfect. I also loved that sprinkled in between the chapters narrated by Daniel and his father, Paul, are stories of previous infamous shooters — Hawley profiles the Columbine shooters, other political assassins, and many lone gunmen. It was interesting to hear him weave those stories in and around what was happening in the novel and to see how he referenced their similarities and differences.
What I didn’t: For the third time in a single post, I’ve got nothing to report when it comes to disappointment. I will say, that the previous Hawley novel I read left me feeling very unfulfilled after the ending, so I spent most of this book dreading how he would let me down again. I thought this one was brilliant — the ending didn’t feel rushed and I wasn’t disappointed. Hawley was able to tie everything together and I didn’t feel like the ending was too perfect.
I would recommend this book to anyone: who loves a nonviolent thriller (sure, someone dies, but this isn’t gory or difficult to read), is intrigued by people who live life on the fringes (hello, is this a new theme for me?), or already adores Noah Hawley.
Technically, I read five books this month, but one of them was straddling the end of the month and since I’m planning on a lengthier review for Collaboreads, I decided to round it on up to April. I wish I could have fit more books in March, but this month was busy! Almost everything I read was from Audible and that just means I spent far too much time driving and painting alone in the camper. I’m setting my sights a little higher for April, so hopefully I’ll have more than one book a week to share. So far, I’m right on track with reading one nonfiction selection per month and I’ve already chosen something perfect for this month. What are you reading right now?!
Total number of books in March: four
Number of fiction books in March: three
Number of nonfiction books in March: one
Number of Audible books in March: three
Total number of books this year: sixteen
Best book of the year: The Sun is Also a Star
