Affiliate links appear in this post. Any purchases made using these links will earn Taz + Belly a small commission. You can read more about our affiliate relationships here.
I’m not doing so hot with time management these days and this book review post totally snuck up on me. Whhhyyyy do I think I share these on Wednesdays and realize my error every single month? Thank goodness for Rachel, who totally keeps me on my toes!
I was thrilled to have a little of my reading mojo back this month. My numbers still aren’t what they were last year, but pregnancy is definitely interfering (in the best possible way) with all of my usual habits. I’m still knocking out plenty of audiobooks, but being still enough to read and not falling asleep is hard work. I’m already chipping away at two books for April and I’m hoping the momentum picks up with every month that flies by.
5. LITTLER WOMEN by Laura Schaefer
★★★★☆ | Middle Grade Fiction
Thirteen-year-old Meg March and her sisters Jo (twelve), Beth (ten), and Amy (nine) are a close-knit group who share in one another’s hopes and dreams, as well as struggles and frustrations. Over the course of one year they get to know their neighbors the Lawrences, attend school dances and sleepovers, have first crushes, and grow closer as sisters despite their differences. This sweet, contemporary take on part one of the beloved novel Little Women is the perfect introduction for young readers to the March family. With a craft project or recipe at the end of every chapter, Littler Women is sure to become a cherished favorite.
Since one of my reading goals this year was to read more novels that Ella could read along with me, I decided that March was the month to get started. We went to the bookstore together and picked out several titles that we could all enjoy. I read this one in two sittings and it is so adorable. The story doesn’t quite parrot the original Little Women, but it is a great parallel. It’s set in modern times, the girls’ father is deployed with the military, and the girls are all in elementary or middle school. I loved that it was so relatable for Ella and the little illustrations and recipes scattered throughout are the cutest way to make the book come alive. As an adult, this might not top my list of favorite books ever, but it was a perfect middle grade read to enjoy with my daughter.
P.S. Ella loved it even more than I did and Sophie is already a few chapters in!
6. AN AMERICAN MARRIAGE by Tayari Jones
★★★★★ | Contemporary Fiction
Newlyweds Celestial and Roy are the embodiment of both the American Dream and the New South. He is a young executive, and she is an artist on the brink of an exciting career. But as they settle into the routine of their life together, they are ripped apart by circumstances neither could have imagined. Roy is arrested and sentenced to twelve years for a crime Celestial knows he didn’t commit. Though fiercely independent, Celestial finds herself bereft and unmoored, taking comfort in Andre, her childhood friend, and best man at their wedding. As Roy’s time in prison passes, she is unable to hold on to the love that has been her center. After five years, Roy’s conviction is suddenly overturned, and he returns to Atlanta ready to resume their life together.
I saw this book recommended everywhere and as much as I wanted to buy the hardcover, I have been accumulating audio credits for months and really needed to take advantage. I am so glad I did, because the audiobook narrators were amazing. The story alternates between Celestial, Roy, and Andre’s voices and they were so perfectly cast. You all know that I love family stories and this close look at a marital relationship — and all of its hardships and hurdles — was so beautiful. I knew within the first few pages that this would be a favorite of the year. I had a few messages about this one, both from people who loved it and hated it. I’ll go ahead and warn you that it isn’t an easy read. It’s wrought with tension and betrayal and redemption and you will not know how to feel about the ending or even the beginning. It is beautifully told and I wanted to quit life in favor of finishing this one.
7. STILL ME by Jojo Moyes
★★★★☆ | Contemporary Fiction
Louisa Clark arrives in New York ready to start a new life, confident that she can embrace this new adventure and keep her relationship with Ambulance Sam alive across several thousand miles. She steps into the world of the superrich, working for Leonard Gopnik and his much younger second wife, Agnes. Lou is determined to get the most out of the experience and throws herself into her new job and New York life. As she begins to mix in New York high society, Lou meets Joshua Ryan, a man who brings with him a whisper of her past. Before long, Lou finds herself torn between Fifth Avenue where she works and the treasure-filled vintage clothing store where she actually feels at home. And when matters come to a head, she has to ask herself: Who is Louisa Clark? And how do you find the courage to follow your heart—wherever that may lead?
I really loved the first installment of Louisa Clark’s story, but the second book was not my favorite. I said at the time that it felt like the middle of the story and I didn’t feel like the ending was tidy at all. Honestly? I hated Sam’s character and I was super frustrated that Lou would end up with him. The relationship felt forced to me and I wanted something bigger and better for her! Fast forward to Still Me. I might not have loved this with five stars like I did Me Before You, but it was so well told — I laughed, cried, cheered, and embarrassed myself in front of my husband. It is such a sweet book and while it might not make my top ten list for the year, this is the Lou that was missing from the previous installment. She’s back to her fun, quirky self and there are so many hilarious characters that come into her life (I want Mrs. DeWitt to by my neighbor!). For what it’s worth, I finished this book and then immediately watched Me Before You on Amazon Prime because I wanted to see Louisa and Will together again — I do not recommend this if pregnant.
8. WE SHOULD ALL BE FEMINISTS by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
★★★★★ | Essay
The highly acclaimed, provocative New York Times bestseller—a personal, eloquently-argued essay, adapted from the much-admired TEDx talk of the same name—from Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, award-winning author of Americanah. Here she offers readers a unique definition of feminism for the twenty-first century, one rooted in inclusion and awareness. Drawing extensively on her own experiences and her deep understanding of the often masked realities of sexual politics, here is one remarkable author’s exploration of what it means to be a woman now—and an of-the-moment rallying cry for why we should all be feminists.
The month was almost over before I remembered it was National Women’s History Month (I mean I knew this, but it was the first time I considered it in conjunction with reading). Then later that same week, I read a great post by Anne outlining a few feminist titles she devoured in March. I actually had one on my shelf, but since this audiobook was only 45 minutes long, I decided to listen while I worked and I am so glad that I did. Feminist seems to be a dirty word in the south, especially among Evangelical Christians. I’m alarmed at how much baggage the word has, when I feel like EVERY SINGLE PERSON should where this mantel. Josh and I were just talking about how we don’t exactly embrace typical gender roles in our household (when it comes to child rearing, working, and responsibilities) and — to me — it was such a normal, casual conversation to have. While reading this book, I realized that we still have a long way to go to get all men on that same page. Adichie defined the word for herself, but the dictionary describes a feminist as “a person who believes in the social, political, and economic equality of the sexes.” Word. Apparently I need a t-shirt that says: Happy Evangelical Christian Feminist who does not hate men and who likes to wear lip gloss and shave her legs for HERSELF and not to please men.
9. FORCE OF NATURE by Jane Harper
★★★☆☆ | Mystery / Police Procedural
When five colleagues are forced to go on a corporate retreat in the wilderness, they reluctantly pick up their backpacks and start walking down the muddy path. But one of the women doesn’t come out of the woods. And each of her companions tells a slightly different story about what happened. Federal Police Agent Aaron Falk has a keen interest in the whereabouts of the missing hiker. In an investigation that takes him deep into isolated forest, Falk discovers secrets lurking in the mountains, and a tangled web of personal and professional friendship, suspicion, and betrayal among the hikers. But did that lead to murder?
I really liked the first book in this series (The Dry) and was hoping this one would be just as great. I definitely preferred the first installment, but this was a great follow up story, for sure. As much as I love character driven stories, Harper is more of a plot driven writer, but the setting also plays a huge role in her writing style. Both books are very atmospheric — while the first story took place in a drought and was hot and dry and oppressive, this story was set in a damp, dark forest. The setting almost became a character to contend with. I will happily read whatever Aaron Falk is up to next.
10. THE VERSIONS OF US by Laura Barnett
★★★☆☆ | Contemporary Fiction
Cambridge, 1958. Late for class, Eva Edelstein swerves to miss a dog and crashes her bike. Jim Taylor hurries to help her. In that brief moment, three outcomes are born for Eva and Jim. As the strands of their lives weave together and apart across the decades from college through wildly different successes and disappointments, seductions and betrayals, births and funerals, joys and sorrows, the only constant is the power of their connection.
I first heard about this novel on Anne Bogel’s podcast and it’s been on my to-read list ever since. With a week to go before the end of the month and a sizable number of Audible credits to burn, I decided to squeeze this one in as my last book of the month. I loved the premise of hearing multiple versions of the same story — what happens to a story when you change one small detail? — and I thought Barnett did this beautifully. There are three versions of Jim and Eva’s story and they each unfold very differently. Every chapter is broken down into version one, two, and three. Once you fully embrace the storytelling mechanism, I found it pretty easy to follow. I imagine reading this in hard copy would make it a little easier to read (especially in the beginning), but realizing that the versions are always in the same order and that they are taking place during the same general timeframes each chapter, certainly helps.
I’ll admit that I have less than an hour left of this story to listen to, but I highly doubt my opinion of it will change unless it has a surprise ending (I’ll update today’s post, if necessary!). Given that I read 90% of it in March and knowing I would finish up today, I couldn’t resist including it in March’s post. Also, the cover of this one is almost green, making it my bonus points book for the month!
BOOKS I ABANDONED
COLUMN OF FIRE by Ken Follett | Epic Fiction
In 1558, the ancient stones of Kingsbridge Cathedral look down on a city torn apart by religious conflict. As power in England shifts precariously between Catholics and Protestants, royalty and commoners clash, testing friendship, loyalty, and love. Ned Willard wants nothing more than to marry Margery Fitzgerald. But when the lovers find themselves on opposing sides of the religious conflict dividing the country, Ned goes to work for Princess Elizabeth. When she becomes queen, all Europe turns against England. The shrewd, determined young monarch sets up the country’s first secret service to give her early warning of assassination plots, rebellions, and invasion plans. Over a turbulent half century, the love between Ned and Margery seems doomed as extremism sparks violence from Edinburgh to Geneva. Elizabeth clings to her throne and her principles, protected by a small, dedicated group of resourceful spies and courageous secret agents. The real enemies, then as now, are not the rival religions. The true battle pitches those who believe in tolerance and compromise against the tyrants who would impose their ideas on everyone else—no matter what the cost.
You guys. I started this book way back in the fall and have been reading it on and off since then. I do really like Ken Follett and his books are so much fun to read, but this year of pregnancy was not made for epic novels. I have a hard time focusing on anything for a long time and really need to stick with 200-300 pages, unless I’m listening to an audiobook. The final book in this series was in a much more modern setting and I found that very interesting. Josh and I agreed that the setting and storyline was more interesting than the first two, but that the characters weren’t as easy to love. I was so invested in the characters from the first two novels, but I just didn’t feel as connected to those in this book. His storytelling is just as beautiful as ever and I highly recommend it if you love sweeping novels with so much to keep up with. I’m fairly certain this would have been a four star read for me, but I had to shelve it for awhile. Sure, it makes me feel a little less accomplished this month, but it was giving me severe anxiety. When I felt like reading, I felt like I needed to finish this one, but reading it in 50 or 75 page spurts wasn’t helping me finish anything. I decided to sit it aside for now, but I’m vowing to pick it up again soon.
You know I didn’t set any numerical reading goals for this year, but I still plan to track my numbers, much like I did in 2017.
Total number of books in March: six
Number of fiction books in March: six
Number of nonfiction books in March: zero
Number of Audible books in March: four
Total number of books this year: ten
Favorite book of 2018: An American Marriage
Currently reading/listening to: The Nest
Rachel and I are so excited for you to join us this month, for the third edition of the Book by Book Link Party! The first week of each month, we’ll share our reading recap from the previous month, along with a linky widget where you can share your own post(s). The widget will be open for the entire month, so feel free to add as many posts as you’d like until the next round begins. Share your reviews, reading roundup posts, gift guides for readers, or anything else book related. Share with your friends and tag us on Instagram — let’s grow another link up together this year!
Want bonus points for reading something outside of your comfort zone? Here is a list of Collaboreads-style reading prompts, just for you!
