Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash
March was a fantastic reading month for me. I read seven books, and three of them received 5-star ratings. This post is long enough since I have many books to share, so let’s jump right in.
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
Rating: 5/5
WHAT’S THIS BOOK ABOUT?
Effia and Esi are half-sisters born in Ghana during the 18-century, and Homegoing is the story of their descendants through the modern day. Each chapter reads like a short story about a different character.
WHAT’S GOOD ABOUT
THIS BOOK?
Everything. I marvel at how Yaa Gyasi fit so much depth and history into a relatively short novel. Each chapter is well-written and full of characters who are stuck in impossible circumstances. I’d heard nothing but good things about this book, so I thought there was no way it could live up to the hype. I’m glad I was wrong. Homegoing exceeded all my expectations. It’s a stunning accomplishment, especially considering it is Gyasi’s debut.
WHO SHOULD READ THIS BOOK?
Everyone, especially those who enjoy epic stories set over a long time period.
I Found You by Lisa Jewell
Rating: 4/5
WHAT’S THIS BOOK ABOUT?
I Found You tells the story of a single mom who finds a strange man with memory loss on the beach outside her home, a new bride whose husband has just vanished, and two teenage kids on a family vacation that went wrong twenty years prior. The less you know about the plot of this book going in, the better your reading experience will be.
WHAT’S GOOD ABOUT
THIS BOOK?
The vague plot outline I described above might not sound like it should work, but Lisa Jewell combines those three stories in ways that are consistently suspenseful, surprising, and ultimately satisfying. This is the first book I’ve read by Jewell, and I’m looking forward to reading more.
WHO SHOULD READ
THIS BOOK?
Most suspense fans will enjoy this, as long as they’re okay with flashbacks.
Daisy Jones & the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Rating: 5/5
WHAT’S THIS
BOOK ABOUT?
The Six are rising rock and roll stars in the late 1960s. Daisy Jones is a singer/songwriter who’s trying to get her voice heard. When Daisy performs with the Six one night, the chemistry she has with the band’s lead singer Billy Dunne is electric enough to make her a permanent part of the group. Daisy Jones and The Six tells the story of the band through all their highs and lows as they experience addiction, love, and fame like they never dared to imagine.
WHAT’S GOOD ABOUT
THIS BOOK?
Taylor Jenkins Reid wrote this novel as an oral history, and that structure makes it seem more like a documentary than fiction. I suspected I’d like this book, but what I didn’t predict was that it would be such a page-turner. Billy and Daisy are captivating protagonists, but each band member has an individual storyline and unique identity. This book inspired a blog post all about my favorite books about music.
WHO SHOULD READ
THIS BOOK?
I think this story has wide appeal, but literary fiction fans who appreciate nostalgia will be especially captivated by this story.
Before She Knew Him by Peter Swanson
Rating: 4/5
WHAT’S THIS
BOOK ABOUT?
Hen and her husband Lloyd have recently purchased a house in the suburbs. Their neighbors Mira and Matthew invite them over for dinner, hoping to make some new friends. During a tour of the house, Hen spots a trophy in Matthew’s office that she’s sure is connected to a man who was murdered several years back. Due to her bipolar disorder and previous trouble with the law, no one believes Hen when she tries to convince them that Matthew isn’t who he seems to be.
WHAT’S GOOD ABOUT
THIS BOOK?
I’ve read a lot of thrillers, and Before She Knew Him is more original than most. The suspense in this book doesn’t come from the usual “whodunnit” question, but from wondering about motive, former victims, and who might be next. In addition to all the twists, this novel also has interesting things to say about mental illness and how it affects female credibility.
WHO SHOULD READ
THIS BOOK?
Thriller fans looking for something different will enjoy this novel.
The Cassandra by Sharma Shields
Rating: 3/5
WHAT’S THIS
BOOK ABOUT?
Mildred is a young woman living with her verbally abusive mother in a small Washington state town during World War II. When Mildred gets the chance to leave and begin work at the Hanford Research Center, she’s thrilled to start her own life and help the US win the war. She becomes a secretary for a physicist whose work is top secret. But Mildred has these terrifying visions about what it is they’re really doing at Hanford and suspects how it’s all going to end.
WHAT’S GOOD ABOUT
THIS BOOK?
Mildred is a strong character who I was always rooting for throughout this novel. The Cassandra has a feminist perspective that is wonderful to see in historical fiction.
WHO SHOULD READ
THIS BOOK?
This novel is loosely based on the Greek myth of Cassandra, so if you know and like that story, this book might be worth checking out. Historical fiction lovers who like stories with a lot of grit will probably enjoy this, too. (I was unfamiliar with the myth and don’t reach for a lot of historical fiction, so I was definitely not the target audience for this story.)
How the Bible Actually Works: In Which I Explain How an Ancient, Ambiguous, and Diverse Books Leads Us to Wisdom Rather Than Answers–and Why That’s Great News by Peter Enns
Rating: 5/5
WHAT’S THIS
BOOK ABOUT?
The Bible is often presented as an answer book for all of life’s questions. In How the Bible Actually Works, Peter Enns argues that what the Bible offers isn’t an index of answers, but is a collection of stories about how those seeking God found wisdom and how modern-day believers can find it, too.
WHAT’S GOOD ABOUT THIS BOOK?
Peter Enns is one of my favorite biblical scholars, and this book is an excellent example of why. Enns is as funny as he is knowledgable which means that when he writes about the history of the Bible, it’s not only educational but also immensely entertaining. This book is filled with some challenging concepts, but they’re presented so that those of us who don’t have PhDs from Harvard (like Enns does) can understand them.
WHO SHOULD READ
THIS BOOK?
Progressive Christians who are looking for ways to read the Bible with fresh eyes will enjoy this book a lot.
The Child Finder by Rene Denfeld
Rating: 4/5
WHAT’S THIS
BOOK ABOUT?
Naomi is a woman with a dark past who uses her tragedy to help other people. She’s known as the Child Finder, and in this novel, she’s working to find a little girl who disappeared in a snowy Oregon forest three years earlier. The child’s parents still believe there’s hope, even though the situation seems dim. As Naomi works to find the missing girl, she has nightmares about what happened to her years ago and starts to piece together some of the memories of her story that she’d forgotten.
WHAT’S GOOD ABOUT THIS BOOK?
I love books with a strong sense of place, and Rene Denfeld has undoubtedly created that with The Child Finder. The icy and snowy setting of the mysterious forest would make this a perfect winter read. Also, I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know Naomi and her story. She’s a strong woman who is committed to the truth and bringing closure to desperate families.
WHO SHOULD READ
THIS BOOK?
This novel addresses child abuse head on, so keep that in mind if that’s a triggering subject matter for you. Otherwise, I think people who appreciate good, dark suspense novels will really like this book.
Have you read any of these books? What was the best book you read in March?
Andrea Is Reading 