Although I managed to read six books this March and reach the goal I set for myself at the beginning of the month, I didn’t read a lot of the books that I set out for on my initial TBR. Between lots of changes this month and some unexpected library loans coming in early, I made a change of plans. Despite all this, I am still pretty happy with the amount of reading I did this month. So here’s everything I read this month, and my thoughts:
Apartment by Teddy Wayne
⭐️⭐️⭐️.25
Apartment follows two characters – an unnamed narrator, and his new roommate Billy. The narrator is living in an illegal sublet of a rent-stabilized apartment given by his aunt, and his family is paying for his education at Columbia. Billy comes from a more modest background in the midwest, only barely getting by financially. The narrator provides his spare room at no cost, but as they spend more time with each other, their different backgrounds bring more tension to their relationship and cause unforeseen problems to their lives.
I enjoy character-driven stories, and exploring this concept of growing up differently and having tensions over their differences made for a complex story despite a simple concept. It felt like a fly-on-the-wall story where there wasn’t one person in particular that the reader was supposed to root for more, which is something I seek out and really adds to a well-written story. However, there were many choices in dialogue in writing that were very distracting overall, specifically word choice and overcomplicated language. But overall, I’d still recommend this book to those that enjoy character-driven stories, especially those that narrow their focus on only a few characters.
You can read my full review on my blog here.
The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
The Splendid and the Vile is Erik Larson’s most recent release. It covers World War II from the lens of Winston Churchill. It goes over not only his strategy, but also his home and family life, as well as the lives of those in England and the changes in lifestyle and culture during that time.
There was a lot of information to unpack with this book, with an incredible amount of detail. It certainly covers things in more depth than his other book, The Devil in the White City, so your preferences may vary. But, ig you’re very well-versed in the events of World War II and looking for lots of intricate details in your non-fiction books, give this one a try.
You can read my full review on my blog here.
Shape of Nightmares (Ledgers of A Dark Mage #2) by N.K. Leem
⭐️⭐️⭐️.75
Shape of Nightmares is the second book in the Ledgers of A Dark Mage series. It follows Thaleon and Dawyn a few years after the events of the first book on their own respective paths. Thaleon continues his studies in the Allesdale infirimary, while Dawyn finds himself in the Crown’s army. But major changes shake up their lives as they must leave their comfort zones – and begin to long for the days past and for the other.
While the second book didn’t emotionally destroy me as much as the first, this was a very solid second book in the series. The world continues to prove how expansive it is, and Thaleon and Dawyn’s character grows and grows as they age into their respective paths. I anticipate many groundbreaking events in the third book!
You can read my full review on my blog here.
One Day at Disney by Bruce Steele
One Day at Disney highlights the careers of many Disney employees and their stories from all around the globe. In just a span of 24 hours, cameramen from around the world covered the day-to-day of several people, from animators to veterinarians, TV hosts and chocolatiers. From the parks to television to Broadway, this book demonstrates just how many people are out there that makes Disney the company that it is today.
I originally planned to read a chapter a day of this in March leading up to my trip to Disney. With everything going on though, I think we know how that turned out. Regardless, I loved learning all about the people who make Disney possible, and all of the different ways that they ended up in the fields that they are in today. I’d love to revisit his book (or its predecessor, if I can find it) when I do get to go to Disney again.
Atomic Habits by James Clear
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Atomic Habits is a guidebook to habit formation: why habits are formed, how easily they are formed, how difficult it might be to change them, and how to change them more easily. Clear refers to the Four Laws of Behavior change to help readers replace bad habits with better ones, and provides a variety of tips and resources to help readers get started.
I’m glad that I finally got to read this book, because it was exactly what I was looking for. I even subscribed to the author’s newsletter (and that’s saying something after just cleaning out my inbox). While a lot of books provide some interesting anecdotes about the way we form habits, Atomic Habits acts as more of a guidebook to making changes, in addition to those interesting stories and examples. I’d highly recommend this book – even if you don’t think you have bad habits!
You can read my full review on my Goodreads here.
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
The Goldfinch follows the tragic life of a young boy who lost his mother while visiting the museum in Central Park. Just before the explosion that took her life and many others, the two had admired the painting of a goldfinch, which Theodore took with him. Later in life, his current life and work stemming from that very incident, he becomes involved in a dangerous circle.
This book featured an incredibly immersive story that I’m happy to have read. However, I did have some issues in this book regarding the pacing and how some of the “twists” in Theo’s story were handled. I don’t think this book is for everybody, but I do recommend it to those that enjoy in-depth character-based stories, featuring lots of detail and stories that feature many characters over the years as opposed to a select few. I’ve heard of this book referred to as “Dickensian”, so if you like his works, you may like this as well.
You can find my full review on my Goodreads here.
That’s it for my March wrap-up! Have you read any of these? Be sure to let me know.
