Books Read in March 2024

Now that I have my laptop back, I'm reading less than I was without it (lots of Netflixing to make up for), but I'm still in a rather solid reading spree, which includes several other slower (nonfiction and poetry) reads that I'm reading alongside the faster genre fiction reads. I read all of my March book club reads, except one I couldn't get out of the library in time, in February, and so far still working on most of my April reads. Can I continue to keep up with four book clubs? We'll see!

Books Read This Month

Storm the Earth by Rebecca Kim Wells--There should definitely be more duologies. This one is just fun with nonstop action, adventure, and dragons, plus an NBD bisexual protagonist, which I'm always glad to see more of.
Double the Lies by Patricia Raybon--Mystery centering a Black, Christian woman detective in 1920s Denver--I found this on the recommendations table at the library, which has really been paying off for me lately! Would recommend--it has some content on early aviation and surprise Jewish interest content as well. This is apparently the second in a series.
The Woodland Stranger by Jane Buehler-- (LibraryThing review) I was excited to see another Sylvania book available for review from LibraryThing--I enjoyed The Village Maid a couple of years ago, and I liked this one even better. The Sylvania books are set in a world with fairies and other magical folk alongside people; the two books I've read take place after the largely peaceful overthrow of the monarchy in the first book. This one is a sweet cozy M/M romance where they spend most of the time journeying in the woods. It had very Monk/Robot vibes for me until the last bit, which gets exciting but is all ultimately okay. The romance is smutty as it is sweet, though less than The Village Maid, and it has more of an overarching plot. I'd definitely read another one; it's the perfect mind break.
The Exception to the Rule by Christina Lauren--Fun, quick romance novella I heard about from Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl. I borrowed it from Kindle Unlimited.
King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo--Finally tore through this as I seem to all Bardugo's books. I love Nikolai and Zoya so much as characters and getting to learn more about them--Nina's story is very separate but I love and want to read about her enough that it's ok! Also a Kindle Unlimited read--I was wondering why such a popular book was available, and then I realize the second in the duology isn't ofc. (Wow, I'm reading two duologies this month!) Still, really good value at nearly 600 pages each!
People Love Dead Jews by Dara Horn (Book club read)--I wouldn't have chosen this to read right now, but I'm glad I did. It's safe to say I had a lot of feelings. It's a surprisingly quick and easy read--I purposely read it only one chapter or so at a time and only during the day--but based on length, I could have read it in a couple hours. The content is upsetting to me for obvious reasons. I don't know if I would recommend this book to non-Jews because I don't know if it could possibly hit the same for a non-Jewish audience although I wish it could. For Jewish people, it provides the comfort of being seen, if little else.

Books with Single-Word Titles

Happy Top Ten Tuesday over at That Artsy Reader Girl! Books with Single-Word Titles These are all my favorite books that I could think of with one-word titles. A lot of fantasy, a few nonfiction (minus subtitles) and Kindred , whether you consider it scifi or historical fiction. Also two portmanteaus using the word "bitter." I suppose it's a word that lends itself to amelioration. 1. Sweetbitter by Stephanie Danler 2. Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore 3. Fire by Kristin Cashore 4. Heartless by Marissa Meyer 5. Inheritance by Christopher Paolini 6. Meditations by Marcus Aurelius 7. Stoned by Aja Raden (has a subtitle) 8. Educated by Tara Westover 9. Fledgling by Octavia Butler 10. Kindred by Octavia Butler

Feliz Ano Nuevo!

Speaking of cultures and society, I leave for Spain on January 9. Instead of continuing as a book blog with a specific goal for number of books to read in a year, Space Station Mir will become a chronicle for my adventures in Spain. Expect a post for each new place that I visit, with pictures! I also plan to continue reviewing books, however I will not make a set goal for number of books to read this year. I do pledge myself to read at least one book in Spanish that was not assigned for a class. In terms of my goals for 2009, I was not diligent enough in keeping track of them. Looking back, I've fulfilled some of them and not others. The greatest trend in my reading this year, which marks a huge deviation for me, is that I've read more non-fiction than I think I've read any other year in my life. I've finally developed the ability to sustain interest in non-fiction other than biographies. For a while, biographies were the only non-fiction I ever read, with the exception

Most Recent Books I Did Not Finish

I feel like I've been DNFing a fair amount lately, mostly with review books. I feel obligated to read review books longer than I would if they were books I just picked up on my own. That said, I have a caveat in my Book Review Policy that if I feel I am not the right audience for the book, I won't post a review. I try to avoid that by only picking books I genuinely think I will enjoy, but of course I can't always predict that before I read. Also, while book clubs have been a great way to get exposed to books I wouldn't normally read, tastes will differ and every once in a while, I find a book I'm just not willing to finish. I also want to say no shade to the authors or anyone who enjoyed these books--they just weren't for me. Happy Top Ten Tuesday! Most Recent Books I Did Not Finish 1. Caribbean Competitors by Poppy Minnix--LibraryThing review--This one sounded great and has a beautiful cover, but while the island setting was compelling, I just couldn't ge

Space Station Mir

Search This Blog