The Rest Of My March Books

I read a lot of books the last half of March. And I read some really good ones too!

True confession time: I know I read this book this year. It might have been in February or early March but clearly I forgot to write about it. This book was just as good the second time around as it was the first time. I have the rest of the books sitting on my TBR and I might just spend Easter weekend completely with Feyre and the gang :)

I don't know much about Spain during Franco's rule so this book taught me a lot. It took me a while to get into it, because it has short chapters and follows a few different characters, but once I got to know the story lines, I couldn't put it down. I would recommend this book if you don't know a lot about Spain's history and want an engaging way to learn some more.

 

This book was hard to read because the father was so two-faced -- and I can't imagine how hard it would be to live with that. I think it's called Purple Hibiscus because of the fact that Kambili and Jaja thrived, despite their circumstances. Once again, I was reminded of the freedom I've experienced living in Canada and how quickly life's circumstances can change.

I wanted to like this book but it felt trite. While the book was long, I didn't feel like we got enough time to really get invested in Jia and Dev's love story so I just didn't get on board with their relationship. I admit that I may not get their relationship because I didn't grow up in a parent pleasing culture where the way I live reflects on my family.

The stories in this book are insane. I really wonder how the kind of stuff which happens to Lacey can still take place in our day and age. Unfortunately, I know it does so that means we have a lot of work to do as a society when it comes to racism. If you want to read a book about what we, as white people, get wrong, this book will help.

I hadn't started this book three days before it was due back at the library and it was over 500 pages long. And non-fiction. I thought, well, I'll give it a start and see what happens. What happened is that I was sucked in and all I wanted to do was read. I got halfway through on the first day. Now it helped that we had a few unexpected days home when I'd started this book, and it was gorgeous outside, so I could sit out and read for a few hours every day. But I LOVED this book. I learned a lot about The Great Migration, I learned a lot more about the Jim Crow South. I became so invested in these stories. And I finished this book in three days. I highly recommend this book but make sure you'll have a lot of time to read when you get it because you won't be able to put it down.

This was a really great book which made me think about a little bit about death, how I want to grow old, and how I want to die. This may sound slightly depressing but it really wasn't. The characters were quirky in the best way. It reminded me a little bit of A Man Called Ove and I would highly recommend it.

In five years, Ward lost five men in her life to death. This book tells their stories and Ward's story of growing up black and poor in the American South. This book was so eye opening for me and it's a really hard, but very good, read. And my white privilege smacked me in the face while reading it. I've never thought about how I don't know many people who have died young and that is something that is white privilege. This book also made me want to read more of Ward's books.

 

I picked up this book because it's about a woman traveling on Route 66 and what happens to her. This book tugged at my heartstrings a little because Joy is processing the death of her sister. The ending also surprised me -- well not so much the ending, but how the author led us there. I did enjoy this book but I won't be raving about it, if that makes any sense.

I thought this book had such potential -- after all, it's historical fiction based on a true story. However, I found the flow of the story really choppy. Maybe that was intentional but it kept me from really getting into the book. I did start Googling about two-thirds of the way through the book to find out more about caisson disease and the Brooklyn Bridge so that is in the book's favour. I thought Emily's relationship with PT was extraneous and didn't add anything to the story, especially since that wasn't historically accurate. This book made me want to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge again and appreciate it all the more.

This book was recommended to me by my friend's mom (who also happens to be my mom's friend -- it's confusing!) and I'm so glad she told me about it. It was sooooo good. I have been reading a lot of books about racism from an American perspective and this one is about a First Nations woman and what she experienced (and still does) growing up in Canada. It tells some hard truths about Canada and our relationship with First Nations people. We settlers have a lot of work to do when it comes to that relationship and Elliott doesn't flinch from addressing some hard truths, especially about systemic racism. I highly recommend this book to everyone, but especially my Canadian readers.

Since we're a quarter way through the year, I thought I would share some stats on what I've read thus far. Also, please note -- I love to read, I read quite quickly, and I'd rather read than do almost anything else so reading is something I will always make time for. (Especially now that I've made it through my eleven month pandemic reading slump. Whoooo hooo!!!)

Quarter year reading stats

Total books read: 52

Books written by BIPOC authors: 18

Non-fiction books: 14

Favourite books thus far. Please note, these books are in the order I read them, not in order of favourite:

The Book of Longings -- Sue Monk Kidd

Felix Ever After -- Kacen Callender

Well-Read Black Girl -- edited by Glory Edim

Kiss My Cupcake -- Helena Hunting

The Warmth Of Other Suns -- Isabel Wilkerson

The Brilliant Life Of Eudora Honeysett -- Annie Lyons

A Mind Spread Out on the Ground -- Alicia Elliott

Tell  me what I should read next? I think I need to focus on reading more fiction by BIPOC authors. I tend to read more non-fiction in that regard. Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them?