I hit my goal of reading six books for March! Woo! I do need to hit seven to eight one of these months in order to make up for slacking a bit in January and February but I’ll allow myself to be proud today! Overall I enjoyed my reading experiences this month! I didn’t have any duds which is why I think I was so motivated to keep reading. I found a new series that I love, so that’s exciting! However, because of this I had to make myself read other things rather than and entire series in a month but I’m glad I did because I found some wonderful books. So here is my March reading wrap up!

 

My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand

This was my second fantasy read of the year and I loved it. I think the shift between humans and animals reached to my love of animals. And finding multiple love stories throughout the novel tugged at my love for love. This was a great book for me all around. I was wrapped up in it the entire time, trying to figure out who done it and discovering twists I never saw coming. The main female character ends up saving the day in a few situations and I always love that! I would definitely recommend this. It’s very funny, whitty and an overall fun read.

 

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

After completing My Lady Jane I wanted to continue on the fantasy track for a bit because I was really enjoying it. I will admit that in the beginning I told myself there was no way I would like this book. I purchased the beginning of the Lunar Chronicles based on the popularity on Instagram and I’m rarely let town by bookstagram recommendations. But I didn’t see how I would ever enjoy a book about cyborgs. It seemed beyond my realm of imagination especially after just starting to dabble in fantasy novels. I’m so glad I stuck with it though, because I thoroughly enjoyed this book! It’s so well written and very engaging. I wanted to read all day because I was so eager to see what would happen.  I can’t wait to complete the series now.

 

The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah

AH! The best book I read this month. It was amazing! Kristin Hannah has been my favorite writer since I read the Nightingale (which is my favorite book ever). She has such a way with writing. I lose myself in her books like I can’t with other writers. There is just something about her writing that makes me feel like I’m watching a story rather than reading it myself. I think she is so great at detail that I can see everything in my mind like a movie. She has a way of breaking your heart but then managing to tie it together so you know the heart break had to happen for the good of the story. I can’t recommend this book and her other novels enough and I can’t wait to continue reading books from her. She is one of the best writers out there.

 

The Couple Next Door by Shari Lepana

This book is good. It is though provoking and interesting. It has twists and turns you definitely don’t expect. I think my issues with it are my own fault. I have noticed a lot of books coming out lately that are so similar. I’m having a hard time differentiating between this one and a few other books I’ve read lately. I think if I did a better job spreading out reading this genre that I would have liked it a bit more. Like I said, the book is well written and captivating so I can see why it’s so popular! This was an audiobook “read” for me and I was definitely engaged the entire time. I think if I had read this in book form I would have had a harder time getting through it just because it feels like every other suspenseful family mystery that I’ve read recently. I still give this 3.5 stars because it’s not the book’s fault that I read too many like it! sometimes I feel like sometimes authors publish books in waves and this happens to resemble a lot of books that came out around the same time.

 

Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

I was so excited to read this because I liked Cinder so much. I made myself read other books in between to break up my new Lunar Chronicles obsession but I was thrilled when I got to pick this one up. This was even better than Cinder! I liked being able to follow to storylines that blended together in the end in such a creative way. This one gave me a bit of a Twilight vibe which I enjoyed. I’m a hopeless romantic so this brought the perfect amount of love story into an action focused novel. I fell in love with a couple of the characters and hope they continue on in the next novel (which I believe they do). I loved the fact that there was such a strong female lead in Cinder. She is strong, independent, and protects the prince but I am a sucker for chivalry so I loved that the female lead in Scarlet was rescued by her love. This series is just going in a great direction for me! So excited to read the rest!

 

Looking for Alaska by John Green

I’m such a dope because I’ve had this in my nightstand drawer for a while and I didn’t make the connection that this author is the same that wrote A Fault in Our Stars. I love John Green’s writing and once I connected those obvious dots, I knew this was my next read. Connecting tot he characters was easy for me for a few reasons. There is something about the main character that reminds me of one of my family members as a kid. I found myself picturing him as the story went along which made it even more enjoyable! Personally,  connected with the storyline because it took me back to my college days in dorm life and some of the weird crap I used to do in school. I love books where you can envision the storyline through experiences you’ve had in your own life. The middle of the book is heartbreaking, but necessary for the ending. The book is separated into two parts which I didn’t understand initially but made total sense in the end. I do think the description of the book on the back is a bit misleading. It sets you up to think something happens that doesn’t. I anticipated a very different ending but I’m thrilled at how it turned out. I think the description should be rewritten, but that’s just me! This isn’t a popular book at the moment as far as I’ve seen but it’s a definite recommendation from me.