Books I Read in March

 I have been hitting it out of the park with the books I've been reading so far this year.  I had another great month of reading and managed to finish 11 books!  

1.  Two Steps Forward by Graeme Simsion & Anne Buist--  I really enjoyed this story about two people hiking the Chemin (or Camino de Stantiago trail); a hiking route that starts in France and ends at the northwestern tip of Spain. Zoe is an American who is recently widowed and comes to France to meet up with an old college friend. She discovers the Chemin and decides to walk after feeling a strong pull that this is her destiny.  Hoping to find answers and mull over her life she sets out with just a backpack of supplies and assurances that help will be found along the way.  Martin is a British teacher working in France when he and his students design a better cart for lugging supplies along the trail.  He decides to hike it so that he can give a full report of his cart at a trade show in the summer.  Also looking for his next steps in life after his teaching season is over.  The two meet up again and again along with a cast of other characters/hikers that the two keep interacting with.  It was a very enjoyable, leisurely read. 

2. Wildfire by Drew Barrymore-- Drew is quite the expressive storyteller and I found her stories delightful (if a bit dramatic at times!).  Little snippets of memoirs throughout her life and told in no particular order this book reminds me of a set of short stories but they are entertaining.  I found myself Googling a bit about her life to learn more about her.  A fun way to pass the time while listening on my commutes. 

3. The Speed of Light: A Novel by Elissa Grossell Dickey-- Simone has had a rough year with an MS diagnosis, falling in love/breaking up with a great guy, and now she's facing a possible loss of her job.  Then on one December morning while preparing for a meeting at work she's locked in the bathroom when she hears gunshots.  Hiding and scared Simone starts reflecting over the last year of her life.  Told in two alternating storylines picking up from just before her MS diagnosis moving forward and one told from the first gunshots to creeping out of her hiding place on it was a compelling read. 

4. Lie, Lie Again by Stacy Wise-- A somewhat weird and twisted novel about 3 women living in the same apartment complex.  All have secrets and lies at the very center of their lives and the book starts off with the three of them looking at a body found at the bottom of the stairs. It was a good book but I do feel that everything was wrapped up much too neatly in the end.  

5. I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys-- I just LOVE Ruta's books and this one about a boy turned spy in Communist controlled Romania sucked me right in from the very first chapter.  Never knowing anything about what Romania was like under Nicolae Ceausescu's rule my heart ached for Cristian and his family and so many of the impossible choices they were faced with. It was a very moving and powerful historical fiction.  Again one of my favorite parts was the photos and real life stories included after the story. I could not put it down and read the entire thing cover to cover in just under 24 hours. 

6. A Thousand Steps by T Jefferson Parker--  Matt is a 16 year old boy growing up in Laguna beach, California in the late '60's.  His sister goes missing one summer morning and Matt tries to hunt her down.  With his older brother off fighting in Vietnam and his mother getting high most days he's left on his own a lot in a town that is very much into the whole peace, love, and enlightenment period.  It was an interesting story but I did have a hard time getting into it and almost added it to my DNF pile but I am so very glad I didn't as I ended up reading the last 100-150 pages in just one afternoon. It got really good really fast and I think this is one of those stories that is really going to stick with me. 

7. The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller-- I decided to start listening to this book on my commutes after finishing up Drew's book so quickly.  I found I really enjoyed it and followed along easily enough even with the constant flipping back and forth of the timelines.  Elle and her husband and children are at their family's summer place called the "Paper Palace." She had sex with her longtime friend Jonas last night and the story sort of takes off in two directions from there.  Lots of flashbacks from Elle's life and childhood jumping as far back as her grandparents and then the storyline picking up from her affair moving forward. I'll be honest.. I didn't love the ending since it felt like it was open to interpretation and I hate that but I did enjoy the rest of it and again think it's a book that's going to leave me thinking about it long after. 

8. Run Rose, Run: A Novel by Dolly Parton and James Patterson-- I was so happy to get my hands on this newest James Patterson so quickly.  I think this duo did a great job writing this story but there is no real murder mystery or thriller aspect like one would usually expect from a James Patterson novel.  However, I did enjoy it. I was so intrigued with AnnieLee's past and the secrets I knew she was keeping!  AnnieLee is a singer/ song writer who has made her way to Nashville with plans of making it big but she's also running from her past.  She befriends a country music star legend Ruthanna and while she is slow to trust anyone Annie Lee does begin to rely on Ruthanna and her friends. Together they build up Annie Lee's career.  But everyone seems to have secrets and some are bigger than others- as they are slowly revealed the story takes a few unexpected twists and turns too.  Another really enjoyable read. 

 

9. Reminders of Him by Colleen Hoover-- I was a bit trepidatious picking this one up since Hoover's books tend to be either hit or miss for me. This one was a hit.  Kenna has been in prison for the last 5 years for a mistake she made one night while driving under the influence. She wants nothing more than to lay eyes on the child she had while in prison but she had to give up custody of her daughter in order to make sure her daughter would have a good life. When she moves into the town her daughter now lives in she meets Leger and the two seem to continually be drawn together.  This was a pretty moving story filled with loss, love, forgiveness, and mistakes. 

10.  The Paid Bridesmaid by Sariah Wilson-- Right from the first page I could tell this was going to be a cute story. Rachael runs a business acting as a stand in bridesmaid or maid of honor for brides that either don't have friends and family to ask or don't want the drama of having their friends and families in the wedding.  All is going really well at her latest event- a wedding for Sadie and Dan, a lovely couple that have been wonderful to work for and with.  The event is in Hawaii and Rachael is thrilled that this big, splashy event could help her business grow.  Only problem is that the best man, Camden, suspects something is up.  As the two get to know one another sparks really start to fly but Rachel has a strict "no dating anyone from a wedding" and doesn't want to break her NDA.  The two have adorable chemistry and I loved reading their interactions and seeing how it was all going to play out so they could get to their happily ever after.  

11.  Love & Saffron; A Novel of Friendship, Food, and Love by Kim Fay- I had a sleepless morning where I was out of bed very early and since all my books and my kindle were in my room I grabbed another book out of my library stack before heading to the basement to workout; hoping to tire myself out.  But this book is just adorable and sucked me right in. Imogen and Joan end up writing letters back and forth sharing snippets of their lives along with recipes.  Set back in the early '60 along the west coast it was a super cute and quick read with actual recipes included in the back.

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