March Reads

March feels like it's been forever long. Chalk it up to spring fever and herpes. I still have three sores in my mouth that are giving me grief, but I can at least function now. We still have the better part of a week left in March, but I'm anxious to post my book list for the month, so here it goes:

Doll-baby by Laura Lane McNeal

(historical fiction, civil rights era, coming of  age)

Source: audiobook

Summary: After Ibby’s father dies, her mom leaves her and her father's urn full of ashes with a grandmother she didn’t know she had. 

Content: A few swear words, non-descriptive rape, racial slurs

Review: ****

Final statement: I wish I remembered where I got this book recommendation. It was a good story, with just one major eye-rolling element. The narrator for the audiobook was really good.

I Must Betray You by Rita Sepetys

(historical fiction, young adult, Romania)

Source: hardback from library 

Summary: During the Romanian Revolution of 1989, a teenage boy is blackmailed into becoming an informer for the secret police.

Content: A few mild swear words, protesting/revolutionary violence. In my opinion, this book is suitable for 12+

Review: *****

Final statement: This book dove into a part of history I really knew nothing about, so I am glad to have read it. 

A Place to Hang the Moon by Kate Albus

(middle grade, historical fiction, WWII)

Source: e-book

Summary: Three orphans are billeted during WWII in hopes of finding a forever family. 

Content: Grandma-friendly

Review: ****

Final statement: This was cute story.

A Deadly Fortune by Stacie Murphy

(mystery, paranormal, historical fiction)

Source: audiobook

Summary: A young woman with a psychic gift is placed in an asylum where she discovers that women are dying under false identities. 

Content: some PG-13 language and promiscuity

Review: ***

Final statement: This month I hosted book club, and this was the book I chose. This is the first time I've ever chosen a book I haven't read already. Someone in book club wanted a murder mystery, so I researched and found this one. It didn't lend itself to great conversation. I wish I could have a do-over. 

The War that Saved my Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

(middle grade, Newbery Honor, historical fiction, WWII)

Source: e-book

Summary: Ada is a neglected child with a club foot who runs away with her brother Jamie and ends up in the care of a woman who never wanted children.

Content: Grandma-friendly

Review: ****

Final statement: This book was very similar to A Place to Hang the Moon, but I liked this one a little bit better.

Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro

(dystopian, artificial intelligence)

Source: audiobook

Summary: Klara is an "Artificial Friend" chosen from the shop to go home with a girl named Josie, and um... I guess Klara really likes the sun.

Content: A couple of swears

Review: **

Final statement: I spent the whole book anticipating the many different directions the story could go, and it kind of went nowhere at all. 

The Mother's Promise by Sally Hepworth

(contemporary, women's fiction)

Source: e-book

Summary: Alice is diagnosed with aggressive ovarian cancer, but she doesn't have much of a support system, so she and her 15-year-old daughter must find their way through the diagnosis with help from a social worker and a nurse. 

Review: ****

Content: language and sexual abuse (not explicit)

Final statement: I've liked everything I've read from Sally Hepworth so far. 

Roxy by Neal and Jarrod Shusterman

(young adult, mental health, science fiction)

Source: hardback book from library

Summary: In this story, various addictive substances are personified as characters who compete to lure their users.

Review: ****

Content: substance abuse and minor language

Final statement: This was creative and interesting. Definitely not for everyone, but I found it intriguing from my point of view. 

The House We Grew Up In by Lisa Jewell

(family drama, contemporary fiction)

Source: audiobook

Summary: An exploration of one fictional family's dysfunction (we hope we're not like them, and yet, they are all of us).

Review: 3.5 stars

Content: some sex and language, suicide

Final statement: This is a book that seemed "just okay" as I read listened to it, but after finishing it, I couldn't stop thinking about it. Even though I'm not giving it a super high star rating, I do enjoy a good family drama! Family dynamics always fascinate me (which is why I got my degree in marriage and family relations). 

Bring Me Back by B.A. Paris

(psychological thriller, mystery)

Source: audiobook

Summary: Twelve years ago, Layla went missing while on a trip with her boyfriend. Now people are claiming they've seen her.

Review: **

Content: non-descriptive sex, one 'F' word

Final statement: This book kept my interest because I wanted to know what happened, but in the end, all the characters were idiots, and the story wasn't the least bit convincing. I've read several books by B.A. Paris and have found most of them to be three-star worthy (they're okay but not excellent). The thing I like about her books, though, is that she includes the thriller/suspense element but still keeps her writing relatively "clean" compared to other books of this genre. She incorporates difficult themes like adultery, abuse, murder, etc, but the books don't have descriptive sex or heavy language. 

The War I Finally Won by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

(historical fiction, middle grade, WWII, sequel)

Source: e-book

Summary: In this sequel to The War That Saved My Life (which I also read this month), Ada continues to overcome her past, develop new relationships, and navigate the realities of war. 

Review: ****

Content: grandma-friendly (a quick word, however - there is a character in these books who is gay. This fact is alluded to but not stated outright. As I evaluate content, I don't see the existence of a gay character as something to mention here unless there is descriptive sex - which I would alert my readers to whether the characters are straight or gay. I only mention it now because this is a middle grade book, and I figured I’d let you know that I don’t see a gay character as a reason to not consider a book a “clean” or “grandma friendly” read).

Summary: I enjoyed both of these books and thought they were rather thoughtful. 

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The book I'm most likely to recommend from this month is: