March Reading Wrap-up

So it’s the second week into April but I haven’t really had a moment to sit back and reflect on what books I finished in March. For some reason I thought maybe I hadn’t been that successful but it turns out I hit my average by reading 4 books. Woohoo! Here’s what I read and a quick scoring and review for each:

Conversations with Friends: 3 out of 5 Stars

Initially I was drawn into the story but soon found I didn’t like any of the characters. Now that also could have been the author’s intent. They aren’t good people but they are very believable characters. This novel revolves around a very odd love triangle dynamic and I found myself not really rooting for anyone. I was more a fly on the wall just watching things unfold. I’d read more by this author but I’m not sure if I’d readily recommend this book.

My Lovely Wife in the Psych Ward: 5 out of 5 Stars

My heart hurt after reading this one. Based on entirely true events, this book begins with introducing you to the main characters’ relationship, how well they are matched for each other etc. and then BOOM the wife ends up in the psych ward. This happens several times as they navigate her mental health. Told from the husband’s perspective there are difficult conversations and I found it brought a lot of thoughts on for me of how would I handle this? This is a heavy but important story. I do hope for the very best for this couple and I absolutely recommend this read.

The Lost Girls of Paris: 4 out of 5 Stars

I’m a big fan of historical fiction so I was thrilled when my bookclub chose this novel for March. It follows two timelines: one during WWII and one shortly after. In the first timeline we follow several women recruited to become agents spying on the Germans in Nazi occupied Paris to secure information for England. But when something goes wrong, who is truly to blame? Based on true events, the incredible heroism displayed by these women is remarkable. In the second timeline we follow another women who finds a piece of the story from the first timeline. Driven to solve the case, we are taken on her journey to find the mysterious owner of the object as well as the her coming into her own. My only complaint with this novel was that there weren’t enough missions included to truly give the sense of danger and adventure. To be honest, The Alice Network does it better.

Mystic River: 3.5 out of 5 Stars

I hadn’t seen the movie so I went into this book blind, which I feel is probably best since it’s a psychological thriller. Basically a terrible incident that still ended up with a somewhat happy ending occurs very early on. Then we fast forward many years and the main characters are all grown up and living different lives. Another terrible incident occurs that pulls them all back together but in ways you wouldn’t expect. It’s a gritty novel of love, loyalty, faith and family. I’d recommend it, especially if you haven’t seen the movie. However, if you’ve read a lot of thrillers there are bits you may be able to figure out.

So, that was my month of reading for March. How was yours? Let me know in the comments!