My Favorite Books of March

It’s really not all that surprising that I read more books in March than in any previous month. Isolation makes for a lot of time to read.

I read 15 books in March. Of those, I have seven books—two non-fiction and five fiction—perfect grades.

The two non-fiction books I gave perfect grades were Finding the News: Adventures of a Young Reporter and Don’t Overthink It: Make Easier Decisions, Stop Second-Guessing and Bring More Joy to Your Life.

Finding the News: Adventures of a Young Reporter

Finding the News: Adventures of a Young Reporter is Peter Copeland’s story of his career in journalism. I loved the detail of the story, which starts with Copeland as a night cops reporter in Chicago and works its way to him as a war correspondent, then a national politics reporter in D.C.

If you love journalism or you’re just curious about the profession, you’ll enjoy reading about Copeland’s career. Personally, I was in awe of how tough he must be to have been a war reporter. This is one journalistic assignment I’ve never aspired to have. I just don’t have the kind of grit.

One thing that struck me about Copeland’s story is that he, like many other writers I know, doesn’t seem to give himself enough credit for his work. He writes about how he worked hard, but he also writes about how many times he feels like he lucked into being at the right place at the right time or was just somehow able to send a story from abroad. Copeland’s success as a journalist wasn’t luck at all. He didn’t plan to be a journalist, but his passion for storytelling and his desire to tell others’ stories accurately and to just be good at his craft made him strive to excel.

Don’t Overthink It: Make Easier Decisions, Stop Second-Guessing and Bring More Joy to Your Life

Here’s a funny thing about my relationship with book blogger Anne Bogel. I rarely like the books she recommends on her blog, Modern Mrs. Darcy. We just have opposite taste in books. Despite that, I love Bogel’s writing style, which makes me keep reading her blog and has resulted in me enjoying the books she’s written.

Don’t Overthink It: Make Easier Decisions, Stop Second-Guessing and Bring More Joy to Your Life is Bogel’s newest book about overthinking. Bogel herself is a recovering overthinker. In the book, she provides readers with practical tools to overcome negative thought patterns, which are repetitive, unhealthy and unhelpful.

I spent entirely too much time thinking about whether I was an overthinker. That probably answers the question. Either way, I took a lot on this topic and others away from Bogel’s book.

The five non-fiction books I gave perfect grades were Sometimes I Lie, Such a Fun Age, The Sun Down Motel, How to Walk Away and Tell Me Lies.

Sometimes I Lie

When Amber Reynolds wakes up in a hospital she can’t remember what happened to put her there.

Amber can’t move, speak or open her eyes, but she can hear what others around her are saying. It’s through their words and conversations with each other that Amber starts to piece together what happened and realizes that she may still be in danger.

But how do you protect yourself when you can’t speak or move?

Such a Fun Age

Alix Chamberlain is scandalized when her babysitter, Emira Tucker, is confronted while watching the Chamberlains’ toddler at a local high-end supermarket.

The store’s security guard, seeing a young black woman with a white child, accuses Emira of kidnapping 2-year-old Briar. A small crowd gathers, a bystander films everything, and Emira is furious and humiliated. Alix resolves to make things right.

But Emira, 25, is aimless, broke and wary of Alix’s desire to help. As Alix works to do what she thinks will better Emira’s life, the women discover that they have someone in common who has the ability to change both of their lives.

The Sun Down Motel

I love thrillers, but I usually don’t like Sci-Fi or ghost stories. The Sun Down Motel was a little bit like Stephen King meets a thriller, and I loved it.

Carly Kirk has never been able to get over the story of her aunt, Viv Delaney, disappearing from her job as the night clerk at the Sun Down Motel. When Carly’s mother, Viv’s sister, dies in 2017, Carly decides to return to Fell, N.Y., and try to solve the mystery of her aunt’s disappearance.

Wouldn’t you know it, when Carly arrives in Fell, the night clerk job at the Sun Down is available and the woman living in her aunt’s old apartment is looking for a roommate. Pretty soon Carly finds herself living a modern version of her aunt’s life, but not everyone in Fell, living or dead, is happy to revisit the past.

How to Walk Away

Margaret Jacobsen is living the dream. She excelled in business school and just landed her dream job. She has a handsome boyfriend she adores, and she has a feeling that they’re about to start their lives together as husband and wife. Then, during what should be a fairytale proposal, Margaret is injured in a plane crash. She’s lucky to survive, but her life thrown far off path.

Margaret is hospitalized and trying to learn to deal with her injuries, which include burns and paralysis. At the same time, she has to cope with her family’s quirks, her fiance’s ghost act and her annoying physical therapist. But Maggie’s new normal becomes something even she couldn’t have planned for.

Tell Me Lies

Tell Me Lies is another Audible original that surprised me with excellent storytelling. So far, the Audible original thrillers I’ve listened to have been amazing.

In Tell Me Lies, Psychologist Margot Scott has a life most women would envy, including a husband, two children, and a successful career. But when their home is set fire with the family in it, Margot begins to understand that one of her clients is trying to harm her. Suddenly everyone she talked to in her practice seems like a suspect. Margot just needs to figure out who it is and why they’re after her before her family is in further danger.

There they are, my favorite books of March. I hope you find something here to read and love. As always, Happy Reading!