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March 31, 2017

Wrapping it Up! March 2017 | More

This post may include Amazon links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

March always seems like a really long month to me. It’s the tail end of winter and doesn’t have a single holiday! It always helps if there is some serious sunshine, but that didn’t happen this March. Instead there was lots, and lots, and lots of rain. It’s not all bad news though because all that rain provides the perfect excuse for staying inside cozied up to a book. Always a good thing, and for me March reading was great! This month was definitely my best of this year  and really my best reading month in a long, long time.

Wrapping up March 2017 on Novel Visits! A look back at all the books read and reviewed, as well as other book related posts and the best book of the month.

Books Read in March:

One of the Boys by Daniel Magariel, Grade A- (reviewed on 3/16/17)
The Fall of Lisa Bellow by Susan Perabo, Grade B (reviewed on 3/17/17)
All Grown Up by Jami Attenberg (audio – review coming soon)
Dead Letters by Caite Dolan-Leach, Grade B+ (reviewed on 3/23/17)
Exit West by Mohsin Hamid, Grade A (audio – reviewed on 3/30/17)
The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley by Hannah Tinti, Grade A (reviewed on 3/28/17)
Marlena by Julie Buntin (review coming soon)

Reviewed, But Read Earlier:

The Roanoke Girls by Amy Engel, Grade B (reviewed on 3/7/17)
The Lucky Ones by Julianne Pachico, Grade B (reviewed on 3/9/17)
This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel, Grade A- (reviewed on 3/10/17)

The Bad News, Did Not Finish:

The Gargoyle Hunters by John Freeman Gill – I grew weary of the architectural details and lost interest. I haven’t seen many reviews of this one yet, but am looking forward to hearing what others thought.
The Shadow Land by Elizabeth Kostova – I was a little nervous about this one, and as it turns out should have trusted my instincts. I gave it a good go (over 100 pages), but could not connect to the book’s basic premise and found the main character to be a total ninny. (As my grandma would have said!)

Best Books of MarchThe Best Books of March - The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley by Hannah Tinti and Exit West by Mohsin Hamid

Yes, two! I finished these books last week and truly loved each. It’s impossible to decide between them because they’re very different and wonderful in their own ways. Both are really about couples. In The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley it’s a father trying to protect his daughter from his own dark past, and in Exit West, a pair of young lovers forced to flee their homeland. I highly recommend adding both to your list of books you MUST read!

Blog Favorites:

Favorite Blog Posts on Novel Visits - March 2017

  • The post that was viewed most often in march was Ten Books for Spring 2017. No surprise there, we all want to know the books to be looking out for!
  • The book review that got the most attention as far as views go was The Roanoke Girls by Amy Engel. I liked The Roanoke Girls, but thought several others were better. It’s a book that has garnered a lot of attention and is a fun, fast read (of a rather heavy topic).
  • The most viewed post in a single day was (appropriately) Books to Read in a Day! I think shorter books are a great thing to be able to present to people who aren’t able to set aside much time for reading.

Looking at Goals:

  • Seven books in March brings my yearly total up to 22. My Goodreads goal for the year is 75, and according to it I’m 4 books ahead of schedule. So, why don’t I feel like I’m ahead?
  • I wanted to listen to more audio books this year and in that I’m feeling very successful. So far, I’ve listened to five which is more than double what I did in all of last year. I’ve become a little hooked on listening driving to and from work. Sometimes I almost wish my commute was longer. Almost!
  • I also wanted to read more nonfiction this year and in that front, I’m failing miserably. My April reading list is a little light, so I’m going to try to work in a nonfiction. In fact, I may combine nonfiction with my next audio book.
  • In April, or early May I’m hoping to do some sort of discussion post on a book/reading related topic.

I hope March books have been good to you, too!

Disclaimer: There are Amazon Affiliate links contained in this post.

Filed Under: By Title, More, Multi-Book Posts Tagged With: 2017, Audio books, Book Review, Coming-of-Age, Contemporary Fiction, Debuts, Family Story, Monthly Wrap Up, Short Books, Spring 2017 Books, Suspense




Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Sarah's Book Shelves says

    March 31, 2017 at 4:43 am

    I feel like I read most of my nonfiction these days through audiobooks….it’s really helped me get more into my reading diet. Give it a shot!

    And – I generally find that the “Most Anticipated Books of X” posts do well.

    Looks like you had a great month and I’m looking forward to your thoughts on Marlena! It’s up next for me.

    Reply
    • Susie says

      April 2, 2017 at 5:18 pm

      My next audio book is definitely going to be The Stranger in the Woods.

      Reply
  2. Annie says

    March 31, 2017 at 5:31 am

    Happy month! 🙂 Roanoke was a great one! Let’s hope you read many more good ones in April!

    Reply
  3. Angela says

    March 31, 2017 at 5:59 am

    We’ve been having a ton of rain, too! I really can’t wait to see the sun again.

    I also read The Shadow Land this month – I gave it 3 stars, but I definitely felt it didn’t compare to The Historian.

    Reply
    • Susie says

      April 2, 2017 at 5:19 pm

      I’m knd of glad I quit on The Shadow Lands. The book I read right after it was fantastic!

      Reply
  4. Michelle says

    March 31, 2017 at 8:49 am

    I’ve been really upping my nonfiction through audiobooks, although my current read is also nonfiction. I don’t think it is intentional. I just find audio to be the best medium for me to stay interested in a topic.

    I am scheduled to read The Shadow Land in April. Her second novel, The Swan Thieves was not all that great either, so I have tempered my expectations about this one.

    I hope you have a great April!

    Reply
    • Susie says

      April 2, 2017 at 5:20 pm

      Thanks for stopping by Michelle. I’ll look forward to hearing your thoughts on The Shadow Lands.

      Reply
  5. Catherine says

    April 2, 2017 at 10:33 am

    LOL to “a total ninny”! I’ve not given up, but Alexandra’s persistence in returning this urn is puzzling. Nowhere near the tension of The Historian!

    I’m glad you had such a great month. I’m still stuck in seesaw reading- up and down. The best book I read was a YA novel- The Takedown. Could not stop reading- which is always the best thing!

    Reply
  6. Susie says

    April 2, 2017 at 5:17 pm

    I just read a book that I couldn’t put down and hated to finish, If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio. I think you’d really like it.

    Reply

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Welcome to Novel Visits! I’m Susie and reading is my passion. Join me for new novel reviews, musing on all things books, and much more.

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