I managed to complete 9 books in March which is more than the previous months of 2022. I read a real mix of genres and thankfully there was only one I didn’t really like. All the others were brilliant books, with quite a few 5 star reads.
Here are the books I read in March 2022.
We Begin At The End by Chris Whitaker
Thirty years ago, Vincent King became a killer. Now, he’s been released from prison and is back in his hometown of Cape Haven. The town’s chief of police, Walk, is pleased to have his childhood best friend home. However, not everyone is pleased to see Vincent. His ex-girlfriend Star Radley is also the sister of the girl he killed. Meanwhile, Duchess Radley, Star’s thirteen-year-old daughter, is part-carer, part-protector to her younger brother, Robin, as well as to her deeply troubled mother. The other children at school mock Duchess and her family, but she doesn’t care. She is the ‘outlaw’ Duchess Day Radley. However, when Duchess inadvertently sets off a dangerous chain of events, nobody realises the tragic consequences it will have for not only her family but the whole town.
Although it broke my heart in several places, I absolutely adored this book and would love to read a sequel to find out what happened to these characters I grew to love.
Click here to read my full review of We Begin At The End by Chris Whitaker.
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
Achilles is the son of the cruel sea goddess Thetis and the legendary king Peleus and is destined to be the Greek’s greatest warrior. He is strong, swift, and beautiful, making him irresistible to all who meet him. In comparison, Patroclus is an awkward young prince, exiled from his homeland and sent to live with Achilles in Phthia. The unlikely pair, brought together by chance, forge an inseparable bond, despite risking the gods’ wrath.
They live a quiet life and are trained by the centaur Chiron in the arts of war and medicine. However, when word comes that Helen of Sparta has been kidnapped, all the heroes of Greece are called upon to lay siege to Troy in her name. Achilles, knowing his destiny, joins their cause and torn between love and fear for his friend, Patroclus follows. Little do they know the fates that lie ahead of them both as the Trojan War changes their lives forever.
I adored this book. It was a retelling of Homer’s Iliad and I just found Miller’s interpretation to be breathtaking. Madeline Miller can do no wrong in my eyes. A simply brilliant book.
Click here to read my full review of The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller.
Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng
When Lydia Lee’s body is found in a local lake, her family is thrown into a pit of devastation and guilt. Lydia was the teenage daughter of Marilyn and James and both parents had high hopes for her future. James is an American born of first-generation Chinese immigrants, and his ethnicity, and Lydia’s, make them conspicuous in any setting. James, who never felt like he really fit in, is desperate for his daughter to be popular and have an active social life. Marilyn meanwhile wants Lydia to fulfil her own lost dream of becoming a doctor.
After Lydia’s body is found, James is consumed by guilt and sets out on a reckless path that may ruin his marriage and what remains of his family. Marilyn demands answers and is determined that someone, anyone, pays for the loss of her beloved daughter. Lydia’s older brother Nathan thinks local bad boy Jack is somehow to blame, while quiet, unassuming younger sister Hannah may know more than people realise.
I usually love a family saga but unfortunately, this book just didn’t do it for me. I found this to be a dreary tale of missed opportunities and lost ambitions which resulted in a dead teenage girl. Just not my cup of tea at all.
Click here to read my full review of Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng.
Pandora by Susan Stokes-Chapman
In London, 1799, Dora Blake is working and living with her uncle in what used to be her parents’ famed and respected shop of antiquities. However, her relationship with her uncle is strained to say the least and what she really wants is to be an independent woman and artist, selling her jewellery designs. When a mysterious Greek vase is delivered to the shop, Dora is intrigued by her uncle’s suspicious behaviour and his attempts to hide the object. When Dora meets Edward Lawrence, a young antiquarian scholar, he agrees to help Dora reveal the vase’s secrets. Edward sees the ancient vase as the key to unlocking his academic future while Dora sees it as a chance to restore the shop to its former glory, and to escape her nefarious uncle. However the vase isn’t what it seems and what they discover has Dora questioning everything about her life, her family, and the world as she knows it.
I really enjoyed this book. It effortlessly combines the Ancient Greek myth of Pandora’s jar (not box!) with an intriguing mystery set in Georgian England. A proper page-turner.
Click here to read my full review of Pandora by Susan Stokes-Chapman
Ghosts by Dolly Alderton
Although she has plenty to celebrate, including a successful job, a new home and plenty of friends, Nina is finding her 30s aren’t what she’d hoped. With her ex getting engaged and some of her friendships fading, everyone seems to be moving on except her. Her dad’s struggle with dementia and her mum’s refusal to deal with, also add to Nina’s worries.
Then she meets Max, who tells her on date one that he’s going to marry her. But is Max as perfect as he seems and will she ever get her happily ever after?
Ghosts is an honest exploration of modern dating, with all the highs and lows that come with it. It made me laugh but also made me so sad in places. I really enjoyed it.
Click here to read my full review of Ghosts by Dolly Alderton.
The Survivors by Jane Harper
Kieran Elliott is back in his hometown to help his mum and dad prepare for a big move. The small coastal town he once called home is full of memories and regrets. 12 years ago a reckless mistake led to the death of his brother and friend, and a local girl was lost in a huge storm. The guilt has followed Kieran throughout his life and intensifies now he’s back home. When a young woman is discovered dead on the beach, the small town’s secrets begin to unravel and questions are asked about what really happened that night 12 years ago.
I really enjoyed this book. I love a character-driven mystery and this one was done so well.
Click here to read my full review of The Survivors by Jane Harper.
The Foundling by Stacey Halls
In London, 1754, 18-year-old Bess Bright reluctantly leaves her newborn baby Clara at the Foundling hospital. She has no means to support herself and the baby and she is left with no other option. She is determined to save money and come back to reclaim her daughter. Six years later Bess returns to the Foundling Hospital and is astonished to be told that Clara has already been claimed. Bess is determined to find out who took her little girl, and why.
Less than a mile from Bess’s lodgings in the poorest part of the city, Alexandra lives alone with her daughter Charlotte. Alexandra’s life in Bloomsbury with its riches and comforts is a million miles away from the life Bess leads. However, Alexandra has her own issues and hasn’t left the house in a decade. Her close friend, a doctor at the Foundling Hospital, encourages Alexandra to hire a nursemaid for her daughter, to allow Charlotte to experience the world she has previously been denied. She reluctantly agrees, yet little does she know this is a decision that will alter the course of both her and Charlotte’s quiet lives.
This book was really well written and perfectly highlighted the relationship between mothers and daughters and class and power. The prose was full of vivid descriptions of both the characters and their surroundings and I enjoyed the way the story slowly built up to the climax. Another brilliant book by Stacey Halls.
Click here to read my full review of The Foundling by Stacey Halls.
The Pull Of The Stars by Emma Donoghue
The book is set in Dublin, 1918 where the first world war is coming to an end but an influenza outbreak is causing havoc. The story follows Nurse Julia Power as she works at an understaffed hospital in Dublin’s city centre. It is her responsibility to care for the expectant mothers who have come down with the flu as they are all quarantined together. With little staff to rely on, Julia has to rely on two outsiders, young volunteer Bridie Sweeney and Doctor Kathleen Lynn, an Irish nationalist whose involvement with Sinn Fein makes her a target for the police.
In the tiny and claustrophobic ward, these women fight to save their patients and change each other’s lives in unexpected ways.
This was a brilliant book. Harrowing, moving yet somehow also hopeful. I was captivated by it from the first page.
Click here to read my full review of The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donoghue.
10 Minutes 38 Seconds in this Strange World by Elif Shafak
Leila, a sex worker in Istanbul, has been murdered and left in a dumpster in the dark outskirts of the city. For the next 10 minutes and 38 seconds after her death, Leila remembers the sights, scents and sounds of the important moments of her life, including the people that have had such an impact on the woman she became. After her burial, her devoted friends desperately try to give Leila the sense of peace she was always denied while alive.
What a beautiful, captivating story this is. You’d think a book about a prostitute found dead in a dumpster would be utterly depressing yet it somehow isn’t. This isn’t a story about death. It’s a story of life and love amongst friends. It highlights life’s disappointments and cruelties yet also shows us hope and humanity. It’s a celebration of diversity and challenges stereotypes every step of the way.
Click here to read my full review of 10 Minutes 38 Seconds In This Strange World.
You may also be interested in reading the books I read in February 2022 and my other previous monthly reads.