March was NOT a good month reading wise – with travel, hectic work time lines and in general a LOT of stress – I didn’t really feel like reading. I managed to read 3 books this month and I’ve started my 4th but it doesn’t seem likely that I will finish it soon. Each of the three books that I read, I finished in a single night while needing an escape and a break. While I had a very good run in February with me discovering some amazing books, my March reads were a mixed bag. Here are the books I read in March –
The Last Queen by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
My first read of the month was from one of my favourite authors. The book tells the tale of the last queen of India before the British annexed and ruled over India. The story tells the tale of Rani Jindan and her rise from the royal dog keeper’s daughter to the queen of Punjab. While I am a HUGE fan of Chitra’s other books – this one failed to impress me. You can read my entire review here.
VERDICT – I think my high expectations from Chitra is the main reason why I’m disappointed in this book. It was an OKAY read for someone who is interested in historical fiction. 5/10
Find it on Amazon here.
PS: If you are looking for an amazing read, checkout Chitra’s The Forest of Enchantments and The Palace of Illusions.
The Radleys by Matt Haig
I saw this book on Imi’s book list and it’s plotline immediately sparked my interest. I was looking for a light read and the book seemed to fit that bill. The story revolves around a family of abstaining vampires living in a small town in England. While the parents are aware of their condition, the kids Clara and Rowan are unaware of their lineage. But one fateful night Clara is pushed into a situation where she ends up acting on her vampire instincts and all the secrets of this dysfunctional family slowly start revealing themselves.
What I liked – The characters were very realistically written instead of your typical ‘Twilight’ brand of vampires – the Radley family was very relatable. The story line was interesting and very different from any other vampire story I’ve read or seen. It was a very light read and I was able to finish reading the book in two sittings.
What I didn’t like – Some parallel story lines (read as: love stories) seemed unnecessary and didn’t add any value to the story line on the whole and just worked to complicate the plot.
Verdict – It’s a light, chill read – not a work that has been written to win literature accolades, but it is entertaining and a different story. 7/10
Find it on Amazon here.
The Guest List by Lucy Foley
I had this book on my TBR for a while and decided to finally pick it up since I wanted to pick a read from a different genre. The Guest List revolves around a perfectly planned wedding being held on an Irish island away from the mainland. The island and the guests all have their own secrets which are slowly revealed as the wedding weekend progresses eventually leading to the death of a member of the wedding party.
What I Liked- The story line was very intriguing, I was hooked from the beginning. The characters have been written to ensure your maximum interest in each one of the MANY characters. I really enjoyed how the book was written – the author used flashbacks perfectly to create suspense.
What I Didn’t Like – My main complaint was that the ending was very abrupt. The entire book was a beautiful build up but the ending was so simplistic and kind of absurd. I would have enjoyed a prolonged ending with some characters getting some sort of closure – there were just too many open ends. Also, forewarning there are A LOT of characters – so it does get a little confusing keeping tab of all of them and their backstories – but I personally enjoyed that.
Verdict – I really really enjoyed this book! Definitely the highlight of my reading this month. I didn’t want to put down the book once I started reading it. I definitely recommend this to everyone looking for a good suspense novel. 9/10
Find it on Amazon here.
PS: While looking for Imi’s post to link I noticed that she had this book on her list too – definitely go check out her list if you’re looking for recommendations.
I’m currently reading The Silence of The Girls which was recommended to me by Shahrin and is a retelling of the events of the Trojan War from the perspective of all the women. What did you read in March? Any recommendations?
Checkout my other recent posts –
- Weird Things I’d Pay For
- Mission 2024: Getting Healthy (Not Lose Weight)
- Female Friendships Vs Male Friendships: From A Woman’s Perspective
- Vision Board 2024: Goals, hopes & aspirations
- Benefits Of A Vegan Diet: Should You Join The Cult?
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Happy Panda 
Happy Holi
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Thank you and same to you 🙂
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The guest list sounds awesome! And happy holi!
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It was! I read a really good suspense thriller after long – definitely recommend it. Happy Holi! ❤
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Oh, but three books is still three books that you read, so it is not too bad, right? I did not even finish one!
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Yeah, I guess I meant bad because I didn’t read them out of habit every day. I crash read them when I needed a break from all the stress. I want reading to be a natural every day thing that I do.
It’s okay – some months are just off months reading wise!
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You read three this month. That is superb. Congratulations!
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Thank you 🙂
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Ugh I read nothing in March lol ok no I read a lot of blogs, does that count? 🙂 I picked up my ereader to read a library book I had borrowed a few weeks ago that hadn’t expired yet and just when I got into it realized it was expiring this morning LOL… will check it out again… Also my boss has lent me The Guest List but I haven’t started it yet, will look forward to starting it now! 👍
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Reading blogs definitely counts! 🙂
Oops – was it a good read?
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Yes I have a handful that I always look forward to reading when they post! Yours is definitely one of them ☺️
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Thanks Moksha ❤ I'm glad you enjoyed The Radleys and The Guest List. I agree and would have liked more closure around what happened to characters in The Guest List, it was a very abrupt ending. Did you enjoy reading some easier books for a bit? x
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I think with the amount of work and stress I was dealing with this month – light reads was all I could manage and it was definitely a welcome change! 🙂
What are you reading these days?
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Yes, I’ve felt like that a lot recently. I’ve just finished Anxious People by Fredrick Backman and that was pretty light hearted. Before that I read The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E Schwab which is my favourite read so far this year 💕
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Ahh I really enjoyed “The Guest List”. Like you I also thought there were too many open endings, especially with few characters but I guess that’s the author style of writing.
I am so happy you are reading “The Silent Of The Girls” it was one my favourite reads. A completely different genre for me but I thoroughly enjoyed it and I hope you do too😘 xx
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I guess – the end was just so abrupt that I didn’t have enough time to process what was happening. But otherwise I totally loved the book.
*fingers crossed* what are you reading these days?
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Ooh the Guest List sounds good! I shall add it to my list 🥰
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Definitely recommend it! 🙂
Hope you’ve been well! ❤
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Thank you! Doing not too bad thanks, likewise 🥰
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3 books is actually good because I didn’t feel like reading at all this month.
The books all sound interesting. I will add The Guest List to my reading list because I see other people have something to say about it as well 😂
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December was like that for me – I just couldn’t get myself to read anything! But January onwards – I’ve had a decent run!
The Guest List is pretty good. I definitely recommend it! 🙂
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I hope I can do better this month! Have an awesome week!
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The guest list has been on my tbr list too! I think I’ll give it a try from your review!
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It’s an engaging read! Definitely give it a read! 😊
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Will do 😁
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