March was a great reading month for me, especially at the beginning of the month when I spent almost a week with a nose in a book on a beach in Mexico. I did slow down some when I returned home to real life, but I still completed 12 books this month (and as usual there were a few DNFs that I haven’t listed below).
I felt so fortunate to take our vacation to Mexico at the beginning of March, my husband and I really need time to rest and relax and just disappear for a bit. It was everything I had hoped it would be, and more. 2025 is the year of our 30th wedding anniversary and while the actual date isn’t until the fall, I have made a very conscious decision to celebrate all year long! This trip felt like a pretty good kick off to that!
Here are the books I completed in March and there were definitely some good ones with at least one that will likely remain in a top spot all year.
Outlive – The Science & Art of Longevity – Peter Attia & Bill Gifford
I am not sure really what to say about this book. I feel like a book on health, wellness and specifically the quality of the longevity of your life is so personal. I have read and listened to a lot of material in the last 3 years on this topic and for me, this was the very best of the best. I first started reading this almost a year ago and actually jumped around, wanting to gain knowledge quickly about specific topics. I then re-started it on audio and went through the entire book again and finally finished in March. I have suggested it to others as well, and everyone I know has benefitted in some way from Outlive.
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Broken Country – Clare Leslie Hall
Broken Country is a sweeping love story / love triangle with all the feels. It seemed to me like a little bit of everything – a character driven literary fiction novel with the pace of a suspense thriller. At just over 300 pages, I devoured this gem and it came to me at the right time when I really needed to be hooked. I was DNFing books left and right (I think 6 just before this!) and I needed a hook and a great book! It delivered! Its dual timeline packed everything in without being overly wordy and the author’s masterful storytelling left little to be desired. There are themes of deep loss that will leave you thinking for weeks to come. I read so much that it is not unusual for me to forget many details of books very quickly – but not Broken Country. I will be thinking about Beth, Frank and Gabriel for some time. thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an advance copy in exchange for my honest opinion. Broken Country is now available.
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It’s a Love Story – Annabel Monaghan
Once again Monaghan delivers a fun, witty escape that was exactly what I needed at the right time. Jane Jackson was once a child star as a goofy side kick while her costars received the lime light. Now a studio executive, she is trying to find THE script that will make her career. A scavenger hunts of sorts to find a long ago kind-of co-star that is now a pop music sensation leads her in an unexpected direction. Annabel Monaghan has become a reliable author for me to deliver a sweet treat, just when I need it most. If you are looking for the perfect beach read this summer, this is it. Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review. It’s a Love Story will be available 5/27/25.
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The Business Trip – Jessie Garcia
It actually took me a while to decide to read The Business Trip by Jessie Garcia. When I first saw it appearing everywhere, I have to admit that one of the blurb quotes on the cover was off putting as it was written by an author that frankly, I don’t care for. I figured, if she liked it, I probably wouldn’t. (Shallow? Probably…) However my curiosity got the better of me as I continued to see it with decent reviews, and I am glad I decided to take a chance. I raced through this high stakes, fast paced psychological thriller on audio and it was very entertaining. Stephanie and Jasmine wind up on the same plane for very different reasons, Jasmine is escaping her abusive boyfriend and Stephanie is on a business trip. Things go a bit crazy from there and I loved every minute of it. Is this the next literary masterpiece? No. But did I thoroughly enjoy it? Yes!
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The Tell – Amy Griffin
About a month ago, I have never heard of The Tell, and then it was suddenly everywhere. Oprah, Reese and Jenna all were shouting it praises from the rooftops and the author, Amy Griffin was everywhere. I was immediately intrigued. The library hold lists were too long and another book friend mentioned the monthly Spotify credits for the audio book and wall – I went ahead and started right away. I was instantly hooked By Griffin’s story – a seemingly above average great childhood launched to college as a student athlete and then into her adulthood with a great career, doting husband and children. It looked perfect. But something was always haunting, taunting, and keeping her in a fog that made her feel like she wasn’t all there and was hiding. She went down the path of psychedelic therapy (MDMA) and solved the horrific mystery of her childhood that she had suppressed for years.
This is a VERY powerful memoir, as well as heartbreaking, that unleashes the damage that secrets will do to your soul and how it affects every corner of your life. I would have to say that I was so impressed by her children and how they confronted her and supported her through different aspects of her Tell of her childhood trauma.
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The New Menopause – Dr. Mary Claire Haver
I wish this book had been available 20 years ago when I was in my 30’s (I am 56). So much knowledge and while I really appreciated most of the content, I specifically valued information on muscle mass bone density and the utmost importance to both of these. I too want to stay as healthy and independent as I can for as long as I can and have made many changes to be able to achieve this goal. Dr. Haver’s book will undoubtedly help me. It does feel a tad pushy/salesy as times, but I am easily able to overlook that. Like Outlive, I read this very slowly over the course of many months.
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Legacy: A Black Physician Reckons with Racism in Medicine – Dr. Uché Blackstock
I decided to read this book as Black History month was wrapping up and started it as Women’s History month was beginning as it was selected for a reading group I have recently joined. While I would consider myself well informed to the injustices of our world, I was still outraged at some of the blatant racial discrimination that occurs. I know I shouldn’t be, but I just can’t help it to just be shocked at some of the things that occur. This is one I definitely recommend.
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The Art of Vanishing – Morgan Pager
I have been following the author on Instagram for some time and when I saw she had her debut coming out, of course I wanted to support her work! I read what it was about and hesitated as magical realism isn’t always something I fully enjoy but I decided to take a chance. I am glad I did as it was a delightful journey with Jean and Claire and the world of museums, arts, painting, dreams and more. The premise was very original, Jean, the son of Matise, is inside the painting in the museum and at night the people in the paintings move around and come to life of sorts. Claire takes a job as a janitor in the museum, realizes what is happening and steps into the painting. A solid debut. Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for an early release copy in exchange for my honest review. The Art of Vanishing will be available 7/1/25.
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The Fall Risk – Abby Jimenez
I believe this was a free Amazon first reads novella or perhaps free somewhere else that I selected purely due to the author (I believe it is currently free for Amazon Prime members). Jiminez is often labeled as rom-com author, but I don’t see her that way at all. I would classify her more as contemporary women’s literature. I think the romance vibe with sometimes funny lines or scenarios that she typically includes can be misleading, causing her get labelled as lighter or rom-com-y. But she develops characters that are dealing with very serious issues that can often be very educational and enlightening. In this case, it was a male stalker that terrorized our main character. Overall the story was way too short to handle this topic adequately but I remained engaged and again offer hats off to the author for tackling deep and often hand off topics.
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The Situationship – Abby Jimenez
This was the spring of Abby Jiminez for me as I read 2 of her (very short) books in March, and you will see next month that I have already read a third, her newest novel. This book was also a novella, and felt more like a chapter or two. It was fine, interesting and typical Jimenez. If you need something very short to read while sitting in a waiting room, this is for you.
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Tilt – Emma Pattee
Tilt is a short story with 2 timelines – one pre earthquake and one post. Annie is 37 1/2 weeks pregnant, shopping in a Portland Ikea then the big one hits. The chaos that ensues as she struggles to get to her husband is very evident in the book, as it is a chaotic book. Just ok for me.
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The Love We Found – Jill Santopolo
Oh, I hate not giving a glowing review, especially when so many have loved this – but it wasn’t for me. I did read the 1st book in the series, but it was SO long ago and I had a very hard time remembering – and then I knew why. I didn’t love that one either. Lucy is just blah to me and her insta love in this sequel just didn’t ring true to me at all. The spicy scenes felt off and kind of ick to me.
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