Before I launch into my monthly book review… a friendly (excited!) reminder that today is April 1st… which means it’s the first day of our online walking club.
All the details are in this post, but in short, it’s about trying to move intentionally for 10 minutes each day this month.
This was a satisfying reading month for me; I really enjoyed getting to read two whole books on our airplane journey over to Europe. It felt blissful to sink into a good book and know that all the chaos and pressure of the preceding few months of preparations were behind us!
I’m reading consistently here; a bit before bed each night and then on longer commutes (like our day trips). Technically, I finished one more book at the very end of March (The Gales of November: The Untold Story of the Edmund Fitzgerald) but including it would mean creating a second non-fiction page and I’m too lazy for that, so SPOILER ALERT: I LOVED this book and will be recapping it next month. (For a full overview of what to expect, this post from Engie was my original inspiration for checking it out.)
- Here’s my January roundup of books, and all the deets on what I read in February.
- Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits by Laila Lalami
This book is a series of interconnected short stories about Moroccan citizens and their attempts (with varied degrees of success) at escaping the challenges of their lives. I found the ending anticlimactic in a way that detracted from the rest of the book but, overall, it was incredible writing and a sad—but likely accurate—depiction of migrants experiences, hoping for a “better future” and being disappointed when reality doesn’t match expectations.
Content warnings. Domestic abuse, radical religious views, prostitution.
- Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks
This book is going to stick with me for a long time! (I’d describe it as a mash-up of Hamnet, Station Eleven, and The Birth House. If you loved any of those, there’s a good chance you’ll enjoy this book. If not, I’d steer clear!)
The main character’s voice did a great job of carrying the novel. There were a lot of tragic moments, but also plenty that felt redemptive. This book kept me up way past my bedtime because I really wanted to know what would happen next.
That said, I feel like this book would have benefited from a much lighter touch toward the end. Some of the themes became too sensationalized for my taste and that shift pulled me out of the story a bit.
I’m a big fan of Geraldine Brooks, and I was shocked this book was written nearly twenty years before COVID; it feels eerily relevant! (It’s based on true events when a town voluntarily quarantined itself to prevent the spread of the plague in 1666.)
Content warnings: Graphic depictions of the bubonic plague, frequent death, murder, references to torture, mental illness, substance abuse, domestic abuse, and occasional strong language.
- The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau
Both my kids read this in middle school and my son has been begging me to read it; I finally succumbed, and it was a solid dystopian novel. I didn’t love it, but I appreciated it more since I was reading it (out loud!) to such an eager listener. He was so excited for me to get to various twists in the storyline.
It’s depressing and some of the writing is quite clunky, but I can see why it’s become a bit of a modern classic and is so popular in this age group.
- Ain’t Nobody’s Fool: The Life and Times of Dolly Parton by Martha Ackmann
I went into this biography blind knowing little (to nothing) about Dolly Parton.
There were parts of the book that I found interesting but, on the whole, it felt rather dry and stilted. There were too many footnotes and the writing style wasn’t very engaging.
If I were a huge Dolly fan, I suspect I’d feel much differently, but as an outsider getting a first look at the life of this iconic woman, I was left wanting much more!
Content warnings: References to domestic violence and substance abuse, miscarriage, and occasional strong language.
- Always Pack a Candle: A Nurse in the Cariboo-Chilcotin by Marion McKinnon Crook
This was a fascinating memoir about a rural nurse in British Columbia. It reminded me of a cross between James Herriot books and the Call the Midwife series. It read like fiction and was very engaging.
Content warnings. Accidental death, racism, occasional strong language.
- Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy by Eric Metaxas
This book was a slog for me.
Metaxas has written an absolute TOME. Clearly he spent a tremendous amount of time researching this book, but the result is overly long and repetitive. I think my expectations simply didn’t match the reality. The early chapters on Bonhoeffer’s life were incredibly engaging, but the deeper theological sections were dense and confusing. I didn’t need a day-by-day account of minor details like what film he watched and reviewed in a letter to a friend; that level of specificity really bogged down the story for me.
That said, stripped down, the core story is incredibly powerful. Learning about the individuals who risked (and ultimately gave) their lives resisting the Nazi regime is moving and sobering. I also found it fascinating and INCREDIBLY frustrating to read how many opportunities there were to remove Hitler from power through assassination attempts or political missteps.
Content warnings: Includes occasional descriptions of torture, abuse, and murder under the Nazi regime.
TOP PICKS FOR MARCH
- Fiction: Year of Wonders. A memorable book about one town’s experience during the bubonic plague. I really enjoyed it, but there are a lot of content warnings; see above.
- Non-fiction: Always Pack a Candle. A great nursing memoir set in rural Western Canada.
That’s a wrap.
- Tell me all about the books you read in March.
- What was your favourite book from the month?
- Have you read any of the books I’ve mentioned above?
- Do you plan to move your body for 10 minutes today??
Discover more from The Optimistic Musings of a Pessimist
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Always pack a candle sounds like a really interesting book!
I’ve been sick the past couple of days (something covid like, with brain fog and low energy) but I’m starting to feel like myself again so moving will happen today!
Oh noooo. The bugs are definitely circulating all over the world right now. Glad you’re feeling better.
It was a great book! But I really like memoirs written in this conversational, engaging style.
I’ve read none of these, and Always Pack a Candle will go on my library hold list.
I’ve read a lot, but I never remember to write things down. I read a Mercedes Lackey book ( Exiles Honor) because Engie discussed one of them on her blog , and this one was in at the library. I’ll liked it and will request more. Lots of mysteries. Reread Project Hail Mary and some others.
The Traveling Cat Chronicles- sweet and sad. The Art of Racing in the Rain- liked it better than I thought.
I have a kindle book I bought for Lenten reading-Jesus and the Jewish Roots of Mary- but haven’t touched it yet. Time to buckled down.
I’ve been trying to get out each day to warm up for CBWC- bring it on!
I hope you enjoy Always Pack A Candle. I thought it was excellently written.
Project Hail Mary was such an engaging read.
Hope the first day of walking went well <3
I took a pause to get my copy of Always Bring a Candle on Libby before typing this comment, so that’s a measure of how excited I am for it. Nurse memoir + BC = must read. The Edmund Fitzgerald book sounds like a good pick for an audio book for my next road trip.
I read Year of Wonders for my book club in January and have fond memories of walking around New Orleans while listening to the audio book. It was an interesting pairing of book and place, that’s for sure.
March was an OK reading month. Best fiction was Promise Me Sunshine and best non fiction was A Thousand Naked Strangers (paramedic memoir), and I think you would like both of those. Actually I think everyone reading this would like these titles.
Doggo and I are in for CBWC! Unfortunately we got a lot of rain last night which is going to continue for a few days, so hiking is probably off the table (no, not because I would melt in the raindrops but because the trails are going to be muddy and slippery which really cuts down on the fun). So that just means that we’ll pivot to our paved walking routes.
I hope you like the book! I’m always worried I might be overselling things. The Edmund Fitzgerald is VERY detailed, but I think it would make an excellent audiobook.
Year of Wonders was INTENSE but so well written. I have added both your book recs to my library list.
Oh bummer- that last book sounded interesting until I read your review. The subject is fascinating but I’m not up for a tome right now. I had a good month of reading for March, except that I read another political thriller- I don’t know why I can’t remember I don’t really like those!
It is definitely a tome! Excellent subject matter, but too much detail for me to stay engaged for the long haul.
I read A Year of Wonders in the early 2000s, and I did love it. Then when the pandemic hit, my friend Steph talked about reading it and I was like the gif of that octopus going backward. NOPE NOPE NOPE. I just could NOT deal with anything quarantine/ plague related. But then a few years later (going to check when I reread it, brb) wait what. I just looked it up and I reread it in 2021. Why did I do that? Maybe I was feeling hopeful? March of 2021, I guess we were getting vaccines and maybe I felt like it was going to be okay…I had no idea we had so far to go. Anyway, I reread it and liked it again. But there are some GRAPHIC scenes that have stayed with me. Is this comment unhinged? Maybe not as bad as some comments go.
Best books in March: The Latecomer, Grace and Henry’s Holiday Movie Marathon, and Consider Yourself Kissed. Three very different books!
Ha! I would NOT have wanted to read this book in the pandemic AT ALL. It is definitely graphic!!! But a book that is highly memorable. And heartwrenching!
I read YEAR OF WONDERS a few weeks into COVID. It was an really interesting time to read it, and I don’t think I’ll ever forget it. I remember when CITY OF EMBER came out reading that the author realized in an early draft (maybe it didn’t sell? Maybe she sat on it for years? I don’t quite remember) that the main character had been very passive and needed to be the active hero in her own story. It was a good lesson for me as I was on the cusp of finally selling my first middle-grade novel at the time. I’m always learning as I read.
Here are a few recent favorites of my own:
https://carolinestarrrose.com/quick-lit-what-ive-been-reading-lately-50/
Thanks for sharing your recent reads.
Year of Wonders is DEFINITELY memorable!!!
I only finished one book this month, but I’m about to finish another one.
I did the Now and Not Yet ladies’s Bible study by Ruth Chou Simons. Here’s my review:https://practicalwalk.com/2026/04/01/march-book-stack-2/
Thanks for sharing this link, Katy <3
I read 2 memoirs: Bread of Angels by Patti Smith, Nobody’s Child by Virginia Robert’s Giuffre. Both good but heartbreaking. For lighter fare Always the Last to Know had me laugh out loud several times which I needed after the first 2.
I am out and about in Morocco for the next two weeks and spent time today walking around the Berber-Roman ruins in Volubilis today.
I added Always the Last to Know to my TBR list because I love to laugh.
Morocco! Jacquie, you’re always interesting places when CBWC rolls around! First Japan, and now Morocco?? Can’t wait to see pictures. It sounds wonderful.
I haven’t read any of those! I have read a different Geraldine Brooks and I wasn’t really in love with it so I haven’t been in a rush to pick up another. For one minute as I was reading this at first, I thought, why is she already telling us about March when its only the first day of the month? Whoops! Haha. I am looking forward to CBWC and already got my 10 mins for the first day! ❤️
Ha! March has FLOWN by.
Yay for CBWC. You always walk in the most interesting of places 🙂
I read _Year of Wonders_ back in 2006 (just checked my blog, didn’t remember when before that) and yeah, I loved it. From there I picked up perhaps my favorite Brooks book, _March_, which is about Mr. March, the absent father in _Little Women_. I believe I’ve loved everything she’s written, including _Horse_, a book she was in the middle of writing when her husband died, and she had to finish it. Ugh. I consider reading it again with that knowledge, but it might break me.
I’m currently reading March and it’s excellent so far.
I really enjoyed Horse, too, and it took on new meaning when I realized she finished it after the death of her husband. I really loved her memoir about grief, as well. I think you’ve read that, too?
I read a lot of “meh” fiction, basically chewing gum for the mind. In reviewing my list of books from March, I was amused (but not surprised) to see that the ones I really enjoyed were memoir. (Wish I could find “Always Pack a Candle” around here. . .)
Memoirs: Summer at Tiffany by Marjorie Hart, The Tao of Martha by Jen Lancaster, The Many Lives of Mama Love by Lara Love Hardin
I LOVE a good memoir. An excellent memoir is my absolute favourite thing to read.
The only book I’ve heard of from this list is the Geraldine Brooks one, but I don’t know if I’m in the right headspace to read a book like that. Maybe one day!
My favorite book of March was The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches – so fun!
Year of Wonders is INTENSE. You’re wise to consider your current head space before proceeding!!
I’ve not read any of these. Yes, I’m moving my body more than ten minutes a day, but thanks for checking in with me about that. 🤣
I’ve been listening to many books, and I have one physical book (A Thousand Splendid Suns) I’m almost finished with before I start Nicole’s. I finished The Kitchen House last month and it was pretty good; not my fave, but worth reading.
You’ll love Inhale Exhale!