March Reading 2023

March 2023 was a great reading month for me. I have mixed feelings about that though. I spent the last week of the month sick, which was not a great reason to be reading a lot.

I had several days where I read a book a day because I did not feel like doing much else. Thankfully I am feeling better, but I am not back to normal, so I am guessing my April reading might also be higher than normal.

Now for what I read in March.

March Reading

I had a good combination of fiction and nonfiction this month. I was actually on track to read more nonfiction this month, but once I got sick, I switched to lighter reads that did not require as much focus and thought.

Click on the title of the book for my full book review.

Fiction

Yellow Wife by Sadeqa Johnson. My daughter got this book for me as a gift last year. It was on my list of fiction books that I wanted to read in 2023 because I knew that I wanted to read it. I mad mixed thoughts on this one so be sure to read my full review.

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie. I have a goal to read all the Hercule Poirot books. This was my most recent read and I enjoyed it. You can read more about my goal and a list of all the Hercule Poirot books in the series in the post I wrote about it.

When We Had Wings by Ariel Lawhon, Kristina McMorris, and Susan Meissner. I had read good reviews on this book and decided to give it a try because it is set in the Philippines during WWII. There are so many WWII historical fiction books, but very few of them are based on what happened on the Pacific side of the war. I knew quite a bit about the Philippines during WWII because I have read quite a bit of nonfiction set there, but if you love WWII historical fiction and are looking for something different then I think you will enjoy this one. It is a little PG-13 though for my readers that like to know that.

The Last Rose of Shanghai by Weina Dai Randel. I listened to this on audio and enjoyed it because I knew nothing about China during WWII. I knew that Japan occupied China during WWII, but I had no idea that Jewish refugees fled to China. This is another great one for those that love WWII historical fiction but are looking for something a little different. I will say this one was a bit too PG-13 for me. I could have done without the super descriptive love scenes.

The Mountains Sing by Nguyen Phan Que Mai. This is a historical fiction book set in Viet Nam during the 1940s and the 1970s. The author is from Viet Nam. This book is fiction, but it is based on the experiences of her family and those that she knows. This was a fascinating book. If you love unusual historical fiction this is a good one.

The Ladies of Covington Send Their Love by Joan Medlicott. I liked this one, but I did not love it. I don’t think I am the target audience for this one.

The Woman With the Cure by Lynn Cullen. This book is historical fiction set in the 1940s and 1950s. It is about Dr. Dorothy Horstmann and others who worked on polio treatment and the vaccine for it. I enjoyed this one. I shared more thoughts in my full review.

Out of the Ruins by Karen Barnett. This is a historical fiction book set during the California earthquake of 1906. It is Christian fiction. I enjoyed it because it was the right book at the right time. It was an easy light read for when I did not feel well. Often Christian fiction is a bit cheezy, but this one had some depth of character and interesting history that I enjoyed.

Nonfiction

Although I read more fiction this month than nonfiction, I still had some great nonfiction reads.

Dowton Shabby by Hopwood DePree. My husband got me this book because he knows that I enjoy reading memoirs. This book is a bit of Downton Abbey, a bit of HGTV, with some English history mixed in. This was a fun lighter nonfiction read. I am so glad that my husband got it for me.

Dead Wake by Erik Larson. This nonfiction book about the ship Lusitania during WWI has been in my to be read stack for years. I am so glad that I picked it up. I seem to be in the mood to read books about ships and shipwrecks. Erik Larson continues to be one of my favorite nonfiction authors.

The Fisherman and the Dragon by Kirk Wallace Johnson. I loved the book The Feather Thief by this same author, so when I saw his latest book, The Fisherman and the Dragon, I knew that I had to read it. The author was inspired to write this after hearing a Bruce Springsteen song about a White shrimper planning to kill a Vietnamese refugee in Galveston Bay. After looking up the origin of the song he knew he had a story. If you like little-known historical facts I think you will enjoy this one.

Christian Nonfiction

The Call To Joy and Pain by Ajith Fernando. This book was nothing as I expected, but I enjoyed it. It won’t be a book for everyone, but I think it is a useful book for many.

When Strivings Cease by Ruth Chou Simons. I enjoyed this book. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. IT was so good. I am planning on sharing it for a Sunday Reading next week, so I will share more about it soon.