What I’ve Been Reading: March 2024

Hello!

I can’t believe it’s already Wednesday…and it’s the last week of March. While February tends to feel like a slow month, March has flown by.

Today, I’m sharing the books I read in March.

I saw this on Instagram and laughed. Now, I don’t think I ever really lied on my reading logs in school. I’ve always enjoyed reading. That being said, as a teacher, I know there have been kids through the years who haven’t been fully honest with their reading logs.

I shared this with my brother, and he reminded me of the time I forged my mom’s signature on his band practice card. He remembers the craziest things! 😆

Y’all, your girl finally read her “typical” monthly average of three books. Honestly, I actually thought I might get a fourth book in, but I’ve started one at least.

Looking at this month is interesting. I read a five star, four star, and three star book…at least based on my rating!

Also, coincidentally, all the book I read this month I had added to my reading list thanks to Shay.

This month I read:

{As always, book summaries are from Goodreads…}

The Frozen River:

Summary:

A gripping historical mystery inspired by the life and diary of Martha Ballard, a renowned 18th-century midwife who defied the legal system and wrote herself into American history.

Maine, 1789: When the Kennebec River freezes, entombing a man in the ice, Martha Ballard is summoned to examine the body and determine cause of death. As a midwife and healer, she is privy to much of what goes on behind closed doors in Hallowell. Her diary is a record of every birth and death, crime and debacle that unfolds in the close-knit community. Months earlier, Martha documented the details of an alleged rape committed by two of the town’s most respected gentlemen—one of whom has now been found dead in the ice. But when a local physician undermines her conclusion, declaring the death to be an accident, Martha is forced to investigate the shocking murder on her own.

Over the course of one winter, as the trial nears, and whispers and prejudices mount, Martha doggedly pursues the truth. Her diary soon lands at the center of the scandal, implicating those she loves, and compelling Martha to decide where her own loyalties lie.

Clever, layered, and subversive, Ariel Lawhon’s newest offering introduces an unsung heroine who refused to accept anything less than justice at a time when women were considered best seen and not heard. The Frozen River is a thrilling, tense, and tender story about a remarkable woman who left an unparalleled legacy yet remains nearly forgotten to this day.

Quick Thoughts:

This was one of Shay’s book club books, but I didn’t get it from the library in time.

I enjoy historical fiction, but I don’t think I’ve read books that are set in the 1700’s!

I loved Martha’s character. She’s a strong and independent woman. I love that we saw all sides of her…as a midwife, community member, wife, and mom. The plot held my attention from the beginning, covered serious and light-hearted topics, was suspenseful and eye-opening.

Some meaningful quotes:

“Memory is a wicked thing that warps and twists. But paper and ink receive the truth without emotion, and they read it back without partiality. That, I believe, is why so few women are taught to read and write. God only knows what they would do with the power of pen and ink at their disposal”

“The joy of having sons is that they worship their mothers. Until one day, suddenly, they don’t. Then, that boy – once small and sweet – begins the long, hard process of separation, until at last he rips the seam. But the holes where mother and son were once knit together remain.”

“It rains upon the just and the unjust, love. And we no more deserve this than our friends or neighbors do.”

“This is a new, bittersweet milestone of motherhood. They have gotten bigger, as have their problems. But they have also grown wiser, and this is a miracle because wisdom is not a thing you can acquire for your children.”

Rating:

I truly think this will be one of my top reads in 2024!

John Stamos: If You Would Have Told Me:

Summary:

We think we know John Stamos. The beloved actor of television (Full House, ER, General Hospital), film, and Broadway grew up in front of the cameras and drummed his way into our hearts as an honorary Beach Boy. In this candid memoir, readers can peek into the heart of this familiar face. It’s a rollicking insider look at Hollywood, fame, fortune, and failure. It’s a tender treaty on love, friendship, and fatherhood. Throughout it all, Stamos maintains a sense of wonderment captured in the title If You Would Have Told Me.

Quick Thoughts:

Well, “Have mercy!” This book wasn’t on my radar, but the Kindle version was available at the library, and I figured it would be a quick read. I love reading memoirs/ autobiographies as they are “permission to be nosy” 😆. I knew this one would include all about Full House, Stamos’ marriage to Rebecca Romijn, the Beach Boys and more!

It was an easy read that I really enjoyed. John Stamos sure is insightful. 😉 Another book with some favorite quotes:

“Life is both solid and fragile, isn’t it?”

“Not everything that hurts is an emergency. Sometimes we need to test our pain threshold to see how well we heal.”

“Your reward for hard work, more work.”

(On parenting) “At the end of the day, you might not win a trophy or get a ring, but if done correctly, you’ll have a more compassionate, intelligent, and loving version of yourself out there in the world. The essence of it all: Sacrifice.”

Rating:

The Heiress:

Summary:

When Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore dies, she’s not only North Carolina’s richest woman, she’s also its most notorious. The victim of a famous kidnapping as a child and a widow four times over, Ruby ruled the tiny town of Tavistock from Ashby House, her family’s estate high in the Blue Ridge mountains. In the aftermath of her death, that estate—along with a nine-figure fortune and the complicated legacy of being a McTavish—pass to her adopted son, Camden.

But to everyone’s surprise, Cam wants little to do with the house or the money—and even less to do with the surviving McTavishes. Instead, he rejects his inheritance, settling into a normal life as an English teacher in Colorado and marrying Jules, a woman just as eager to escape her own messy past.

Ten years later, Camden is a McTavish in name only, but a summons in the wake of his uncle’s death brings him and Jules back into the family fold at Ashby House. Its views are just as stunning as ever, its rooms just as elegant, but coming home reminds Cam why he was so quick to leave in the first place.

Jules, however, has other ideas, and the more she learns about Cam’s estranged family—and the twisted secrets they keep—the more determined she is for her husband to claim everything Ruby once intended for him to have.

But Ruby’s plans were always more complicated than they appeared. As Ashby House tightens its grip on Jules and Camden, questions about the infamous heiress come to light. Was there any truth to the persistent rumors following her disappearance as a girl? What really happened to those four husbands, who all died under mysterious circumstances? And why did she adopt Cam in the first place? Soon, Jules and Cam realize that an inheritance can entail far more than what’s written in a will—and that the bonds of family stretch far beyond the grave.

Quick Thoughts:

This was another of Shay’s book club books, but again, it wasn’t available at the library when she suggested it.

This was a quick read, but I didn’t love it. I felt like so many of the characters just seemed so crazy. I don’t mind a crazy character, but this was just hard to relate to.

There were surprises along the way, and everything was tied up pretty nicely in the end. I’ve read at least one other book by Hawkins…The Wife Upstairs and really liked it. A friend recommended The Villa, so I’ve downloaded it to my Kindle.

Rating:

Sorry if you read Shay’s blog and mine. This might have been a boring recap. I want to participate in her book club, but most of the books have library wait list, so I’m reading them just whenever they become available for me.

Maybe April will be my four book month! Having spring break should help.