In March, my kids went to school most days, life was mostly normal, and the weather started to get nicer, which meant I took more opportunities to pop in my AirPods and go for an afternoon walk…and listen to books. I read three books in March…
And my goodness. They were all GOOD. In fact, if at least one of these doesn’t show up on my top three books of the year this year, I’ll be surprised.
I started the month reading…
The Great Alone. Alaska, 1974. Unpredictable. Unforgiving. Untamed.
For a family in crisis, the ultimate test of survival.
Ernt Allbright, a former POW, comes home from the Vietnam war a changed and volatile man. When he loses yet another job, he makes an impulsive decision: He will move his family north, to Alaska, where they will live off the grid in America’s last true frontier. Thirteen-year-old Leni, a girl coming of age in a tumultuous time, caught in the riptide of her parents’ passionate, stormy relationship, dares to hope that a new land will lead to a better future for her family. She is desperate for a place to belong. Her mother, Cora, will do anything and go anywhere for the man she loves, even if means following him into the unknown.
At first, Alaska seems to be the answer to their prayers. In a wild, remote corner of the state, they find a fiercely independent community of strong men and even stronger women. The long, sunlit days and the generosity of the locals make up for the Allbrights’ lack of preparation and dwindling resources. But as winter approaches and darkness descends on Alaska, Ernt’s fragile mental state deteriorates and the family begins to fracture. Soon the perils outside pale in comparison to threats from within. In their small cabin, covered in snow, blanketed in 18 hours of night, Leni and her mother learn the terrible truth: They are on their own. In the wild, there is no one to save them but themselves.
(Book summaries from Amazon)
Oh wow. This book was well written. I felt like I was in Alaska, living with the main character. I cried for her, felt in my heart the heartbreak she felt, and marveled at her strength. Ugh. It was in a word, fantastic. Warning, though, it describes in graphic detail domestic violence. But I would highly, highly, highly recommend.
Then I followed up that epic story with…
The Giver of Stars: Alice Wright marries handsome American Bennett Van Cleve hoping to escape her stifling life in England. But small-town Kentucky quickly proves equally claustrophobic, especially living alongside her overbearing father-in-law. So, when a call goes out for a team of women to deliver books as part of Eleanor Roosevelt’s new traveling library, Alice signs on enthusiastically.
The leader, and soon Alice’s greatest ally, is Margery, a smart-talking, self-sufficient woman who’s never asked a man’s permission for anything. They will be joined by three other singular women who become known as the Packhorse Librarians of Kentucky.
What happens to them – and to the men they love – becomes an unforgettable drama of loyalty, justice, humanity, and passion. These heroic women refuse to be cowed by men or by convention. And though they face all kinds of dangers in a landscape that is at times breathtakingly beautiful, at others brutal, they’re committed to their job: Bringing books to people who have never had any, arming them with facts that will change their lives.
Based on a true story rooted in America’s past, The Giver of Stars is unparalleled in its scope and epic in its storytelling. Funny, heartbreaking, enthralling, it is destined to become a modern classic – a richly rewarding novel of women’s friendship, of true love, and of what happens when we reach beyond our grasp for the great beyond.
I had read one of Jojo Moyes previous books, Me Before You, years ago and really enjoyed it. Again, this book did not disappoint. The historical setting was fun, and something I knew very little about in regards to the pack horse libraries. I thought the story was well done, and wow did I fall for one of the characters in the book. Another really great read!
Now I had read two great books in a row, but I was ready for something lighter, so I picked up…
Slightly South of Simple: Caroline Murphy swore she’d never set foot back in the small Southern town of Peachtree Bluff; she was a New York girl born and bred and the worst day of her life was when, in the wake of her father’s death, her mother selfishly forced her to move – during her senior year of high school, no less – back to that hick-infested rat trap where she’d spent her childhood summers. But now that her marriage to a New York high society heir has fallen apart in a very public, very embarrassing fashion, a pregnant Caroline decides to escape the gossipmongers with her nine-year-old daughter and head home to her mother, Ansley.
Ansley has always put her three daughters first, especially when she found out that her late husband, despite what he had always promised, left her with next to nothing. Now the proud owner of a charming waterfront design business and finally standing on her own two feet, Ansley welcomes Caroline and her brood back with open arms. But when her second daughter Sloane, whose military husband is overseas, and youngest daughter and successful actress Emerson join the fray, Ansley begins to feel like the piece of herself she had finally found might be slipping from her grasp. Even more discomfiting, when someone from her past reappears in Ansley’s life, the secret she’s harbored from her daughters their entire lives might finally be forced into the open.
And you know what? It was perfect to get me in the mood to welcome in spring. I found myself wanting to visit quaint little Peachtree Bluff, thoroughly interested by the story, and in love with these sisters and their dynamic. It was fun, breezy, and it would be the perfect beach read. Another good book to round out the month!
Tell me, what’s been on your must read list lately?
Previous book reviews:
I loved all three of these books too! Did you know the Peachtree Bluff book is part of a series? There are 3 others that go along with it– all equally cute and sweet.
I didn’t realize that Peachtree Bluff was series until after I had finished the first book. Excited to read the rest of them!
I loved The Great Alone. It made my slightly obsessed with Alaska, but I can’t imagine living through those winters!
Me neither! Definitely made me want to visit, though!
I loved Giver. A fave of all time. I loved the Peachtree bluff series. So good. I think I started Great Alone years ago. I need to give it another try
It was such a good book! Loved the characters and setting so much!
I did too!
Are the books clean? Aka no pg 13/ rated scenes? I read the great alone, and it was really good. Looking for interesting but clean books to read.
Oh gosh. That’s a good question. I’m no an expert in what makes a movie have a pg-13 rating, but I’d say all of them probably qualify for a pg-13 rating due to some of the scenes described in them.