The Best Books I Read in March 2021
March started out okay reading-wise and then I slipped into a slump. For the middle two+ weeks of the month, I didn’t care much about what I was reading. I DNF-ed two books I’d been looking forward to and generally didn’t connect with anything I read.
And then over the last week or so, I’ve enjoyed what I’ve read and savored reading time again. I managed to finish seventeen books in March. Only two were non-fiction, the rest were novels and novellas.
Here’s a look at the best books I read.
The Best Books I Read in March 2021
The Intimacy Experiment by Rosie Danan
Contemporary Romance
Advanced copy from Edelweiss+, expected publication April 6, 2021 Naomi is a retired porn star who gets talked into teaching a seminar on modern intimacy at a Jewish synagogue by a handsome rabbi. If that isn’t the most brilliant plot for a romance novel, I don’t know what is! I’m beyond impressed that novels with characters who are sex workers are mainstream! Danan’s writing is clever and concise. She gets straight to the point with compassion, humor, and plenty of steam. The sex positivity in this book is wonderful. The tension between the two main love interests builds in an incredibly sexy yet tender way. I loved everything about this story and highly recommend it for readers of romance, though I suggest you read The Roommate first.
Marriage and Murder by Penny Reid
Cozy Mystery
Book two in the Solving For Pie mystery series which is a spin off from the Winston Brothers series (which is a spin off from the Knitting in the City series.)
I absolutely loved this book in every way. It was a comfort to return to Green Valley and the Winston family. This book is much more solidly a mystery than the first in the series. I was shocked by several twists in the story and laughed out loud plenty of times. This is also a very sexy book for a murder mystery! I appreciate how Penny shows that her characters struggle with real life situations like feeling guilty for being horny while in a state of grieving. Her characters and her stories perfectly capture the messiness of real life. I recommend this series for readers of cozy mysteries and romance. You must at least start with Beard Science before you tackle the mysteries.
Writing into the Wound by Roxane Gay
Non-fiction/Audiobook
[block rendering halted]This is only available through Scribd. I signed up for a free trial so I could listen to it. I love Roxane’s work and this was a compelling listen. As a writer myself, I was hoping I would learn techniques from this book. Instead it more of her commentary on writing about trauma from what she teaches on the subject. She did recommend several books she considers well written about trauma, so that’s good to have. This is a very short audiobook so I plan to listen to it again soon for it to fully sink in. I recommend this one for Roxane’s readers as well as those interested in reading or writing about trauma.
Just Like You by Nick Hornby
Contemporary Fiction/Romance/Audiobook
I absolutely adore unconventional love stories, and this is one of the sweetest I’ve read. But it isn’t a straight forward romance novel, which I appreciate. Here we have an older white woman with a younger black man, in London around the time of the Brexit vote. Yes the novel focuses on a love story, but it shows how a relationship isn’t only about those two people. Lucy and Joseph have family, co-workers, exes, and other potential lovers in their lives that they have to deal with both in relation to each other and separately. This story is ultimately about how we don’t have power over who we are drawn to and love. Overall this is well written, funny, and timely. I like how Hornby incorporated political issues into the background (and sometimes the foreground), it made the story realistic and gave the characters depth. I highly recommend this novel for Hornby fans, as well as readers of romance and literary fiction. I especially recommend the audiobook.
What was the best book you read in March?
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