March Roundup

Not a bad reading month in all, a good variety of books and I want to say I perhaps made a dent in the reviewing – but as quick as a flash the list grows yet again, but at least I have caught up with reviews with the books I read in 2023!

So where did I go in March? Murder seems to have started me off with this debut novel C.L. Miller – The Antique Hunter’s Guide to Murder. A new series of books with antiques as its backdrop and murder at its core. Interesting and a good way to start and find out about the main players, in this modern cosy mystery.

More familiar terrority when I picked up Helena Dixon – Murder at the Island Hotel, the latest in Kitty and Matts adventures. Very much a homage to the Christie novel and Burgh Island. It worked wonderfully well and really set the scene, I spotted the clue that led me to the culprit and was so pleased with myself. The next book takes us abroad and I will be part of the blog tour. So do come back for that.

Sticking with islands, I went with Katie Fforde – Island in the Sun. Her latest novel and whilst a departure perhaps in some of her previous themes. We are taken to Dominica, via the Shetland Isles and the wonderful descriptions of scenery and landscape and the impact of weather is delightful and draws you very much into the story. I learnt a lot which perhaps made up for the perhaps weaker in parts plot.

The weather is always predominant in lots of books as it so often sets the scene for the plot and the characters. That was the case in Sarah Bennett – Come Rain or Shine, the latest in the Juniper Meadows series. This series goes from strength to strength, the characters, the romance, the setting reminds me of a modern day Downton Abbey – save the estate and all those who work there, including the family. Simply Glorious whatever the weather.

Another author I enjoy reading, and always lucky enough to get advanced copies is Holly Martin – The Cottage on Strawberry Sands. Again this is the next book in the series and we are back watching romance blossom amongst young professionals, who are looking for something in life. the answer it seems has always been home.

I tend to read similar types of books and there is nothing wrong with that. I believe in reading what you enjoy the most, it is not punishment for anything! However thanks to netgalley and social media, I do step out of the comfort zones of such things which is how I come to read Kate Storey – The Memory Library. It features, books at its core, so it is always going to be a winner for me. This book moved me tears and looks at the relationship between mothers and daughters and all that is unsaid.

My other passion is historical fiction, in its many forms and intrigued by Lizzie Pook – Maude Horton’s Glorious Revenge it took me to London in the mid 19th century and to places further afield – The Artic. Fascinating tale of travel and ships and of the weird and wonderful fascinations the Victorians had.

I finished the month with a book I had been dipping in and out of for a couple of months. Peter Kay – T.V. Big Adventures on the Small Screen has the beauty of transporting you back to a time when you got up to change the channel, that you needed two tv magazines to know what was going to be on the television and the world stopped to watch shows that certainly would not be made today. A great look back at someone’s personal history through the medium of television.

So that was March, some real crackers in amongst there and I will endeavour to get reviews up. I am still ambling along and deciding what I want to do when it comes to reviews. It feels a bit too much like work and not enjoyment still, so therefore please bear with me.

How was your March reading? Anything tempt you? What are your plans for April?