It’s the first Thursday of the month. You know what that means, ’cause we do this on the first Thursday of every month! Time to report!
What is the best book you read in March 2017 and why did you love it? It doesn’t have to be a newly published book, or even SFF. We just want to share some great reading material. Feel free to post a full review of the book here, or a link to the review on your blog, or just write a few sentences about why you thought it was awesome.
(And don’t forget that we always have plenty more reading recommendations on our Fanlit Faves page and our 5-Star SFF page. And we’ve also got a constantly updating list of new and forthcoming releases.)
As always, one commenter will choose a book from our stacks.
We’ve got a couple of giveaways still current. Find those here!
We’re updating our theme, so things may be a little messy or slow until we’re finished. Thank you for being patient with us!
I have to say my favorite of March was Redemption Song (Daniel Faust, #2) by Craig Schaefer. There are several reasons!
~ Craig goes for the big punches. He has no worries about blood and gore.
~ The connections between all the problems is so well done. They are connected yet happening on their own, thriving off the others to help their selves.
~ Craig draws me in, paying close attention to details as there is always something happening. Just when you think things can’t get worse. It does.
Just so well put together! And I listened to it on audio, and the narrator is totally awesome. :)
March was not a big reading month for me. Well, I did a lot of reading though less than usual and I read more re-reads than usual. About half of the books I read in March are old favorites I read for comfort and the laughs I needed. However, there were two new to me books that stood out:
Magic for Nothing by Seanan McGuire is the latest in her Incriptid series and is fun and interesting like the others and does contain Aeslin mice, which is a bonus IMO.
The Lost Property Office by James R. Hannibal was fun. I listened to the audiobook and while it had a bit of a slow start, I enjoyed it quite well. I especially liked the library well and the cat that is tolerated because you just can’t not tolerate him without consequences.
Butler’s Parable of the Talents
The Parable duology should be in the current discussions along with 1984 and The Handmaid’s Tale with what is happening currently in our country.
Loved Intisar Khanani’s ‘Sunbolt.’ (YA novella). Intisar is a great storyteller and I love her diversity of both place and character. Compelling action that leaves you wanting more. I don’t usually read YA but this proved to be a read worthy of all fantasy lovers. Just wishing it had been a full-length novel. Anxiously awaiting next installment.
Star Wars, Catalyst: A Rogue One Novel, by James Luceno.
It was cool to get some back story to the characters me meet in the movie, Rogue One.
It was a non-fiction for me:
Homo Deus by Yuval Noah Harari
Dream Angus, by Alexander McCall Smith
The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit, by Michael Finkel
The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood
The Hero and the Crown, by Robin McKinley
If I have to pick one, I’ll say The Hero and the Crown
March was a solid month for me, but I’d probably have to give Skullsworn by Brian Staveley the edge.
I’ve preordered my signed copy of Skullsworn. I’m looking forward to reading it in a few weeks. *rubs hands*
The Path of Flames, by Phil Tucker. Multiple POVs and I’m invested in all of them. Exciting world, excellent & brutal battle scenes, demons, orc uprisings, ancient floating fortresses, portal gates, family treachery, and general badass-ery!
Silence Fallen by Patricia Briggs.
I loved Rejected Princesses by Jason Porath. Porath is a former animator, and he got the idea for this book when he and his colleagues made a joke list of historical women least likely to feature in Disney Princess movies. There are 100 kick-butt women from dozens of countries, and each one also has a portrait Porath designed himself. Not SFF, but super cool. You should all read it.
I read “Uzumaki” by Junji Ito. It’s a very scary graphic novel where a town is invaded by strange spiral shapes.
The Traitor Baru Cormorant. But that was also the most depressing book I’ve read in quite a while.
My reading list didn’t have much variety in March as I read the 5th and 6th Harry Potter books, and started the final book (finished it on April 2). I have never read a series straight through. I have to mix in a few other books from different genres to add some variety. I did this with the HP series but I easily could have read all seven books back-to-back. They were that good.
The best one of the three I read in March was the 6th book, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.
I’d have to say it’s a toss up between Firebrand by Kristen Britain and Silence Fallen by Patricia Briggs. Both were fantastic editions to their respective series, and I loved every moment of both. And can’t wait for more :)
I read two SFF books in March that were really good, American Gods and Kings of the Wyld but neither one made the top spots.
My two favorite reads were both audiobooks;
A Rage in Harlem by Chester Himes read by Samuel L Jackson-a great crime story that is elevated by the narration as Jackson moves seamlessly between voices and characters.
Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen read by Springsteen-I grew up with his music but I never would have considered myself an uber-fan. The combination of Springsteen’s narration and the rather unflinching look at his life and career made for a fantastic listen.
Melissa, if you live in the USA, you win a book of your choice from our stacks.
Please contact me (Marion) with your choice and a US address. Happy reading!
Cool beans! That’s a nice gift for Easter. :) Thank you Marion! I’ll look through the stacks and email you.