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March was a bit of a slow month for me. I definitely did not reach my goal of three books a month, but that is okay. If you read my little life update for March, or if you didn’t, I got a new job! A shiny new job that took me away from my personal goals for a few weeks while I settled into my new position. (You can read about my life update, here, if you’d like.)
However, now that I am a bit more settled, I am eager to get back on track. So here is what I read in March + what I am currently reading.
First up, was The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz.
I haven’t written a review of this book yet and that is primarily because this book sucked.
There is so much more I disliked than liked.
The Writing Retreat is about a woman named Alex, who is seemingly stuck in her life. She has writer’s block, she hasn’t progressed in her career, and she’s had a falling out with one of her closest friends, Wren.
That is, until she gets the opportunity to attend a writer’s retreat, with the famous and idolized writer, Roza Vallo.
The writing retreat doesn’t go as planned. Alex is ushered to upstate New York with a few other women, who are also writers, hoping to write their next great novel in Roza’s Blackbriar Estate.
I won’t get into much more since I do want to post a review of this book, which will look a bit deeper into my thoughts and explain exactly why I did not enjoy this book.
The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz made me feel like I needed a retreat from reading. So I decided to put my trust into a book I’ve been wanting to read for a while, by an author I own nearly every book of.
One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid took me right out of the negative mood The Writing Retreat had put me in.
As soon as I finished this book, I turned to my cat and said “One True Loves walked, so Evelyn Hugo could run”.
This book is one of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s earlier books and you can tell. Her writing has progressed and improved SO MUCH between One True Loves and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo.
I loved this story and discovered there is a movie coming out at some point this year featuring, Phillipa Soo, Simu Lui, and Luke Bracey.
(Also, did a tiny bit of digging and found a trailer and the movie premieres in select theaters on April 7th and on digital, on April 14th!)
One True Loves questions what it really means to love and investigates the different types of love we experience throughout our lives.
The writing isn’t what you can expect from a current Taylor Jenkins Reid novel, but the heart of TJR is there and that counts more, in my opinion.
Lastly, what I’m currently reading!
I am currently almost halfway through the audiobook version of The Family Game and I LOVE IT!
Catherine Steadman recorded it herself and she really brings a whole new “voice” to the book.
For example, you know how women narrators fake a deep voice when a man is speaking? Catherine Steadman manages to not only lose her accent but also sound reasonable when voicing other characters.
There is also a scratchy phone sound whenever a character is speaking to the main character over the phone, which I will freely admit I fangirl over for very little reason. I’m enjoying the audiobook so much, I might be persuaded to buy myself a copy.
I’m also (still) reading Babel by R.F. Kuang.
I think I have been reading Babel for almost two months now. Which is fairly embarrassing. I have never kept reading a book for this long. By this point, I would have rather moved on than kept on trying to finish a story.
Something about this book keeps pulling me back in. It makes its way all around my apartment because I find myself reading it whenever I have a spare moment.
With my new schedule, I am realizing that audiobooks are a much better option for me. I am also considering buying myself a Kindle for my birthday to be able to read on my lunch breaks when I don’t want to listen to my book.
That said, I am looking forward to getting back on track with my reading goals. So without rambling on further, I’d absolutely love to hear what you’re reading!
You Might Also Like: My February Reading Recap // My January Reading Recap
