Reading is my oldest and favorite hobby. I literally can’t remember a time in my life when I didn’t love to curl up with a good book. Here are my reads for March, 2021.
Few Eggs and No Oranges: the Diaries of Vere Hodgson 1940-45, by Vere Hodgson – I’ve had this World War II diary on my TBR for ages – it’s a daunting size, but I finally decided to pick it up. Hodgson’s voice shines through and her meticulous recording of life in London during World War II made for fascinating reading. Whether she’s musing that the city has been “a bit Blitzy” or chronicling the antics of her office cat, she’s an engaging diarist, and this volume really brings her experience to life.
Black Narcissus, by Rumer Godden – I’ll be honest, I picked up this book for two reasons – one, that cover (gorgeous!) and two, because nuns in the Himalaya. Black Narcissus follows a small convent as it tries to establish in the “House of Women,” an eerie mountaintop palace formerly occupied by the local prince’s harem. The house works its unnerving magic on each of the nuns in different ways, leading to tragedy. This was an absorbing and atmospheric read – highly recommended.
The House of Mirth, by Edith Wharton – I think the general consensus is that The House of Mirth is Edith Wharton’s masterpiece, and I won’t disagree – although I still love The Age of Innocence best. Without saying much here, because I am going to post a full review for my Classics Club challenge, it was beautiful and heartbreaking.
Cheerful Weather for the Wedding, by Julia Strachey – I decided to read this slim volume in March because it takes place on March 5 (another Bloomsbury quotidian novel!). Although I didn’t read it on the date, I did blaze through over the course of one afternoon. It was beautifully written in the experimental Bloomsbury style (the author knew Virginia Woolf, and Woolf was a fan of her work) and, while not destined to be an all-time favorite, was a very good read.
The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz, by Erik Larson – I like “dad books” and I cannot lie. (Sorry.) I’ve been looking forward to the latest Erik Larson since the subject was announced, but moved out of my old library system just before my number was called on the holds queue there, and I had to start from scratch in my new county. Worth the wait, though! I loved this look at Churchill through the lens of his family and close friends – especially his daughter Mary and daughter-in-law Pamela.
Ex Libris: 100+ Books to Read and Reread, by Michiko Kakutani – An impulse-add at the library, but how could this not be great? Michiko Kakutani is a former Chief Book Critic for The New York Times, and I have always had great respect for her literary judgment. Her tastes are as wide and catholic as you would expect for someone in that role, and I got so many wonderful recommendations from this.
A Morbid Taste for Bones (The Chronicles of Brother Cadfael #1), by Ellis Peters – I first “discovered” Brother Cadfael through a short story in one of my anthologies of Christmas-themed mysteries, and was keen to check out the novel-length version. I loved this! A Morbid Taste for Bones introduces the Welsh monk and his medieval abbey in Shrewsbury, England, describing a journey to Wales to retrieve the relics of a saint for the ambitious prior’s glory and the all-too-human murder that follows. It was a total delight and I loved the historical setting, the strong female characters and the engaging mystery. I did figure out the “whodunit,” but I don’t hold that against a mystery novel – I often guess the culprit and am in it more for the journey than the denouement. I’ll definitely continue with Brother Cadfael.
Mango and Mimosa, by Suzanne St. Albans – It has been a few months since I dipped into my Slightly Foxed stash. Mango and Mimosa is a childhood memoir by a French Duchess who seems to have lived a remarkably adventurous life with her eccentric family. Suzanne’s family – hermit Papa, social butterfly Mamma, strict Swiss nanny Marie, brother John and sisters Anne and Christine – split their time between Provence and their estate of Assam Java in what is now Malaysia. Suzanne records all the details of their unconventional life, from scorpions dropping out of the thatch in the “night nursery” at Assam Java to the odd local characters in Provence. It was a total delight and the perfect way to end the month and welcome in spring.
Well, it WAS a month! Bit of a light month in terms of pure numbers, especially when you consider that March is one of the longest months of the year. There were a few working nights and some family stuff that accounts for that. But what I may be lacking in numbers, I can make up for in quality! Everything this month was good – it’s almost hard to choose highlights. I guess I had WWII on the brain, because I suppose the high points of the month were the new (-ish, it came out in 2020) Erik Larson and the Vere Hodgson diaries, both of which focused on the Blitz. Perhaps as the pandemic stretches on and on, I’ve been looking for parallels with another lengthy ordeal, although the differences are obvious. Anyway. The House of Mirth was wonderful as well, and Mango and Mimosa was a delightful way to close out the month – all good, really.
How was your March in books?
covered in flour 