March Reading Wrap-Up

I'm late posting my wrap-up and I, of course apologize.  March was a great reading month. I finished 13 books.  12 audiobooks and an ARC on my Kindle.  Unfortunately, I did DNF 5 books during March.  But I wasn't enjoying them, so why force oneself?
The DNF'd books were:

• The Good Liar by Catherine McKenzie
• Die Trying by Lee Child (I just don't think his books are for me)
• The Island of Sea Women (I've loved several of Lisa See's books, but this one I could not get into at all and I was disappointed in the one before that, The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane)
• Burying The Honeysuckle Girls by Emily Carpenter
• The Sometimes Sisters (Another author who I don't think is for me.  I tried listening to another of her books in January or February and that one I also DNF'd.  I might give her one more chance and if I do I will read the book, instead of listening to it.

I read: 

3 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟books: The High Tide Club by Mary Kay Andrews, Daughter of Molokai'i by Alan Brennert, and Never Stop Walking:A Memoir of Finding Home Across the World by Christina Rickardsson
6 🌟🌟🌟🌟books
3 🌟🌟🌟 books
1 🌟🌟book
and no 🌟books

I went into April reading Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder.  I should be posting that review to this blog later today or tomorrow.

Dear Bob and Sue

4 stars! I really enjoyed this one; I wasn't bored at all. It is written as emails from Matt Smith, but a few are from his wife, Karen to their friends named, of course, Bob and Sue, about their year plus trip to all 58 of the country's national parks. I was chuckling to myself at some of the comments. I highly recommend this fun read . Humorous and you learn something about the United States as well in the process.

Tumble

Neely returns to Tennessee after being looked over for a promotion that should have been hers from the get-go. There she reunites with old friends and an old flame that broke her heart. For most of the book, I was wavering between 2 stars (ok) and 3 stars (good), but the last few chapters is what cinched it for into being a 4 star book.

American Fire: Love, Arson, and Life in a Vanishing Land

3 Stars. During the winter of 2011 to 2012 for about 5 months in Accomack County, Virginia was inundated with over 60 arson fires, This is the story of those fires and the couple that set them. This is a good, but not great true crime novel. I originally was going to give this 2 stars, but as I thought more about it over the 2 days since I read it, I feel 3 stars is more deserving. Interesting and well-researched, but not a favorite that will stay in my memory for very long

Undaunted: Surviving Jonestown, Summoning Courage, and Fighting Back

The deaths at Jonestown is the first real news story that I remember happening in my lifetime. It occurred on my 10th birthday, so between me being 10 and being all over the news on my birthday that is probably why I remember it so clearly. Before that time, nothing in the news sticks with me except the occasion of President Ford falling down the stairs of Air Force One or whatever plane they used and him hitting people with golf balls when his golf shots went into the crowds.

This book only covers one, maybe two chapters on Jonestown, so don't be looking for much on that, but this memoir is an account of Jackie Speier's life up through modern times, including mentions of President Trump.

I listened to this on audio and it is narrated by the author. Sometimes, when the author narrates his or her own book, it adds to the experience, but in this case, I think a different narrator would have been better. I found the book very interesting and everything Jackie Speirs has had to endure and the tragedies, etc. that she has had to deal with was remarkable. I give the book 3.5 stars and raise it up to 4 stars for Goodreads.

A Curve in the Road

3 stars. The beginning of this book really sucked me in right from the start, but unfortunately it did not stay that way throughout.  Although most of the book was relatively good and I never harbored thoughts of DNF'ing it, I was disappointed in the ending.  It was wrapped up to neatly for me with everything turning out good.  What I did love in the book was Abby's devotion to her dog.  After the car (this happens in the first chapter, I believe, so it is not a spoiler; her first thoughts are of her dog, Winston, who was in the car with her and through out the story, he plays a role. 

The Beantown Girls

4 stars The first half of this book, I thought this was interesting but in between ok and good, but by the end I really did enjoy this and found it more than just good. I never heard about the Red Cross Clubmobile girls from WWII and found this rather interesting. At first, I wasn't crazy about the characters, but I liked how they ended up growing as individuals in the book. I am giving this 4 stars and although I don't think this book will be as memorable, long term, as some books that I have read. It was quite entertaining and I learned about an aspect of the war/war effort that I never knew about and through the female perspective