March Reading Roundup
Some of the books I read and enjoyed last month
Howdy pals,
I didn’t read a ton last month because I was moving. One thing I did find time to do is make a Bookshop.org storefront. All the books I talk about are there for your online book shopping needs (please don’t buy books from Amazon). The list is called 2025 Reads and you can find it here.
Saturday, April 26 is Indie Bookstore Day. If you’re lucky enough to have access to indie bookstores, Saturday is a great day to go buy a book or two. The big three indies in Nashville are Parnassus Books, The Bookshop and Novelette. If you’re trying to cut back on how much you buy from Amazon, books are an easy place to start.
I know a lot of folks read books that are only available on Amazon (specific genres, books that are self-published, etc.). You are a robust community and I hate that you’re being excluded by traditional publishing and traditional shopping. Go on about your day. This message isn’t for you.
If you’re someone who reads current bestsellers, buzzy books, or books published by the main publishing houses, you can buy your books from indies or from Bookshop.org. Most indies have online ordering. Obviously, all of Bookshop.org is online. Yes, you will pay for shipping. Yes, it will take an extra day or two to get your book, but I bet you can wait and I bet you can afford an extra five dollars.
Quit giving that man more money and buy your books from places that align with your values.
Let’s get into what I read in March!
This post contains affiliate links to Bookshop.org and Libro.fm. If you make a purchase through these links, I earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.
Fleishman Is in Trouble by Taffy Brodesser-Akner
Shout-out to Devin (Dervin if you’re nasty) for this book. During the lockdown part of the pandemic, Devin drove around to people’s houses giving them books. This is the book she gave me and I inexplicably waited all these years to read it.
I liked it? My one complaint is the narrator shift throughout the book. I found it confusing. It’s all explained in the end, but it made for a mildly confusing read. Overall, I liked this. A solid three out of five stars. I haven’t watched the tv show yet, but I’m going to.
Side note:
I can’t stop thinking about how the main character, a doctor, is chided for becoming a doctor, which is almost portrayed as a blue collar job by his rich Wall Street “friends.” Like, they can’t believe he willingly works that hard for that little money. I thought about this the whole time I was watching The Pitt. I’m also now seeing videos on TikTok by doctors explaining how little they make unless they’re in one of the big money-making fields. It’s a real perspective shift for me because I grew up thinking a doctor is the height of jobs, and income. I’m old. It probably used to be that way, but it’s clearly either changing, or people are being more open about it now.
The Dream Hotel by Laila Lalami
Loved the premise, didn’t love the book. The book is set a little bit into the future and a mass shooting happens at the Super Bowl. In response, Congress finally does something about guns and creates a risk assessment agency. You have a device put in your brain that constantly assesses your risk to commit violence.
There are retention centers (Dream Hotels) for women whose risk assessment score is high enough to get them placed on a 21 day hold, usually based on having dreams about hurting their husbands. 👀
The ending fell short for me. The pacing was a little slow for my taste. The first half is great. There’s a weird POV shift in the middle that felt out of place. The last half felt rushed and at times boring to read. I wanted there to be more action, higher stakes and faster pacing.
It’s such a great premise. I just wish it had been more of an exciting read. If this gets sliced and diced and made into a movie or tv show, I will 100% watch it.
Back After This by Linda Holmes
What a book! Friends to lovers set in D.C. against the backdrop of a podcast network where the main character works as a producer. Really fresh and fun. Kind of a must read/listen for anyone who’s worked on a podcast, although I believe my friend Bernadette mentioned that this hit a little too close to workplace/home for her, so it was less of an escape and more of a stressful ‘Wait. Is this play about us?’ read. MMV, but I loved it.
I forgot to mention this, but I read both The Dream Hotel and Back After This for Roxane Gay’s Audacious Book Club.
DNF Books:
Free: My Search for Meaning by Amanda Knox
I downloaded this audiobook forgetting that Amanda Knox has already written a book about what happened to her (which I bought and regret not reading). So it’s on me for being disappointed that this is a self-help book and not a book about her trial. If you want to read a self-help book written by Amanda Knox, this one is possibly good. I wouldn’t know because I stopped it and decided to go back and read her 2013 memoir.
Creep: A Love Story by Emma van Straaten
I started listening to this on a long walk one day and realized 90 minutes in that I was not invested enough to finish it. So I didn’t.
Don’t forget, now you can find all of these books in The Blonde Mule storefront.
I know paying $5/mo to read everyone’s newsletter isn’t realistic for a lot of folks (myself included). Emma Copley Eisenberg added this to her last newsletter and I thought it was such a good idea that I copied it. If you got something out of this newsletter today and want to contribute $5 to buy me a coffee, now you can! Either way, thank you for being here week after week.
XOXO,
Kim
ICYMI: Here’s what I read last month:
Very cool that you started a Bookshop.org storefront! YAY! Thank you for doing your part to keep people from buying books from that man!