Books Read in March 2015

March was a busy month, and yet I managed to read more than I had in the previous two months. Once again, my reading was mostly light escapist/entertainment, and that worked well given my time constraints and lack of focus.  Despite my best intentions I only started one book that was on the reread pile, and once again I did not finish, not because the book is not excellent, not because I didn't want to read it, but because of a toxic combination of time constraints and sinus issues that left me feeling like I could not devote adequate attention.   A book I read this month also got added to that pile, but I shall go ahead and list it, with the indication that a review will be forthcoming but not probably for a few months. This list, after all, serves mostly an accounting function.

Books in the order read:

Jeffrey Archer, A Prisoner of Birth. This was the first novel I have read by Archer and I found it to be a rather gripping read.  The reader knows what happened from the beginning; the question is how is the man who is falsely convicted going to prove his innocence?  I particularly enjoyed the court scenes and struggled with a few of the antics surrounding the mistaken identity portion of the novel, but this was not enough to make the novel less enjoyable.  I also like the way this book is both riveting thriller about injustice and revenge, and also about our ability to change, the potential everyone is born with, the ways in which we categorize and misjudge people based on appearances, and the ways we are all prisoners of our birth and circumstances.

Suzanne Munshower, Younger.  A Kindle First book. It was listed as an espionage/thriller, and although that may be technically true, it didn't measure up.  I read it because I had a bad sinus headache and could hardly move. Not recommended.

Alan Furst, The Spies of Warsaw.  Another first-time author for me.  It is really not a spy novel in the modern spy/thriller sense.  It is more of a novel of espionage and the politics surrounding the fear of and preparation for war.  The scale is small and nuanced, with a sense of restraint. Although the book is not particularly gripping, not particularly suspenseful, the reader becomes wrapped up the story and regrets having to leave. I felt the book, and the character's actions had a work-a day realism that really emphasized a sense of the tension and dread, denial and suspicion that existed in Europe in the late 30's. I will read more by this author. 

Tom McCarthy, Satin Island.  Fascinating novel despite its lack of plot or traditional characterizations.  Intelligent and thought provoking study of modern life, its connections and disconnections.  I was especially struck by the way the narrator accumulates data on things that might be interesting (I have been known to do that), but especially by the way this obsession with data and information both overwhelms and obscures, and the way we are both more informed and yet less connected, and perhaps even less knowledgeable.  I waffled back and forth over this novel and in the end can state that I find it unsettling, but not necessarily something I wish to read again.  

Nick Hornsby, Funny Girl, A Novel. Shallow.  Although I didn't think it was great as a novel, I did think it would make a great movie.

Chuck Grosser, The Gemini Effect. Thoroughly enjoyable apocalypse fantasy.  It is not realistic, and frankly better for not being realistic.  I want escapism, where hopefully some good guys win in the end, I don't want to be terrified.

Cixin Liu, The Three Body Problem. An excellent novel, heavy with science, which I wish I had been able to delve into more deeply.  This will be read again, probably over the summer, and reviewed at that time.

Lauren Bacall, By Myself and Then Some. Candid.  Better early on, but I definitely wanted to like this more than I actually did.