March Reads and Favorites: 2024
After this month, it would appear I may need to adjust my reading goal on Goodreads. Which I most likely won't do. Either way, here is what happened in March.
March Reads:
The Stranger in Her House by John Marrs
Surely You Can't Be Serious: The True Story of Airplane! by David Zucker
Building a Second Brain: A Proven Method to Organize Your Digital Life and Unlock Your Creative Potential by Tiago Forte
The 32 Principles by Rener Gracie
Playground by Aron Beauregard
The Aleph by Jorge Luis Borges
Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott
Saving Noah by Lucinda Berry
Cows by Matthew Stokoe
Devout: A Memoir of Doubt by Anna Gazmarian
Everything I Have Lost by Sylvia Aguilar-Zéleny
Cancel Culture Dictionary: An A to Z Guide to Winning the War on Fun by Jimmy Failla
Every Last Word by Tamara Stone
The Three Questions by Miguel Ruiz
The Day I Die: The Untold Story of Assisted Dying in America by Anita Hannig
This Wretched Valley by Jenny Kiefer
The Phantom Prince: My Life with Ted Bundy by Elizabeth Kendall
Worth Reading:
For those who do not know, the smiling face above belongs to John Marrs, an author I had never heard of until I found my way to an online book club. I got a notification that he would be interviewed via Zoom so I bought a copy of The Stranger in Her House to get a better look at his work. Zero disappointments. Halfway through the book, I hit a plot twist I was not expecting. And that kept happening until the end. Fantastically creative author and after listening to him on the Zoom call, he will forever be a favorite author of mine.
For Busy People:
How in the hell did I manage to go through 17 books in a month? One of the benefits of not having any friends, I suppose. I don’t want to offer thoughts on every single book, so here are some points I felt like making. Thanks for coming to my TED Talk.
David Zucker's book is best experienced as an audiobook. Many of the people involved with Airplane and the surrounding history talk and make the book even more fun to listen to compared to reading it.
The rumor online is you cannot make it beyond page 37 (or page 40 depending on the post) of Playground. I stomached it, but it wasn't easy. One of the most graphic books I have ever finished. I talk briefly about this book in episode 13 of the podcast.
Bird by Bird is fantastic for authors, writers, those with writing a book on their bucket list, etc. This was an easy and inspiring read. I am glad that I bought a copy to keep.
Saving Noah nearly broke me. Nearly. It was important enough to devote an episode to.
Just when I think I have read everything and nothing could ever be worse, I am surprised. When I got through Cows, I found out why people have a tough time with it. The book is creative, but the most graphic book and made my stomach uneasy in several spots. I talk briefly about this book in episode 13 of the podcast.
I thought This Wretched Valley was a unique horror story. It was not at all what I expected and loved the Blair Witch vibes.
For readers who love anything about serial killers, The Phantom Prince is certainly one you will want to read. I have read about Ted Bundy in the past, as well as watched many documentaries about him. Seeing the story from the perspective of his girlfriend was unique and I believe an important part of the story to tell.