Looking back over the books I’ve read recently, it feels as though this was a very long month. I feel as though I’ve read much more than I actually have, but I still haven’t quite conquered the reading malaise that 2015 has brought.
Perhaps this is because this month I’ve also read chunks of another couple of books that haven’t made the list, as I ended up putting them to one side without finishing.
The first book I completed this month was Midnight Crossroad by Charlaine Harris, the author of the Sookie Stackhouse novels. I’ve missed the quirky world of Bon Temps, so decided to give the first in this new series a try.
And I wasn’t disappointed. After a slow start, which was spent getting to know a lot of new characters all at once, the story became an exciting and unusual – if light-hearted – mystery. I reviewed the book in full earlier in the month, so I won’t go into detail here, but I’m looking forward to catching up with the residents of Midnight when the next book in the series comes out.
This month’s second book was The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, a supernatural YA thriller that I bought on a whim after reading a review on another blog.
The story follows a teenage girl who is involved in a horrible accident that kills her friends, but that she struggles to remember. To help her recovery, her family move away to Florida, where she is enrolled in a private school. Plagued by hallucinations and bad dreams, Mara barely fits in at her new school and her psychiatrist mother is on the verge of having her admitted to hospital. But when she starts to develop a relationship with a boy at school, she discovers that something strange is happening to her and her problems might not be entirely in her mind.
This isn’t a perfect novel, but it’s one I really enjoyed. The story rattles along at a page-turning pace and there are plenty of shocking developments. This is also the first book in a series, and it ends at just the right place to leave the reader wanting more.
I finished the month with a classic: Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen. It’s been on my reading list for a while and I was inspired to start after reading Xandra’s Letters from Austen, which you can read more about here.
One of Austen’s earliest works, Northanger Abbey is interesting in some of the themes, which seem to provide a precursor to the famous Jane Eyre. It’s an engaging story, with Austen’s trademark heroine, who seeks romance and independence in her own charming way. Definitely give it a go if you have enjoyed some of the author’s other novels.
March’s reads
- Midnight Crossroad (Midnight Texas 1), by Charlaine Harris (read my review)
- The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer 1), by Michelle Hodkin
- Northanger Abbey (Wordsworth Classics), by Jane Austen (read more here)
Affiliate links included.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of Midnight Crossroad from the publisher via Netgalley for the purposes of review. All opinions are my own.
Kristin | My Life as a Teacup says
Believe it or not, I had to read the first Sookie Stackhouse book in college, and I actually quite enjoyed it. I keep meaning to pick up the other books in the series sometime, but it’s one series that jeeps just getting pushed back to make room for others ><;
Amy Lord says
The first few books in the series are great – I think number four is my favourite! Perhaps Novel Tea Book Club needs a Sookie Stackhouse fix? 🙂
Sara Strauss says
I bought The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer at a library sale and have been meaning to read it ever since! Good to know you liked it! Love Northanger Abbey!
~Sara