on the bookshelf :: March

February was such a busy month, I finished exactly one book, and that one was an audio that I’d started back before Christmas! I more than made up for it in March though, with a solid finish tally of EIGHT books! Just in the nick of time too, to bring my year to date total to thirteen books for an average of one per week.

Christmas Tales (William McInnes) // my last Christmas book, I got this one finished in February during the long trek to Sydney – I was in the car alone with all of Bear’s belongings while Mr Barefoot and the kids took the train, so it was a great chance to power through some audiobooks! I really enjoyed this one, I’ve loved William McInnes since I watched Blue Heelers as a teen (I’m showing my age a bit there, I know), and more recently, in The Newsreader, and have enjoyed his previous memoirs and novels. This was an enjoyable collection of autobiographical Christmas-adjacent stories which made for a fun listen.

The Golden Thread (Tea Cooper) // We were lucky enough to have Tea and Sarah Barrie stop by our local library on their recent promo tour of the north west, and of course I had to buy a book from each of them. It’s just the polite thing to do really. I started with Tea’s book, and while it isn’t my favourite of hers, it was still quite a fun read (and has tickled my creative mojo as well with a couple of ideas for future projects)

Anne of Green Gables / Anne of Avonlea / Anne of The Island / Anne of Windy Poplars (LM Montgomery) // blame Threads. After days of AOGG discourse, I caved and over the space of a week, reread the first four books. I’m currently halfway through Anne’s House of Dreams, but rapidly losing steam. It was a fun, easy, nostalgic read over a busy couple of weeks.

The Sublet (Greer Hendricks) // a short story that was a First Reads freebie, I read this one Thursday night while in town waiting for Beetle to be done at scouts. It was an ok read, but probably not enough to get me to pick up another book by the same author

American Housewife (Anita Abriel) // last month’s bookclub read, I quite enjoyed this one, though not as much as the first book of hers I read. A couple of points felt a bit belaboured, and the ending was all a bit neat, but overall a decent read.

Learning to Love (Trinity Wood) // found for free during AUNZ Stuff Your Kindle day, I knocked this one over in an evening. A fluffy romance that was ok, but I probably wouldn’t recommend it – the pacing felt rushed and the romance felt a bit blunt and hamfisted for my preferences. It was free though, so I’m not going to complain, and its a book read and finished instead of scrolling so that is a win

Currently on my bookstack – I’ve started reading Elizabeth & Elizabeth, but it’s taking me a bit to get into (can’t say I’m loving the first person POV – which I hate at the best of times – used for genuine historical figures), and on audible, I’ve started The Seven Skins Of Esther Wilder as I start working through my long neglected catalogue.

What are you reading at the minute?