Everything I Read in March, 2025

March:

29. The Lost Library by Wendy Mass and Rebecca Stead - Evan is preparing to graduate from 5th grade    and he's a little nervous about middle school. Mortimer the cat guards the last books from the former Martinville library (which burned many years ago), watching over his library cart. When Al, the assistant librarian, decides to build a Little Free Library with the books from Mortimer's book cart, everything begins to change. Evan takes two books from the LFL home and makes some discoveries that make him realize that there's a mystery afoot. A famous author once checked out a book from the Martinville library, all the books in the Little Free Library were checked in on the same date, and one of the books was checked out by his father Why doesn't his father want to talk about the famous author and the library? Who was the "dear boy" beloved by the librarians who perished in the fire? What's the famous author's real name? And, who is in the mysterious Polaroid photo tucked inside one of the books? Ghosts, books, a cat (never did figure out if the cat was dead or alive, although I lean toward alive) and a mystery. I loved everything about this book. Highly recommended. Thanks to Carl (@steel_droppings on Instagram) for the recommendation. I'm keeping this one for a reread. 

30. Women by Chloé Caldwell - When an unnamed narrator moves from her mother's country house to the big city, she is at first unsure what she will end up doing but then she meets Finn and gets a job in a local library. The narrator believes herself to be bisexual but she falls hard for Finn, a woman who already has a long-term girlfriend, and they begin a torrid affair. Apparently known as a cult classic amongst lesbians, I read this novella with the Tiny Book Club on Fable as an ebook via Hoopla. Y'all know I'm not into spicy scenes — and there are quite a few for such a short book — but what I liked about the book was the emotional upheaval of the narrator as she became obsessed with her lover while knowing that they could never end up together. Also, while there's plenty of talk about what it means to be a gay woman, the story of a tumultuous affair with no chance of becoming a permanent relationship would have worked regardless of the characters' genders; the writing is strong. I may have skimmed a bit of the spice but this novella is a super quick read. 

31. The Ghost Cat by Alex Howard - I bought this book after reading that it was billed as a perfect read for those who enjoyed Before the Coffee Gets Cold and How to Stop Time, both of which I read and enjoyed. I was disappointed with The Ghost Cat. Grimalkin is an old Victorian cat who was rescued by Eilidh, the charlady at 7/7 Marchmont Crescent in Edinburgh. Grimalkin didn't get to live all of his 9 lives, so he's offered the opportunity to return as a ghost and experience those 9 lives or go on to a sort of cat heaven. Grimalkin chooses to live his 9 lives but for most of them he's restricted to the flat at Marchmont Crescent. For 3 of his lives, he may explore. What I liked about The Ghost Cat was that it gives the reader glimpses into the history of a particular building and Edinburgh itself, with occasional historical footnotes. Unfortunately, the book is not cohesive. Each chapter is one cat life, with no real segue between them. There are also some strange anachronisms, like the cat dislikes a man so he deletes his stock purchases on a laptop. I did love the ending, which clearly ties the book to the author's life as a lover of historical buildings, cats, and the final resident in the flat. And, I loved Eilidh (ay-lee) and how her story was wrapped up. But, I repeatedly considered abandoning the book because it felt so jerky and incomplete. 

32. Sweet Bean Paste by Durian Sukegawa - A reread for one of my book groups, Sweet Bean Paste is about Sentaro, who is stuck working at a Tokyo shop that sells dorayaki (pancakes with sweet bean paste) to pay off debt after being released from prison. The shop is not overly profitable, possibly because he uses pre-made sweet bean paste. Then, one day an elderly woman named Tokue asks for a job. She's been making sweet bean paste for 50 years and maybe she can help. The young schoolgirls who come to the shop love Tokue, her sweet bean paste is much better than the pre-made, and business improves until Tokue's secret is revealed. I don't want to give too much away but the story is moving and bittersweet. It's not entirely a "found family" story but it has the feel of one, in that the three main characters become close as they share their pasts and reveal their secrets. But, the author's note makes it clear the book is about everyone having value, regardless of how long they live or what one accomplishes. I gave it 4 stars the first time I read Sweet Bean Paste and then put my copy on the "good shelves" so I knew exactly where to find it for rereading. This time, I loved the story even more. I knew what was coming but it touched me even more deeply and there were even some tears. Highly recommended. 

33. McSweeney's #70, ed. by Boyle, Eggers, and Yeh - This volume of McSweeney's started out great. I loved the first story, mostly because of one particularly quirky thing that happens which feels like the kind of thing you normally see happen in real life that nobody would believe (highlight to see the details): a woman comes to the main character's apartment, asks to borrow a vacuum cleaner, and then is never heard from again. The second story, "The Serranos" is excellent. And, I loved the series of photos of lava and coral being sent back to Hawaii with apologies to Madame Pele, which I presume is also a fictional piece. The second half went downhill and I actually couldn't finish one of the stories as I had no idea what was going on. There were bits that were funny or interesting and yet . . . what the heck was it? So, in the end this turned out to be an issue I kind of hated, which I don't think the better stories deserved. 

34. A House in the Country by Jocelyn Playfair - My Persephone book choice of the month is a story about a widow who rents rooms to people who are displaced by WWII for various reasons and the characters who are living with her or visiting. Cressida Chance and her son John live on a large country estate in a beautiful Georgian house with gardens, a stable, and a forest nearby. She is generous by nature, a terrific cook, very casual and kind so guests are treated to delicious meals in the kitchen and there are usually beautiful arrangements of flowers around the house. Some of the guests are men who report for duty nearby, one is apparently an Eastern European who escaped the Nazis and had a horrific experience, and at least one has a baby and a husband serving in Africa. This book starts off slowly then picks up around the time Cressida's Aunt Jessie shows up with only a day's warning. There are intermittent reminders of the war — the bombing of a village, people having to slow down their horses to get by the tanks, and the fall of Tobruk, for example, as well as a parallel story about the real owner of the house who is the only survivor of a ship that sank in flames. The title is misleading as it sounds placid but war is all around, even out in the country. It's not surprising that this book is so authentic as it was written in 1943, a year after Tobruk. While I felt like it was a bit too philosophical (lots of long conversations that I found a bit dreary), it is absolutely amazing for the way the author sets the stage and gives you an understanding of how deeply WWII's presence was felt in England. 

35. McSweeney's #77, ed. by Eggers and Yeh - A new favorite issue, shorter than usual but with above average stories. Favorites were "Hell is a Thousand Eyeballs" by Icarus Koh and "Cote de Nuits" by James Kaelan. I also enjoyed the (very creepy) surrealist art, inside and out. The cover is probably one of my all-time favorites. It reflects the quirky interior well. 

36. Mare's War by Tanita S. Davis - Marey Boylen, aka "Mare" and her two granddaughters are driving from California to Alabama for a family reunion. The girls, both teens, don't really want to go. But, as Mare is driving, she tells the story of her time in the 6888th Postal Battalion of the Women's Army Corps for African American women soldiers during WWII. In the 1940s, at 17, Mare's home life is difficult. Her father is dead, her mother is an alcoholic and has a dangerous boyfriend. When her mom's boyfriend attacks her little sister Josephine (who goes by "Feen"), Mare is determined to protect her. Then, when Feen is sent to live with an aunt, Mare decides she has to protect herself. She lies about her age and joins the army, where she learns new skills and makes friends while dealing with challenges like bombs falling nearby and stormy ship rides, cold temperatures and lots of Spam. While I was reading this YA —which is fiction but we all know African Americans were involved in the war effort and then kept from collecting on the promised GI Bill benefits -- the current US Administration was erasing files containing the history of women, blacks, and other minorities. I didn't hear about the erasure of history till I was well into the book but it certainly felt like amazing timing. I really enjoyed this book because so much happens and I like reading different perspectives of WWII. My only problem with it was the use of vernacular, which was entirely necessary because Mare was telling her own story. It just slowed me down a bit. 

37. Deenie by Judy Blume - Deenie is 13, beautiful, and a bit judgmental. Her classmate with excema probably has something worse than she says. Allergies? Pah. The old lady with the hunchback is just gross. And, she can't imagine being singled out to ride on the special bus like the girl who was in an automobile accident. Deenie's mother wants her to be a model. She's the pretty one and her sister Helen is the smart child. So, when Deenie's gym teacher notices something strange about her posture and it turns out she will have to wear a back brace for years, she's bereft. But, now that she's got a deformity of her own, she sees others in a different light. Simple writing but a good story with a great theme about accepting others' flaws. I was most interested in the way the two sisters were labeled (because my parents did the same) and how their relationship changed a bit when Deenie was upset; plus the 7th-grade boy crush took me back to my youth. But I did appreciate the way Deenie came to her senses and realized that people are just people. 

38. My Jasper June by Laurel Snyder - It's summer break and for once, Leah isn't going to camp. Instead, she's stuck at home alone while her parents work. At first, she doesn't know what to do with herself. She wouldn't be in this boat if she hadn't made the biggest mistake of her life. But, nothing has been the same since. Then, she meets Jasper at the local farm. Jasper is a ray of sunshine and Leah wants her to be her friend. But, Jasper has a secret and she's a little evasive about her life. When Leah finds out Jasper's secret and reveals her own pain, a bond is forged. But, Jasper's life is complicated and Leah is unsure what to do to help her new friend. Recommended by Carrie of Care's Books and Pie. Thanks! I loved this story, the way the author interwove two real-life stories from her own experience. And, the ending was surprising and perfect. I read this moving middle grade book as an e-book via Hoopla. It made my eyes leak. 

39. The Way of the Househusband, Vol. 11 by Kousuke Oono - The 11th in this manga series is every bit as entertaining as the earlier volumes with Tatsu and his wife visiting a theme park and running into friends, with whom Tatsu obviously has to compete while the women look on boggle-eyed. In other stories, kitty Gin gets a bath because it's humid and the cat smells musty, Masa gets a new apartment with surprising extras, and the prospect of a fancy steak meal helps Tatsu and his wife get through a difficult day. Loads of fun. I gave it 4 stars but I think I'll go back and switch that to 5/5 because there was nothing at all I disliked (except perhaps the overuse of the word "product"). 

40. Lake Life by David James Poissant - The story of a dysfunctional family coming to terms with their heartbreak and flaws but trying to overcome them with love. The characters are mostly unlikeable, flawed people. But, skillful writing made the more uncomfortable scenes tolerable (for the most part — there was one part I skimmed due to the ick) and the story is compelling. I have a feeling the Starling family will stick with me for a long time. Trigger warning for child death. 

Not a great month, quantity-wise, but certainly an interesting one. Favorites of the month were A House in the Country, The Lost Library, My Jasper June, Sweet Bean Paste, Lake Life, and Mare's War. 

Sweet Bean Paste was my only reread and it's going right back onto the good shelves. My Jasper June was recommended by Carrie of Care's Books and Pie for the #ICT2025 reading challenge (ICT is Wichita; I enjoyed the 2024 challenge, although I didn't succeed at finishing every item but so far so good in 2025). And, while Lake Life was an uncomfortable read, the writing was exceptional and I loved the ending. I read David James Poissant's short stories (some of which are now being made into a film), The Heaven of Animals (link leads to my review), many years ago as an ARC and was mightily impressed so I'm looking forward to future releases by Poissant. 

Challenge-wise, I read only 4 off my targeted stacks and my Persephone book of the month. We recently shifted some books out of the bedroom (um . . . cookbooks; they were cookbooks that had overflowed the kitchen shelves) so I did some major book moving and decided something to the effect of screw this about the dresser piles. I don't like reading from specific piles. I will still attempt to read first from the piles on the dresser and the ones I moved to take the place of the cookbooks that I shifted back into the kitchen area, where we added some new shelves. But, if I don't see anything that calls to me, that's fine. I'll look elsewhere. I let books call to me in 2024 and holes opened up on shelves, books were moved from the floor; it was positive. So, I'm returning to that method and kinda sorta halfway abandoning the stacks-on-the-dresser self-challenge. My personal challenges to read a Persephone book each month and a few titles I've meant to read for ages are ongoing. 

In other news, I'm still enjoying volunteering at my local library's monthly book sales but I skipped working in March. However, our sales are always held at the beginning of the month and I'm scheduled to work, this weekend. Yippee! I've also been taking an online art summit, painting and doing occasional collage, and had a bit of fun at the Pop Shelf Going Out of Business sale. Favorite purchases were the matching melamine platters, plates, and tiny bowls (meant for sauce but we use them to hold any small serving, like nuts or dates) for use on the patio. Biting and stinging things are out, now, but we're supposed to have a brief cool front coming soon so we may sneak in a few more outdoor days before we're stuck inside for the summer. And, our health-challenged old lady kitties (now 14 and 15 years old) are still hanging in there. 

Happy Reading to All!

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