And here we are, halfway through March before I'm getting to this month's recommendations. It is a busy month, full of quick thaws, and the last depressive stillness of winter. It speaks in quality of light, and gradually uncovered garden beds, of the coming spring. As far north as we are, spring itself is still a wish, a hope, and a few weeks away. But this week we are supposed to glimpse multiple days above fifty degrees! So I'm making plans now to get right out there, trimming bushes and clearing undergrowth, before the new greens start to show their brave faces.
Before I get side-tracked though, by work, and gardens, and poetry, here are my book recommendations for the month of March.
Spring Fever by P.G. Wodehouse is a spritely read, full of fizz and humor, and just the right amount of plot and ridiculous hilarity. I first read this one out of a tome of an omnibus pulled from one of Mama's shelves. And I enjoyed it so much, I took to reading it aloud to everyone after dinner, chapter by chapter. This is such a priceless way to enjoy a good book, especially a funny one, with everyone from Dad on down to my teenage brother, enjoying with appropriate snorts of laughter. That being more than a decade ago now, I've obtained a paperback for my own shelves, and have set this one aside for bedside reading, or laughs after dinner in the lounge.
A Forgotten Place by Charles Todd is a very different sort of book. The other side of March, with mists, and dim, forbidding cold, bracing air, an atmosphere of intrigue, and something on the horizon. This is from the Bess Crawford series, of which I've read several but not all. Even if you don't have time or inclination to tackle the series, this one is still worth your time. Bess, having been a nurse during the Great War, finds herself this time in an isolated Welsh village full of secrets. Stranded amidst increasing mystery, danger, and suspense, she is determined, as always, to discover the truth.
The setting, both in geographical space and in era, is deeply felt in this novel. And the story moves both methodically and with breathless suspense through tales truer than fiction, and with threads both timeless and poignant. I recommend you go find your library card.
This last one, The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner, is well thumbed as you see. The first in the Attolia series, it weaves the first strands of a wider story with subtle precision. Set in imagined lands, with influences both medieval and ancient Greek, the real strength in this series is the depth of characters. Turner has a way of turning a phrase to give you insight into the many sides of each person, their secrets, motivations, hidden fragilities and hidden strengths. And at each revelation, you'll find yourself wanting to reread or ponder past actions that may have deeper meaning, and say even more about these people you're coming to know so well. Even at the end of this book you're bound to come away wanting to start it all over again to see what you had missed. And if you're at all intrigued, I can tell you the following books just get better.
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I'm off to work now, but I hope you find something you'd like to add to your growing TBR pile. I know mine never shrinks for long. Happy reading, and happy spring to all! Back soon~