What I Read: March

March was a really good reading month for me, in terms of how much I enjoyed the books I read. :) I read several books that I've been meaning to read for a long time, plus I had a few rereads.

I Capture the Castle, by Dodie Smith. I have wanted to read this book for years now...I think it was actually the first book I ever added to my to-read list on Goodreads back when I first signed up on there. You can read my review by clicking on the title, but basically, here's what I thought. I absolutely adored the first half. It was amazing. And I got incredibly frustrated with the second half. I felt like the main character had changed into someone I really didn't like anymore. But then I loved the ending. :) So basically, this story has really stuck with me so far, and I think my frustration with the second half will lessen quite a bit when I reread it.

The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald. I won't get into this one, because I already did a post about the book and the latest film adaptation, which you can read here.

Cinder, by Marissa Meyer. I loved this book. It's the first YA I've read in a long, long time (probably since the Hunger Games?) that actually lives up to its hype. It was so good and brilliantly done, and this is coming from someone who loves fairy tales but who isn't into sci-fi (except for Doctor Who :). It's a thick book but it goes by so quickly, and I can't wait to read Scarlet. And Cress.

My Stubborn Heart, by Becky Wade. Once again, I loved this book. In the Christian fiction genre, I generally stick with historical fiction. But after this, I will definitely be branching out more into contemporary! Everything about this book felt natural and realistic, and it was completely lacking in the slight awkwardness (for lack of a better word) that I usually find when I do read Christian contemporary. It was awesome, and I'm so glad I'm getting Becky Wade's second book for my birthday next month. :)

Matilda, by Roald Dahl. I'm working towards reading all of Roald Dahl's books (I've read about ten of them so far, I think?), and while I was very familiar with this story, I wasn't actually sure whether I'd read the book or not. After a chapter or two, I realized that I had, so this was a reread for me. This is probably one of my favorite of Dahl's stories...Matilda is such a wonderful character! (And no, I don't own this gorgeous Puffin edition, though I wish I did! Mine is an old, tattered movie tie-in edition that I got from Goodwill years ago.)

The Inimitable Jeeves, by P.G. Wodehouse. I enjoyed this one more as I went along, but I didn't love it like I had hoped to. It was funny, though, and I loved Jeeves, especially his tendency to be personally offended by Bertie's bright fashion sense. :) I can't wait to see some of this TV series, because I feel like it's something I'll enjoy watching more than I enjoy reading...if that makes sense.

Blue Skies Tomorrow, by Sarah Sundin. Why on earth did it take me so long to read the last book in this series? The first one is probably still my favorite, but this was a very close second. I was once again blown away by how good this series is. I felt so stressed out while reading this one because Ray and Helen each go from one awful situation to the next, and I felt so bad for them. They really suffer! Ray's adventures in the military were probably my favorite of the three brothers', though, because I really didn't expect all of that to happen. But I will say that Sarah Sundin really knows how to wrap up a series in the most wonderful, fulfilling way. :) I highly recommend the Wings of Glory trilogy if you like WWII historical fiction!

Austenland, by Shannon Hale. Since I've only watched the film Austenland about six times so far this year (I'm not exaggerating), I've been itching to reread the book. So I did. This was my third time reading it, and I think it has grown on me each time! I realized this time around that the film is a pretty faithful adaptation...a lot of the dialogue was word-for-word accurate. I do love the movie more than the book. (You won't hear me say that often!) Still, I enjoy this one, and I'm glad I finally have my own copy. I don't even mind that it's the movie tie-in edition, because I adore the film and hey, who's seriously going to complain about having JJ Feild on the cover of their book? :) When I got this one from Book Outlet, I also got a copy of Midnight in Austenland, so I'm excited about finally getting to read that one.

It seems that I had a hard time keeping by "reviews" brief this month, but what can I say? I really loved five of the eight books I read in March. :)