March Reads

2024

Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness

The Book of Life by Deborah Harkness

The second and third books in the All Souls trilogy. I started this series last month. These are just as good as the first. I devoured them!

Cradle in the Grave by Sophie Hannah

Woman With a Secret by Sophie Hannah

Keep Her Safe by Sophie Hannah

The Dead Lie Down by Sophie Hannah

Sophie Hannah writes psychological thrillers. I have several of her titles and am rereading my collection, which I don’t believe is complete. I haven’t read her in three or four years; on this reread I felt bogged down. I love this genre and Hannah is great at devious psychological twists, but I can’t connect to any of the characters. I don’t remember this from previous reads, but now it’s an irritant. I’m rereading for the sake of old times; I’ll pass them on this time around.

If Women Rose Rooted by Sharon Blackie

I’m a fan and subscriber of

Dr Sharon Blackie

, who writes here on Substack. She works with women and mythos, mostly Celtic. She herself is a beguiling mixture of mystic and scholar. We are a similar age and I always find her insight and wisdom helpful. She’s also given me some wonderful recommendations for new authors to fall in love with. She’s recently created a card deck; not exactly Tarot, but along those lines in terms of using them as a creative spiritual tool. They’re beautifully illustrated and based on her work in this book, which is about the heroine’s journey through landscape and belonging. I highly recommend her newsletter, card deck, and books.

It's All Your Fault at Work by Bill Eddy, LCSW, Esq, & L. Georgi DiStefano, LCSW

Bill Eddy co-founded High Conflict Institute in 2008 and has developed a remarkable body of work helping people manage high conflict behavior, whether it appears in family, neighborhood, or work organizations. I cannot express the value of his wisdom, experience, and methodology for dealing with high conflict people. He has written several other books, many of which I’ve read. This particular one is a reread because … I have a job. Need I say more? His work is easy to read, understand, and so simple to implement a child could do it. Best of all, he’s kind and his techniques really work. I’ve effectively managed several people in my life using skills I learned from him. The world would be a more peaceful and kinder place if everyone read Bill Eddy and used his simple tools when engaging with others.

Gentlemen and Players by Joanne Harris

I’ve enjoyed Harris’ work for years, ever since I saw the movie Chocolate and sought out the book. They are not, of course, exactly the same, though I love both. I have several of her books on my shelf, but far from all. I’ve been buying used copies to fill in my collection; handy because I discarded Sophie Hannah and made room on the shelf! This is a reread of one of my favorite Harris books. For some reason I love school settings, and this one is set in an elite boys’ prep school. It’s a masterful twister with a breathtaking revelation near the end. I enjoy every page. It’s familiar enough to be a great bedtime read. I know what’s going to happen and so am free to enjoy the wonderfully constructed ride and psychological twists and turns. The narrator is unforgettable.

Substack:

Anna Kay at

The Hinterlands

is a new discovery. I stumbled across her piece, A World Without a Heartbeat, and was staggered. More about that in future posts. I subscribed immediately and enjoy her work. I hope you’ll check her out.

Jonathan Foster

writes The Crow. He’s another new discovery. I’m hooked on his Pale Yellow House series. Great characters, memorable setting, good dialog.

Cole Batson at

The Liar's Bench

is yet another new discovery. He’s new on Substack. I started reading his series, The Ties That Bind, and got, you know, involved! So I had to subscribe.