It’s time for yet another blog post about books. Today I will share with you the top books of March 2021. My reading goals for 2021 might be impressive, the February result was very much less so. I completed a total of two books and none of them was particularly earth shattering. Entertaining? Perhaps. That’s why I’ve decided to focus on the top books of March 2021.
But first… let’s look at the reading goals.
Reading Goals for 2021
- Complete the Helmet Reading Challenge
- Read 100 books
- Dive into the fascinating world of non-fiction.
- In 2021, I want to read in other languages than the usual suspects (English, Swedish and Finnish)
- Read more classics
Top Books of March 2021
I’ve picked four books for my top Books of March 2021 list. I didn’t give them all five starts, you’ll soon enough find out why.
Who’s That Girl by Mhairi McFarlane
Mhairi McFarlane writes such delightful stories and I love her language, so it is to her books that I return whenever I need the boost that a good read gives you.
American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins
This is the book I only give four stars. I’m aware that it has been the object of a lot of controversy. I read this book for a reading club at work and I quite enjoyed it. However, I think it lacked some depth, considering the complex topic. We all agreed that it felt more like a Hollywood movie!
Writing Tools: 50 Essential Strategies for Every Writer by Roy Peter Clark
I like good hands-on manuals how to write better. In his Writing Tools, Roy Peter Clark offers plenty of good advice for anyone who needs to create texts in English. Read it!
Keskiyön kirjasto, (original title The Midnight Library) by Matt Haig
Matt Haig has written a fairly straightforward story about a serious topic. What happens when we don’t want to live any longer? And what if we get another chance? Let’s say we’d get more than that, what if we were given the chance to decide, among multiple parallel lives, the one we want the most?
I say the book is straightforward because its language is simple and it is indeed a page turner. However, it makes you think and that is where its strength lies.
The Books I Read in February 2021
Both of the books I read in February were translations into Finnish and I found them both somewhere in the depths of my bookshelves.
Kehtolaulu (Lullaby/The Perfect Nanny) was originally written in French by Leïla Slimani. It tells the story of a nanny who murders two children in her care. This book was inspired by real events in New York in 2012. This book was first published in 2016 and I remember many people raving about it. It is a thriller but I didn’t find it particularly chilling. The language in the book was very ordinary, almost plain and mundane. I guess it was meant to enhance the horror of a story where the ending was introduced right in the beginning, but it left me somehow detached.
Kuinka painovoimaa uhmataan (The Horse Dancer) probably ended up on my bookshelf because of its lovely colours. It is a pretty book. I have read quite a few books by Jojo Moyes but I haven’t really gotten into them. To be honest, this book was sympathetic and sweet but it didn’t really feel plausible. The adult protagonists were a bit annoying, too.
The bottom line? I think I should be pickier when it comes to books.
Now, before moving on to the complete list of books read in 2021. What have you read this year? And which books would you recommend?
Books in 2021: Complete List (with Stars)
- 🇬🇧 The Memory Police (Yōko Ogawa) – 5/5
- 🇬🇧 Ten Rules for Faking It (Sophie Sullivan) – 4/5
- 🇬🇧 The Last Goodbye (Fiona Lucas) – 4/5
- 🇬🇧 Someday in Paris (Olivia Lara) – 3/5
- 🇬🇧 You Deserve Each Other (Sarah Hoggle) – 1/5
- 🇬🇧 You Had Me at Hello (Mhairi McFarlane) – 5/5
- 🇬🇧 Stuck on You (Portia MacIntosh) – 3/5
- 🇬🇧 The First Time We Met (Jo Lovett) – 3/5
- 🇫🇮 Suljettujen ovien takana, original title Behind Closed Doors (B.A. Paris) – 3/5
- 🇬🇧 On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous (Ocean Vuong) – 5/5
- 🇫🇮 Kehtolaulu, original French title Chanson douce, English title Lullaby/The Perfect Nanny (Leïla Slimani) – 3/5
- 🇫🇮 Kuinka painovoimaa uhmataan, original title The Horse Dancer (Jojo Moyes) – 3/5
- 🇬🇧 Who’s That Girl (Mhairi McFarlane) – 5/5
- 🇬🇧 American Dirt (Jeanine Cummins) – 4/5
- 🇬🇧 Maybe One Day (Debbie Johnson) – 4/5
- 🇬🇧 Writing Tools: 50 Essential Strategies for Every Writer (Roy Peter Clark) – 5/5
- 🇫🇮 Keskiyön kirjasto, original title The Midnight Library (Matt Haig) –5/5
- 🇬🇧 The Ex Talk (Rachel Lynn Solomon) – 4/5
- 🇬🇧 Act Your Age, Eve Brown (Talia Hibbert) – 4/5
- 🇬🇧 Shipped (Angie Hockman) – 3/5
The Helmet Challenge is interesting! For this year, my reading list is inspired by MENA region. Thanks for sharing your reading list!