The Siberian American: Books I Liked in March

Monday, April 11, 2016

Books I Liked in March

I love sharing my favorite books every month, so I’m excited it’s time to do it again. I’m still in a deep NetGalley hole (more on that here), partially because I didn’t read as much as usual in March. It actually took me eight days to finish a book, which is a rare occurrence these days (it didn’t help that the book was super boring). Because I didn’t have many favorites this month, I’m including several books I thought deserved three stars.


Only Ever You: A Novel by Rebecca Drake
(c/o NetGalley)
I will be surprised if this doesn't end up being one of the best books I read this year. A mother loses her child for 45 minutes, but she is found quickly...only for her to be taken again three months later. It’s not long before the parents become the prime suspects. The whole book was suspenseful with many twists and turns. Every time I thought I had the story figured out, it surprised me. If you love psychological thrillers, this is a great read.


No One Knows by J.T. Ellison
(c/o NetGalley)
I really liked No One Knows. The story of what happened to Aubrey's husband Josh (he goes missing after not showing up to his friend’s bachelor party) was interesting, though the ending ruined it for me a little bit. Overall, it was a good read, and I recommend it for anyone who likes thrillers.


The Charm Bracelet by Viola Shipman
(c/o NetGalley)
This is a cute story of a mother and daughter who visit their mom/grandmother Lolly for the first time in a long time and begin to see what is most important in life. I really liked all the sweet stories grandma Lolly told about the charms on her charm bracelet and what they meant, but I felt like the lessons were drilled into the reader too often. I would have liked for there to be a little more subtlety. I did enjoy the descriptions of Lake Michigan (though even those were a little excessive), and the story made me want to visit Michigan again. If you like light reads, this book is a good option.


Paris is Always a Good Idea by Nicolas Barreau
(c/o NetGalley)
This was a sweet love story. It started out slow, but it did pick up as soon as Robert Sherman came in the picture. It was a fast read, and I think you can’t go wrong with setting a book in Paris!


Dear Thing by Julie Cohen
(c/o NetGalley)
Romily has watched her best friend Ben and his wife Claire struggle with infertility for years, so she offers to be a surrogate mother, so they can finally have a child. The only problem is that Romily is hopelessly in love with Ben. Dear Thing rotates points of view between Claire and Romily, and I felt the emotions of each woman. I liked the story much more than I expected, and it strangely felt like a "light" read, even though it was about a difficult subject. I'm having a hard time deciding whether I loved the ending, but overall, it was a good read.


The Rejected Writers’ Book Club by Suzanne Kelman
(c/o NetGalley)
This was such a fun, quirky story about Janet, who gets swept into the craziness of Doris and her Rejected Writers’ Book Club. After Doris receives an acceptance letter from a publisher, she forces Janet to drive her and her friends to the publisher in San Francisco to request a rejection. Although Doris was so bossy it got a little annoying to me at times, there were many funny parts in the story, and it's one of the best light reads I've read so far this year. This book would be perfect for a summer beach read!


A Murder in Time by Julie McElwain
(c/o NetGalley)
Honestly, I didn't expect to like this book. I don't usually like books about time travel, but I thought since it was a suspenseful novel about trying to solve a murder in another time period (the Regency period), I would give it a try. A Murder in Time really impressed me. I ended up really liking Kendra, and the time travel concept was done really well. The ending set up the chance for a sequel, and I really hope there is one.


The Midnight Watch by David Dyer
(c/o NetGalley)
I have read several historical fiction novels about the Titanic tragedy, and I haven't liked any of them. At first, I was worried this book was headed in the same direction. I didn't like the writing style, and the parts of the book where Stone was narrating felt boring. I thought the premise of this book was unique as it focuses on whether the SS Californian could have prevented lives lost on the Titanic if it had responded to the Titanic's distress signals. For me, the story really took off when John Stedman found out about the Sage family. Still, I was hoping for more from this book than I received. Overall, it was a decent read but not one I will be going out of my way to recommend.


Linking up with Steph & Jana.

I love book suggestions. What have you read lately?

61 comments:

  1. Great list! I'm so impressed with how much you read. Have you read All the Light We Cannot See? I read it last week and thought it was fabulous.

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  2. I hate when a book is good, but then the ending ruins it!

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  3. Great recommendations! One of these days I'll get around to actually reading a book..

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  4. Only Ever You sounds so good! Definitely saving that one for my next trip to the library!

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  5. Only Ever You sounds like such an intense book, but so good! I'm always open to a good thriller. A Murder In Time sounds right up my alley too! I always tend to gravitate towards historical fiction that involve time travel. Paris Is Always A Good Idea sounds like a really cute book too! Thanks for some great recommendations, like always!

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  6. Oh my gosh Dear Thing sounds like I would be incredibly into it...but also emotionally involved LOL! xo, Biana -BlovedBoston

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  7. Nice reviews! I'm really intrigued by a handful of these- even ones I wouldn't typically pick up! I'm going to have to add a few to my GoodReads list!

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  8. I really want to check out Only Ever You, it's going on my list!

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  9. Thank you so much for the recommendations! I'm looking forward to reading a few of them!

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  10. "Dear Thing" sounds surprisingly interesting to me!! I want to read that now.

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  11. The cover of The Rejected Writers... is magical!
    I added No One Knows because I do like a good thriller.

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  12. I love a good thriller that keeps me guessing, I am saving some of these to read next they sound like some good ones!

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    1. I'm really into thrillers too, though I like to break them up with other reads. :)

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  13. I'm adding No One Knows and a Murder in Time to my list. They book sound really intriguing, so does The Rejected Writers Book Club - I can always use a good, light read for in-between heavier reads.

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    1. That's exactly what I love to do! I love doing a mixture of genres every month. :)

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  14. Ooh, this list came right on time as I prepare for 24 hours of flying. Yay. The first two books will be on my Kindle asap!! Thanks for sharing :)

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  15. I'm intrigued by Dear Thing and A Murder in Time. Those are definitely going on my to-read list! I might have to wait until I'm back in the US to read them, though, since the English language book selection in Germany isn't the greatest.

    -Danielle | solongusa.blogspot.com

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    1. Oh, I can imagine that it would be hard to get books in Germany! Do you have a Kindle? Maybe you could get them that way!

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  16. I like the sound of The Charm Bracelet. I like family history type stories and sometimes I don't mind being smacked around the head by life lessons :) I've had to be careful not to get behind with NetGalley too, it's so stressful!

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  17. A lot of these books sound really good! The covers are also GORGEOUS!

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  18. The Rejected Writers seems like a book I need in my stash for when things get a bit too heavy.

    I hate when a good thriller has a bad ending. It sort of ruins the whole book.

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  19. I think I might try Rejected Writers and A Murder in Time.

    Thanks for linking up!

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  20. Ooooh I need to add The Midnight Watch to my list, I've always been fascinated by the Titanic story!
    Green Fashionista

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  21. wow, so many netgalley books! i haven't read any of these, i added all but 2 to my list. the titanic one doesn't sound like my jam, and the charm bracelet one isn't calling to me.. but the others sound super interesting!

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  22. Dear Thing sounds really interesting and full of the feelz.

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  23. I had no idea Titanic historical fiction novels were a thing. Too bad you haven't found any other good ones. Sounds interesting.

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  24. I am really intrigued by Dear Thing! I just added it to my to-read list on GoodReads! Thanks for the recommendation!

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  25. Ummmmmmmmmmmmmmm I think I want to read all of these books, haha. Need a few for my trip!

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  26. So many pretty colors and you had such good luck with netgalley! Adding a bunch of these to my tbr list!

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  27. Only Ever You was already on my to read list. I just added Dear Thing and The Rejected Writer's Club. I'm currently reading The Charm Bracelet and liking it a lot!

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    1. I hope you like Only Ever You, Dear Thing, and The Rejected Writers' Club. Those three were some of my favorites this month, for sure!

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  28. That first book sounds really interesting. I'm going to have to check that out.

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  29. A Murder In Time sounds really interesting. I read another time book recently and it was a little confusing to follow along with at first, but I am intrigued to try another. It was more time jumps instead of time travel so at least this is a new concept for me. Dear Thing is getting added to my list and so is Only Ever You. It sounds like maybe it will be better than No One Knows haha.

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    1. And I just realized I was signed in the wrong Google account, sorry about that!!

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  30. Adding these to my list of books to look into! I miss the days of being able to fly through books! I've only read one book so far this year, AH! Hopefully I can read 1 or 2 more before the year ends. (how sad is that? Between being a mom and social media, books are the very last thing I get to :( )

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  31. The first two books are on my "To Read" list (I'm on the waiting list at the library for No One Knows right now), so I'm glad to see that they're both really good!

    I actually almost didn't add Only Ever You to my list. I feel like I saw it pop up on Goodreads and my library's website a few times, and, for whatever reason, I wasn't sure it was for me. After reading your review, I'm really glad I decided to add it! I may just have to bump it up the list. :-)

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  32. I haven't read any of these, but No One Knows looks interesting as does Dear Thing. Have a good one!

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  33. I haven't read any of these, but I'm definitely adding a view to my list!

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  34. I love time travel so I'm obviously adding A Murder in Time to my TBR! I also love a book that keeps me on my toes and it sounds like Only Ever You is that kind of book!

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  35. Only Ever You looks really interesting! I just got No One Knows on Netgalley, I haven't started it yet but have seen a lot of reviews on it lately. I recently put The Charm Bracelet on my to read list too! Looks like we're on the same page (no pun intended lol)

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  36. Dear Thing sounds like a good read! I think my list for the library is getting bigger and bigger :)

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    1. I know how that feels! My list grows every time after this link up! :)

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  37. Yay I've never read any of these and I'm excited because now I know if they're worth the read! I LOVE the cover of the Rejected Writers Book Club. those tea cups tho!
    xo C

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  38. I have similar views about books with time travel. they can either be really interesting or really blah and unrealistic, but A Murder in Time sounds really interesting! Also, I am STILL obsessed with anything to do with the Titanic, so I'm definitely interested in The Midnight Watch.

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    1. Exactly about the time travel books! I was so excited A Murder in Time was really good! I hope you like The Midnight Watch!

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  39. Ooh, you read some awesome sounding books this month - adding several to my list! I would love to find a really good Titanic fiction, but they seem to be rare.

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  40. I have the Rejected Reader's I just haven't gotten a chance to read it yet! Maybe I'll save it for vacation since you mention it's a great beach read though! Adding No One Knows and Only Ever You- both sound like great thrillers!

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  41. So many of these look fantastic! Adding them to my TBR list!!!

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  42. These are great suggestions- thank you!

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    1. You're welcome! Let me know if you read something from the list! :)

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  43. I love that I haven't heard of any of the books on your list! The first two look good.

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  44. What a pretty graphic for this post :). I do love psychological thrillers, so I will add "Only Ever You" to my list! "Dear Thing" also will be put on my list.

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  45. I haven't heard of any of these books -- The Rejected Writer's Book Club and Dear Thing both sound really good!

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  46. Definitely adding a couple of these to my "to read" list, which just keeps growing and growing! Never enough hours in a day :)

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  47. I added the first two on your list and may add even more. I knew The Charm Bracelet looked familiar - the author is a friend of a friend so I saw it all over Facebook as the publication date got closer. I'll probably have to check that one out, too.

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  48. Oh I don't know if I could read that first book....I think it hits too close to home, but it sounds so interesting. And the idea of the charm bracelet, I have a pandora charm so I may like that book, it's nice to relate the stories with the charms. Dear thing also sounds like a tricky book to read too, who do you root for? The surrogate or the parents?

    liz @ j for joiner

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  49. I haven't heard of any of these but am intrigued by quite a few! Thanks for sharing these :)

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  50. I need to figure out Netgalley! I want to read Only Ever You.

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