Hello Book Lovers of Bloglandia,

This was a terrible month for reading.

Not as in I didn’t find time to read, but as in, many of the books I started were just plain boring, terribly written, or otherwise lackluster.

Some I muddled through because I kept hoping they might get better, but many more got tossed aside about a third of the way through.

I guess that’s one way to clear up that to-read list.

Still, I did manage to find a few gems amongst the books that made it through my pickiness this month, which included one short story, one graphic novel, five audiobooks, three novels, and one non-fiction book.

Here are the three really stood out this month…

Inspector Hobbes & The Blood by Wilkie Martin

If you like to mix cheeky humor, silly puns, and paranormal creatures in with your twisty-turny investigative mysteries, get this book!

I have to admit that I tried the ebook version of this a while ago and just couldn’t get into it, but it seemed like a book right up my alley and someone told me I would like it in audio format.

Well, he was right! The humor comes through SO much better in the audio version, and I’ll definitely be continuing with the series.

 

What’s In a Name? by Douglas Smith 

Also my indie pick of the month!!!

A thief, a mage, and a demon walk into a bar– No, wait, they walk into a short story, and what comes out is clever hilarity….and a slightly confused duck and frog.

This did take a tiny bit for me to get into, but once I got the premise of the thief trying to get a demon to do his bidding (after the demon has just destroyed the mage the thief had hired because the mage misspoke the demon’s very very long and silly name), I couldn’t put it down. The humor in this is top notch and I’d love to see more from these characters!!

The Ruin by Dervla McTiernan

Casting humor aside….The morning after Ashling tells her boyfriend Jack she’s pregnant (and doesn’t think she wants to keep it), Jack turns up dead. The police assume it’s suicide, but when Jack’s sister Maude shows up from Australia, she insists he’s been murdered.

What’s the truth? And how do Jack and Maude’s childhood trauma have to do with it all? That’s what you get to discover in this thriller.

Overall, the book kept me riveted. This isn’t an action-filled thriller, but more a slow (but not too slow) uncovering of clues and history and corruption and survival, with loads of layers to everything’s that’s happening.

There are a few slow sections that go on a bit too long, and some discoveries feel a little too “easy”, but it’s still a great story that kept me grabbing the headphones every chance I got (the narrator is terrific, too!).

Curious about some of the duds I encountered this month?

I don’t like to be mean, and I hope i don’t annoy anyone with my opinions, but here’s a few of the books that just didn’t work for me…

Hex by Thomas Olde Heuvelt – A great premise, I will admit, but honestly, this should have been chopped down to a novella or short story because there’s really not much to build on the premise. I gave up about 1/4 of the way through.

The Me You Love in the Dark (graphic novel) – The art was superb, but the story of an artist going to live in a haunted house for inspiration had so much potential but ended up being painfully predictable.

An Elderly Lady Must Not Be Crossed by Helene Turston – Okay “dud” might be a bit much since this was okay and I did finish it, but it just didn’t have the same punch or dark (DARK!) humor as the first Elderly Lady book (and it was kind of slow in places).

The Fine Art of Invisible Detection by Robert Goddard – This started out SO good with an intriguing double plot that would eventually come together.

But the explanations of the backstory simply droned on too long (and too often), the main character was Boring (with a capital B), and the story just became tedious to read.

I’ll normally finish a book if I make half way through, but at 3/4 of the way through I couldn’t take the dullness any longer and gave up.

Ah well, wish me luck that April will be a better reading month!

What did you read in March? Anything stand out? Any duds I should watch out for? Let me know in a comment!

Have a great week!

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I’ll type at you again soon!!

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17 thoughts on “March’s Top Three Reads (after MANY duds)”

  1. So sorry there were a lot of duds along the way this month! I tried Thomas Heuvelt’s new book and dnfd it, so you’re not alone. My friend Gigi also didn’t like Hex. At least you did find a couple you liked. 🙂 I’ll have to give those a gander.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Aw well, at least April has been better, so far.

      I really liked the idea of Hex, but I think the book was “done” after a couple chapters.

      I think you might like some of Douglas Smith’s stuff. He has a lot of short stories for 99c on his Payhip store, if you wanted to try him. Or, if you sign up for his newsletter, you get a free story almost every month. 😁

      Liked by 1 person

      1. That’s good to hear! Mines kinda up in the air so far but I have some reads I’m super excited about.

        Yeah, idk what it is about Heuvelt’s writing. It doesn’t seem to jive with me correctly.

        Oh really? You know I can’t resist a freebie! 😍😍😍

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  2. I’ve been meaning to read outside my usual genre of sci-fi, and these books seem like good titles to add to my list! Thanks for this, and here’s to hoping you have a good April! I’ve been reading Pratchett lately so all’s good on my end, despite being slower than usual for some reason.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I’ve actually never read anything by Pratchett except for Good Omens with Neil Gaiman. His books do seem up my reading alley, but I just never seem to get to them. Any tips on a good one to jump into?

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      1. Ooh, definitely check out Guards! Guards!, Going Postal, Mort, or Color Of Magic. They each cover totally different characters, and from then on, it’s up to you who you enjoy reading about the most. I personally am partial to the characters of Rincewind or Death.

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  3. Wow that’s a lot of reading! The Ruin does sound interesting. I just finished The Immortalists, nearly done with The 10,000 Doors of January and then listening to a non fiction audiobook. I don’t get as much reading as you do but I should do a post sometime about what I’ve recently read.

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    1. Well, to be fair, I have been reading the Lemony Snicket Series of Unfortunate Events, and those books are so short I end up whipping through them in a few days. Otherwise, I’m typically a slow reader.

      I tried The Immortalists a bit ago and couldn’t get into it. Is it good? Maybe I should try it in audio (the faster pace my ears can “read” tends to pull me in better sometimes than eyeball books do).

      Liked by 1 person

      2. K, I’ll stay away from it for now. I do remember from the little I read that the writing was lovely, but if I can’t be pulled in quickly, even the best writing can be tough to enjoy.

        Liked by 1 person

  4. Once upon a time I determinedly finished each book I started. Now I think that life is too short and there are too many good reads.
    My book club book was a great read “The Tolstoy estate” by Steve(n?) Conte. It is set in the depths of the Russian winter during WW2, at a German surgical station, so not a cheery read, but so interesting and well written.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I used to be the same way, but reading time is precious. It’s hard to give up on a book you were convinced you’d like, but sometimes you just gotta be tough. Ooh, that book does sound interesting. 😊

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  5. What’s In a Name sounds interesting, I really have a hard time finishing a book if I am unable to get into it fairly early on..

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