I’m proud to say that my list of March 2021 reads is long. Or am I? Sometimes I find myself reading for days at a time, searching for answers to some thorny writing question like…
- How soon do you need to have a “body” in a thriller manuscript?
- What do I do when a secondary character seems to be taking over my plot?
- Mention pandemic/don’t mention pandemic?
- Am I forcing these characters to meet? How can their first encounter feel more organic?
- What the heck am I writing here? What genre, subgenre?
In search of these answers (and also for joy, for escape, for fun), I read. Today, I’ve decided to forgive my wordcount shortcomings and celebrate the pleasure and learnings gleaned from diving into the work of some terrific writers.
March 2021 Reads: YA
DIVE SMACK by Demetra Brodsky. Theo Mackey is an engaging protagonist, making this book a fabulous addition to my Great Reads for Guys bibliography. Theo is relatable, likeable, and supported by a well-written best friend, Chip, and a worthy new love interest, Iris Fiorello. Brodsky smartly delivers clues throughout the increasingly tense chapters, building to a stunner of a conclusion. The diving-inspired chapter titles further enhance the narrative, enriching the novel’s compelling voice. Friendship and family, guilt and love, small towns and secrets all play roles in this thrill ride of a read. Brodsky’s sophomore novel, LAST GIRLS, is already on my nightstand!
WE WERE LIARS by E. Lockhart. Cadence Sinclair Easton is an unreliable narrator par excellence in E. Lockhart’s National Book Award finalist and Printz Award honoree. In prose that reads like poetry, the author invites readers to take an intimate look at an exclusive place: a private island off Cape Cod to which the wealthy Sinclair family — including Cadence, two cousins (Mirren and Johnny) and friend Gat — retreats each summer. The destructive power of entitlement (be it from wealth like the Sinclairs, or a sense of ethical or intellectual superiority more broadly) is at the core of this stunningly-crafted tale.
A GOOD GIRL’S GUIDE TO MURDER by Holly Jackson. Half a decade ago, popular senior Andie Bell was murdered by her boyfriend, Sal Singh. Since Sal then took his own life, his guilt has been assumed by the town of Fairview. But is that what really happened? For her senior capstone project, Pippa Fitz-Amobi sets out to clear the name of Sal Singh and find out what really happened. Peppered with journal entries and interview transcripts, readers are right there with Pip as she drives toward the truth. A sweet, flirty friendship with Sal’s brother Ravi, and plenty of smartly-placed red herrings make this a mystery win.
THE PROJECT by Courtney Summers. I’ve been a Courtney Summers fan for ages and this novel seals the deal. In the wake of the car accident that kills their parents, sisters Bea and Lo struggle to reconstruct their lives. Loner Lo aspires to be a journalist, to see and write her truth. Bea is drawn to a new, seemingly safer family in The Unity Project, led by the charismatic Lev Warren. The novel masterfully rides waves of consciousness and revelation, the story of each sister’s journey unfolding as she comes to learn more about the other’s, reaching toward a breathless, agonizing truth. In this, her seventh novel, Summer explores the deep human need to believe and belong, channeling her limitless curiosity and fearless empathy to write so close to the bone that readers can feel the ache.
March 2021: Adult
A IS FOR ALIBI by Sue Grafton. I took a trip down memory lane to reread the Grafton’s first Kinsey Millhone mystery. First published in 1982, some elements are dated to be sure, but the protagonist holds up. Kinsey is smart, relatable, sometimes likeable, and always worth following on her investigative exploits. Grafton’s sure-handed pacing, narrative voice, and love for her Santa Barbara alter-ego town, Santa Theresa are evident from the opening lines: “My name is Kinsey Millhone. I’m a private investigator… The day before yesterday I killed someone and the fact weighs heavily on my mind.” Right?!
THE SEARCHER by Tana French. French is a master of mood, character, and place. The Secret Place is my current favorite, wherein her language utilizes every sense to create a narrative style that reflects the core of the mystery in sentences so evocative you want to read them aloud. The Searcher continues in that vein and, though a quieter book in terms of plot, the characters and setting are so rich and vivid that you begin to miss them even as you turn the final page. This is another title for my “Small Towns & Secrets” reading list that also includes Demetra Brodsky’s DIVE SMACK, above, and Megan Miranda’s THE LAST HOUSE GUEST.
Summing Up
Wow. I can’t believe the length of my March 2021 reads list (and I still managed quite a few thousand words on my own manuscript). I’m planning to spend a bit more time in the writing cave this April but am always grateful for more YA and mystery titles to add to my reading lists. Here’s wishing you a healthy spring filled with great books and happy times.
