This last month wasn’t a super strong reading month for me, I discovered and binged This Is Us so spent a lot more time in front of the TV than I spent reading a book! I read only one book and listened to five audio books. Here are short reviews of the books I read in March.

Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay by Elena Ferrante

This is the third book in Ferrante’s Neapolitan series, which follows the relationship of two girls who grew up in the same poor neighborhood in Naples. I really like this series for its deep dive into the relationship between Lila and Elena, for how it made the characters and the setting come alive, and how it follows the same people (not just the two girls, but their friends, family, and neighbors) for decades. However, I made the mistake of skipping ahead and reading the ending, which spoiled it for me. And so I had a really hard time with the ending of this one. (Also, although I really enjoy this series, I would never recommend it to everyone. The writing style is a little bit different because its a translation, and it contains a lot of language, violence, and themes of sexuality. Its not for everyone.)

Everthing, Everything by Nicola Yoon (audio)

I liked this one, it was a great lighthearted alternative to listen to along side the Ferrante. Madeleine is allergic to everything, so she can’t leave her house. And then Ollie moves in next door. I’ll admit that it was really cheesy, and maybe a little formulaic, but there were elements that kept me going. I saw the ending coming though, so there was no surprise for me there. I’m also looking forward to its movie adaptation, which comes out in May.

Anne of Green Gables, Anne of Avonlea, Anne of the Island by L.M. Montgomery (audio)

I think the Anne book are probably one of my most favorite books of all time! That’s a big statement, you guys! I like to revisit them every few years, and this year I tried a free audio version that is available through Librivox, a website and app that offers access to books that are in the public domain. The version read by Karen Savage is amazing- I like it better than any of the paid versions I’ve sampled and would highly recommend. I sort of binged these right after I finished This Is Us, I always love revisiting the world of Avonlea and Anne, they’re like old friends. and I’m looking forward to making my way through the rest of the series too!

Siblings Without Rivalry by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish (audio)

I’ve had this one on my shelf for a while, ever since I read and loved “How to Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids will Talk” by the same authors. This one was also great, and had me thinking about my own sibling relationships as well as the relationship between by two boys. There is lots of advice in this one, and almost all of it is well presented and easy to put into practice (or easy to imagine yourself putting into practice). Its made me think a lot about and be more intentional about how I treat my children, how I talk to them about each other, and how I approach disagreements.

Did you read anything good in March?