Books of March 2016

My Goodreads 2016 challenge is taunting me with a menacing message: "You are 2 books behind schedule." I've never been behind schedule, so this is a new feeling. I read a pretty good collection of novels this month and I even started reading while walking to work. But I guess it's not enough to meet my quota. (/crying) Anyway, March is over. It seemed to go by very quickly. I ran a lot, sat around a little, and apparently didn't read enough. How about you?

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Cress (The Lunar Chronicles #3) by Marissa Meyer

Review: 5 of 5I really liked this one. Cress is great, Thorne has been fun, and I love getting more Cinder. Scarlet is also good, but I'm not wild about Wolf. Oh well. Looking forward to the next one! These are kind of exhausting, but quick to read when I give myself time.

Can You Keep a Secret? (Fear Street Relaunch #4) by R.L. Stine

Review: 3.5 of 5

I won this book in a Goodreads First Reads Giveaway. 

This is a relaunch of the old Fear Street books (new stories, I believe). I read Goosebumps, but didn't make it to Fear Street, so I'm not sure how similar the writing / age range is. Definitely felt like a teen book with simple language, but I'm not complaining. It was a very quick read, which I welcomed after a few lackluster weeks of reading. 

The story was pretty good, minus a weird animal subplot I didn't think we needed. If that subplot turns up in a second book perhaps I can get behind it. Honestly, it seemed unnecessary and wasn't very spooky because its been done several times (in books and on TV) in the past 10 years. Despite that, the main plot read like the beginning of a scary movie. I wish Stine would have focused his attention on the meatier story that started in the woods and added a few subplots with the friends and Lou. 

All-in-all a quick, fun read. Nothing revolutionary, but I had a good time getting through it. 

Behind the Shattered Glass (Lady Emily #8) by Tasha Alexander 

Review: 4 of 5

This was one of my favorite Lady Emily books until the last 30 or so pages. They felt a little rushed, parts of it came out of nowhere (considering we had an inside view), and the ending was a little... too sweet. Despite those things, I really liked the new characters. Emily is definitely too perfect (so smart, so caring, so progressive!), but she's fun to read about. Don't you wish you were a Victorian-era millionaire?

Amulet, Vol. 2: The Stonekeeper's Curse (Amulet #2) by Kazu Kibuishi 

Review: 3 of 5

As always, great art and exciting panels. I think I'll enjoy the next few more since some of this felt like set up for new adventures.

1922 by Stephen King

Review: 4 of 5

[Full disclosure: this novella is part of Full Dark, No Stars, but I wanted to review it separately because of it's length and the fact that I couldn't put it down despite it's graphic nature.] I've read a ton of Stephen King stories, but rarely do I find myself feeling queasy at descriptions of blood and gore. That was not the case with a few scenes in this story. I'm not sure if it was the inclusion of animals or what Wilf does... but yikes. King does a great job setting the scene (rural Nebraska in 1922). I hate what happened, but I couldn't put it down. And if it wasn't so gruesome and terrible, I think this could easily become a movie... though, it's pretty messed up, so maybe it's better it isn't. 

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As always, these reviews were taken from my Goodreads. For past months, click here. 

What did you read in March?

What are you reading now?