Boy oh boy, what a month March was! Remember when we thought January was a long month?
If you’re reading this real time, you know that much of the United States is under a Stay at Home order due to COVID pandemic.
My library has closed out of caution, which breaks my heart. But I had also gotten a little behind on my stack of library books, so I’m thankful for the extended due date.
This month I read 3 books, which is around average for me. Two were major wins and one was just ok for me.
The Garden of Small Beginnings by Abbi Waxman
What’s this book about?
Lilian Garvin, or Lili to anyone who knows her, is a widowed mother of two spunky little girls whom she is raising with the support of her very single sister Rachel. Lili works as an illustrator for a textbook company and has just been assigned a massive project to illustrate a series of boutique vegetable guides. There’s just one catch; her company promised Lili would take a gardening class as part of the job.
So each Saturday morning, Lili, her daughters, and Rachel head to the local botanical garden where they band together with a quirky group of fellow gardening students, led by a very handsome instructor.
What I thought about this book
I absolutely loved this book! It definitely has rom-com vibes, which I love and, Lili is hilariously sarcastic. The book has some really great moments exploring Lili’s character and shows the trauma of losing her husband and the struggle of parenting through loss and changing your career. I’m also a sucker for strong female characters, and this one is filled with them.
Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett
What’s this book about?
Crawley and Aziraphale are a demon and an angel, respectively, who have been on Earth since the beginning. These two charmingly eccentric characters have grown very fond of each other and of Earth’s creature comforts over the years, so they are not too please when the antichrist is delivered, signaling the beginning of the apocalypse.
Crawley and Aziraphale are determined to prevent the end of the world, but the now 11-year-old antichrist has been… misplaced. Also trying to prevent the apocalypse is Anathema Device, the descendant of Agnes Nutter, author of the only completely accurate book of prophecies ever written.
What I thought about this book
This one was another winner this month. With writers like Gaiman and Pratchett, it’s hard to go wrong. This is actually the first book I’ve read by either, but their work is prolific. I loved this book so much, I almost restarted it again right after finishing it.
I watched the TV adaptation on Prime Video before reading it, and it helped me catch the cadence of the writing style, as it is very quick and witty. (Gaiman created, wrote, and served as showrunner for the TV series, so the content is on point. Plus I have heart eyes for David Tennant.) While this book has religious themes, it’s 100% not “Christian literature,” and if you’re someone who is pretty precious about those kinds of things, you should probably skip this one. For everyone else, this is a very funny and very British adventure filled with lots of bumbling characters.
The Minimalist Home by Joshua Becker
What’s this book about?
Another work by minimalist blogger and author Joshua Becker, this particular book specifically focuses on decluttering and minimizing each area of your home.
What I thought about this book
While I’m a sucker for minimalism and decluttering texts, the contents of this book have run together with other things I’ve read from Becker. It’s not to say that this isn’t a good book, it’s just that I can’t recall anything specific I read in this book that I didn’t already learn from Becker’s other books or blog. If this is your first introduction to minimalism or Becker, it’s probably a solid pick. But if you’re already pretty familiar, then I would save your reading time for something else.
What did you read this month? Have you read any of these books? Do you agree or disagree with my reviews. Share in the comments!
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