Hi all, we’ve made it to March. Yay it won’t be too long now before spring is on the way. We had such warm weather this past week that our snow melted away as you can see from this shot at the end of the road.
We need to get going on planting the vegetable seeds in our indoor pots. We usually can’t put them in the ground here till mid-May, so we have time to sprout these things for a while.
Meanwhile there’s plenty going on this month (besides all the bad news): the Academy Awards are on tomorrow night (with Conan O’Brien hosting); the Indian Wells pro-tennis tournament starts this week (yay!); the time change happens on the 9th; March Madness basketball begins on the 16th; then St. Patrick’s Day; and later spring break for many school kiddies across the land. Whoosh, I’d like to swing a golf club at some point. Lately I’ve been playing tennis doubles twice a week indoors, which is fun. I drive back to the city for that — crazy!
There’s many new releases to discuss, so let’s dive in. Novels by such well-known authors as: Laila Lalami, Susanna Kearsley, Karen Russell, Lawrence Wright, Emma Donoghue, and Kristen Arnett have new ones coming out this month … along with there’s Chris Bohjalian’s Civil War novel The Jackal’s Mistress (out March 11) and Colum McCann’s cable-repair ship novel Twist (out March 25), which I read early copies of last year. I won’t be spotlighting them here now, but I liked and recommend them both. See what you think.
Others I hope to get to include Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s new novel Dream Count (due out March 4), which Publishers Weekly says is about “the fleeting joys and abiding disappointments of four African women on both sides of the Atlantic.”
I remember reading Adichie’s last (adult) 2013 novel Americanah for a book club that dissolved just last year, so now 12 years later we are getting the new one. She had written some nonfiction and a children’s book during that time, but for whatever reason her next novel took a while. So yay, she’s back! And a slew are on order at the library.
I’m also keyed up to read Australian author Charlotte McConaghy’s new thriller-ish novel Wild Dark Shore (due out March 4) about a family and a stranger trapped on a research station’s island with no communication. I gather there are storms arising and apparently they must be able to trust one another to protect precious seeds they have in their care. Whoa.
I have read McConaghy’s two other novels: Once There Were Wolves and Migrations … and the natural world and climate change seem to figure prominently in all. She’s an eco-writer you could say and has a large following now.
Next up is British author Natasha Brown’s novel Universality (due out March 4) about a journalist who sets out to uncover the truth about a brutal attack at an illegal rave event on a Yorkshire farm. Apparently the journalist solves the mystery, but her viral exposé ends up raising more questions than it answers.
Natasha Brown writes short, whip-smart novels that skip around a bit and you have to be on your toes. I liked her 2021 debut novel Assembly, which received a lot of recognition, so I’m back now for more. She was only 31 when she published her first novel.
I’m also thinking about adding Emma Pattee’s debut Tilt (due out March 25) about a pregnant woman who comes to navigate through the aftermath of a major earthquake in Portland, Ore. It sounds scary. Lesley at the blog Coastal Horizons reviewed an early copy last fall and said it was intense but an impressive debut.
If I lose courage with that, then I might check out Nathaniel Ian Miller’s novel Red Dog Farm, which apparently is an atmospheric novel about a young man who tries to find purpose on a struggling Icelandic cattle farm …and must choose between home and the wider world. I don’t know this author, but it’s gotten some good reviews and I like it’s farming theme.
In screen releases, there’s quite a few adaptations to check out this month, including the eight-part TV series Long Bright River (due out on Peacock March 13), based on the novel by Liz Moore. It’s about a female Philadelphia police officer (played by Amanda Seyfried) who works in a neighborhood with high drug use where a series of murders take place, and she has a druggy sister who goes missing. Uh-oh. The book was good but quite gritty, which this looks to be too.
Next up is the six-part TV series: Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light (out on PBS, March 23), which along with Part I that aired in 2015 are adapted from the novels by Hilary Mantel that follow Thomas Cromwell, the chief minister in King Henry VIII’s court. It is so sad that Mantel died of a stroke at age 70 in 2022, but her works live on. I read one of the books Bring Up the Bodies, so I’m interested in seeing the series but need to find Season 1 in a set first. Have you watched it?
Also coming out is the third and final season of Bosch Legacy (out on Prime Video March 27) that is based on the police procedural novels by Michael Connelly. Yeah we’ve watched all the episodes and seasons of Bosch and now Bosch Legacy. They’re good and I wish they’d keep going. They’re addicting and one could get through an entire winter on a box set alone, lol. There’s been some good characters with Bosch along the way, including his daughter, his partner Hector, the chief, and the defense attorney “Money” Chandler, lol. Let’s give the series a big sendoff goodbye. Could there be more Connelly works in the hopper?
Lastly I’ll just mention a movie that looks a bit cute. It’s The Friend (out March 28), starring Naomi Watts, which follows a story about a writer in NYC who adopts a Great Dane that belonged to a late friend and mentor. It turns out the dog and the writer are both grieving over the loss of the friend and they help each other to heal over time.
It’s based on the novel by Sigrid Nunez, which I reviewed here in 2018. The book has various meandering thoughts and tangents in it that I don’t think the movie can match. Still I’ll likely see it. It reminds me that I need to get to more of Nunez’s novels.
In new music for March, there’s a plethora of notable albums coming out, including those by such artists as: Lady Gaga, Jason Isbell, Charley Crockett, My Morning Jacket, Mumford & Sons, and Alison Krauss & Union Station. These are all excellent artists to check out and are hard to choose from, but I’ll pick Jason Isbell’s album Foxes in the Snow (due out March 7) as my choice this month. It’s his first solo acoustic album without his 400 Unit band.
That’s all for now. What about you — which new releases are you looking forward to? Happy March!
I’ve put Universality and Wild Dark Shore on reserve at the library; thank you. I think Kearsley’s book, The King’s Messenger, will appeal to readers who like straight historical fiction, rather than her usual dual time lines. She is a Canadian author and I am always surprised that Canadian bookstores don’t do more to promote her books. When I was in Ontario last May, I was disappointed overall in my ability to find Canadian authors. I did find one book with a sappy title that I bought anyway but have not read yet.
Like you, I enjoyed Long Bright River more than her second book. I would watch it if I still have access to Peacock. My cable/internet/phone bill went up so much that I think I have to do something about it. I did get rid of Amazon Prime because I could not bear to enrich Bezos by a penny.
Looking forward to Wolf Hall! He has the most expressive face – I love watching him, although I know it will be very sad.
Hi Constance, thanks. I’m glad for your advice on Susanna Kearsley and her books … especially since she’s Canadian I’d like to read her. I plan to go through her backlist and look for one that might interest me most (subject-wise); you gave a few titles too that are best for newbies and I will see about those.
And we don’t have Peacock either, so not sure I will see Long Bright River. I think it’s great not to pay Bezos anything whenever possible.
I hope to watch Wolf Hall too … glad you’ve liked it. Happy March!
Happy March! I like this month because there are more days with blue skies and sunshine and all the early flowers start to bloom, though I hate the upcoming time change. The Friend does look like it could be a really cute movie. And I’ve got Tilt on my TBR list because the premise intrigues me. 😀
Hi Lark, thanks. The days are getting pretty — it’s nice to see. Spring will be wonderful. It’s best to rest up for the upcoming time change, argh. The Tilt novel looks intense with the big earthquake premise. I always worry about such disasters. Happy March & reading!
Wow! Such a lot to look forward to there. I’m particularly anticipating getting the Adichie and McConaghy books and to watching “Wolf Hall” and “Bosch.” It promises to be an interesting spring.
Hi Dorothy, yes this seems to be a particularly good reading & viewing month, which hopefully might distract us some from the agonizing news. I hope your garden will be springing to life soon. Or perhaps it is? Happy March to you.
I’m looking forward to that last season of Bosch: Legacy. I’ve enjoyed all the Bosch seasons and also the Legacy show. I do know that there will be a new TV adaptation of the Renee Ballard story. Have you read those books? Renee meets Harry after he is retired and he has helped her out when she eventually gets assigned to lead a cold case unit. I think the TV show might be coming in the fall perhaps. Maggie Q will play Renee. Can’t wait. Have enjoyed the books.
Hi Kay, that’s great news if there’s a Renee Ballard TV series in the works! I have not read the books, but I think I’d like to pick one up this year. She seems a good character. I’m excited about another spinoff series. I just checked and the character of Renee will appear in this last season of Bosch Legacy, hooray! Thanks for letting me know about this! Have a happy March!
So many goodies coming out this month! I have an ARC of Susanna Kearsley’s latest, though I’m not sure I’ll be able to get to it this month as there are a few releases I have my eye on. I’m intrigued by the Bohjalian’s; he’s a favorite of mine. I saw and own the first season of Wolf Hall, which was excellent. Looking forward to the second season. Happy reading, Susan! And enjoy your tennis matches!
Thanks Carmen, great to hear you liked Wolf Hall Season 1 — I must get to it. I’m also going to look for a Kearsley novel (subject history-wise) that I might like best. I still have Not read her! Despite her being Canadian. I’m so buried in books right now — it’s a bit crazy. I got another stack of library loot that I’ll take a photo of for next post. I was pleased to finish The Safekeep (which was pretty short) but I have to get going on others. I hope your reading is going well. The Bohjalian novel is a pretty quick one with action. And thanks the tennis matches are much fun & release. Have a happy March!
Your summary of new and coming books is full of intriguing ideas of what to read. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s novel Dream Count has been on my list, for one.
best… mae at maefood.blogspot.com
Hi Mae, good to know. It’s been a long while since Adichie’s Americanah so I’m pleased she has a new one too. The premise of Dream Count sounds a bit like Americanah … in that there are characters on both sides of the Atlantic. I’m on the library wait list for it. Perhaps you’ll get to it before me. Happy March & reading!
In light of all the intense drama in the world, I’m all for sticking to lighter fare such as Red Dog Farm. Happily, I was able to get on the list for that one at my library.
I’m eager to see the next part of Wolf Hall. I’ve bookmarked that series.
Hi Deb, I hear ya about reading lighter fare during these days. I think the premise of Red Dog Farm interests me. An Icelandic farmer?! Ha, perfect. My library here hasn’t ordered it, but I’m going to put in a request for them to.
Wolf Hall looks good. And I need to see if we can get Season 1 first. Cheers & happy March!
Thanks for linking us to Lesley’s review of Tilt. Sounds good!
I don’t like police-y stuff but I love Amanda Seyfried so I don’t knowwwwwww…
I’m on the fence about The Friend because I loved the book and, like you said, not sure the movie can match it. But the doggy actor looks very cute so…we’ll see.
Ha ha Jinjer, the doggy actor does look cute …. so I might have to see The Friend – though we know it can’t internalize the book’s great passages!
And Amanda Seyfried seems to be everywhere, lol. She’s in a lot right? But we don’t have Peacock so I’m not sure we’ll get to see Long Bright River. See what you think. It’s very police-y though.
The Tilt novel … seems a scary read about a big earthquake. I’m not sure I can read that while in Calif near the San Andreas fault, lol. I’ll need stable ground.
Enjoy your March.
I’m excited for Wild Dark Shore too. I probably won’t read it for years, but I’ll get to it eventually!
Hi AJ, thanks for stopping by. Good to hear. Yes I’m all in too for Wild Dark Shore but apparently I’m like #91 on the library wait list for it. So we’ll see but they have 15 copies! Hope you can get to it. Happy March!
I like police dramas and Amanda Seyfried so I will sure check out Long Bright River. I am enjoying Blue Lights right now, a police drama set in Northern Ireland.
We used to have a grow light and set up seed trays on a card table. let the grow light provide the needed warm light for sprouts. It was worth it to put some seedlings into the ground later on.
Finally finished with the Vera Brittain book, glad that’s done. Moving on to another James Rebanks book now and waiting on Brideshead Revisited.
Im on the holds list for the Jackel’s Mistress and want to start on McConaghy books this year. Sometime.
You are very active playng tennis! That’s such great exercise and fun but I have never tried it. We put Tristan is tennis camp pone year because he wanted to try but he didn’t keep up with it,
Hi Tina, thanks tennis is fun right now … and a good release. Hitting the yellow ball with gusto, lol.
That’s great you finished the Brittain book! I’m not sure my mind could concentrate hard enough right now for a book like that, so I give you a gold star for reading it!
I’m interested to hear about your grow light. I think we might set up some seed trays this coming weekend. I have more time again, yay.
I’m sure the Long Bright River series will be gritty and we don’t get Peacock but we might see it some other time. I’m glad you’re liking Blue Lights. Great setting.
Hope you have a great week & March. Hugs to Loki.
Hi Susan, great post and glad to hear the weather is getting nicer where you live.
I did read Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s essay We Should All Be Feminists and Dream Count being Adichie’s first novel in 12 years has me interested. I like the plot too. Waiting that long between writing a novel is risky but the reviews I am reading indicate that Dream Count may be well worth the wait.
Thanks Kathy, it’s getting pretty out here, yay. And I’m hoping too that Adichie’s new novel will be well worth the wait. I think so. She seems a great leader & thinker with her essay & writings. I haven’t read the feminist essay but I liked Americanah which seems similar in premise to the new one. I hope you enjoy it. Happy March!
Lots to look forward to this month. I seem to be collecting Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s novels, but I’ve only read her essay We Should All Be Feminists. Maybe I’ll get to Americanah next. Happy March!
Hi JoAnn, thanks. Adichie’s novels are a bit of a commitment & concentration … as it took me a while to get through Americanah when I read it, but it was worth it. I will gear up for Dream Count but likely won’t get to it right away.
Wishing you a Happy March.
You are always so good at sharing what’s coming out. I have a slew of review copies to get to. They seem to be piling up, in a good way. I only accept the ones that I really want to read and there are many.
We had summer like weather here and then out of the blue a hail storm yesterday, today very cold, then more rain on Wednesday and Thursday. Rain ok. Ice, not great.
I watched some of the Oscars. Conan did very well IMO. I was surprised at the best picture and best actress winners.
Hi Ti, thanks. I look forward to seeing what you’ll be reviewing. I agree – I have so many book piles right now. A bit buried.
Interesting to hear you’re getting rain & ice there, wow! We had some snowflakes yesterday but not many stuck.
And we were also surprised by some of the Oscars picks. Crazy. We’ve watched Anora and it’s sort of a harsh bleak film although the call girl character is strong. I guess the Academy was really trying to go with an Indie film. Though I thought Demi would get Best Actress. But no. We werent sure Anora is Best Pic material. But whatever. Have a Happy March.
So fun to see that photo of your gravel road. It looks so much like our road when we lived out in the country in Lincoln, NE!
I am so glad we are just about to change our clocks. While it’s a tough adjustment for a few days, I so love our longer days. Whoohoo!
My mom is currently watching the Duke game and getting excited about March Madness. I don’t follow the team, but I am getting eager for Opening Day for the Dodgers. I love spring!
Oh! Hey! Thanks for the shout-out for my review on Tilt. 🙂 And wouldn’t you know it, there was an earthquake this morning in Washington. Not a big one, but still. Yikes.
I still need to read Long Bright River and will do so before we start watching the series. Thanks for the heads-up. My book group is reading her more recent book (The God of the Woods) later this year. Not sure if we’ll watch the new season of Bosch Legacy. I was as impressed with it as I was with the orginal Bosch. We’ll see. Since it’s the final season, we’ll probably cave and go ahead and watch it.
Hi Lesley, I look forward to the long days too. Spring & baseball are coming! We are actually on a real road here but it peters off into a gravel dead end at the very end. I just like that it’s quiet. We should’ve moved out years earlier!
I heard about the earthquake in Washington yesterday. It does make me uneasy. The Northwest fault. Tilt must be a scary novel especially due to my imaging it happening, ugh. I plan to read it sometime once I get a copy.
I liked the book Long Bright River much better than The God of the Woods, which to me was a bit long & tedious. But others loved it. And I think Bosch Legacy Season 3 will be worth it … and a new character Renee Ballard will be in it — and she’ll have her own spinoff TV series later, lol. I just found this out. I’m tempted to pick up his Renee Ballard books.
Have a happy March at the Cove. I’m sure it’s getting pretty there.
My March is busy for a bunch of different reasons, but it does seem to be a busy one for a lot of other reasons too. 🙂 And so many great books are coming out! I’m looking forward to Laila Lalami and Susanna Kearsley’s books although I doubt I will get to them anytime soon. I hope March will be a good month for us all! It certainly will be movie-book-music wise, at least!
Hi Wendy, yes the books, screen watching, and music all look great this month. Perhaps it’ll help us from the politics. I can only hope. I’m still impressed your daughter wants to come to Canada. She shows much maturity! I can understand things are busy this month, who knows when we’ll get to these releases. But at least some are on our radar. Enjoy your month & good luck with your work and all.
I am really looking forward to Adichi’s newest novel!
I have read only 1 book (or was it 2?) in the past 3 weeks. I am swamped with work for the 2 nonprofits I run and really looking forward to that slowing down so I can return to the other parts of my life. At least it blocks out that awfulness of politics.
Hi Helen, you sound busy! I hope your work calms down … so you can get back to other things, like books. Politics are particularly awful this week so it’s great if you can miss that. I hope Adichie’s novel will help distract us. I’m on the wait list for it. Enjoy your week.
So many books coming out. I read your review of Assembly and want to go find that one because it is a novella. Also very interested in Tilt. Lesley’s review is very convincing.
We did watch Wolf Hall on disc. And liked it. Although I found it hard to follow at times, and I had read all of the books. I would like to see The Mirror and the Light, but I don’t think we will be able to access via streaming. I think The Friend sounds really good and, after reading your review, I think I should look for the book.
Hi Tracy, I recall Assembly being fairly interesting and astute but there are a few parts that were confusing as it jumps around a bit. It is short and I’m curious to read Brown’s new novel. Tilt could scare my imagination with its big earthquake scenario.
I might try to find the Wolf Hall TV series at the library. Sigrid Nunez’s books like The Friend are a bit different too. Sort of here and there as she talks of various topics. See what you think. And happy March!
I know that calendars are human constructs, but March already feels so much different from February. Lighter in the morning, lighter at night. Yes, please.
Today’s to-do list includes going through my seed box and deciding what I need to get so that I can get my tomato/pepper/flower seeds started. I may put some goldenrod left over from last year in the fridge and through it in the garden in mid-May.
I read Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies and watched both seasons of Wolf Hall–the acting and production and story is absolutely fantastic. I have the third book but haven’t been able to read it because I know what happens and it is horrific.
I need to check out Bosch Legacy. I am a big fan of Lincoln Lawyer (books and TV series), but have only read a few Boschs. Love the character though.
My son is eagerly awaiting the new Lady Gaga album.
Hi Jane, good to hear your takes on these. And I’ll be interested to hear about your seed boxes. We have not done much seed planting but this year we hope to start early. It’s been so warm we might organize on what to plant this weekend.
& Per your Wolf Hall feedback, we’d like to find a copy of the series and see the new season too; it looks good. Bosch Legacy is in its 3rd & final season — it’s not as good as the original Bosch TV series was but is still decent. And I hear there will be another Bosch spinoff with the Renee Ballard character, yay!
That’s good your son will be checking out the Lady Gaga album. I like her stuff. I’m curious if this will differ.
Happy March!
I hope to get my seedlings that are now full on plants into the ground the end of this month. Our last frost date is supposed to be March 29th, but we had a late snowstorm last year. What do you plan on planting? Do you have a time change in Canada? We “spring forward’ tomorrow. I’m not a fan of losing the hour especially when we’re catching a morning flight home!
Indoor tennis is a great way to keep in shape when you can’t be outdoors! Hopefully you can get some golfing in soon. I’m a terrible golfer.
Wild Dark Shore and Tilt sound like stories I’d enjoy. I have a bloggy friend who loved Once There Were Wolves.
Hi Rachel, we’ve had the time change today we are on the same time as Denver (mountain time zone) … losing the hour is tough & confusing! My husband & I need to discuss what we’ll plant. Usually it’s tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, potatoes, onions, zucchini, string beans … and wondering if we’ll skip peas and carrots but maybe not. Is there anything you’d recommend?
I’m loving the tennis right now, lol. I need more golf practice but the course opens in May.
The author Charlotte McConaghy’s first novel Migrations is still my favorite. You might like it. I think I listened to it on audio. Check it out.
Happy spring (almost)!