MARCH 2025 READING LIST
March is an odd month in that, in the beginning half, there is a rhyme and constancy that allows me to read and write. But get to the end of the month, and I have several important birthdays to celebrate and spring break thrown in the middle. My time is stretched thin with domestic and personal responsibilities that lend to less reading and more exhaustion.
Lately, I have engaged in some spring cleaning, and my bookshelves have experienced the same thorough cleaning and purging as the rest of the house. Books I have started, and, after just a few pages due to a lack of interest in their content. One made the cut, but many are now in my little free library. Discovering a Ray Bradbury book at my local library rekindled my enjoyment of the renowned sci-fi writer's ability to tell a riveting story while also reflecting on human nature and man’s existence.
Here are the books that I read in March:
MURDER ON WALL STREET BY VICTORIA THOMPSON
Another good mystery by Victoria Thompson where the story writing was excellent and the pacing quick. Wall Street only lacked in the unsavory nature of the murder mystery in that the victim is a horrid man who violently abused women. However, Thompson was gracious and pulled out a good ending, even if it was a little far-fetched. I had some idea as to the killer, but the end result was still a little surprising. A quick, cozy-ish mystery that is easy to listen to, save for the nature of the crime of Hayden against his victims.
There are three more books in the series, and I plan to read them in time, but for now, it has been nice to read books outside of 1900 New York. My hope is that Thompson’s more recent books have the same intriguing qualities that Trinity Place and Pleasant Avenue were able to convey. The books that depict events based on true events tend to be her stronger stories and seem to make the characters come across as more natural and less forced.
3.5/5 Stars
THE MARTIAN CHRONICLES BY RAY BRADBURY
It helps that I am a huge Bradbury fan, but I found The Martian Chronicles to be incredibly insightful and compelling as an introspective examination of human behavior. Written in chronological order of those who land and colonize Mars, each story expounds on the behaviors of the conquerors versus the conquered and the myth of Western culture as the bringer of civilization.
I have been fortunate to have traveled to some beautiful places, but what captured my eye was the similarities between how Bradbury described the Martians on Mars and how I would describe Mexicans in Mexico City or Argentinians in Buenos Aires. In both cities, there is an appreciation and sense of respect for nature, not trying to tear down and destroy it by blending nature and urban.
“They quit trying too hard to destroy everything, to humble everything. They blended religion, art, and science because, at the base, science is no more than an investigation of a miracle we can never explain, and art is an interpretation of that miracle. They never let science crush the aesthetic and the beautiful.”
Some sections were eerily familiar in describing the censorship occurring on Earth. It is easy to read between the lines and perceive a foreshadowing of his famous literary work, Fahrenheit 451. What stood out was the State's determination to erase specific voices. The strong effort to silence these accounts was striking. The conclusion also poignantly reflected that those engulfed in fear are often the ones most intent on ridding the world of particular books.
“They began by controlling books of cartoons and then detective books and, of course, films, one way or another, one group or another, political bias, religious prejudice, union pressures; there was always a minority afraid of something, and a great majority afraid of the dark, afraid of the future, afraid of the past, afraid of the present, afraid of themselves and shadows of themselves.”
I greatly appreciated the insight into human behavior and our tendency as a species to destroy rather than build and preserve. Bradbury elaborates on the conflict between art, science, and religion, highlighting how the Martians lovingly blend them together instead of pitting one against the other. The idiosyncrasy of human nature, particularly in nations that insist on equality as their foundation, drives a state of constant division that leads to their destruction rather than any attack from a perceived enemy.
“Science is no more than an investigation of a miracle we can never explain, and art is an interpretation of that miracle.”
5/5 Stars
MARY ANNE BY DAPHNE DU MAURIER
She set men's hearts on fire and scandalized a country.
I found Mary Anne at a library sale, and having read " Rebecca, " one of Du Maurier’s famous novels, I decided to try this historical fiction laced with personal ancestry. The key point in the book is that Mary Anne Clark is related to the author, and her scandalous life was certainly something worth putting into print. The beginning of Du Maurier’s tale reveals how Mary Anne finds a way to survive in the unforgiving world of patriarchy. Gender, social class, and power are constant themes as Mary Anne, who is sharp and ambitious, goes toe-to-toe with a young architect, business owners, and the gentry of 19th-century London.
The story was compelling in its portrayal of the absurdity of the aristocracy and the vast sums of money they spent. I was frustrated by the Duke of York’s expenditures and how all the responsibility fell on his mistress rather than on his wife. It was also disheartening to read about the ways men could entice women into relationships without accountability or validity on their own part.
The part that lost me a little was the trials involving men purchasing their preferments from Mary Anne, who would then influence the Duke of York to enlist them in the military after the Napoleonic Wars. This bribery predominantly falls on Mary Anne, who is blamed more than the man in charge. Du Maurier effectively addresses the theme of social hypocrisy and the pattern of gender inequality, but the narrative suffers due to her commitment to historical accuracy and detail in recounting the trials. I confess I skimmed through many of the proceedings, capturing only a line or two. Suffice it to say, Mary Anne remains composed while the men become easily flustered, further illustrating the inaccuracies in gender stereotypes. If the story had focused more on the behind-the-scenes behaviors of those on trial, I believe I would have been more captivated by the narrative. Even so, it was an interesting read and certainly felt personal from Du Maurier. How often does a writer get the opportunity to write about their own family history with such interest?
3.25/5 Stars
THE DEAD SECRET BY WILKIE COLLINS
I liked The Dead Secret more than I thought I would. I listened to this book in order to have something calming and yet robust in vocabulary and language to listen to. Collins is wonderful with language, almost to the level of Bronte. I read enough of the synopsis to understand that Sarah Neeson, a maid in the house of the Trevertons who are a well-to-do family in Cornwall, but her story is not just that of a maid. Her life is deeply intertwined with the Treverton family, but it takes many years for the secret, purposefully buried, to be unearthed.
Although I enjoyed listening to The Dead Secret, I also struggled with the pacing of the novel. It moved incredibly slowly, allowing each character's thoughts and feelings to be shared. It was a slow procession to the end, but the redeeming quality of the book is the heartfelt response by each character that fits their personalities so well. It is a rare occasion where several of the characters do not change much over the length of the story, but their consistency makes the story better.
3.5/5 Stars