Books Read in March

March was a good reading month for me. I read The Illegal by Lawrence Hill and it was a great read. It wasn't my choice for the Canada Reads winner, but Clara Hughes was such a passionate debater, that I was really happy she won. This is the second win for Lawrence Hill. He previously won for The Book of Negros. If you haven't read this one, I would recommend either one. The story of the Illegal is about Keita who only ever wanted to run. He lives in fictional Zantoroland and is forced to leave when the tyrants kill his journalist father. Keita knows he could be next if he doesn't leave. In Freedom State he must learn to live as an Illegal. If he's found, he'll be returned to Zantoroland. This book is action packed, and a great read.

Minister Without Portfolio by Michael Winter was an okay read. Henry's girlfriend Nora decides that she wants the relationship to end, and Henry doesn't know what to do. His friend suggests to get away and go work in Afghanistan. A tragic roadside patrol suddenly becomes fatal and Henry blames himself for his friend Tender's death. He returns home and starts to fix up the home Tender dreamed of living in.He starts to fall in love with Tender's girlfriend. The story started out strong but by the middle and end, I wasn't enjoying it as much. I loved the setting of Newfoundland. The style didn't really work for me, especially the dialogue parts. I didn't really see progress with the characters and that bothered me.

The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey is the only financial book that really stuck with me. The ten baby steps, are now a goal for me. I'm an emotional spender. I'm working on changing my spending habits and looking at money and our financial goals. Dave Ramsey lays it out for people like me. I don't need to buy every single book, knowing I might not get to it for years. I don't have to have every single new ereader just because I want it. It actually sparked discussions about money between my husband and I. We haven't been really good with that. I'm the spender and Daniel is the planner and budgeter. I think we're finally on the same page and happily discussing it.

Skipping a Beat by Sarah Pekkanen has been on my ereader for years, literally. I finally decided to open it on my Kobo and I was sucked in right away. Julia and Michael were high school sweethearts and vowed to make it big. Julia always felt like money was important for security since her father was a compulsive gambler. Michael never had the mother or family life that he wanted. Together they had a sense of security. When Michael has a near death experience, he decides that his multi-million dollar company is no longer a priority and he decides to give it all away. Yes, GIVE it away. Julia struggles with knowing this will all be gone. Should she stay married to Michael? Is he really the man she married. Again, it was a favorite this month and I loved it.

Everything I Need to Know I Learned from a Little Golden Book by Diane Muldrow. There was something missing from this book. I checked it out from my libary ebook catalogue and it was so short. I see on Goodreads it should be 96 pages and mine was much shorter. I'm not sure what happened with this one.

I also read Medicine Walk by Richard Wagamese, I finished it just as April started. I'm hoping to put up a full review since I LOVED it. Richard Wagamese is one of my favorite authors. I haven't read all of his books yet, but I'm working on it. I discovered his books last year.