March signals the arrival of spring and a fresh batch of books to explore! With the changing season comes a whole new set of insights and adventures to get lost in. This March book selection includes a deeply moving memoir about grief called Memorial Days, as well as the thrilling historical fiction Isola, and a poignant romance This Is a Love Story by Jessica Soffer. So find a cozy spot, settle in, and enjoy these must-reads for the month!
MEMORIAL DAYS by Geraldine Brooks | Memoir Biography
Memorial Days, a grief memoir by Geraldine Brooks, processes the sudden death of her husband of 35 years. The book is written in a dual timeline from both the present and the recent past. The story begins the day she received that terrible phone call. Brooks amazingly finds the time and space to chronicle their life together, his tragic death, and her grief in a powerful, heartfelt way that remarkably honors her husband.
ISOLA by Allegra Goodman | Historical Literary Fiction
Isola is the timeless story of a woman fighting for survival inspired by the real life of a sixteenth-century French heroine, Marguerite. She was forced to sail to the new world in 1542 and was abandoned on an island in the St. Lawrence River for two years. In this thrilling adventure of faith, love and defiance, she overcomes all obstacles by returning to the Court of the Queen of France. This well written saga highlights how historically little control women have had over their own lives and how men conducted life-altering decisions for women.
WE ALL LIVE HERE by Jo Jo Moyes | Contemporary Fiction
We All Live Here is a moving, realistic look at one woman’s post-divorce family life that manages to be both poignant and funny. This is a family drama about a woman trying to rebuild her life after her husband cheats on her and leaves her for another mother at their daughter’s school. It is about family and what defines it, how it morphs, how it hurts us, how it sustains us. It is a character-driven mix of family drama, women’s fiction, and romance. Full of humorous and heartfelt moments, the book speaks on the power of forgiveness, grief and found-family.
THIS IS A LOVE STORY by Jessica Soffer | Literary Fiction
This Is A Love Story is an homage to New York City, to romance, and to loss. Soffer captures the truths about life and marriage in radiant prose. For fifty years, Abe and Jane have been coming to Central Park. Jane is dying, and Abe is recounting their life together as a way of keeping them going. This book is about love that endures despite what life throws at us, or perhaps even because of it. It is an intimate and lyrical celebration of great love, great art, and the sacrifices made for both.
THREE DAYS IN JUNE by Anne Tyler | Domestic Life Fiction
Three Days in June is a heartwarming and humorous novel about a divorced couple who must unite to support their daughter on her wedding day. The story centers on Gail Banes’ life as her daughter’s wedding approaches. It spans from the day before the ceremony to the day after. This book explores the reality of a mother coming to terms with herself and her past while wanting nothing but happiness for her daughter. In just three days, Gail finds herself reliving a pattern from her past that hits her hard. She is forced to make important decisions about her life and embrace both change and loss in the best way possible.
