Chapter 10 - So Many Books

March is such a great month. The weather is warmer, spring break is here or soon to be, and a new group of books hit the shelves. The latest estimate I've seen is that between 250 - 300 novels are released each week. There is no way we can even start to read that many! If you are like me you too do a lot of research to figure out what you'll read next.

Along with reader information from publishers, other book bloggers, and book magazines, I tend to pick two kinds of books for my next read. First, I pick books by authors I know. This has about an 85% success rate for me. Only rarely do I find that an author I've previously enjoyed has written a subsequent book I'm not keen on. Second, I choose books that sound interesting based on books I've already read and enjoyed.

Here then are my March selections.

All That Is Mine I Carry With Me by William Landay - If you enjoyed the book Defending Jacob by Landay, you should probably read this one too. In 1975, a child comes home to find the house empty with her mother not to be found anywhere although her handbag is on the table. So begins a mystery that will span a lifetime.

Clytemnestra by Constanza Casati - I enjoy the retelling of Greek myths and this is the story of Clytemnestra, villainess queen of the ancient world. Clytemnestra is betrothed to a tyrant, deceived by her husband, and finds out sometimes you have to take power into your own hands. While this is a debut novel, fans of Madeline Miller (Song of Achilles, Circe) will, no doubt, enjoy this.

Forager: Field Notes for Surviving a Family Cult: A Memoir by Michelle Dowd - Michelle Dowd grew up on a mountain in a cult established by her grandfather, who believed that they should prepare themselves for Doomsday survival. As she grew she learned many things including how to survive a cult. If you liked Education by Tara Westover, this might be for you.

Daughter Dalloway by Emily France - I have always been a fan of Virginia Woolfe's Mrs. Dalloway and this book is about her daughter Elizabeth and starts in 1952. Forty-six year old Elizabeth is taking stock of her own life and trying to figure out what really happened when her mother disappeared in 1923.

Earth's The Right Place for Love by Elizabeth Berg - In the Arthur Truluv series, this is a prequel. It tells the story of Nora McCollum and Arthur Moses who the reader meets in The Story of Arthur Truluv. If you haven't read the series yet, this might be the right place to start.

The London Seance Society by Sarah Penner - Penner is the author of The Lost Apothecary. Her latest is about a medium, Vaudeline D’Allaire, who is summoned from France to help solve a crime in 1870's London. A young woman, Lenna Wickes accompanies her as her apprentice but they both might be involved in something deeper than just the supernatural.

Do any of these sound interesting to you? Let me know what is on your spring reading list!