Books of March 2022
The nice thing about March is that it feels like the year is settling in. January is all about fresh starts and new beginnings. February is often a balancing act, with less energy, but still requiring that all the same things get done. In March, however, the days are longer and a rhythm begins to establish itself.
March isn’t my favorite month, but I appreciate it for what it brings. And this month, it brought some pretty great books. It also brought a return to the gym (something from my 22 for 2022 list). Between the new rhythm and quite a few hours spent on the treadmill or in the weight room, I managed to get through 18 books I read this month. Regardless of which of these things played a larger role, however, I’m glad that I checked all these off my list.
The Betrayal of Anne Frank: A Cold Case Investigation - 3 Stars. When the research around this topic popped into the news one day not too long ago, I knew I needed to read this book to find the answer to the historical mystery. I read the Diary of Anne Frank long ago, and while I didn’t particularly enjoy it, I did appreciate its historical and literary significance. This book delves into an interesting mixture of history, research, and speculation. Although it may seem impossible to solve a case this cold and this old, it is fascinating to hear about the different leads that were followed and different means of information gathering utilized. Since this investigation travels in several directions, it can be a bit slow at times and a lot of the information seemed extraneous. And even when the puzzle is seemingly solved, it still isn’t conclusively proved, but an answer that seems to check all the necessary boxes is reached. While I don’t disagree with the conclusion, I was still left feeling like the entire thing was not packaged quite as I expected.
Forensics: What Bugs, Burns, Prints, DNA, and More Tell Us About Crime - 3 Stars. As evidenced by the title, this book covers a vast array of topics. Some were discussed more thoroughly than others, and some in quite excruciating detail, but all through helpful case studies and analysis. As you read more and more books on a particular topic, there tends to be more and more overlap of anecdotes, examples, and knowledge. While there was some of that in this book, there was also considerable new material since the author was British, and thus much of the content revolved around British examples as well. This meant much of it was new to me, and thus, even more interesting.
Dead Center: Behind the Scenes at the World's Largest Medical Examiner's Office - 4 Stars. I’ve been reading this ebook for a while, and while it took me some time to get through it, that isn’t because I didn’t enjoy it. The content is quite heavy, particularly considering how much of it revolves around the recovery and identification efforts that took place after 9/11. One of the highlights of reading the book was when the name of one of the frequently mentioned people popped up as an interview subject in one of my grad school textbooks. When I read more about her the next day in this book, I could only smile at the coincidence. One of the best ways to read books about topics like this is to examine the institution and events through the perspective of the author, and that is what this book did. I certainly didn’t know much about what does on within an autopsy room, beyond what you see on tv shows, but now thanks to this book, I now know significantly more.
A Thousand Naked Strangers: A Paramedic's Wild Ride to the Edge and Back - 4 Stars. The title of this book made me laugh and pick it up, and continued to evoke a smile each time I thought of it. Much of the content is similar. Although it delves into details on some particularly gory situations, and shares insights into the lives of a reporter turned EMT turned paramedic, it manages to stay lighthearted, for the most part. There were a few parts where I was mildly shocked and other parts where I was disheartened, such as hearing about the fractured relations even between highly interactive local institutions with similar goals. Although not surprising, when traumatic situations are at play or someone’s life may be on the line, it seems particularly out of touch. However, I still enjoyed this book, and like the last one, a glimpse into an industry I don’t know much about.
The Barbizon: The Hotel That Set Women Free - 3 Stars. I’d certainly heard of the Barbizon, and some of its literary derivatives, in other books that I had read. However, I had not read too much that focused solely on the hotel itself. It was interesting to read more about the building that housed so many icons, of which Grace Kelly is by far my favorite, but others such as Sylvia Plath and Joan Didion are other notable mentions. In order to give the necessary background and supporting information to tell about the lives of those who intersected with the hotel, there is a lot of peripheral information that doesn’t always feel particularly relevant and is slightly distracting. Although, for a book where the main character is a building, it is quite a lively read. It is an interesting topic, but unfortunately, like many of the women who lived there over the years, not particularly deep.
The Paris Apartment - 3 Stars. I was so excited to read this latest thriller by Lucy Foley and as soon as I heard it was coming it flew to the top of my “to read” list. I got my hands on it as soon as possible. Unfortunately, I was left quite disappointed. There were too many perspectives, something Lucy Foley always uses, but this time it felt particularly excessive. I didn’t particularly care for any of the characters either, and it took much too long for the story to truly develop. There were a few twists and surprises, but there seemed to be several times where suspense was built unnecessarily, and I was left feeling disappointed for what could’ve been, particularly when the story wrapped up into such a relatively neat “happily ever after.”
The Cove - 3 Stars. I read another Catherine Coulter book a few months ago and enjoyed it, but when I realized that it was book #45 or something in her series, I understood why some parts left me feeling like I had walked into the middle of something. I decided to go back to the beginning and see if I would enjoy the story from there. I did, although the characters she seems to settle on as being the primary focus of the series weren’t primary characters, if they were mentioned at all, and I didn’t like the ones that took their place. But with how far the story has likely evolved, the fact that it started somewhere different is hardly surprising. The romance aspect of this book was also just as bad, if not worse, than the way Agatha Christie writes love stories - which is almost always completely ridiculous. I didn’t get that sense though from the later book, so I’m willing to keep reading the series, at least for a bit, to see how it develops.
JonBenet: Inside the Ramsey Murder Investigation - 4 Stars. I first heard about this case when I was a child and it has stuck with me ever since, despite not knowing many of the details. I recently read Perfect Murder, Perfect Town: JonBenet and the City of Boulder in an attempt to correct that, but was left feeling like I didn’t get quite the whole picture. This book was much longer, but I think also much more accurate, despite sharing the case largely from one perspective. Since this book also mentioned the other, I also got the sense that it was written with a bit more hindsight and thoroughness. That book also focused heavily on the actions of one particular reporter, but I felt this book treated that person with a much more appropriate perspective. Overall, I was fascinated by what was shared in this book, especially the facts that were left out by the other, and have very strong ideas about what occurred.
Apples Never Fall - 4 Stars. This is the first book I have read by Liane Moriarty, but I am familiar with a lot of her titles. I figured I would start with this one and if I enjoyed her writing, it would add a bunch of her books to my “to read” list. The characters were all well written and well developed, but I can’t say that I actually liked any of them. Not that that is the point of characters. And I did enjoy that tennis played an underlying role in much of the story since I started playing again last year and love the sport. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect of the ending of this book, with the biggest twist coming in just the last couple of pages, but it was an enjoyable thriller - not my favorite, but better than some others I’ve read recently.
In Pursuit: The Hunt for the Beltway Snipers - 3 Stars. Learning more about the Beltway Snipers has been on my to-do list for a while, so when I came across this book, I knew it was the perfect fit. Cops or investigators who share the behind-the-scenes of some of the captivating and heartbreaking cases they have worked on often have the most insight and relevant perspectives. David Reichenbaugh was no exception. This book was made even more interesting by the fact that this case was solved so quickly, so some of the details shared were minute and the progression seemed both incredibly fast and unbelievably slow. However, now I know all about this investigation from someone who witnessed it firsthand and actually was largely responsible for managing the apprehension of the suspects.
Unbelievable - 3 Stars. I heard about this story and immediately planned to read the book. It was good but felt largely disjointed. At the end, the authors share that as investigative journalists, they were approaching this story from two different angles, and when they heard they were writing about the same case, somewhat reluctantly joined forces. At first, I wondered if that was what made it seem so compartmentalized, but it wasn’t. The two sides of the story flowed together well, the transitions between people, settings, and timelines, less so. It also spent a great deal of time expanding upon the background of various investigators, which, while mildly interesting, slowed the momentum and blurred the focus of the book. But on the whole, it is a great example of the best and worst sides of law enforcement and the factors that can work together to bring out both.
The Club - 4 Stars. Another decent thriller. Since I had mixed feelings about the last book I read by Ellery Lloyd, I was a bit apprehensive. While there were some borderline things in this one as well, I enjoyed the story and setting much more in this book. And the ending was much more satisfying, even if not completely so. It wasn’t a particularly intense thriller, and many of the twists were predictable, but it was enjoyable nonetheless.
In the Name of the Children: An FBI Agent's Relentless Pursuit of the Nation's Worst Predators - 3 Stars. I’ve read a lot of books like this recently, but I have to say, this is probably the most difficult one. The stories are absolutely heartbreaking and display the very worst that humanity has to offer - along with some demonstrations of the actions taken by the very best. Structurally, I thought some of the chapters and sections of the book were a bit choppy, but that’s understandable when trying to simultaneously tell your life story while conveying the facts behind so many cases which weren’t necessarily consecutive. While I appreciated hearing about Jeffrey Rinek and how he has served the children of this country, this was a difficult and heavy book to read. However, I am so glad that the memory of these children continues to live on.
Flicker In The Dark - 4 Stars. Another thriller and one I almost decided not to read. But I’m so glad that I did. It was definitely one of the best that I’ve read in quite a while and I could hardly get myself to put it down. The characters were well-written and had more depth than many I’ve read recently. The setting was also perfect, with just the right mix of details. The story itself was good too, of course, and even if I saw many of the twists coming (even the big one), there were still lots of moments of surprise all along the way. The end wasn’t quite what I was hoping for, but it did bring the story to a close.
Greenwich Park - 3 Stars. This book contrasted in my mind against Flicker In The Dark, since I read them back to back, which I think left this one at a slight disadvantage. It was another good book, and while it was suspenseful, I would hardly categorize it as a thriller. It also reminded me a lot of Apples Never Fall, which I had also finished recently since it had some plot points that felt very similar. While there were several storylines happening, and they all wrapped up well at the end, almost none of them were big surprises, and even the twist in the last sentence I saw coming. Regardless, it was a good story with well-written (if largely annoying) characters and a lovely London setting.
One Italian Summer - 4 Stars. I have enjoyed each of the books by Rebecca Serle I have read, and I always enjoy them more than I expect. It is always even more unexpected because she always introduces an element of un-reality into her stories, which I normally don’t appreciate. But when it comes to her books, somehow I always seem to set that aside. This story about a mother-daughter relationship was no exception. I was entranced by the characters and their relationship from the first page. It was very reminiscent of Gilmore Girls I thought, and even more so since the audiobook I listened to was narrated by Lauren Graham (better known as Lorelai!). There were certainly aspects of the book relationship that seemed unhealthy, as there are on that show as well, but the daughter seemed to become more aware of that as the story went on. All in all, it was a short and sweet read that I got through in one day and probably couldn’t have put down if I wanted to. Plus, it brought a bit of Italian summer sunshine (at least metaphorically) into my life on a dreary March day in the PNW.
J.D. Salinger: The Escape Artist - 3 Stars. J. D. Salinger is one of my favorite classic authors, but I have never known much about him - beyond the fact that that is exactly the way he preferred things. Since J. D. Salinger was such an extremely private person, the issue of privacy was raised throughout the book, and it almost did feel like snooping around someone’s house and hoping they don’t catch you - even though he has been dead for over a decade. So although I did feel a bit guilty, I did finish the book and learned quite a bit more about J. D. Salinger in the process. He had an interesting life, but one not too unusual for the time in which he lived. I will admit that my favorite parts of the book were the snippets of his fiction throughout, which has prompted me to return to admiring the outside of the house where I am supposed to be, rather than loitering within.
FBI Myths and Misconceptions: A Manual for Armchair Detectives- 4 Stars. This is a book that I was a bit unsure of going in, but I enjoyed it from the very beginning. It gives a first-hand look into the Bureau and breaks down many of the misunderstandings that exist about how it operates, along with the agents within. Jerri Williams, a former special agent herself, also shares her opinions on popular books and movies that center on the FBI and explains what is pure procedure and what is fabricated fiction. Additionally, it also includes snippets of interviews from her podcast, FBI Retired Case File Review, in the relevant chapters. I have read a lot on this subject lately, and most of what was covered in this book I already knew, but it did continue to expand my knowledge and would be a great starting place for anyone wanting to learn more about how this agency operates.
The books I read this month were definitely a mix - although not a particularly unexpected one. When I set the goal to read books I like more, I shouldn’t have been surprised when most of those turned out to be thrillers, memoirs, or crime-related. Although I certainly go through phases over time, that is what I’ve been fascinated by recently, and that, therefore, is reflected in my reading.
It is nice to give myself permission to focus on those things by letting myself read what I like more, but even in those categories, I sometimes put down a book that I decided not to finish. At least, for now.
On the whole, though, this may just be my favorite reading-related goal yet.
Until next time,