March Reading Challenge Update

Update on my March reading. My most recent update had me reading The News of the World by Paulette Jiles. Subsequent to that I used the word ‘World’ to move onto another book off my to read list. I have unfortunately/fortunately accidentally gone to some charity shops this month and acquired a few more books so I am not making much progress at bringing the to read list down. However, very satisfyingly, my book group chose to read The Bone Tree this month which I was able to link into my project!

Here are the books I’ve read recently:

• News of the World by Paulette Jiles (historical fiction)
• Underworld by Don Delillo (literary fiction)
• Under the Greenwood Tree by Thomas Hardy (classic fiction)
• The Bone Tree by Airana Ngarewa (contemporary fiction)
• The Flame Trees of Thika by Elspeth Huxley (biography) (currently reading).

A brief summary of each book follows – click on the links to read my full reviews.

The News of the World by Paulette Jiles (4 stars). A lovely historical fiction novel about a young girl who has been adopted by Native Americans and then returned to European society.

Underworld by Don Delillo (2 stars). No idea who recommended it to me, but it wasn’t really my cup of tea. A meandering megalith of a novel without a real plot. It felt like it was trying too hard and the vast list of characters was baffling.

Under the Greenwood Tree by Thomas Hardy (3 stars). Not one of his best novels, but I enjoyed the setting at the time when the world of parish choirs was being shaken up by their replacement by a solo organist. A light read. Not much plot.

The Bone Tree by Airana Ngarewa (3 stars). Shines a light on a hidden sector of Māori society that we don’t often see. However, it is depressing. Reminiscent of the film ‘Boy’ for its portrayal of deprivation.