It’s Monday, What Are You Reading? (3/20/17)

Hosted by The Book Date.

My late February / early March reading streak has finally hit a roadblock. And, a book by an author who has only ever received 5 stars from me did it. Couldn’t be more shocked.

It’s been a big basketball week in our house. This is the first year my son has cared about March Madness (or basketball at all)…but, he’s now obsessed. He did his own bracket in my husband’s office pool and helped me with my picks (he correctly picked the Villanova AND Louisville upsets and so far has me leading The Ladies Bracket with my high school buds for the first time ever!).

I’d also like to thank Julianne from Outlandish Lit for very thoughtfully helping me tweak my social media follow buttons. I’m old (in tech expertise terms) and don’t know much about coding, so I was so relieved to get some help from someone in the know. I now have links to my Pinterest and Instagram accounts on the blog, so follow me over there! Also, check out Julianne’s blog, Outlandish Lit, if you haven’t already!

This post contains affiliate links.

I finished reading…

The Rules Do Not Apply, The Hearts of Men 

The Rules Do Not Apply by Ariel Levy (March 14, 2017)
I really enjoyed this raw, brutally honest memoir. It’s been marketed as “for fans of Cheryl Strayed,” which is a pretty unattainable bar, but the comparison in this case is not entirely unfounded.

Affiliate Link: Buy from Amazon

The Hearts of Men by Nickolas Butler (March 7, 2017)
I had high hopes for Butler’s third book after loving Shotgun Lovesongs and Beneath the Bonfire. Sadly, I couldn’t connect to these characters and there were a lot of seemingly random elements that never came together into a coherent whole for me.

I’m currently reading…

The Wanderers, Meg Howrey


The Wanderers
 by Meg Howrey (March 14, 2017)
I’m about 25% through this novel about a group of astronauts training for the first mission to Mars. It’s been billed as “Station Eleven meets The Martian” (both books I loved) and, so far, is the most unique book I’ve read all year. I’m loving it even though I don’t have any special interest in space.
Affiliate Link: Buy from Amazon

I tried, but wasn’t feeling…

The Arrangement, Sarah Dunn


The Arrangement by Sarah Dunn (March 21, 2017)
I was looking for a fun read to include in my Summer Reading Guide, but only made it 10% through this story about a couple who tries an open marriage before getting annoyed with the characters and turned off by the hints of Liane Moriarty-esque Mommy politics.

Upcoming reading plans…

Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley


The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley
 by Hannah Tinti (March 28, 2017)
This story about a father and a daughter, which has been billed as a literary thriller and a coming of age novel, has been getting some pre-publication buzz and sounds right up my alley.

I was reading…

One Year Ago: An online defensive driving course was seriously cutting into my reading time.

Two Years Ago: Not loving Hausfrau put me in the minority.

How was your reading week?

Get Weekly Email Updates!

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

28 Comments

  1. I’m kind of tired of pre-publication hype comparing a book to some other book! Why do they do that?

    Posted 3.20.17 Reply
  2. Beth F wrote:

    Although I grew up in basketball-loving family, I don’t watch. We’ve been watching the curling championships. Seriously. I love the game. 🙂

    Posted 3.20.17 Reply
  3. I wish you continued success with your bracket! Some of the 1st and 2nd round games were played here so it was a very big deal in our area this year. I really liked The Rules Do Not Apply too.

    Posted 3.20.17 Reply
  4. Angela wrote:

    Oh, I was really looking forward to The Hearts of Men! Maybe I won’t be rushing to the library for that one…

    Posted 3.20.17 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      Ugh – I can’t tell you how disappointed I was.

      Posted 3.21.17 Reply
  5. I’ve been really curious about The Wanderers so am happy to hear you’re vetting it for me!

    Be prepared, The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley is great, but it’s not a thriller! (At least not at the 50% mark – maybe it will develop into one still?) Never-the-less, it’s a really good book.

    We do a bracket at school and even though I know nothing about basketball, I’ve won it a couple times. I’m definitely not going to be repeating this year. Good luck on your (and your son’s) picks!

    Posted 3.20.17 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      Thanks for warning me about Hawley – I will not expect a thriller! Sometimes expectations going in are half the battle.

      Posted 3.21.17 Reply
  6. Tara wrote:

    Okay, these little flashback posts are cracking me up; I totally remember the little defensive driving episode – ha! I’m disappointed to here that The Hearts of Men was a letdown; I just knew that you were going to love it and tell me that I had to read it…hmm. Well, one that I can eliminate! That’s fine with me! The Wanderers sounds VERY intriguing; I am a HUGE fan of Station Eleven, so I’ll be interested in hearing your final thoughts. I hope your bracket holds up, Sarah; that’s awesome!

    Posted 3.20.17 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      I’m now 60% through and am loving it! Think it’ll make my best of the year. And I think you’d like it 🙂

      And haha – what a time suck that driving school was!

      Posted 3.21.17 Reply
  7. Oh, no… that’s too bad about Nickolas Butler’s book. How disappointing! Your son predicted both Villanova and Louisville?? That kid has a gift 😉

    Posted 3.20.17 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      I know, right. I love him and was so looking forward to it.

      Either a gift or beginner’s luck…probably the latter.

      Posted 3.21.17 Reply
  8. Kathy Martin wrote:

    I’ve never been a basketball fan. Any games watched are watched by accident when channel surfing. All of your books are new to me and in genres I don’t usually read. I set aside a book this week too because it wasn’t working for me. Come see my reading week here. Happy reading!

    Posted 3.20.17 Reply
  9. Emily wrote:

    So glad to hear you enjoyed The Rules Do Not Apply! I’m about to grab the audio edition from audible, as soon as my current listen is over.

    Posted 3.20.17 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      I think it would make a great listen…and it’s in my audio wheelhouse (which is lighter nonfiction and lots of memoirs).

      Posted 3.21.17 Reply
  10. Naomi wrote:

    The Wanderers sounds like a good possibility. I love books that grab you even though they’re about things you don’t usually have an interest in!
    I like seeing what you were reading (or not) at this time last year and beyond. Nice touch! Do you mind if I “borrow” your idea? (You know, if I ever get around to it? Although, this one wouldn’t take much extra time…)

    Posted 3.20.17 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      Of course not – borrow away!

      And I’m loving The Wanderers! It’s one of my favorites of the year so far.

      Posted 3.21.17 Reply
  11. The Rules Do Not Apply looks good to me….and I agree with you about Hausfrau. I had so wanted to like it, but didn’t make it very far into it before sending it back to the Cloud.

    Enjoy your week, and here are
    MY WEEKLY UPDATES

    Posted 3.20.17 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      I wish I’d sent mine back too..that was before I got super comfy with DNFing.

      Posted 3.21.17 Reply
  12. The Wanderers is on my wishlist. I’m joining up in the fun again and I’m hoping you’ll stop by to my new domain.

    It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

    Posted 3.20.17 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      It’s SO good…am now farther in and loving it!

      Posted 3.21.17 Reply
  13. I’m so over the comparisons, but I’m glad one finally was true. I really thought The Hearts of Men would be great. Sorry, it was a disappointment, especially after he’s earned 5-stars from you on his other books.

    Posted 3.20.17 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      Ugh…yes…I was so psyched about it. It wasn’t terrible…just nowhere close to his other books for me.

      Posted 3.21.17 Reply
  14. My reading week was good! This reading week is a leetle bit frustrating so far, but I have high hopes that whatever I read next will be a winner. You are reading a lot of books with absolutely gorgeous covers! The book industry’s design inventiveness never ceases to amaze me.

    Posted 3.20.17 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      That’s so funny you noticed the covers! I never pay much attention…probably b/c I read mostly on a Kindle

      Posted 3.21.17 Reply
  15. Greg wrote:

    Sounds like your son is doing pretty good with those brackets. 🙂 And The Wanderers looks good!

    Posted 3.20.17 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      It’s SO good. I’m about 60% through now and think it’ll be one of my favorites of the year.

      Posted 3.21.17 Reply
  16. Kate Elkins wrote:

    I loved Station Eleven so much- had not heard about The Wanderers. Sounds good! My book club just selected The Swans of Fifth Avenue- Sarah, I read them your review to seal the pick- thanks! I’m also interested in The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley. But, first, I have to finish Dead Letters- again, thanks for the recommendation!

    Posted 3.21.17 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      OMG – so much love for Swans! Have never heard about a book club doing it – let me know how that goes.

      Hope you’re loving Dead Letters and thrilled to hear you’re reading so many books I love!

      Posted 3.21.17 Reply

Get Weekly Email Updates!

Join our mailing list to receive all new blog posts in one weekly email. Plus, news of special updates and offers!

You have Successfully Subscribed!