Demons, Monsters, and Death
March was full of dark and thought-provoking reads
My reader game was strong in March. There were several books that if they were not up against Frankenstein would have been strong contenders for book of the month, but I am a Mary Shelley fangirl and expect to be one for life (see What’s In A Name?). In truth, I am so enjoying reading multiple books in conversations with each other that I decided my 2026 Book Bracket and Fable March recap was not truly capturing the highlights of the month so I created a March 2026 Book Showdown list on Bookshop.org with notes about each book.
As I already dug deeply into Frankenstein in What’s In A Name? I want to spend some time with The Boneshaker by Kate Milford. The first striking thing is that this is an accidental read. I think I was actually looking (on Hoopla) for a different title currently unavailable via Libby, but what a serendipitous read as it also explores the darkness of monkey paws and dangerous wishes. This was a dark and scary book. I learned early not to read just before bed for fear of nightmares or at least thinking dark and scary thoughts so I couldn’t fall asleep. There are deals with the devil, grief, and horrible choices that force a child (actually several children) to grow up too fast. I felt the echoes of Sinners in this book in so many delicious ways including the burdens of birthright. I loved the hard difficult lesson of the monkey paw and crossroads that there are no shortcuts in life. I also loved that all the fear and struggle paid off with hope and love. Like Sinners this is a love story about the bonds of family, friends, and community. I was scared a lot and I cried often when reading this book. I loved it deeply and it did pair very well with Frankenstein and I hate that it could not be my book of the month, but I do highly recommend it.
While March was filled with personal grief over the loss of a dear friend, many of my reads were full of death and loss as well and this includes The Winter Soldier and The Correspondent. Both were beautiful and rich explorations of grief and life and joy that I highly recommend. I cried a lot while reading both books and I should warn you that The Winter Soldier includes some truly horrifying descriptions of World War I. There has been much written about The Correspondent so I won’t go on at great length about it, but I do love this line: My life has been some strange balance of miraculous and mundane.
Fortunately I had some lighter reading which included Shades of Milk and Honey which was just delightful fun combining two of my favorite genres. I will definitely read more of Mary Robinette Kowal and highly recommend if you enjoy light fantasy and Bridgerton. I also read Indigo which wasn’t always light but definitely lighter than my earlier mentions. Check out Traci Thomas’s Stacks Book Club podcast for all the reasons you should read this book.
Do let me know what you think about my March 2026 Book Showdown list and March selection for my 2026 Book Bracket. I could discuss these books a great length and I expect my library book club will hear about them tonight which brings me to the update portion of our program. I am now halfway through my practice retirement and a quarter way through the year which makes this a good time to take stock of my communities and planned activities.
According to Fable I have read 57 books this year, although this is actually an undercount as I have some books I’ve re-read during that time period that I did not count (I particularly do not think my comfort reads and bedtime audiobooks, which are always re-reads in case I fall asleep while listening, should count). As Fable is telling me that I will meet my reading goal in August I clearly did not do enough research/math when I set that goal, but I suppose it does not matter as my habit is to read every day in any case and this year is all about reading in community.
When it comes to my book clubs I think I am batting .500. I want to start with my two online book clubs first because they are both wins. My Slow Read book club (currently reading The Stand) has totally convinced me that slow reads are awesome - especially slow read communities - although I wasn’t a tough sell. Also, when you are engaged in multiple book clubs then they all become slow reads. I definitely take weeks if not the whole month to complete my other book club books. I am enjoying the discussions led by our moderators, our monthly book club meetings, and the sidequests. Here’s a taste of the tidbits our community has shared with me!
I am similarly enjoying my America250 Book Club (which shares a moderator with the Slow Read book club so perhaps not surprising). I did miss the book club meeting discussing our first book, Giant, because it conflicted with the Rebel Cartographers and I have deep regrets that I won’t get to join this group on its May jaunt to New York City for our next read (Ragtime), but I did very much enjoy our groupwatch of Giant. I can’t say that I loved Giant, but I was fascinated by it and am glad that I read it and definitely do recommend it to others. Giant hits on so many important themes that we are still struggling with today in America from history vs. progress, patriarchy, colonialism, technology, and the corruption of power and this quote still has me thinking:
It isn’t the evil people of the world who do the most harm.
It’s the sweet do-nothings that can destroy us.
I also want to shout out Traci Thomas and her Stacks Book club podcast. I am all out of sync with her timeline but love that there is a rich backlist that I can dip into as I encounter books on my TBR pile (see Frankenstein) and I am indulging in some of her recommendations (see Indigo). Maybe someday I’ll align my reading calendar with hers but for now I’m just letting her be a guide. I’m always looking for podcasts and substacks that offer reading suggestions. One of the real benefits to reading in community that I didn’t (but should have) expect was how rich broadening my reading horizons has been for me.
My in-person book clubs have been more of a challenge for me. I haven’t always loved the books chosen for my library book club and I had to miss one meeting due to a conflict. I don’t actually share a lot of reading favs with the people who talk the most, but I will persevere for now. My church Arts, Crafts, and Conversation group will have its final meeting next week and each month we’ve had fewer folks attending so will need to rethink this community. Last, but not least, my family book/movie club did not get off to a good start, in part due to my poor book selection (Wuthering Heights and Vineland). Check out these book to screen adaptations and please make recommendations so I can do better with our next selection!
If you are looking for more reading recommendations do check out my Third Act bookshop with book lists galore including: March 2026 Book Showdown, February 2026 Book Showdown, and January 2026 Book Showdown. In fact, you might be able to advise me as to which classics on my list I should read next!
So far, halfway through my practice retirement and a quarter way through the year, I am doing very well with my reading in community activities. I’ve read many interesting books and been able to engage others in conversations about those books through either a book club or as an invitation to write. Best of all, I’ve managed to juggle my book clubs successfully. Please let me know how many book clubs you juggle, how many books you read (or plan to read) a year, your favorite reads (brackets, showdowns, or just top of mind), and definitely let me know what classic book I should read next or add to my list as well as what book to screen adaptations I should consider.
