For the Love of Reading: March 2026

I read 4 books in the month of March, here are my reviews.

Joyful, Anyway by Kate Bowler
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Joy is the great mixed-state emotion, meaning that all at once you can feel joy and sorrow and fear and pain – and basically everything else, unfortunately. And fortunately.
Kate Bowler writes a great treatise on finding joy despite the crap that life throws at us. She explores her own attempts at looking for joy despite a cancer diagnosis, covering thrill seeking to quiet living to toxic positivity. All with humor, all with grace, all with an acceptance that joy might look different to everyone but we know it when we feel it. At a time when the world feels particularly heavy, this book is an important reminder that we owe it to ourselves to be joyful anyway. Highly recommended.
I received an advance reader copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This is a big, ambitious novel that moves across multiple countries, timelines, and perspectives, and at times, it’s quite immersive. The various settings are well written, whether we’re in India, England, or the U.S., and I connected with the themes of colonialism, migration, family loyalty, and loneliness in its many forms. But. The scope of the story was really too expansive. There were too many points of view and narrative threads, which led to a loss of focus. The pacing was a challenge, and at times truly felt like a slog. I honestly think the title itself is misleading. For a book centered on Sonia and Sunny, I expected it to focus on their relationship and inner lives. Instead, they often felt like just two figures in a much bigger story. That said, the ending was very strong. It was quiet but emotionally powerful, and it brought a sense of resonance that I wish more of the book had sustained. I won’t say I’m sorry I read it, but I will say I wouldn’t have missed anything grand if I had skipped it.

The Things We Never Say by Elizabeth Strout
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Elizabeth Strout has written another gorgeous book, with incredibly human characters, a coastal setting (though not Maine this time), and a quiet, character-driven plot that lingers in all the right ways. She has such a gift for capturing the small, internal shifts that end up shaping a life. Through Artie Dam, we see someone wrestling with meaning and purpose, especially in the context of the current political climate, and what emerges is a surprisingly steady and hard-won will to keep going. It’s subtle, but it builds in a way that feels very true. My only real criticism is that it’s too short, I wasn’t ready to leave these characters yet and would have happily stayed with them longer.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This is a compelling, character-driven novel that explores the complexity of sibling relationships and shared grief. I appreciated the multiple points of view, giving each sister her own narrative, and the pacing kept me engaged. That said, I didn’t fully connect with it on an emotional level. At times, the story felt rushed, like it was moving past moments that deserved more attention. Some of the characters were downright unlikable, which I don’t mind in theory, but here it created a bit of distance for me. There were also moments that felt like trauma for trauma’s sake, rather than something that deepened the story. Overall, I’m glad I read it, especially for its exploration of sisterhood and grief, but I didn’t love it the way others have.

A slower reading month with one fabulous book and 3 good books is nothing to complain about.