{"id":140798,"date":"2021-04-01T08:52:42","date_gmt":"2021-03-31T21:52:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.booktopia.com.au\/blog\/?p=140798"},"modified":"2021-04-14T10:56:27","modified_gmt":"2021-04-13T23:56:27","slug":"the-best-books-we-read-in-march-2021","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.booktopia.com.au\/blog\/2021\/04\/01\/the-best-books-we-read-in-march-2021\/","title":{"rendered":"The best books we read in March 2021"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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From a debut about Greek mythology to a novel about a Jackson Pollock painting, the books we read in March 2021 inspired and impassioned us. See what we read below … <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Mark Harding – Brand & Content Manager<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Later<\/a><\/em> by Stephen King<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Why I loved it:<\/strong> Later <\/em>is the third short novel King has published with Hard Case Crime, and it is a worthy addition to this little corner of his world. The story follows Jamie Conklin, a boy who can see and communicate with the dead, but in this set-up, the dead cannot lie – allowing Jamie to discover their secrets. And then an unscrupulous cop discovers Jamie\u2019s ability \u2026 I loved this book and not just because I\u2019m an unapologetic King fan. This is fast-paced, with a fresh approach to the kid-seeing-dead-people trope, and comes from a master storyteller who makes this kind of writing seem easy. Long time fans will also be happy to see (as usual) several links to other works in the Stephen King meta-verse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Buy it here<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Olivia Fricot – Senior Content Producer<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Ariadne<\/a><\/em> by Jennifer Saint<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Why I loved it: <\/strong>Fans of Greek mythology will be eating well this month with the arrival of Ariadne<\/em>, the debut novel from Jennifer Saint. This novel follows the trials of Ariadne, princess of Crete and half-sister to the fearsome Minotaur that stalks the labyrinth below the palace floors. Her tale as the woman who used red string to lead her lover, the hero Theseus, to victory over the beast is well known, but little is told of what happened to her afterwards \u2014 how she was abandoned on the isle of Naxos and found herself a different kind of life. Saint revives her story, along with that of her sister Phaedra, to weave a novel of empowerment and resilience in a world where the gods rage and the women they love suffer the consequences. Saint\u2019s writing is lovely and evocative – perfect for fans of Madeline Miller\u2019s Circe<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Buy it here<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Shanulisa Prasad – Lifestyle Category Manager<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Night Blue<\/a><\/em> by Angela O’Keeffe<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Why I loved it:<\/strong> The concept behind this novel was so intriguing – the Australian story of Jackson Pollock’s ‘Blue Poles’ told from the point of view of the painting. Happily, the book itself was so much more than just a concept. An insightful exploration of the intersection of art and politics, the relationship between the creator and what has been created, and between an artwork and its viewers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Buy it here<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Renae Adolfson – Trade Product Coordinator<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Digging Up Dirt<\/a><\/em> by Pamela Hart<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Why I loved it:<\/strong> I was addicted from the very first page by the thinly veiled dark humour that runs through the length of this narrative. Clever in its concept and even more brilliant in its execution, this novel shakes up the traditional murder mystery novel as it turns a home renovation into an archaeological dig site and, from there, into a full blown crime scene. If you thought renovating a house is stressful enough, just wait until you see what unfolds when a body is found underneath your floorboards! A great read, that you will power through and will make you laugh and shudder at every angle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Buy it here<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Cassandra Sharpe \u2013 Assistant Category Manager<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Sex, Lies and Question Time<\/a><\/em> by Kate Ellis<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Why I loved it:<\/strong> Recent events have shone a spotlight on Australia\u2019s federal parliament, and Kate Ellis\u2019 Sex, Lies and Question Time<\/em> exposes the relentless barrage of harassment women face in government. Her time in office saw her targeted for her youth and her appearance, and the weaponisation of slut shaming and rumour to actively discredit women leaders is astounding. She speaks to women on all sides of politics, addressing historical imbalances such as the absence of Indigenous, Disabled and female voices in government. It\u2019s an incredible read – and incredibly depressing. As she writes, ‘For most of its history, parliament has been a boys’ club, and boys’ clubs are not in the business of going into voluntary administration’. This book shows us that it\u2019s up to us to demand more from our representatives, how our government looks and whose voices are heard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Buy it here<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Amy Evans – Assistant Category Manager<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Malibu Rising<\/a><\/em> by Taylor Jenkins Reid<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Why I loved it: <\/strong>Malibu Rising<\/em> ticked all the boxes for me! There\u2019s just something about Taylor Jenkins Reid\u2019s writing that draws you into the character’s world and makes you feel so emotionally connected to everything that’s going on. Told between the past meeting and break up of their parents marriage and the present lives of the four Riva siblings, this book is fast-paced but spares no opportunity to dive into the nitty gritty of growing up in a broken family. A must read for fans of Reid\u2019s previous novels, there\u2019s so many intertwining characters and surprises to find along the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Buy it here<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Robert O\u2019Hearn \u2013 Academic & Professional Category Manager<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Born Into This<\/a><\/em> by Adam Thompson<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Why I loved it:<\/strong> These short stories by an emerging Pakana writer are vivid and mightily powerful, inspired by his life within the Tasmanian Indigenous community. They have that you-are-here-now urgency, bringing elements of tough conflict and intense yearning together. Scenes of confused masculinity and uncertain identity rub up against the social and environmental destruction wrought by white privilege. There\u2019s humour, there\u2019s tenderness and sadness too; so it is a very rich mix. Adam Thompson has arrived with a clear and significant talent. His sharply-drawn descriptions and use of authentic vernacular place you right there. This is real, and it is masterful!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Buy it here<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Ashleigh Berry \u2013 Campaigns Coordinator<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Who is Maud Dixon?<\/a><\/em> by Alexandra Andrews<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Why I loved it:<\/strong> This is the perfect blend of intelligent character building with captivating story, tied together in suspense and beautiful writing. I was completely hooked on this story and could not read it quick enough. Andrews perfectly weaves a fraught story of anticipation that sits on the cusp of shattering \u2026 and when it does break, it\u2019s absolutely thrilling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Buy it here<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What\u2019s the best book you read in March 2021? Tell us below in the comments!<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

March 2021 March 2021<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Books by Stephen King, Kate Ellis, Taylor Jenkins Reid and more!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":140832,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":""},"categories":[6678],"tags":[12550,12805,12800,12797,12549,12801,1974,12798,12803,12694,12603,12799,7172,7532,4484,12802,5013,9717,10219,12804],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.booktopia.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/BestBooksMarch2021-Social.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.booktopia.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/140798"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.booktopia.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.booktopia.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.booktopia.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.booktopia.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=140798"}],"version-history":[{"count":28,"href":"https:\/\/www.booktopia.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/140798\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":140997,"href":"https:\/\/www.booktopia.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/140798\/revisions\/140997"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.booktopia.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/140832"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.booktopia.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=140798"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.booktopia.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=140798"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.booktopia.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=140798"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}