The Year in Books - March

Joining in with Laura at Circle of Pine Trees and many other bloggers for The Year in Books challenge, to read at least a book a month for a year.  Last month saw me reading Women, Work and the Art of Savoir Faire by Mireille Guiliano, author of French Women Don't Get Fat and other titles and former CEO of Veuve Cliquot Inc.   I really enjoyed this book.  I love her no-nonsense approach to life and business and her views on one's conduct in the workplace.  There were ideas in there about mentoring, manners, eating and drinking, dressing for work,  finding a balance and acting with positive self interest when making decisions and career moves. 

It was incredibly interesting to read the views of this remarkable woman, who wants to encourage women (and men) to succeed at work and do well in business.    There were even some recipes in the latter chapters that could be used for business entertaining at home, which might be useful for some.  I'll now be looking out for future titles by the same author and other titles of hers that I haven't already read, such as French Women For All Seasons.

As I finished the above book before the end of February, I started to read this book in February too.

The Secret Life of Evie Hamilton by Catherine Alliott.  I started it whilst we were away for a week in the Yorkshire Dales and I was able to indulge in a bit of reading on morning lie ins.  Since we've been home, it's been more difficult to find time to finish the final few chapters, but I have finally done so this weekend.  It's a funny and entertaining read, but with incredibly tear jerking moments too.  I borrowed it from this Little Free Library down the road.

This particular branch was opened by someone in our neighbourhood, and it is a wonderful socially conscious idea.  I took this book back on my Monday morning dog walk this week, but I didn't pick up another book as my book pile is still piled far too high.  Better to leave them there for someone else, who will probably get around to reading them sooner.  I must admit I've had this one a while, at least now someone else can enjoy it too.  Check out this website to find out more about the little free library initiative.  littlefreelibrary.org.

My first and foremost book for March is going to be this one.  The Woman Who Went to Bed for a Year by Sue Townsend.

As I've spent the first couple of months reading self-help type books, I've now started to enjoy reading fiction again, which is good, as the majority of my pile waiting to be read, is fiction.  This one sounds funny and I always appreciate a giggle and a bit of absurdity.  I read a couple of the Adrian Mole books when I was younger and I can remember enjoying them, so this caught my eye in the charity shop and captured my curiosity. 

I've made a start on it and I am enjoying it so far.  If I manage to finish this book before the end of March, I will then be starting on the book pictured below, as I've been looking forward to reading it for a while and at the moment I'm in a bit of a knitting phase.  I've not read any by this author before, but believe one of her books has been serialised for TV.

You'll note that many of the books I read are quite light hearted.  I do find it quite hard at the present moment to get stuck into more serious titles, but you never know I might just surprise you one of these days.