March 2025

March truly giveth, and then giveth some more. I travelled to Orlando for work, giving a talk at a conference there that I was really happy with. I met lots of my beloved colleagues for the first time, and most exciting of all, went sale agreed on my first home. It feels wild to be putting down roots of some kind in the latest of the three cities I’ve lived in during my adult life, but I also fell in love with the place when I saw it. My survey is next week, so keep your fingers crossed for me.

Reading-wise, I’ve found it really hard to concentrate. Maybe it’s the travel, the general business and the stress from lots of sources, but I’m just trying to go with the flow. This month has a lot of audiobooks, but I feel like I’m getting my mojo back. I’m feeling quietly optimistic about April.

I also quit Spotify in March, after the Andrew Tate controversy, and migrated over to Apple Music (thanks Daddy Alex, I love you!). It’s feeling increasingly difficult to boycott companies, because they really are all evil. Anyway, the books I read and my March playlist are below. Bisous!

Rodham by Curtis Sittenfeld
I love Curtis Sittenfeld so much, so after reading her fictionalised autobiography of Laura Bush, I decided to dive into her story of how Hilary’s life would have gone had she not married Bill. It’s brilliant and offers such a fascinating alternate reality. Given the current times we live in, this felt like a bizarre parallel universe that you can really see happening. My dad read American Wife (we share a Kindle account) so I’m hoping he’ll read this next.

Single: Living a Complete Life on Your Own Terms by Nicola Slawson
This month, I signed up to libro.fm, which is an indie version of Audible. I’d really recommend it, and this was my first buy from it. I really liked Nicola Slawson’s The Single Supplement before I quit Substack, which is a thoughtful newsletter about different topics for those who have been single for a long time, like myself. I liked parts of this book, and disliked others. For some reason, I find that a lot of narratives about long-term single women tend to lean into settling and acceptance, whereas most of the long-term single women I know, myself included, are quietly living beautiful and fulfilling lives filled with love. I really enjoyed the end, where she talks about her decision to have a baby with her gay best friend. Joy really does come in all forms!

Expectation by Anna Hope
Libro.fm have a deal on that you get two credits when you sign up, so this was my second pick. Turned out that I’d already read it without realising it, but I enjoyed it just as much the second time around. It tells the stories of three former flatmates, flashing between their younger lives in London Fields in the early noughties, to themselves in their thirties as life starts to catch up with them. It’ll be familiar territory to anyone trying to navigate friendships in this odd decade where you become yourself, and then worry that your friends are all going in totally different directions.

Private Rites by Julia Armfield
I’m ready to admit that I’m the issue, but I just can’t gel with Julia Armfield. I really liked salt slow, her collection of short stories, but Our Wives Under the Sea (everyone loved it except me) and this one left me cold. It’s about three sisters who navigate their complicated familial dynamics after the death of their famous architect father, against the backdrop of a world that is slowly completely flooding as a result of climate change. It’s an interesting premise, but I hated the characters in a way that I found distracting. I don’t usually need to like characters, so I’m not sure what the issue is, but if you liked Our Wives Under the Sea, go for this. It’s just as marshy and damp.

Our Last Wild Days by Anna Bailey
I got this as a proof for a book club event that I was unable to attend thanks to a migraine. Such is life, right? It’s about the mysterious death of a woman in the Bayou southern US, and her childhood friend who has returned from the city to their small town to take up a journalism job and look after her mum who may or may not be experiencing cognitive decline. The story is interesting, but the writing can be repetitive (how many times can you say the word kudzu? It’s an invasive vine). I think this would be a good beach read if you like a thriller.

The Artist by Lucy Steeds
Another day, another skipped book club event. My kitten Leo got neutered today, and requires constant supervision as he battles against his body’s need to recover and his mind’s need to run around my flat like a possessed demon child. He really isn’t good for my blood pressure, but that’s an aside. I really loved this book, which was kindly gifted to the club by a publisher. It’s about Joseph, an arts journalist, who ventures from England to France as World War One is happening, to profile a mysterious painter Tartuffe, who is best known for his ability to capture light, and his rivalry and once physical fight with Cezanne. The writing is beautiful and the story goes in unexpected directions. It’s a shame I’m missing book club tonight, because I’m dying to hear what everyone else thinks of it. Text me, everyone in book club!

Gossip Girl 3: All I Want is Everything by Cecily von Zeigesar
I’m going to continue on my adventure of re-reading the series I loved as a child and teenager, and I’ve picked Gossip Girl back up again. This one is set at Christmas, so it’s a bit of a laugh as they all jet from New York to destinations like Maine, St Bart’s and god knows where else. It makes sense that I enjoyed these so much when I was younger, and that I’m now a huge fan of Bravo, especially the Real Housewives of New York.