Hello Friends!!! How are you today?

Though I couldn’t read all the books I had planned in my March TBR, nonetheless, I still had an enjoyable reading month with five books under my belt.

So, here are the five books I read this month.

Death in Holy Orders by P.D.James

The story follows Commander Adam Dalgliesh, who comes to an isolated theological college, St.Anselm’s, to find answers to the mysterious death of a student named Ronald Treeves, but ends up unearthing more sinister secrets which may lead to more murders.

The biggest plus point of this book was it had the ‘Agatha Christie’ vibe to it. The setting, characters, complex plot, all had the cozy mystery feel going on and made it an entertaining read.

The Redbreast by Jo Nesbo

The story follows  Detective Harry Hole trying to find out why a rare and unusual gun – a type favoured by assassins – had been smuggled into Norway. Next, he finds out about a WW2 soldier dead with a throat cut, followed by Harry’s former partner’s murder. Now Harry has to find out this killer before he strikes again.

The first half of the novel was a slow-paced. But once I reached the midpoint, the second half sky-rocketed. The plot was complex as it had to move to past and present. But it made it interesting to find out how all of this connected.

Stalker by Lars Kepler

Here, the killer is taunting the police by sending a video clip of a woman being stalked. Later, the woman is found brutally murdered. Now the police have to find out who this stalker is before another woman dies.

This novel is among the best reads of 2017 for me. One of the most violent and creepy novels I have ever read. Biggest plus point of this novel – short, edge-for-your-seat chapters, which helped build up the tension and pace and also made me read the novel faster. Great characterization with an amazing antagonist. The most unexpected yet the most obvious antagonist a story could ever have.

Structuring Your Novel by K.M.Weiland

In this self-help book, Weiland explains the structure a novel follows and how knowing this structure helps in writing a better novel. With in-depth analysis of the novel structure and examples from both literature and movies, this book helped me understand the key points I need to keep in mind while writing a novel. This is a great book for any aspiring writer who wants to get to the core of the whole writing-a-novel experience.

Outlining Your Novel by K.M.Weiland

After reading Structuring Your Novel, I had to continue and read the next book. Outlining a novel feels a little scary to every writer. It feels as if it will block our creativity and will become all formal, logical and lack-lustre. But after reading this book, my views about outlining has changed. At least, I am now willing to give it a shot. This book has helped me to understand why is it important to outline, how can I brainstorm and form my ideas into a cohesive outline (and later, into a cohesive novel). This book is also a must read for aspiring writers who want their creative juices to keep pumping amazing ideas.

So that’s all I read this month. Which books did you read in the month of March? Do let me know.

Love, Rubina