March 2023 Book Review

Well, I am late again with my review but only because I really wanted to finish up Spare which I did on Sunday. That technically puts us in April, but it took me so much of March to read it I wanted the review to stay in March.

I really enjoyed one book and had semi-good/meh feelings about the other two. I really need to download some quick, chick-lit’s to read to get me out of this heavy slump of books I seem to be in.

Here we go…

I started this month with The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post by Allison Pataki.

I thought it was super interesting to read about someone that I really had no idea existed. I suppose I knew that the Post family was a real family that created Post Cereals or at least that’s what comes to mind when I hear that name. I had no clue about the empire her father and Marjorie herself built.

I really love to read historical fiction and this one was a great read beginning with Marjorie as a little girl until the end of her life. She lived an incredibly lavish life, one that many could never even dream of especially during some of the most terrible times our country has experienced…the Great Depression, WWI, & WWII.

Her luck with men was terrible to say the least. She was married FOUR times and died as a single woman. But then again, it was not socially acceptable to be a powerful, wealthy, influential woman during her lifetime. Very unfortunate.

She always seemed very interested in charitable organizations and making sure all of her many staff were taken care of. She seemed to truly care for all the people she met in her life and probably all the ones she never would meet.

My only critique of this book was that it was a bit too long. I enjoyed reading of her entire life, but the later chapters seemed to be dragging it out a bit.

Very interesting woman and an incredible life she lived!

 

Next, People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry.

I really adored this book! So cute, a little predictable, but overall a good read.

I think I enjoyed it so much because it seemed pretty realistic as far as love stories go. The typical two friends that everyone say should be together, but them. Or that’s what they both want you to believe, even though they’ve loved each other much deeper than friends for a long while.

Throw in a little spice and you’ve got two that you’re rooting for all the way through.

The book switches back and forth between past vacations they’ve taken and current day. You get to see it all come to a head and then there’s still more left to the story which I appreciated.

Take this one with you on your next vacation for sure!

 

Lastly, the one that took up most of my month…Spare by Prince Harry.

I almost quit this book probably 2 different times but then I remembered I paid almost $20 for it. Ha!

I don’t knowww…I have always loved learning about the Royal Family. I was a little sad to hear when Queen Elizabeth died. The more I learn about Princess Diana, the more I like her. I totally get the hype to know all the things about them.

I will admit that Harry has never been my favorite but I all have to go on is what the press puts out. Which, according to him and his entire book, is a bunch of bullshit. I believe that but my issue I have with him is the victim mentality that he projects.

Obviously I have no clue what it is like to have to be chased by paparazzi every day of your life. They have ruined an ungodly amount of things for him and for his family. To this day, even if you were never interested, you probably knew that one of the biggest causes of  Princess Diana’s death was because she was being chased by the paparazzi.

I think he was dealt a crappy hand. Always being the “spare to the heir” and not getting to do a lot of things he wanted that would have been normal for him to do because he was royal. Harry loved serving in the British military, but his time was cut short because it was more of the threat to have him in the war than to not because of all the paparazzi and being targeted more than anyone else to be killed or kidnapped for money.

He seems to find some relief from all of this once he meets Meghan or at least finds refuge within her presence. The harassment from the paparazzi seems to ramp up even more once they’ve announced their relationship, their wedding, their pregnancy. This is where I didn’t appreciate what he had to say and got annoyed with the book. He absolutely is throwing certain family members under the bus and airing dirty laundry.

On one hand I understand his need to felt heard, to set the record straight. On the other hand I just would like to hear the other side of the story, especially from the perspective of his father who is now King and his brother who seems to have dealt with the same harassment growing up and going through the same big life events.

I am happy that he was able to get himself and his family out of England. It was what was right for him and he seems much happier by the end of the book.

If you have a genuine interest in the Royal Family, give it a read. If not, probably best to save your $20 and spend it on paying for drinks while you listen to your girlfriend whine about her family, partner, job, etc.