What I Read in March 2025

Hi, friends! Can’t believe Q1 of 2025 has come and gone already… I am happy for the longer days and spring weather we’ve been having despite the pollen (I have been medicated regularly for days)!

SAY NOTHING by Patrick Radden Keefe

A bit embarrassing but I told a lot of people about this already—I was one of those people who didn’t know Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland were two separate countries (until last year, gasp). I had read a number of books set in both Ireland and Northern Ireland but always thought Northern Ireland was Northern part of Ireland, sort of like New England region of the US. That was my understanding even though I had watched Derry Girls and I looked up orangemen while doing so?!

Anyways, I read Say Nothing in efforts to learn more about Irish history. Patrick Radden Keefe writes about The Troubles in Northern Ireland. Say Nothing opens with the dispapperance of Jean McConville, a single mother of ten, whose abduction resembles that of many during the time period. There are several central characters Keefe traces throughout, including the Price sisters, Brendan Hughes, and Gerry Adams. The Troubles is a tricky topic with ongoing repercussions, and Say Nothing provides nuanced insights, particularly regarding the provisional I.R.A.

I’M LAUGHING BECAUSE I’M CRYING by Youngmi Mayer

Youngmi Mayer is one of the Internet people I learned about during early Covid days. I didn’t know much about her besides the fact that she is Korean. She really opens up about everything in her memoir titled I’m Laughing Because I’m Crying, a take on a popular Korean phrase told to crying children (if you laugh while crying, you’ll get hair on your butt)–everything from her childhood growing up as a biracial kid in Saipan, her eating disorder brought on by her parents’ commentary, family trauma/history, and more.

채식주의자 (The Vegetarian) by 한강 (Han Kang)

Working through the stack of Han Kang books, I picked up The Vegetarian next. The Vegetarian is a culmination of her earlier published short stories and tells the story of a Yeong-hye who decides to become a vegetarian after a nightmare which continues to recur. This results in conflicts both with her husband and her own family. The subsequent sections center around Yeong-hye’s brother-in-life and her sister In-hye respectively. The Vegetarian might be the most well-known Han Kang book of all time as it was first of her book to be translated into English. What I can say is that it is uncomfortable and weird (and drastically different from Human Acts).

THE SMALL AND THE MIGHTY by Sharon McMahon

The Small and the Mighty is a short and sweet book about Americans who played their part in shaping the American history but are not well-known for varying reasons. Some were ordinary people, some were forgotten over time. Perhaps because the author is a Podcast host, each chapter, and honestly even the whole book, felt like it could be a Podcast episode. It’s an informative and a feel-good read.

A GOOD GIRL’S GUIDE TO MURDER by Holly Jackson

Recently, I have been into thriller audiobooks and I finally crossed A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder off my list (it had been on my TBR since pre-covid). This YA thriller follows Pip who is investigating the death of Andie Bell, a local girl who was supposedly murdered by her boyfriend Sal Singh five years ago, for her senior capstone project. She interviews and reaches out to a lot of different people–Andie and Sal’s friends and family, teachers, law enforcement, and more–which translates well to audiobook. I was a bit spacey at some parts despite the engaging audiobook format. A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder is the first book in the series/triology and TBD if I will read more from it.

THE GATHERER by Kit Trzebunia

I learned about The Gatherer because I knew Kit, the author, from her YMCA PiYo classes! How cool is it that someone you know in person (well, sort of?! hope she remembers who I am haha) has written a book! I actually even requested Durham County Library buy a few of her copies, only to buy a Kindle copy later… In my defense, it is on the lengthier side at 800+ pages.

The Gatherer is a coming-of-age story of Peregrine who grows up within the forests of the kingdom of Moran. As a daughter of King’s ranger, she trains to become both a warrior and a healer though she may be destined to be more than that per the legend about The Voice and The Gatherer. I actually don’t read a lot of “proper” fantasy books (the only other true fantasy book I have read in recent years is A River Enchanted) but I loved The Gatherer so I may need to venture more into the genre. I think Kit is working on a sequel/book 2 of the series so I’m looking forward to reading it one day!

P.S. I’m currently listening to The Boyfriend by Freida McFadden.

P.P.S. Photo of me in front of Yu & Me Books during NYC Trip earlier this month.