March 2026 reading wrap-up

We’ve had some beautiful spring weather this month. Cool breeze, soft sunlight, and the chirping of squirrels forming a backdrop to my morning reading on the balcony.

Summer will be here before too long, so I’ve been soaking up this lovely spring weather while I can!

March reading wrap up

It’s been a languid reading month, with just 4 books read. This month’s reading took me down the halls of the Vatican, to a small village in Sweden, wandering through a magical inn, and to the somewhat haunted, gothic lake in Stockbridge, Massachusetts.

Sign of the Cross by Glenn Cooper

In Abruzzo, Italy, a young priest suffers the stigmata of the crucifixion. As his tiny parish church explodes with tourists, the Pope calls on Harvard professor of religions Cal Donovan to investigate the truth of the priest’s claim.

Meanwhile, in Berlin, Germany, a secretive neo-Nazi organization believes the priest is the key to an earth-shattering secret that can be used as a deadly weapon — one that was being pursued by Himmler during the Third Reich.

When the priest is abducted, a perilous race against the clock begins. Only Cal can track down the ruthless organisation and stop it, before an apocalyptic catastrophe is unleashed.

The novel alternates between Nazi Germany’s hunt for true Christ relics, and the present day activities of the Neo-Nazi organization and the hunt for the priest. As Cal races across Europe with the young priest’s sister in tow, I couldn’t help but compare him with Dan Brown’s Robert Langdon. With his decoding of symbolism and brushes with danger and death, Brown’s books made for a more compelling, edge-of-your-seat romp; though Sign of the Cross was pretty interesting in its own right too.

The Secret of Snow by Tina Harnesk (A book released in 2026)

Máriddja an eccentric, 85 years old, is facing a cancer diagnosis. She’s determined to keep the truth about her illness from her husband Biera, while also finding someone who can take care of him once she’s gone.

But Biera needs someone to look after him too. With his failing memory, he can no longer be trusted with his rifle or his knife.

Then there’s Kaj, a new transplant to the village, recently engaged to his girlfriend Mimmi, and mourning the death of his mother. Kaj has never been comfortable in his own skin. Perhaps it has something to do with his mother’s refusal to talk about his father or the early years of his childhood.

So when Kaj finds a box of Sámi — the indigenous people of Scandinavia — handicrafts belonging to his mother, he’s puzzled. He didn’t know his mother was interested in Sámi handicrafts or why she left all of them to him and none to his younger brother. What he finds will change his life for years to come.

Mariddja’s conversations with Siri on an iPhone she cannot figure out how to use, and her misunderstandings of current terms lent some humor to this poignant story. I also enjoyed the indigenous folklore of the Sámi and the way the backstory of the displacement of the Sámi people in Lapland was woven through the novel. Highly recommended!

A Witch’s Guide To Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna

Sera Swan was once one of the most powerful witches in Britain. Then she resurrected her great-aunt Jasmine from the (very recently) dead, lost most of her magic, befriended a semi-villainous talking fox, and was exiled from her magical Guild. Now she (slightly reluctantly and just a bit grumpily) helps Aunt Jasmine run an inn in Lancashire, where she deals with her quirky guests’ shenanigans, tries to keep the talking fox in check, and longs for the magical future she lost.

When she learns about an old spellbook that holds the secret to restoring her power, she turns to Luke Larsen, a gorgeous historian who might just be able to help her unlock the book’s mysteries. Luke, who has his own reasons for staying at the inn, never planned on getting involved in the madcap goings-on around him and certainly had no intention of letting certain grumpy innkeepers past his icy walls, so no one is more surprised than he is when he not only agrees to help, but also finds himself thawing .

Running an inn, reclaiming lost magic, and staying one step ahead of the watchful Guild is a lot for anyone, but Sera is about to discover that she doesn’t have to do it alone… and that the weird, wonderful family she’s made might be the best magic of all.

This was an absolutely delightful, heart-warming read! If you love found families, a bit — or a lot — of magic, and quirky characters, you will love this book!

The Girl in the Lake by Lauren Oliver (A book released in 2026)

Kate Willis, consultant for the Division of Perceptual Studies at the University of Virginia, is tasked with interviewing 6-year-old Henley Haskell about her alleged past-life recollections. The evaluation also marks a return for Kate to Stockbridge, Massachusetts, and to troubling recollections of her own.

Here, 24 years ago, Kate’s friend Becca McGuire vanished from her bunk at a now-shuttered summer camp and was never seen again — presumably drowned in Lake Sauquamet. But the mystery of her disappearance is only deepening. Because Henley’s memories of her “other life” are ones that could only belong to Becca.

For Kate, Henley’s recurring, suffocating nightmares, and her disturbing illustrations of places she has never been, seem to spell out the unbelievable. Somewhere, somehow, the truth about what really happened to Becca is locked inside this little girl. As Henley’s uncanny memories surface, so do old secrets — each one drawing Kate inexorably back to that terrible long-ago summer by the lake.

Delightfully atmospheric, slightly gothic, excellently written, with interesting twists, this book will keep you hooked until the last page. I’m so glad this is a series, because I can’t wait to read more cases that come the way of the Department of Unexplained Phenomenon. If you enjoy mysteries, you’ll want to keep an eye out for this one!
(I got an advance reader’s copy from Netgalley)

Expected publication date: 1 June 2026

Over to you: What was on your reading list this month?