Bad Blood' & 4 Other Books On Our Reading List This March

Happy March! We made it through summer, and now things are finally going to start cooling down as autumn rolls merrily along.

Do you know what we love the most about autumn? It isn’t the arrival of winter vegetables, or even blooming peonies in May. It’s the fact that it’s the perfect season to settle in for an afternoon with a book. It’s as if the universe knows that after the heady hedonism of summer, what we all really need is to chill out and relax with some words.

So, what are we going to be reading this month? We have these four titles on our bedside table, and we think you’re going to love them too. But we’re always open to recommendations. Let us know what you’re reading this month and we’ll add it to our reading lists, too.

Bad Blood by John Carreyrou

The world can’t get enough of scammer stories at the moment, and this one is a doozy. Elizabeth Holmes was the founder of Theranos, a blood-testing startup that promised to transform the way people around the world monitored and took care of their health problems. Permanently clad in a black turtleneck, she was dubbed the female Steve Jobs and named one of the world’s youngest (and most inspiring) billionaires.

Until it all came crashing down, and it was revealed that the miraculous, game-changing technology of Theranos didn’t work at all. The story of Holmes’ rise and spectacular downfall is charted brilliantly in this book by John Carreyrou, which reads less like a work of nonfiction and more like a thrilling page turner. After you’ve finished reading, gorge the podcast The Dropout, which also tells the Theranos story, and wait eagerly for the documentary Out For Blood to stream on Netflix later this year.

Golden Child by Claire Adam

The dilemma at the heart of Golden Child is simple, but devastating: what if you only had the power to save one person? Who would you choose?

That’s the Sophie’s choice at the centre of this story of two twin brothers in Trinidad, one brilliant and gifted, the other not outwardly so. The novel, which is the second story to be published as part of Sarah Jessica Parker’s publishing imprint, explores how a parent could make a choice about which child to save, and how the ramifications of this decision will reverberate forever for everyone involved when they do.

Blood Orange by Harriet Tyce

Did you love The Girl on the Train or Anatomy of a Scandal? Then this is the book for you. A smart, addictive thriller, Blood Orange tells the story of a young lawyer handed her first murder case, only to discover that the incident is much, much closer to home than it appears.

What sets this crime novel apart from the many others on the shelves right now is its unreliable and unlikeable narrator. Protagonist Alison is a hard-drinking, hard-living (hard everything, really) lawyer who makes terrible decisions all the time. But so do all the characters in this compulsively readable thriller, which makes it all the more wickedly delicious.

The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley

A group of university friends reunite for a weekend away in super-remote Scotland just before New Year’s Eve. The plan is to catch up and reminisce, maybe drink some whiskey and eat their body weight in shortbread in front of a roaring fire.

But when a blizzard snows the group in, a rising tension starts to bubble up among the friends. By New Year’s Day, one of them is dead. And one of the guests is the killer. This is one for anyone who loves the neat, contained chocolate-box murder mysteries by Agatha Christie but wish that they packed a bit more punch.

Midnight Chicken by Ella Risbridger

Part memoir and part cookbook, this is a tome that will soothe your soul. Ella Risbridger’s partner died of cancer in his 20s, and her grief and mourning for him hangs over this book. But, as she details in devastatingly lyrical words, it was a love of cooking that helped nurse her through the toughest times and come out the other side.

Some cookbooks are simple and straightforward things designed to be kept on the kitchen counter. Not Midnight Chicken. Beautifully written and observed, it’s the kind of book to be read curled up in bed, lost in Risbridger’s story of falling back in love with food, and life.

Catch up on our February Reading list, which includes Michelle Obama's 'Becoming', here.