Okay, here’s my list of books read in March. (And, really, even if it is April Fool’s Day, I really did read all of these. It would probably have been more if I hadn’t gotten sick!) Twenty-two books for the month, a total of 8,844 pages, and some really good books.

1. SPRING OF THE RAM by Dorothy Dunnett (469 p). Second book of the House of Niccolo series. In this book, our intrepid hero heads to the exotic Eastern city of Trebizond, last Christian outpost in the face of Turkish conquest. But meanwhile, his stepdaughter has eloped with his main rival, who is trying to outwit Nicholas at every turn, and by any method.

2. POWERS THAT BE by Anne McCaffrey and Elizabeth Ann Scarborough (356 p.) Not really the best book, but an interesting sci-fi premise . . . a world that has been terraformed to be habitable to humans, and which has become, in fact, sentient . . . though the Company doesn’t believe it. It’s actually the beginning of a series, but frankly, it’s the only one I like at all.

3. TWO SIDES OF THE MOON by David Scott and Alexei Leonev (390 p.) A look at the space race as told by an US astronaut and a Soviet Cosmonaut. Interesting dual perspective by two very accomplished men.

4. RACE OF SCORPIONS by Dorothy Dunnett (536 p.) Third in the House of Niccolo. Nicholas is coerced into fighting a war on Cyprus, fending off the attentions of Zacco, the king, and dealing with the fate of the hostages–his former lover Katelina, and her young nephew Diniz, who is convinced Nicholas killed his father. And, oh yes, an Emir from Cairo with a grudge.

5. 102 MINUTES by Jim Dwyer and Kevin Flynn (276 p.) “The untold story of the fight to survive inside the twin towers.” This was absolutely excellent. The story of what happened inside the World Trade Center on 9/11/01 between the time the first plane hit the first tower, and the time the second tower fell. Riveting. Wonderfully written. Meticulously researched. Amazing story–heartbreaking on so many levels–not only because of the truth of what we all know about that day, but also because of things we didn’t know. Great book, about an event that we simply cannot afford to forget. (Can you believe this was four and a half years ago, already??)

6. SOLITAIRE by Kelley Eskridge (396 p). Such an interesting idea of a book. Sci-fi, set in the not-too-distant future, Ren Segura (Jackal to her friends) is a privileged young woman, a symbol of the new World Government . . . and frankly, the beginning, “Hope” part of the book is a little dull . . . but then, tragedy strikes, and Jackal is accused of the terrorist murders of 437 people, including some of her dearest friends, and committed to virtual solitary confinement–what will feel like eight years in a tiny cell, completely alone, but in reality is only 10 months. This is where the book gets really good . . . the solitary time, and then the adjustment period that comes after. It kept me up until 1:15 in the morning, finishing this book. It’s not perfect, but as the author’s first novel, it’s pretty remarkable.

7. SCALES OF GOLD by Dorothy Dunnett (519 p). Fourth in the House of Niccolo series. Nicholas goes to Africa to try to get enough gold to save his struggling bank, in the company of Katelina’s angry sister. It turns into more of a spiritual journey for Nicholas, but ends with a hard and bitter blow at the very end–heart-wrenching.

8. ABOVE HALLOWED GROUND by the photographers of the New York City Police Department (191 p). A coffee table book of never-before published photos of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001–including many photos taken from NYPD helicopters, which are amazing in their scope.

9. UNICORN HUNT by Dorothy Dunnett (656 p). Fifth in the House of Niccolo series. One long, rending contest between Nicholas and his new wife–and a search for his son. Or is there a son? She’s not telling.

10. TEMPUS FUGIT by Lawrence Rowe (305 p). A piece of fiction–obviously–that tries to read too much like a textbook. The premise? What would happen if George Washington, Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson were suddenly in modern America (Mount Rushmore, to be precise) and confronted with what the United States had become in the last two centuries? As a time-travel-story-lover, I was curious to see what the author would put together, and my opinion is mixed. Some of it was really quite good (Franklin was a treat), but some was not so good. I’ve never read a work of fiction that had such a long bibliography–the man obviously knows his Founding Fathers. They name-dropped all over the place about their own early lives and interactions with each other, various scandals and events, and so on. And they had some fairly serious discussions about their opinions on the amendments to the constitution or the freedom of slaves. I couldn’t quite decide if the author was writing a work of fiction for the sake of the story, or if he was trying to put together an educational work pieced together in a clever, more-entertaining-than-a-textbook fashion. Gotta say, though, I found Jefferson just as annoying in this book as I do in the history books I’ve read about him . . .

11. INAMORATA by Joseph Gangemi (319 p.) I enjoyed this quite a bit. It takes place in the 1932s, as the Scientific American puts up a $5000 prize for any spiritualist that can prove paranormal phenomena. Enter Martin Finch, a Harvard grad student who helps the committee investigate and tries to find ways to debunk the obvious frauds . . . until they come across one woman who seems to have a gift . . . This was really quite good.

12. COOL SOCKS, WARM FEET by Lucy Neatby (125 p.) A book I’ve wanted for a while–it claims to have only 6 sock patterns in it, but in fact, gives a wealth of information on different sock heels and toes and tips . . . it far transcends its meager claim of only offering six variations on a sock. Glad I finally picked it up.

13. TO LIE WITH LIONS by Dorothy Dunnett (626 p.) Book six of the House of Niccolo. Finally reunited with his son, Nicholas enters a competition with his wife to see who is more capable . . . or more ruthless, and it ends . . . badly.

14. THE KNITTING ANSWER BOOK by Margaret Radcliffe (386 p). Exactly what it sounds like–a knitting reference book in Q&A format. Thorough, useful, but I don’t know that there was anything new in there.

15. CONRAD’S FATE by Diana Wynne Jones (375 p.) YA fantasy in her “Chrestomanci” series. Conrad’s uncle tells him he’s got bad karma and must go to Stallworthy Manor as a domestic until he finds the man who can cure his bad luck . . . on the way, he meets a boy named Christopher…

16. MYSTIC AND RIDER by Sharon Shinn (440 p.) The first book in a new series, it’s very “traditional” in Fantasy style–a group of comrades travelling together, facing danger with magic and swordplay–but Shinn’s writing style makes it work. As always, one of my favorite authors–her descriptions just drip with richness and texture. I’d love to be able to write like she does.

17. THIRTEENTH HOUSE by Sharon Shinn (423 p.) The second book in the new series–focusing on Kirra, a noblewoman shape-changer, who agrees to masquerade as her reclusive sister on a tour of social outings. One of the very few of Shinn’s books I can think of that has less than a perfectly happy ending.

18. KNITTING RULES by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee (218 p.) The Yarn Harlot’s third book, and unlike the previous two, this one actually addresses, well, knitting. There are patterns, tips for swatches, helpful charts (like foot length by shoe size), and it’s covered in Stephanie’s inimitable, humorous style. Entertaining read.

19. CAPRICE AND RONDO by Dorothy Dunnett (537 p.) Book seven in the House of Niccolo series. Exiled due to his actions in book 6, Nicholas ends up in Poland and points further East with Julius and Anna, while back home, Gelis and the others try to piece things back together.

20. MASON-DIXON KNITTING by Kay Gardner and Ann Shayne (158 p.) A charming knitting book, a pleasure to read, and with some unique new things to do with yarn (curtains, anyone? rugs? And let’s not forget dishcloths). It’s not just a boring pattern book–but then, knowing these two, did you really expect it would be?

21. TOMB OF THE GOLDEN BIRD by Elizabeth Peters (381 p.) The latest Amelia Peabody mystery, where Howard Carter discovers the tomb of a little-known Egyptian king, Tutankhamen (perhaps you’ve heard of him?) Better than some of the more recent Amelia Peabodys have been–it’s an enjoyable series, but it’s been going on for years now. The early ones–where Ramses is little–are still the best.

22. GEMINI by Dorothy Dunnett (671 p.) The eighth and last House of Niccolo book, where all questions are answered, and all of the many, many plot points are tied together. A masterpiece, really, although there are some slow spots. Still. This is one of the most multi-layered series I’ve ever read, it’s only logical that the summation would be dense and thick with meaning. Really, an amazing achievement.

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