March was a good month. I ended up reading a bunch and I enjoyed almost all of the things that I read. I picked up some exciting books and I’m feeling really good about how things went!
The books I hauled in March:
- The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna
- Chain of Iron by Cassandra Clare
- Sweet and Bitter Magic by Adrienne Tooley
- Namesake by Adrienne Young
- The Astonishing Colour of After by Mary HK Choi
- People Like Us by Dana Mele
- Rules for Vanishing by Kate Alice Marshall
- Queen of Ruin by Tracy Banghart
- Haunting the Deep by Adriana Mather
- Internment by Samira Ahmed
- The Graces by Laure Eve
- A Song Below Water by Bethany C. Morrow
- The Devouring Gray by Christine Lynn Herman
- The Babysitter’s Coven by Kate William
- Into the Crooked Place by Alexandra Christo
- The Toll by Neal Shusterman
- Court of Lions by Somaiya Daud
- We Are the Wildcats by Siobhan Vivian
- Rage by Cora Carmack
- None Shall Sleep by Ellie Marney
- That Way Madness Lies by Various Authors
- Bridge of Souls by Victoria Schwab
The books I read in March:
1. The Castle School for Troubled Girls by Alyssa Sheinmel
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: eBook
Review: I have a full review of this up on the blog. You can find it here.
2. Belonging by Nora Krug
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: This was a really fascinating exploration of a person dealing with the legacy of their German ancestry. I really understood Nora’s motivation, and liked the way that she explored the story and fleshed out the details of her personal family history. I’m glad she was able to find closure for her story. The art and multimedia aspects of the book were really lovely.
3. Know My Name by Chanel Miller
Rating: 5 Stars
Format: Audiobook
Review: This was a deeply moving story, and I am so glad that I read it. I appreciated the way that Chanel told her story, and it had me on the edge of my seat. I felt so sad reading her story and seeing the juxtaposition of it compared to other events that had happened around the same time. It was interesting to read about recent history.
4. Blue Bloods by Melissa de la Cruz
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Audiobook
Review: I read this when I was in high school and loved it, and wanted to revisit it. It was the perfect example of YA from that time, and I definitely enjoyed it. I’m going to continue with the series.
5. Hamlet by William Shakespeare
Rating: 5 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: Another reread for my classes. Nothing new to say here.
6. 10 Blind Dates by Ashley Elston
Rating: 5 Stars
Format: Audiobook
Review: I had so much fun with this book. It’s a cute rom-com, and I loved the basic premise. I loved the family and the dynamic the protagonist had with them. I also loved all the different dates. It was such a fun read.
7. The Last Secret You’ll Ever Keep by Laurie Faria Stolarz
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: eBook
Review: There is a full review of this up on the blog here.
8. A Heart So Fierce and Broken by Brigid Kemmerer
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: I liked getting to see Grey’s point of view. He’s a really fascinating character. I also liked reading from Lia Mara’s point of view. Getting to see the other side of the war’s perspective was neat. I liked how the book resolved and I’m really interested to see how the series concludes.
9. Plutona by Jeff Lemire
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: This was a neat little graphic novel. I loved the worldbuilding and the art style. The ending felt rather abrupt, and I hope there are more to come in this story.
10. Home Before Dark by Riley Sager
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Audiobook
Review: This book gave me serious Haunting of Hill House TV show vibes, which I loved. It obviously wasn’t exactly the same but I really enjoyed the way the story developed. I devoured it quickly and needed to know how it finished. There were a lot of good twists and turns and it really kept me guessing. It was really interesting.
11. Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare
Rating: 5 Stars
Format: Audiobook
Review: This was a re-read for me, but I enjoyed it just as much as the first time. I love this series very much and Will, Jem, and Tessa are my favourite love triangle. I also really loved both of the voice actors on the audiobook.
12. Heartstopper Vol 3 by Alice Oseman
Rating: 5 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: I love this series. This was a really good installment of the series. The art is beautiful, and the story is so lovely and touching. It just makes me really happy to read.
13. The Girl and the Galdurian by Tim Probert
Rating: 5 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: This was a really cool story. I loved the art style, and I found myself really intrigued by the basic premise of the story and the worldbuilding. The main characters were really intriguing, and I definitely want to continue on with the series to find out what happens next. It had quite the cliffhanger of an ending.
14. Fangirl Vol 1 by Sam Maggs
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: This was a really interesting adaptation. I liked the art style, and it definitely translated the story well. I also enjoyed having the visuals to go along with the story. I think I’ll continue on with the series.
15. The Sun and Her Flowers by Rupi Kaur
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: Rupi Kaur is a talented writer, and it’s always interesting reading Kaur’s poetry. I think I liked her first collection better, but this was still a really interesting poetry collection. I really appreciate how personal the poems got and was definitely moved by them.
16. 7 Generations: A Plains Cree Saga by David Alexander Robertson
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: I found this deeply moving. The story was well structured, and it was also heartbreaking. I loved how it was illustrated and how the story was depicted. Definitely worth checking out, but definite trigger warnings for suicide and abuse.
17. Sugar Falls: A Residential School Story by David Alexander Robertson
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: This was a quick read, but it was really interesting. I appreciated the story, and I’m definitely glad that I read it.
18. Heart of Darkness: The Graphic Novel by Joseph Conrad, Peter Kuper
Rating: 3 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: I’ve never read Heart of Darkness but I’m glad that I read it as a graphic novel. The art really added to the story, and I don’t think that I would have enjoyed it without the art.
19. Manga Shakespeare: The Tempest by Richard Appignanesi
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: I enjoyed this version of The Tempest. It’s definitely nice to have the visuals to go along with the story. It helps you understand what’s going along with the story.
20. Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes
Rating: 5 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: This book was so beautiful. It broke my heart and made me tear up at work when I was reading it. I loved the main character and the way the story was structured. I highly recommend it.
21. The Tower of Nero by Rick Riordan
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Audiobook
Review: I really enjoyed the conclusion to the series. It was a very fast paced story, which I loved. It was well written with humour layered in with the excitement. Overall, it was really enjoyable and I’m glad that I read it.
22. The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson
Rating: 5 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: This was a re-read for me, and I still love it so much. It was so fun, and so spooky in the best way possible. I love the way that the story is structured and developed. It’s got all the things you need for an excellent book: a good premise, a good setting, relatable characters, and much more. I can’t recommend it enough.
23. Elisabeth: The Princess Bride by Barry Denenberg
Rating: 3 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: This was a really quick read. It could have used a bit more development, but I liked the subject of the book, and learned a lot about the historical period. It was definitely intriguing.
24. Z. Rex by Steve Cole
Rating: 3 Stars
Format: Audiobook
Review: I didn’t go into this book with high expectations, and I will admit that I didn’t come out of it with an especially good impression. It was just okay.
25. Blood Moon by Lucy Cuthew
Rating: 5 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: This was a beautifully heartbreaking story. I love novels in verse and this one was well done. The story was well developed and well structured, and I really appreciated how it came full circle. The characters were relatable and the friendship aspects in this book made me cry. I really felt for Frankie, the protagonist.
26. Manga Shakespeare: Julius Caesar by Richard Appignanesi
Rating: 3 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: This was an interesting adaptation of the book, but I don’t think the art was my favourite. I’m glad I read it, but I would have preferred a different style.
27. The Proposal by Jasmine Guillory
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Audiobook
Review: This was a cute addition to the series. I really liked Carlos and Nik as characters. They were well developed and I appreciated the way that they came together. Carlos seemed like a really good guy, and I’m glad I was able to learn more about him in this book. If you haven’t checked this series out, you definitely should.
28. The Follower by Kate Doughty
Rating: 5 Stars
Format: eBook
Review: There is a full review of this up on the blog here.
29. Jaws by Peter Benchley
Rating: 2 Stars
Format: Audiobook
Review: I was definitely disappointed with this book. Admittedly, I’ve never actually seen the movie but I can see why they translated this book into a movie. I just felt there were some extraneous details that I could have done without that didn’t have a ton to do with the overall plot of the story. Then in comparison the ending felt rather abrupt. I’m interested to watch the movie to see how it compares but I’m not a big fan of the book.
30. Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Audiobook
Review: I don’t recommend this book if you are easily triggered by pandemic stuff right now. However, I’ve read a few things that have that kind of vibes and this was interesting because of how it was based on a real example. I found it really interesting, but it’s definitely a devastating story. I really admired the narrator and how she persevered.
31. Crush by Tracy Wolff
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: This is a total junk food book, and I loved it. It’s really big, but it goes really quickly because it’s fairly action packed and the chapters are short which makes it go quickly. I liked that Grace stood up for herself and I fully enjoyed how messy the ending was. I’m definitely going to be continuing the series.
32. Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Audiobook
Review: This book is totally freaky, and while I knew that going into it, I still wasn’t fully prepared. I was really glad I listened to the audiobook because I don’t think I would have made it through without the audio. I enjoyed the story arc and I’m glad that I read it.
33. Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waubgeshig Rice
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: This was a really interesting story, and I am really glad I picked it up. It felt very quiet, but I didn’t mind that. It had an unsettling vibe, but I really liked the way the story played out.
34. Children of Virtue and Vengeance by Tomi Adeyemi
Rating: 4 Stars
Format: Audiobook
Review: I’m definitely glad that I continued along with this series. It was really interesting to see the aftereffects of the return to magic. I enjoyed each of the different perspectives and seeing how the characters grew and changed over the course of the story. I’m looking forward to the next one.
35. Wranglestone by Darren Charlton
Rating: 4 stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: I picked this up as a recommendation from the librarian at my school and I really enjoyed it. It had a greater degree of hope rather than the usual zombie story and I really enjoyed the relationship that developed. It’s a unique story and I’m intrigued to continue with the series if that is what it is.
That’s everything I read in March! What did you read?
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