A detailed look at March’s reading habits: 28 books read, no DNFs and eight books read from my Up Next Shelf, a summary of March’s want-to-read list, and some tweaks to my minimum TBR list.
Overview
Outline
March Reflection and Into April
March has been the lull before the storm, which gave me time to slowly work my way through quite a few books. I’m happy that my books read each month are slowly increasing. Notable about March is that I didn’t DNF a single book and all but one of the books I read were over 3-stars (hence, why the title of March’s Wrap Up is 27 More Than Good Reads when I read 28 books).
In March I also read the most books from my Up Next Shelf. I realized that most of my “instant” reads (where I purchased/borrow and immediately read them) were from Kindle Unlimited, so I might have to temporarily disable my subscription if I’m going to make any headway on my Up Next Shelf 😅.
I’m also proud that I posted four book reviews in March, including two that are thematically connected (challenging fatphobia). In 2021 I’ve been struggling with finding my book reviewing rhythm. So, hopefully this is a sign that a mix of planning and playing to my strengths (writing when I feel like it, for example), will contribute to a better flow of content.
April is go-go-go as my semester wraps up, which means my stress reading has been put into high gear. For the first time in 2021, it feels like, I’m on track with my Goodreads Reading Goal (and I kind of want to hit it out of the park). I’m still having difficulty sticking to my minimum to-be-read list (thanks to my mood reading flare-ups). I discuss in my April Hopefuls how I’m tweaking the system a bit.
Books I Read This Month
Key: 🔁 re-read | 🤓 reviewed on this blog | 📜 Up Next Shelf
• Blindly Indicted (Blindly Indicted, #1) by Katie May 🔁
• All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson 📜
• Bourbon Bliss (Bootleg Springs, #4) by Claire Kingsley
• Counterstory: The Rhetoric and Writing of Critical Race Theory by Aja Y. Martinez 📜
• Act Your Age, Eve Brown (ISS, #1) by Talia Hibbert
• Finding Unity (The Searchers, #6) by Ripley Proserpina
• Whiskey Chaser (Bootleg Springs, #1) by Lucy Score 🔁
• Senseless (Steel Demons MC, #7) by Crystal Ash
• Marry Mr. Wrong (Dirty Martini Running Club, #3) by Claire Kingsley
• When He’s An Alpha (Olympus Pride, #2) by Suzanne Wright
• One to Watch by Kate Stayman-London 📜 🤓
• The Christmas Fix by Lucy Score 📜
• Unforgettable by MINK
• How to Fail At Flirting by Denise Williams
• Ten Rules for Faking It by Sophie Sullivan 📜
• Day One by Lauren Runow
• The Midnight Library by Matt Haig 📜
• Rent a Boyfriend by Gloria Chao 📜 🤓
• Healing Shattered Hearts (Pieces of Us, #3) by Kerry Taylor
• Wreckage by Ripley Proserpina
• Coming Home for Her by Lucy Darling
• The Mistletoe Kisser (Blue Moon, #8) by Lucy Score
• Sidecar Crush (Bootleg Springs, #2) by Claire Kingsley 🔁
• The Jealous Groom (Groom, #3) by Alexa Riley
Book Types: Most books were on Kindle Unlimited (18).
Rating Distribution: Most March reads were 3-stars (12).
March Breakdown
Want to Read from this month
*These buttons (🇨🇦 🇬🇧 🇺🇸) and the Kindle Embeds contain affiliate links. I may earn a small commission when you click on the links at no additional cost to you. You can read my full disclaimer here.
Promise of a Storm by Catharine Glen
★
Get the Book: 🇨🇦
Marrying Mr. Wrong by Claire Kingsley
★
Get the Book: 🇨🇦
Most Favourite and Least Favourite*
*Can’t be a re-read
Most Favourite: All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson. See why here.
Least Favourite: Claiming His Queen by Ella Goode. See why here.
Longest and Shortest Books
Longest Book: Wreckage by Ripley Proserpina ~ 460 pages
Shortest Book: The Jealous Groom by Alexa Riley ~ 102 pages
Statistics
Most Read Genre: Tie between Reverse Harem Romance (6) and Contemporary Romance (6).
Origin Breakdown: Most of the books I read were “instant” reads (18), meaning I purchased and immediately read them.
Most Read Author: Claire Kingsley and Lucy Score with three books each!
*Person of Colour includes non-white human characters in fantasy novels
Best Performing Bookstagram Posts
March Book Reviews
Theme of Week 1: Paranormal Romance
When He’s An Alpha by Suzanne Wright
Quick Take: A steamy paranormal romance that perfectly balances hilarious banter with emotional character development. The Heroine is awesomely self-aware and confident; she stands up for herself without tilting into the ‘not like other girls’ trope. The second chance romance provided some riveting angst but also contributed to the lack of 5-star rating.
Theme of Week 3: Complex Familial Relationships
Rent a Boyfriend by Gloria Chao
Quick Take: A realistic exploration of the complex relationship between US immigrant parents and their American children, making the rom-com a heavier read than expected.
Theme of Week 4: Challenging Fatphobia
Powerful and Motivational
The Body Is Not an Apology by Sonya Renee Taylor
Quick Take: A powerful book that delves into the oppressive history of modern beauty standards, transforming the meaning of self-love.
One to Watch by Kate Stayman-London
Quick Take: A bachelorette-style romance that delves into the pervasive fatphobia in the US while serving a dramatic yet sweet romance, that falters a bit with its distant narrative and rushed ending.
My April Hopefuls
I’ve been tweaking my to-read-at-minimum TBR list (see here) since being the mood reader I am, I haven’t been in the mood to read either From Blood and Ash or The Henna Artist. However, the last book in the Blood and Ash series is releasing next week, so I need to finish the first two books in the trilogy ASAP. Considering each book is over 600 pages I’m not that confident I’ll finish them both before April 20th. Also, I’ve been reading some non-spoiler reviews of the first book, and I’m apprehensive… I don’t think I’m going to like Hawke.
While reading those, I’m slowly working my way through The Henna Artist. I mentioned in my most recent Weekly Wrap (see here) that the book might be too slow/character-driven even for me! My opinion, though, is still up in the air since I’m only a small way through the book.
I’m happy to report I have finished one book on my Minimum TBR list: Rules For Being A Girl by Candace Bushnell and Katie Cotugno. I rated it 3.75-stars, and I have a lot of thoughts about it, so I’m planning on posting a review later on (i.e. when I have time 😅).
Anticipated April Releases
Witches Steeped in Gold by Ciannon Smart
Releasing April 20, 2021
What White People Can Do Next by Emma Dabiri
Releasing April 27, 2021
See my Upcoming Release page for more of the books I’m looking forward to in April!
Subscribe To My Blog
If you haven’t yet subscribed to my blog, click here to get all my new reviews and reading updates sent straight to your inbox!
Follow Me
❃ Blog ❃ Instagram ❃ Goodreads ❃ Facebook ❃ Bloglovin’ ❃ StoryGraph ❃
[…] 📖 Weekly Wrap: April 5th to April 11th📖 27 More Than Good Reads in March […]