TagTBR List

My March TBR: Mood Reading and Mysteries

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The Gist: Discover my March TBR filled with fantasy, mythology, romance, and mystery! From a popular romantasy to young adult sci-fi, see what’s on my reading list this month.

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Unfortunately, my 5-star slump continued into February (though I did re-read two 5-star reads) and was compounded by a two-week stretch of the worst imaginable luck, but I digress. As a result, I decided to tweak my monthly TBR format further. Since reading the books I own is my priority, the only books I’m featuring on my TBR are the five from the Beat the Backlist challenge. However, I also highlight some of my anticipated new releases for the month at the end!

Monthly Goals

Over the past two months, I’ve learned I need to lean into my mood-reader tendencies. Given how much I mood-read, having a 10+ TBR is not realistic. As a result, this month, I plan on achieving my monthly goals (below) through the books I pick up when mood-reading!

  • Read two 500+ page books
  • Buzzword cover challenge prompt: a book on the cover
  • TBR knockout challenge prompt #1: a book involving women’s rights
  • TBR knockout challenge prompt #2: a strong female lead

Books from the Beat the Backlist Challenge

The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentil ❃ Add on Goodreads
language has power • A short and thrilling locked room mystery set in a library? Say no more! I’m really excited for a mystery thriller that incorporates the beloved books about books trope.

The Woman in the Library Synopsis
In every person’s story, there is something to hide…

The ornate reading room at the Boston Public Library is quiet, until the tranquility is shattered by a woman’s terrified scream. Security guards take charge immediately, instructing everyone inside to stay put until the threat is identified and contained. While they wait for the all-clear, four strangers, who’d happened to sit at the same table, pass the time in conversation and friendships are struck. Each has his or her own reasons for being in the reading room that morning—it just happens that one is a murderer.

Award-winning author Sulari Gentill delivers a sharply thrilling read with The Woman in the Library, an unexpectedly twisty literary adventure that examines the complicated nature of friendship and shows us that words can be the most treacherous weapons of all.

The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake ❃ Add on Goodreads
way back in 2020 • I put The Atlas Six on almost every reading challenge I’m doing in 2025 because it’s been on my backlist for over five years, and I refuse to go into another year with it on my shelf unread. While more recent reviews have been pretty mid (seriously, this book was so hyped upon release, and now it’s sitting at 3.5 stars on Goodreads), I’m still intrigued by the secret society and dark academia atmosphere.

The Atlas Six Synopsis
The Alexandrian Society, caretakers of lost knowledge from the greatest civilizations of antiquity, are the foremost secret society of magical academicians in the world. Those who earn a place among the Alexandrians will secure a life of wealth, power, and prestige beyond their wildest dreams, and each decade, only the six most uniquely talented magicians are selected to be considered for initiation.

Enter the latest round of six: Libby Rhodes and Nico de Varona, unwilling halves of an unfathomable whole, who exert uncanny control over every element of physicality. Reina Mori, a naturalist, who can intuit the language of life itself. Parisa Kamali, a telepath who can traverse the depths of the subconscious, navigating worlds inside the human mind. Callum Nova, an empath easily mistaken for a manipulative illusionist, who can influence the intimate workings of a person’s inner self. Finally, there is Tristan Caine, who can see through illusions to a new structure of reality—an ability so rare that neither he nor his peers can fully grasp its implications.

When the candidates are recruited by the mysterious Atlas Blakely, they are told they will have one year to qualify for initiation, during which time they will be permitted preliminary access to the Society’s archives and judged based on their contributions to various subjects of impossibility: time and space, luck and thought, life and death. Five, they are told, will be initiated. One will be eliminated. The six potential initiates will fight to survive the next year of their lives, and if they can prove themselves to be the best among their rivals, most of them will.

Most of them.

Clytemnestra by Costanza Casati ❃ Add on Goodreads
standalone debut • A feminist retelling of one of the most villainous queens in Ancient Greek mythology? Sign me up. I love the premise of playing with the idea that everyone’s a hero in their own story. I’m curious if Clytemnestra is truly villainous or someone who wanted agency at a time when women didn’t have any rights.

Clytemnestra Synopsis
As for queens, they are either hated or forgotten. She already knows which option suits her best…

You were born to a king, but you marry a tyrant. You stand by helplessly as he sacrifices your child to placate the gods. You watch him wage war on a foreign shore, and you comfort yourself with violent thoughts of your own. Because this was not the first offence against you. This was not the life you ever deserved. And this will not be your undoing. Slowly, you plot.

But when your husband returns in triumph, you become a woman with a choice.

Acceptance or vengeance, infamy follows both. So, you bide your time and force the gods’ hands in the game of retribution. For you understood something long ago that the others never did.

If power isn’t given to you, you have to take it for yourself.

A blazing novel set in the world of Ancient Greece for fans of Jennifer Saint and Natalie Haynes, this is a thrilling tale of power and prophecies, of hatred, love, and of an unforgettable Queen who fiercely dealt out death to those who wronged her.

Red at Night by Katie McGarry ❃ Add on Goodreads
less than 180 pages • I was just going to count this novella as a loss since I purchased it around a decade ago and haven’t been in a YA romance mood over the past few years. But Red at Night is the only book on my backlist that is under 180 pages, so back on the TBR it goes! Honestly, the premise sounds cute: a classic opposites attract with a golden boy Hero and a loner Heroine.

Red at Night Synopsis
Stella and Jonah are total opposites. She’s the girl with purple hair from the wrong part of town. He’s a high school senior who hangs with the cool crowd. Until a car accident leaves him haunted by guilt, and Jonah starts spending time at Stella’s favorite refuge…the local cemetery.

Stella knows she should keep her distance—after all, she spent her girlhood being bullied by Jonah’s friends. Once he’s sorted out his tangled emotions, Jonah won’t have time for her anymore. Too bad she’s already fallen for him….

The Dagger and the Flame by Catherine Doyle ❃ Add on Goodreads
weapon on the cover • Yes, The Dagger and the Flame was on my February TBR (which I obviously didn’t get to), but I’ve been itching for a romantasy, and this one was so hyped that I want to read it before my interest wanes. The rivalry turned forbidden romance between an assassin and thief sounds right up my alley – of course, there’s also a murder mystery driving the plot, which has all the makings for a fun fantasy conspiracy.

The Dagger and the Flame Synopsis
In the dark underbelly of a beautiful city, two rival assassins are pitted against each other in a deadly game of revenge, where the most dangerous mistake of all is falling in love…

In Fantome, a kingdom of cobbled streets, flickering lamplight, beautiful buildings, and secret catacombs, Shade-magic is a scarce and deadly commodity controlled by two enemy the Cloaks and the Daggers – the thieves and the assassins. On the night of her mother’s murder, 17-year-old Seraphine runs for her life. Seeking sanctuary with the Cloaks, Sera’s heart is set on revenge. But are her secret abilities a match for the dark-haired boy whose quicksilver eyes follow her around the city?

Nothing can prepare Sera for the moment she finally comes face-to-face with Ransom, heir to the Order of Daggers. And Ransom is shocked to discover that this unassuming farmgirl wields a strange and blazing magic he has never seen before… Among rumours of monsters stalking the streets and the rival guilds grappling for control of Fantome’s underworld, Sera and Ransom are drawn together by something more than just magic and must face a deadly choice – forgiveness or vengeance? Kiss or kill? Dagger or Flame?

Other Reading Challenges

Life’s Short, Talk Fast: Writers on Why We Can’t Stop Watching Gilmore Girls Edited by Ann Hood ❃ Add on Goodreads
Read one nonfiction • My hold for this collection of essays on Gilmore Girls (a TV show) just came in this past weekend, and I’m so excited to dive into it (I’ve already read the first essay)! The phenomenon of Gilmore Girls – its persistent relatability across generations and backgrounds and the fact that people are becoming fans 20 years after its premiere – has set my expectations for an essay collection that addresses the series’ notable critiques and fan-favourite heartwarming moments. Oh, and #TeamJess.

Life's Short Talk Fast: Writers on We Can't Stop Watching Gilmore Girls Synopsis
The writers in this anthology represent bestselling writers, BIPOC and LBGTQ writers, and a varying age range. This diverse group speaks to the broad appeal of Gilmore Girls. These topics include growing up with a single mother, examinations of motherhood from different ages, the fantasy of small-town America, being a single mother, the self-consciousness the show created for non-white fans, a queer look at Lorelai’s parenting that reflects the writer’s own parenting choices, the show’s comfort and impact during the pandemic, Rory’s life path and changes throughout the show and how it did or didn’t disappoint fans and how the guy you root for to win Rory’s heart actually reveals a lot about you.

With essays Anjanette Delgado, Ann Hood, Annabelle Mei, Cathi Hanauer, Erin Almond, Francesco Sedita, Freya North, Joanna Rakoff, Katie Moulton, Michael Ruhlman/Chris Eigeman, Nina de Gremont, Rand Richards Cooper, Sanjian Sathian, Tracey Minkin and Yassmin Abdel-Magied.

Defiant by Brandon Sanderson ❃ Add on Goodreads
by Brandon Sanderson • I’m so proud I’ve been consistent with my Brandon Sanderson backlist challenge! After taking a break from his Skyward series for over two years, I can’t believe I’ll have read the last book, Defiant, this month. Most exciting is that Spensa is finally back with her Skyward Flight crew, and I’m here for the new character dynamics. This will also be my first time reading a Brandon Sanderson conclusion, so I’m intrigued whether it’ll be a crazy last 100 pages or if it’ll be a slow, methodical wrap-up.

Defiant Synopsis
Spensa has made it out of the Nowhere, but what she saw in the space between the stars has changed her forever. She came face to face with the Delvers, and finally got answers to the questions she’s had about her own strange Cytonic gifts.

The Superiority didn’t stop in its fight for galactic dominance while she was gone, though. Spensa’s team, Skyward Flight, was able to hold Winzik off, and even collect allies to help with the cause, but it’s only a matter of time until humanity–and the rest of the galaxy–falls.

Defeating them will require all the knowledge Spensa gathered while in the Nowhere. But being Cytonic is more complicated than she ever could have imagined. Now, Spensa must ask herself: How far is she willing to go for victory, if it means losing herself–and her friends–in the process.

The final book in the Skyward series will free humanity, or see it fall forever.

Anticipated March Releases

Kills Well with Others by Deanna Raybourn ❃ Add on Goodreads
releases March 4th • The second book in Deanna Raybourn’s espionage cozy thriller (is that a thing?) series, Killers of a Certain Age, sounds like another hilarious (and, of course, thrilling) adventure. This time around, Billie and the gang are employed by an elite assassin organization to ferret out a model – of course, they’re professionals, and absolutely nothing will go wrong!

Kills Well with Others Synopsis
After more than a year of laying low, Billie, Helen, Mary Alice, and Natalie are called back into action. They have enjoyed their rest, but the lack of excitement is starting to a professional killer can only take so many watercolor classes and yoga sessions before she gets the itch to get back in the game. When they receive a call from Naomi Ndiaye, the head of the elite assassin organization known as the Museum, they are ready tackle the greatest challenge of their careers.

Someone on the inside has compiled a list of important kills committed by Museum agents, all of them connected to a single, shadowy figure, an Eastern European gangster who rules her business empire with an iron fist and plays puppet master in international affairs. Naomi is convinced this criminal queen is bent upon revenge, killing off the agents who attempted to thwart her, and the aging quartet of killers is next.

Together the foursome embark on a wild ride across the globe on the double mission of rooting out the Museum’s mole and hunting down the gangster and her assassin. But their nemesis is unlike any they’ve faced before, and it will take all their experience and a whole lot of luck to get out of this mission alive.

Story of My Life by Lucy Score ❃ Add on Goodreads
releases March 11th • Sometimes you just need a fun and sweet romance, and the premise of Story of My Life sounds promising. I’m a sucker for age-old tropes like grumpy x sunshine and small-town romances. However, I’m a bit apprehensive since the book is over 600 pages long, and the last Lucy Score romance with this heft was an instant DNF for me (looking at you, Things We Never Got Over). So I’m hoping this book will mark a return of the OG Lucy Score books I loved (e.g., her Blue Moon and Bootleg Springs series, respectively).

Story of My Life Synopsis
Hazel is given a one-two punch when she’s forced to move out of her Upper East Side apartment and is given a final warning from her publisher.

If she doesn’t turn in a book by her next deadline, they’re cutting her loose.

Hazel rashly decides to leave what’s left of her city life behind and impulse buys a house in rural Pennsylvania sight unseen. How better to entertain the loyal readers she still has and rediscover her writing mojo than immersing herself in small-town life?

Too bad this town looks to be on its last legs. At least she’s finding swoon-worthy inspiration from her hot, grumpy contractor Cam and his animal-rescuing, community-involved family. It’s all just research. What could go wrong?

Beautiful Exile by Catherine Cowles ❃ Add on Goodreads
releases March 18th • One of my most anticipated releases of 2025, Beautiful Exile, will immediately be read on release day! This romantic suspense set in the same small town as the rest of the series, Sparrow Falls, Oregon, features a billionaire Hero and an artistic recluse Heroine, with a dash of forced proximity and haunting pasts. I’m here for this opposites-attract match-up, and early reviews sound like this couple could be a new favourite of mine!

Beautiful Exile Synopsis
I should’ve known Lincoln Pierce was trouble from the moment I held my knife to his throat.

I’ve been running for most of my life, hiding away in a small town and hoping no one discovers who I truly am. The only problem is that I can never let anyone know the real me. Or at least that was true until my brother moved his best friend onto our shared property.

Now, I’m stuck trying to avoid the nosy billionaire’s probing questions and piercing stares. And it doesn’t help that I almost killed him the first time we met.

Oops.

But when all my carefully crafted lies come crashing down around me, it’s Linc stepping in to shield me. And when it looks like the person hunting me for all those years is back, Linc will do anything to keep me safe.

Only it’s not just my safety at risk. It’s my heart. Because when Linc touches me, I lose all sense. And when I truly get to know the broken billionaire, he’s so much more than a ruthless business tycoon. He’s the man showing me that it’s time to really live.

But I’m not the only one with secrets. Linc has them, too. And when the forces from our pasts emerge from the shadows, it’s with only one goal: to end the new life we’re building together. For good.

Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins ❃ Add on Goodreads
releases March 18th • After all these years, I can’t believe we’re finally getting Haymitch’s prequel! I re-read The Hunger Games trilogy in 2022 and remember lingering on Katniss’s descriptions of Haymitch’s games. While the book is set 24 years before Katniss’s first games, I’m hopeful the prequel will conclude with an epilogue that sets up the original trilogy.

Sunrise on the Reaping Synopsis
When you’ve been set up to lose everything you love, what is there left to fight for?

As the day dawns on the fiftieth annual Hunger Games, fear grips the districts of Panem. This year, in honor of the Quarter Quell, twice as many tributes will be taken from their homes.

Back in District 12, Haymitch Abernathy is trying not to think too hard about his chances. All he cares about is making it through the day and being with the girl he loves.

When Haymitch’s name is called, he can feel all his dreams break. He’s torn from his family and his love, shuttled to the Capitol with the three other District 12 tributes: a young friend who’s nearly a sister to him, a compulsive oddsmaker, and the most stuck-up girl in town.

As the Games begin, Haymitch understands he’s been set up to fail. But there’s something in him that wants to fight . . . and have that fight reverberate far beyond the deadly arena.

What are you reading this month?

Reading based on my mood while still tackling challenges feels like the best approach this month. I’m especially excited to finally pick up The Dagger and the Flame and Clytemnestra—it’s about time I see what all the hype is about!

Have you read any of these books? What’s on your TBR? I’d love to hear your thoughts and recommendations in the comments below. Don’t forget to subscribe to stay updated on my reading adventures. Happy reading!

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