Hello fellow bookworms π· March was an unexpected month for me (sadly not in a good way), but sometimes it’s just like that. I’ll go into this more in my Life Stuff section of the wrapup, so I’m keeping this intro a bit shorter than usual. Definitely check out what books I read, what shows I watched, and what I’m planning for April though π
Important Resources
- https://globalissuesawareness.carrd.co/
- https://dotherightthing.carrd.co/
- Anti-Asian Violence Resources Carrd
- BLM Resources Spreadsheet
- Help India during its COVID crisis
- HelpPalestine Carrd, Learn about Palestinian history Help Palestine with a Click & Resources Masterlist
- Support the LGBTQ Community in Hungary
- HelpAfghanistan Carrd
- Support Trans Children in Texas: Thread of orgs/groups to follow and gain resources from, Thread of orgs you can donate to & Gender-Affirming Resources for the Transgender Community
- Help the Ukraine: Thread of donation links and organizations, Thread of how to help, Carrd with info & donation links, Ukraine Crisis Media Center & Helpful Timeline
π = Reread π = Library Books β = Digital Arc
π = #TackleYourTBR π = #DevourYourTBR π = Buddy Read π = 12 Book Recs by Friends
I read 14 books in March and I’m happy with that number! I finished my exam in the first week of March and read a lot for the (week-long) Mini Magical Readathon, it was a fun reading week π I read pretty widely this month which kept me engaged and made me discover many great new books! I especially enjoyed listening to nonfiction and poetry audiobooks, both of these work really well for me when they are read to me vs. reading them visually π I never know how to read poetry and with nonfiction, I’m not as intimidated by them in audio form. Nonfiction is a genre I still often don’t get to (especially books that aren’t memoirs), so I’m glad that I could finally tackle some books that have been sitting on my TBR for 2+ years!
I read 10 books out of my comfort zone this month! I have been doing very well with my own reading challenge this year, which makes me proud π₯° I also added another category this month: poetry! I don’t usually reach for books written in verse, so I thought I could include them here as well. Apart from Poetry (Turtle Under Ice, Forget Me Not, Some Things I Still Can’t Tell You, Punching the Air), I also read some Nonfiction (So You Want to Talk About Race, Stamped), Romance (A Girl Like Her & Damaged Goods), Sci-Fi (Heart of Iron) and Mystery (Greenglass House)!
- So You Want to Talk About Race (Ijeoma Oluo) ββββ.5πππ§
- A Girl Like Her (Talia Hibbert) ββββππ
- Damaged Goods (Talia Hibbert) ββββππ
- Greenglass House (Kate Milford) ββββπ
- Turtle Under Ice (Juleah Del Rosario) ββββπππ§
- Forget Me Not (Ellie Terry) ββββππ§
- Some Things I Still Can’t Tell You (Misha Collins) βββ.5π
- Punching the Air (Ibi Zoboi, Yusuf Salaam) βββπππ§
- Stamped: Racism, Antiracism & You (Jason Reynolds, Ibram X. Kendi) βββπππ§
- Heart of Iron (Ashley Poston) ββπ
1. Amari and the Night Brothers (B.B. Alston) ββββππ
2. Damaged Goods (Talia Hibbert) ββββππ
3. Greenglass House (Kate Milford) ββββπ
4. Heart of Iron (Ashley Poston) ββπ
5. So You Want to Talk About Race (Ijeoma Oluo) ββββ.5πππ§
6. A Girl Like Her (Talia Hibbert) ββββππ
7. The Darkest Minds (Alexandra Bracken) ββββπ
Β
8. Six Crimson Cranes (Elizabeth Lim) ββββππ {Recommended by Pauliina}
9. The Promised Neverland Vol 3. (Kaiu Shirai) ββββππ
10. Turtle Under Ice (Juleah Del Rosario) ββββπππ§
Β Β
11. Forget Me Not (Ellie Terry) ππ§
12. Some Things I Still Can’t Tell You (Misha Collins) βββ.5π
13. Stamped: Racism, Antiracism & You (Jason Reynolds, Ibram X. Kendi) βββπππ§
14. Punching the Air (Ibi Zoboi, Yusuf Salaam) βββπππ§
Favorite Books π
Pondathon Garden & Achievement Update π·
Round 3 Pondathon Garden
Achievements & Badges
- Side Quest (Vegetable Garden with Cuddle) β½ Read a book by a black author or a woman of color (Vege Buddies badge)
- Side Quest (Planting Trees with Sprout) β½ Read 2 books by disabled authors (Treemendous LoveΒ badge)
- Companion Quest (Judy Lin – Author of A Magic Steeped in Poison) β½ Tell us about your favorite beverage to drink while reading
For more Infos about the Pondathon visit thequietpond π·
Β What Iβve been up to in February π Lots of Studying AND Lots of Books π± ~Β Magical Readathon ~ Orilium β¨ Mini-Readathon TBR & Character ChangesΒ
Review: Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry by Joya Goffney π β¦ In BUZZWORDS π ~Β Middle Grade Books I Want to Read β€οΈ MG MarchΒ
The Longest Books on my TBR π now with #tometopple TBR! ~Magical Readathon ~ Orilium β¨ Spring Equinox TBR
For this section of my wrapup Iβm linking up with the Favorite Blog Posts of the Month Meme that has been created by Kristin @ kristinkravesbooks to showcase our favorite blogs of the month! π
- The Oldest Books on my TBR List | These books are gathering virtual dust (Abi @ scribblesandstories)
- Book Lists: Favorite 2021 Debut Authors (Alicia @ A Kernel of Nonsense)
- Top Ten Tuesday: Books on my Autumn 2022 TBR (Ashley @ The Infinite Library)
- Spring 2022 TBR (and a look back at my winter progress) & 10 favorite books with star-crossed lovers! [Top 10 Tuesday] (Destiny @ howlinglibraries)
- 12 Adult SFF Books of 2022 By Authors of Colour You Canβt Miss (Fanna @ fannaforbooks)
- Katβs Weekly TV & Movie Recap #10 & Should YOU Read βThe Atlas Sixβ? (What I learned from my reread!) (Kat @ Life and Other Disasters)
- Celebrating 4th Blogiversary with 3 Bookish Things Tag & Giveaway! (Kal @ readervoracious)
- best & worst: audiobooks (Lais @ thebookishskies)
- My Spring TBR for 2022 | Contemporary, Mystery and Nonfiction (Lay @ bookshelfsoliloquies)
- Book and Video Game Pairings! (Mackenzie @ colourmeread)
- Where to Buy Books as an International Reader (Maria @ The Character Study)
- 20 YA Books About Sisters I Recommend (And Some Iβm Excited To Read!) & My Must-Reads YA Contemporary Authors: A Quick Guide To The Ones I Adore & How To Write SEO Optimized Blog Posts: 8 Beginner Best Practices To Try (Marie @ drizzleandhurricanebooks)
- My Reading Experience, Disconnecting from Social Media & My Book Buying Experiences and Habits (May @ foreverandeverly)
- Magical Read-a-thon: Orilium β Gear Up tbr & The Book Thief book review & Tomes on my tbr & Magical Read-a-thon: Orilium β Spring Equinox tbr (Morgan @ morganisreadingagain)
- Best Reads of 2021: My Top 5 β¨ (Pauliina @ thebookaholicdreamer)
- Ranking and Reviewing K.J. Charlesβ Novels & More Specific Things I Love in Books & Seasonal Wrap Up: December-February & Podcasts Iβve Listened to Recently, ft. Four New Favorites (Sabrina & Veronika @ wordyandwhimsical)
- new & upcoming releases by Muslim authors (Saima @ storieswithsaima)
- My Most Anticipated Releases of 2022! (Saniya @ sunnysidereviews)
- Catching Up!: My Most Anticipated Books of 2022 π & Catching Up!: Favorite Books of 2021Β π (Sofi @ abookathought)
- GRAPHIC NOVEL REVIEWS | intergenerational trauma, harley quinn & a space adventure & Reading Heartstopper For The First Time (Sophie @ Me & Ink)
- POC β POC Romance by BIPOC Authors (Zainab @ deadbookishsociety)
A Semester Break with Complications. I had my exam on the 7th and directly went home afterward to spend the semester break with my family! I still haven’t gotten a result, but the exam went well, so I’m not really worried. A couple days after I came back my grandmother got COVID though (luckily, she’s fine) and week after that I got it as well from a family friend. UPDATE: I tested negative again yesterday, so luckily I’m out of isolation and hoping to use the next two weeks to recover before my internship ππ»Β [HIGHLIGHT for more info & slight ranting if you want to. CW’s: COVID, politics]My parents luckily didn’t get sick, so I isolated in my room. For me, it started with a mild cold (scratchy throat & a runny nose; but unlike with a cold I kept feeling like there was phlegm in my nose/throat) and I kept testing, but it only showed up as positive 8 days after I last had contact with the person. Luckily my symptoms weren’t so bad (our family friends had fever, cough, and fatigue) but it was still a physical/mental burden. Being sick got me feeling even more hopeless about the current situation (German government planning on lifting restrictions despite cases at an all-time high. Almost everyone I know who got sick, myself included was boostered yet politicians act like the virus isn’t an issue anymore now that we have the vaccine) and angry at the selfishness of some people (People hoping to go out despite having COVID, just so they don’t have to cancel their travel plans. People I had contact with refusing to test themselves because they had an event they wanted to attend. )[/OVER]
π« Highlights π«
β½ What I Watched in March β€Β
Β
- The Witcher (S1+2) ~ I’m FINALLY caught up with The Witcher! I stopped after 01×06 and then the second season was released π Luckily I was able to watch it with my friend, getting to the last two episodes of S1 and watching S2! This is such a well-made show and I had much fun, even though I hadn’t engaged with any other Witcher content before π
- Blood & Water (S1) ~ This is a South-African Netflix Original, that sounded interesting, as it’s about the character finding her missing sister who was possibly abducted as a baby and trafficked to another family π I love a dramatic mystery and the first season was only 6 episodes!
- Is It Cake? (S1) ~ I binged this because I needed something mindless and fun. I had seen this new show around and since it’s not your typical baking show, I was intrigued. The idea is interesting but I wasn’t the biggest fan of the host and his humor. The contestants and judges were cool though!
Not sure how to feel about April yet.Β There will be a lot going on and I’ll be busy. I still have two weeks of my Semester Break that I end to use to prewrite some posts, read for the Magical Readathon, and relax! It’s also my Birthday on the 16th and I’m fortunate that I get to spend it with my family π₯³ I have to drive back to my University town the next day though as my internship starts on the 19th. I’m still very nervous about it because I’m no longer used to being out of the house all day (I still don’t know what my working week will look like) and my anxiety always acts up as well π Would appreciate all the well-wishes ππ»
π· It’s Magical Readathon Time! Check out my TBR below π·
What were you up to in March? What was your favorite book? What’s your favorite historical fiction book? π·
Oh, Caro, Iβm really sorry you had to go through that! I really donβt like how my government has lifted up restrictions at the beginning of the monthβ¦ Iβm kind of the odd one still wearing my mask in shops. I donβt know why, because I hear everywhere that there are a lot of sick people still (even though itβs spring, the weather is still cold, and people tend to be sicker this time, so it would be common sense to keep the restrictions). Iβm glad youβre better, but I know how it can take a toll on your mental health.
Is it cake popped up on my Netflix too, but even from the trailer, I didnβt find the host really sympathetic for some reason, so itβs good to know that Iβm not the only one. π I wish Netflix had The Great British Bake-off!
Wishing you good luck with your internship, I hope everything will turn out well and youβll learn a lot of new things! π
Also, thank you so much for sharing my posts. π₯Ί
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It was just so dishearting to get sick and then see the government deciding to lift all the restrictions despite the cases being at an all-time high π For once I’m glad that it’s summer soon as this means being outside more and not in cramped rooms!
I actually abandoned Is It Cake after half the season, because it got tedious and annoying real fast π The concept just wasn’t exciting anymore and the host was too over-the-top. I wish I could watch The Great British Bake-off as well! I think Netflix only has it in certain countries π₯Ί
You’re welcome! I hope you’re doing well β€οΈ
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I never thought about listening to audiobooks of poetry, it makes complete sense! I am definitely going to look into poetry audiobooks now.
Glad you feel better! In my area, basically no one is wearing masks anymore and I’m usually the only one in a place wearing mine. I still have yet to get sick, and I really don’t want to. It’s interesting to see how different the case is in other countries with mandates.
Hope your internship goes well!
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I’m just not good at reading poetry books by myself, so listening to audiobooks has increased my enjoyment so much! I find it much easier when it’s read to you, so I highly recommend poetry audiobooks π₯°
Oh no, that sounds horrible! Lots of people are still wearing masks here, but since the mandate was restricted, so many are going without masks and it’s making me so anxious π
Thank you! I hope you’re doing well β€οΈ
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I’m sorry to hear that the virus caught up with you. I had it last year and not a super severe case, but also not an entirely mild one. I am constantly mad when people don’t take it seriously anymore, because I keep not doing social activities to protect myself and others and so many act like it’s just not a thing anymore. It’s exhausting.
I do hope you won’t have any long covid effects though and that you’ll get to spend a great birthday and start of the internship this month. Wishing you all the best!!!
(p.s. thank you for sharing my posts!!!)
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I’m also sorry we had to go through all that! The government lifting restrictions is definitely contributing to people not taking it seriously anymore here
I still limit my social activities as well! With the summer coming, I can at least meet up with some friends outside βοΈ
Thank you so much, Kat! β€οΈ I hope you’re doing well π₯°
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happy early birthday!! i hope you have a good time with your family β€ and ahh i'm so sorry to hear that you caught covid π wishing you a speedy recovery! (and i relate to the frustration over politics, i feel like so few governments are taking it seriously anymore even though it's clearly not over yet.) i'm so glad to see that you enjoyed greenglass house! and it's so wonderful that you were able to read a lot of poetry & nonfic too, i love reading nonfic as audiobooks β€
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Thank you, May! β€οΈ I’m feeling much better now (though still angry with how the government is treating the issues, sadly this is common for so many countries now π). Greenglass House was lots of fun and would make the perfect winter read π Nonfiction audiobooks are truly the best!
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Caro I am so sorry to hear you got Covid. I’m glad your symptoms weren’t too severe but the mental burden of having it must have been exhausting. The politics are definitely frustrating… People are acting like it is over (including people in charge). It is very tired and disheartening. I’m sending you lots of well wishes and positive thoughts. Best of luck with your internship, I really hope it goes well and you enjoy it!! π₯°π₯°
It looks like you read lots of great books!! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed Six Crimson Cranes, Turtle Under Ice and So You Want To Talk About Race as those are all on my TBR! Congrats on reading so many outside your comfort zone as well. π₯³
Thank you soooo much for sharing my posts ππ₯Ί
Wishing you a better April and a wonderful birthday β€οΈπβ€οΈ
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Thank you so much for your kind words, Sophie! β€οΈ Politics are so frustrating, so I’m limiting the times I watch the news, as it can be so dishearting to have it on all the time!
Six Crimson Cranes, Turtle Under Ice and So You Want To Talk About Race were great! I hope you get to read them soon π I’m happy that I read so much outside of my comfort zone!! I hope you had a great April as well! Sending lots of love π₯°π·
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iβm glad to see you enjoyed talia hibbertβs books so much! i read the roommate risk by her this march and i was surprised by how much i enjoyed it! iβd definitely consider checking out more of her backlist.
also your garden looks so cute! a part of me really wants to join pondathon, but the other feels like itβs too late for me to do so lol.
i am really sorry to hear about the situation with covid in your country. at the moment, restrictions are also being lifted around here, but at least the cases are not super high or anything. iβm glad youβre feeling okay and didnβt have any major symptoms!
i hope you get to enjoy your birthday and have a great april!
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Talia Hibbert is one of my most read authors this year so far because her books are just so much fun! I’ll definitely check out The Roommate Risk as I make my way through the backlist β€οΈ Thank you! It’s not too late to join! The Readathon ends a bit early, but is still so much fun π
I’m luckily feeling much better now! Restrictions were lifted here while the cases were higher than ever, so that was disheartening π I hope better times are ahead someday!
Thank you! I had a much better April & I hope you did too β€οΈ
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I hope your April will be better than your March! Also YAY for testing negative!! I hope I test negative soon as well so I can go see my family π
Don’t get me started on German politicans & covid π π π I’ve been angry constantly for weeks, nay, months now π π π
Buuuuut I’m glad you liked Six Crimson Cranes, it was one of my favourite books last year! β€ may you read many books you enjoy in April β€
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Thank you, Kat! My April was so much better compared to March π This is quite late, but I hope that your test was negative and that you’re recovered now β€οΈ Politics still annoy me so much, so I limit the time I spend watching the news because it always puts me down!
Six Crimson Cranes was amazing, I cannot wait for the next book to come out this year! π I hope you’re doing well!
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Caro, I’m SO sorry about the Covid stuff, I had it myself earlier this year and it was horrible, everything hurt, so it really makes me happy that you and your grandmother are doing well. β€οΈβ€οΈβ€οΈ On the other hand, it’s great that you had a good reading month and don’t push yourself too hard in April, take it easy especially if it’s going to be a busy month! I hope everything is going more than well and thank you so much for mentioning my posts, it’s always an honor π₯Ίβ¨π₯°
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It wasn’t fun but my grandma and I are recovered now! I hope you are as well β€οΈ April was busy but much better than March for me! I hope you’re also doing well and reading great books! π₯°
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Hi Caro, I’m so sorry you had to go through that but I’m glad you’re better! Wishing you a happy April β€
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Thank you! I’m feeling much better now β€οΈ I hope you’re doing well! π
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I’m so sorry you had COVID! So glad to hear you’re negative now, but geez, I’m sorry Caro. And the political stuff – I feel you. Here in the US, everyone wants to act as though nothing ever happened, much less that anything is STILL happening, and it’s exhausting and infuriating. I’m sending you lots of love. β₯ I hope you’re all back to 100% soon, that your birthday is amazing, and that your internship starts off beautifully and doesn’t bring too much anxiety with it. You’ve got this, lovely! π₯°π₯°π₯°
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It just sucks so much, especially with how the government and everyone else is acting π I really hope there are better times in the future! Sending lots of love right back β€οΈ
April was just a much better month for me and I’m having a good time at my internship, which is great! Thank you for your kind words!! π₯°
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I’m sorry to hear you had a bit of a harsh month π₯ But it’s impressive to see you managed to read so much regardless of the situation! Thanks for mentioning my post, it always means a lot π
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April was luckily a lot better than March π Always happy to share your posts, Maria! I hope you’re doing well π₯°
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It looks like you had a good reading month! I’m glad you enjoyed so many books β€οΈ
I really need to catch up with The Witcher, I was so excited for S2 to come out, and somehow I still haven’t watched it all? I’m overdue a Netflix binge.
All the best wishes for your internship, I hope it goes well for you π₯°
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My reading month was good!! This year has been good for reading in general β€οΈ I was so behind on The Witcher as well and I’m glad that I caught up, because the second season was lots of fun! Thank you, my internship is going great so far π₯°
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Congratulations on such a good reading month! I’m so sorry you got covid! And I totally agree, dropping all the regulations when cases are still at such high numbers is just ridiculous! I watched a few episodes of Is It Cake as well because I was looking for something to distract me from studying. But mostly, I ended up falling back into my habit of binging a random crime TV show and watched almost two seasons of Person of Interest recently π
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Thank you!! I’m feeling much better now β€οΈ I kind of quit watching Is It Cake after writing this post because it got a bit tedious, but it’s great if you want a show that isn’t complicated and doesn’t require much attention! Ohh that sounds fun though! π
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I am the same way with nonfiction. I find listening to audiobooks to be so much easier than reading them. I hope your grandma and you both have a quick recovery. And yes, it feels like the world just wants to move on from Covid and our governments are just so inept. Incredibly frustrating. I hope your April goes well and that you have a wonderful birthday!
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Nonfiction audiobooks are just the best and so much less daunting than reading them physically! Thank you, my grandma and I are doing much better! β€οΈ I had a good April/birthday. I hope you’re also doing well π₯°
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Sorry that you had a rough month and I hope that April is being kinder to you! I have been side eyeing Is It Cake? on netflix and it looks like it’d be annoying rather than fun kind of mindless. I hope you had an amazing birthday and thanks for linking to my post!
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April was luckily a lot better than March for me!! π I actually stopped watching Is It Cake? on Netflix shortly after writing this post π I was only halfway through it and after the first episodes it sadly got a bit annoying π Thank you! I hope you’re doing well π₯°
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Honestly the trailer for Is It Cake? made the show look positively unsufferable, so I’m not surprised lol
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I’m so sorry it’s been a tough month and that you got sick, I’m glad you’re all better now β€ and I get your frustration so, very much. Truly hate it here ahah. I hope that you had a wonderful birthday and April overall! β€ β€
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Thank you, Marie!! April was luckily a lot better than March β€οΈ I hope you’re also doing well and enjoying the spring time ππ·
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Happy belated birthday!! And thank you so much for mentioning my post. β€ I also loved turtle under ice, it was so sad but so wholesome.
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Thank you so much! π Turtle Under Ice ws truly great, especially on audiobook π
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