What I’ve been up to in March 🌼 More Research & Lots of Audiobooks

Hello fellow bookworms 📖 Once again, a month went by so fast! Since I’m mostly focused on research right now, each week is the same, so they all blend into each other 😂 I’m still on my semi-hiatus and have been posting less often, as I don’t have much time or energy during the week. This month was a mixed bag, but I’m somehow feeling much better than last month *knocks on wood* 🙏🏻

Important Resources

• https://globalissuesawareness.carrd.co/ & https://dotherightthing.carrd.co/
• Anti-Asian Violence Resources Carrd
• HelpPalestine Carrd, Learn about Palestinian history & Help Palestine with a Click
• HelpAfghanistan Carrd
• Good News: the Harper Collins Union now has a better contract and will return to work! 🥳
• Support Trans Children in Texas: Thread of orgs/groups to follow and gain resources from & Gender-Affirming Resources for the Transgender Community
• Help the Ukraine: Carrd with info & donation links & Ukraine Crisis Media Center
• Support Abortion Access (in the US): https://needabortion.org/, Donate to Abortion Funds, Plan C (self-managing abortion at home) & Support independent abortion clinics

🔁 = Reread 💌 = Library Books ⌛ = Digital Arc

📚 = #ProjectBacklist 📖 = #DevourYourTBR 😊 = Buddy Read & Book Club

I read 15 books in March! Enjoyment-wise it was a great reading month, as I found three 5-star books (I read two of them back to back!!) and read some other great books 🥰 I had such a good time with most of my books! But I struggled so much with reading physical/e-books, which really bothered me. Once again audiobooks (9) and graphic novels (3) came to the rescue – they were the main reason I still had such a good time! But I only read 3 physical/e-books and struggled to read visually. Due to feeling stressed and exhausted, I mainly listened to audiobooks and couldn’t bring myself to sit down with a book. That made me sad, as I enjoyed reading, but felt so demotivated, even though the books were great! I’ve never been in such a bad reading mood, but I hope April brings me a bit less stress!

I read 6 books out of my comfort zone this month! I stuck with my resolution of reading one nonfiction per month by picking up Stamped, a book I’ve been wanting to read for a while.

• The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches (Sangu Mandanna) ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5📚📖🎧
• The Screaming Staircase (Jonathan Stroud) ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5📚
• The Dagger in the Desk (Jonathan Stroud) ⭐⭐⭐⭐📚

• The Wicked Bargain (Gabe Cole Novoa) ⭐⭐⭐⭐💌📖🎧
• Stamped from the Beginning (Ibram X. Kendi) ⭐⭐⭐⭐💌📖🎧
• Before the Coffee Gets Cold (Toshikazu Kawaguchi) ⭐⭐⭐.5💌📖🎧

1. The Sad Ghost Club Vol 3. (Lize Meddings) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐📚

2. This Is Not a Personal Statement (Tracy Badua) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐💌📖🎧

3. Seven Percent of Ro Devereux (Ellen O’Clover) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐💌🎧

4. Bird Brain (Chuck Mullin) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐🔁

5. You Will Get Through This Night (Daniel Howell) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐🔁

6. Spy x Family Vol 9. (Tatsuya Endo) ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5📚📖

 

7. The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches (Sangu Mandanna) ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5📚📖🎧

8. The Screaming Staircase (Jonathan Stroud) ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5📚

9. The Dagger in the Desk (Jonathan Stroud) ⭐⭐⭐⭐📚

10. If You Could See the Sun (Ann Liang) ⭐⭐⭐⭐💌📖🎧

11. The Wicked Bargain (Gabe Cole Novoa) ⭐⭐⭐⭐💌📖🎧

12. Stamped from the Beginning (Ibram X. Kendi) ⭐⭐⭐⭐💌📖🎧

13. Silver in the Bone (Alexandra Bracken) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⏳

14. Before the Coffee Gets Cold (Toshikazu Kawaguchi) ⭐⭐⭐.5💌📖🎧

15. The Dragon’s Promise (Elizabeth Lim) ⭐⭐.5⏳📖🎧

Favorite Books 💕

What I’ve been up to in February 📖 Research, Anxiety & a ray of hope ~ Did I read the books I hauled in 2022? 📚 

Magical Readathon ~ Orilium ✨ Spring Equinox 2023 TBR ~ 2023 Quarter Year Crisis Tag 📚 is it too early for a crisis? ~ Book Review: The Sad Ghost Club Vol 3. by Lize Meddings 💕 my fave support group

For this section I’m sharing my Favorite Blog Posts of the Month 💗

• Spring 2023 TBR (and a look back at my Winter TBR progress) (Destiny @ howlinglibraries)
• #TopTenTuesday: 10 Most Recent Additions to my Kindle & #TopTenTuesday: Spring 2023 Possibility Pile & ARC Review: Silver in the Bone by Alexandra Bracken (Dini @ dinipandareads)
• ARC REVIEW: IN THE LIVES OF PUPPETS BY TJ KLUNE & TOP TEN TUESDAY – IF YOU LIKED THIS BOOK, TRY THIS (Jordyn @ Birdie’s Book Nook)
• Kat’s Weekly TV & Movie Recap #59 (Kat @ lifeandotherdisasters)
• 12 Great YA Books To Read Based On Your Favorite Season & Review: Seven Percent of Ro Devereux, Ellen O’Clover (Marie @ drizzleandhurricanebooks)
• 12 Books to Read When You’re in a Slump (May @ foreverandeverly)
• Magical Read-a-thon: Orilium – Spring Equinox (second year) tbr (Morgan @ morganisreadingagain)
• Top Twelve Auto-Buy Authors (Nicole @ Thoughts Stained With Ink)
• A Very Late 2022 Wrap-up: Best and Worst Books of 2022 + Reading Stats ✨ (Pauliina @ thebookaholicdreamer)
• MOVIE NIGHTS: period movies & The Functions Book Tag | a childhood favourite & a very intimidating book & Graphic Novel Reviews | ghosts, space and, scariest of them all, the theatre (Sophie @ Me & Ink)

Things are slowly coming along with my thesis. My frustrations remain, as our supervisor promised we’d be able to recruit for our online survey at the beginning of the month and at the time of writing this (March 26th) we’ve still not started 🙊 I’m still annoyed that they couldn’t have sorted out the study earlier. We don’t have access and could only provide feedback, but there were quite a few technical errors and big changes that needed to be made. We’ve been waiting since January and while I could do some research, I hate that things keep getting postponed.

The professor promised incentives for completing the study, only to go back on their word, so now we have almost nothing to offer. Since I have limited control over what the study looks like, I’m frustrated with how some things have been handled, as it directly influences how well we can recruit people. I just cannot trust anything they say, as things keep getting delayed. My research partner and I are getting annoyed with each week that passes by.

At least my mental health was a bit better! I hesitate to say that, as I don’t want to jinx anything, but despite being stressed, I felt less hopeless and anxious. Part of me just got tired of worrying about everything all the time. I was also able to meet a friend for breakfast and it was so nice to chat with her 💖 I appreciate her validating my frustrations and being angry on my behalf for how things have gone with my thesis!

💖 What I Watched in March 💖

I’m still struggling with watching TV, but my friend and I went through some shows together! I’m also currently watching some great book-to-TV adaptations 🥰

• Red Rose (S1)
• Heartbreak High (S1)
• Shahmaran (S1)
• Currently Watching 📺 Shadow & Bone (S2), Daisy Jones & the Six (S1)

April is going to be a busy month for me! I’m visiting home for Easter and I’m staying until my birthday (16th) but will go back afterward as I still have so many things to do for my thesis. Hopefully, we should FINALLY start the recruitment for our online survey and I’ll be doing more research/starting to structure so I can begin writing. A lot is going on, but I’m ready to finally get farther ahead. On the bright side, it’s also the Magical Readathon month 🥰 It’s my favorite Readathon and I’m so excited for my TBR and all the fun sprints/quizzes, etc.! I hope this will really boost my reading motivation 💖

📚 #DevourYourTBR 📚

This month’s challenge is to “reach for a genre you don’t read often!“

© DevourYourTBR

🌼 April TBR 🌼

One of my resolutions for 2023 is to start the month with a TBR of no more than 6 books! 📖 I’m going to read more than the books listed below, but I really needed to get rid of my overambitious TBRs!

This month my TBR is dedicated to the Magical Readathon! Check out my post to find out what I’m planning to read in April 👀

What were you up to in March? Did you read any good books? I hope you’re doing well! 📖