This last month I read a total of 6 books, a bit less than February, but that’s okay! At the beginning of the month, I did feel myself start to fall into a reading slump, but towards the end, I managed to pick up the pace again.
March Wrap Up:
Queen of Hearts – Colleen Oakes
This was a reread, however, I found myself not enjoying it as much as I thought I did when I first read it. Could be that I’m a more experienced reader now, but I struggled with the author’s writing style. There was a lot of telling and not showing. For example, things that could have been a flashback were a page-long monologue and I did not like that. Nonetheless, I did like the premise and thought it had good potential. ⭐⭐⭐(3)/5
Home Body – Rupi Kaur
This might be my favorite poetry collection Rupi Kaur has published so far. I did not entirely see the hype around Milk & Honey and I have yet to read The Sun and Her Flowers, but Home Body was really good if you like Instagram-type of poetry. I resonated with so many poems I almost felt as if she were in my head. Content Warnings: mentions of rape, sexual assault/abuse, misogyny, racism, mental illness, immigration, sex, physical abuse, ⭐⭐⭐⭐(4)/5
She Just Wants to Forget – r.h. sin
If you haven’t noticed, I tend to pick up more Instagram-poetry collections. That’s just a personal preference. My attention span likes short poems so that’s what I lean towards. Anyway, as much as I love r.h. sin, this was not my favorite. There were some good poems here and there, but not many truly spoke to me compared to some of his other works. ⭐⭐⭐(3)/5
Blood of Wonderland – Collen Oakes
As the sequel to Queen of Hearts, I genuinely enjoyed this one a lot more than the first book. There was still the issue of the writing style, but once I looked past that, I was able to connect with Dinah (MC) a lot more. I even cried at the end, because I related so much to the personal relationship she had throughout the first two books. I am curious to see how the story ends, so I’ll be ordering book 3 soon. ⭐⭐⭐⭐(4)/5
Unbirthday – Liz Braswell
At first, I did DNF this book, but only due to personal reasons that kept me from becoming fully engaged in it. Picking it up again now was a lot better. I absolutely loved this twisted retelling of Alice in Wonderland. What I loved the most was how true to the era this book was in terms of racism, misogyny, and morals (still exists, but I hope you know what I mean). I hated reading parts where men were extremely misogynistic or racist, but I knew it was a bit necessary. Slight spoiler: Aunt Vivian is my idol who frequently roasts the hell out of men who speak ill of her for being unmarried. On another note, I know the romance was not a huge part of the plot, but I would have liked for it to explore more (to satisfy my hopeless romantic self). ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐(5)/5
Good Morning Destroyer of Men’s Souls – Nina Renata Aron
This is a memoir about the author’s struggle with alcoholism, codependency, and her former partner’s heroin addiction. It’s hard to criticize a memoir because it’s someone’s own experience, however, I will say I was not a fan of the writing style. I found it hard to read at some points and would force myself to continue. The book wasn’t necessarily bad, it did have some good points and I did relate to some aspects since I also struggle with codependency. I would have given this a solid 4 stars, but I ended up going with ⭐⭐⭐ (3.75)/5
Book Haul:
Calm the F*ck Down – Sarah Knight
I got this as a gift in a mini Easter basket from my cousin. She’s read it and thought I would like it too. Can’t wait to read it!
If you’ve made it this far, comment what your favorite read from March was or what books are you looking forward to read in April. Stay tuned for more exciting posts!
addy 