#march books

[contracat25]

Ok we are solidly into April, but so many interesting books came out last month so I thought I would post this list anyways. As always there are way more books then I can fit in here so I have def missed some. What were your favorite or the books you are most excited about that were released in March? Also these don't include sequels becase I have a whole set of lists for those. So with that said, here are some books from March that caught my atention:

The Mimicking of Known Successes by Malka Ann Older

Feed Them Silence by Lee Mandelo

Lucha of the Night Forest by Tehlor Kay Mejia

Chlorine: a Novel by Jade Song

Lies We Sing to the Sea by Sarah Underwood

Solomon's Crown by Natasha Siegel

The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen by K.J. Charles

Rose/House by Arkady Martine

[black-rabbit-razumikhin]

March Reading Wrap-Up

Lots of fantasy and sci-fi to give myself the much-needed escapism as the semester picks up. Wasn't expecting them to relate to my courses as much as they ended up doing, but they were enjoyable nonetheless.

~~~

The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu - Incredible, like the artistic cousin of Ender's Game. 4/5

Emperor Of The Eight Islands by Lian Hearn - I enjoyed it while I read it, but it didn't feel very memorable. 3/5

Autumn Princess, Dragon Child by Lian Hearn - Started weaving together all the loose threads left floating around at the end of the first book. 4/5

Hagakure by Yamamoto Tsunetomo - So different from the first time I read this but just as beneficial. 4/5

Lord Of The Darkwood by Lian Hearn - Far more intense than the first two books in the series; it keeps getting better. 4/5

Shodo by Rie Takeda - As someone who has just started calligraphy and is really enjoying it, this book was great at laying out all the introductory techniques. 3/5

The Tengu's Game Of Go by Lian Hearn - It connects to the author's other series!! 4/5

Dogs Of War by Adrian Tchaikovsky - I don't have the words to explain what this book made me feel, only that it's an unsung work of art. 5/5

[aworldinpages]

April Releases 2023

As we fly into the fourth month of the year so many more fantastic books are being released. Below are just a few that have caught our eye this month.

Click here to see our full post!

[reddy-reads]

Book(s) of the month: March

Book of the month for March is The Black Tides of Heaven by JY Yang. Either I finish it by the end of the month or it goes in the donation box. This is my ongoing attempt to weed down my to-read list.

In addition, I am adding in two temporary categories.

Parental Book of the Month is The Art of Teaching Children by Philip Done. This is basically assigned reading. I have to read at least 15 minutes of this book per day until it is done. This means I might not finish by April, but so it goes.

Gift book of the month is Paris Daillencourt is About to Crumble, Alexis Hall. This is also assigned reading. I have to read 15 minutes per day until it is done, but I'm "allowed" to DNF it.

[more about these books under the jump]

The Black Tides of Heaven by JY Yang: This one might be a bit of a 'gimme' since it's a novella, but I've had this one in my possession for more than a year and never finished it.

It first came to my attention via the Be the Serpent podcast, which is an extremely excellent source of book recommendations.

If I recall correctly, this book was recommended because it has some interesting things about gender and interesting worldbuilding in general. I think the Serpents commented that, like many novellas, it almost does a magic trick of fitting more worldbuilding and story into its wordcount than seems possible. A TARDIS of ideas.

The Art of Teaching Children, by Philip Done: Not going to lie, this one is kind of intimidating because it looks chunky. As far as I know, it's a nonfiction collection of essays about teaching & kids (shocking) from a 30-year teacher. As it happens, I love working with children and am planning a career move into teaching, so this is a very appropriate gift.

Paris Daillencourt is About to Crumble, by Alexis Hall: A gift from my dear friend J, who has heard I love LGBT+ romance. I believe this is written as a capital-R genre Romance, too, which is right up my alley. Full disclosure: I've already started reading this one but haven't finished it yet. The protagonist has ferocious anxiety, and it's setting me off in a weird way. (Basically, he's making me go 'oh my god, am i this annoying? do people want to smack me upside the head the way i want to smack this fictional person upside the head?' And then I do a fun little spiral.) So we'll see if I finish it... But the premise is good, the writing is solid, so I will give it a fair shake and try not to let my own brain-things get in my way.

There we go, 3 books for March. Please wish me luck!

[lylahammar]

My take on unicorns! I'd really love to make a mythical creature field guide someday, since the Spiderwick Field Guide is what inspired me to start drawing in the first place 🥰

[that-butch-archivist]

"Dyke March 1994" by Morgan Gwenwald

source: The Wild Good: Lesbian Photographs & Writings on Love, edited by Beatrix Gates

[cheeseanonioncrisps]

It's a weird fucking feeling realising that you actually have to plan ahead for and schedule in the things you like to do, as well as the things you have to do.

I don't mean the complicated stuff, that's a given.

If I'm going to the cinema, then I accept I'm going to have to look up film times and buy tickets and figure out when I'm going to leave the house. If I'm going to visit a friend who lives in a different county, then I accept that I'm going to probably be looking up travel times and planning activities and where to eat and what time we'll be doing what, for possibly days beforehand.

But its even the fucking lowkey stuff. If I want to watch a tv show, I have to plan time out of my day to do it, and I don't always get round to it. If I have a whole day free for some reason, and I decide I want to watch a film (at home, on the sofa) and I don't lay out a plan for when I'm going to do that and how long I'm going to take, then it just won't happen.

If I want to go for a walk just around my local area before it gets dark, or eat something with a slightly longer cooking time, or write my diary, or read a book I've been looking forward to reading, or even read fucking fanfiction that is longer than about 8000 words, then I have to set some sort of plan beforehand.

Like, I know intellectually that executive dysfunction affects more than just the things you don't enjoy doing. But fuck it doesn't really hit you until you realise that you haven't sat down to watch an episode of that show you like for over a week, even though you can't really name any activities you've been doing or commitments you have that would make it impossible to do so.

Anyway, this is a reminder to people who struggle with that sort of thing: schedule your days off, lest they be swallowed by the Pit before you get the chance to do anything fun with them.

[queen-paladin]

I love you hated female characters. I love you female characters who are flawed. I love you female characters who mess up and try to do the right thing after. I love you female characters who get the undeserved vitriol from fans. I love you female characters who fans completely condemn because of one mistake they made. I love you female characters who fans completely condemn because of one mistake they made as a child. I love you female characters who people blame for ripping apart their ships instead of the larger forces that be. I love you female characters who get all the hate as the male characters who do worse in canon get absolutely none. I love you female characters who get hated on because they told a man “no.”

[fulloffeels]

It was time to change the endcap display, so I saw my chance and I took it

[saltybeezh]

My Collection of Graphic Novels so far📚

[alexsfictionaddiction]

Alex Recommends: March Books

I have had a very busy month, as I battle with assignments, work experience and my freelance work. I think I am managing to keep on top of everything though. You know when you have so many things to do that sometimes you just end up doing none of them? I’ve definitely been feeling that lately! It’s just a case of trying not to succumb to entire days of scrolling just to numb my mind for a bit. It’s tough sometimes, as I’m sure you’ll get too!

I have managed to spend time with Mark and my family though. We went to the Hard Rock Cafe Hotel in Marble Arch for Dad’s birthday celebrations and if you’ve never been, I thoroughly recommend it if you’re ever in London. As in most Hard Rock Cafes, there is plenty of memorabilia all over the walls but the Hotel has something pretty special -the piano that Freddie Mercury learned to play on! Apparently it was featured in the Bohemian Rhapsody film too? It was pretty damn cool to see it in real life. The food was also brought to us by a very cute kitty robot! Seriously, it was amazing!

The Women’s Prize for Fiction longlist was announced at the beginning of March and therefore, this month’s recommendations post is made up entirely from that. I’ve been trying to read as many as I can before the shortlist is announced and I have really enjoyed the majority of what I’ve read from it so far. It’s a pretty strange, unexpected longlist and I know that some people are disappointed to see some books missed from it. Although there does seem to be a strong political theme running through most of the longlist, there is a bit of a mix in terms of genre. So I think there probably is something on there that you’ll like! Here are five of those books that I’ve read so far and loved -hopefully you will too.

-Love, Alex x

FICTION: The Bandit Queens by Parini Shroff.

Geeta’s husband disappeared years ago and everyone in the village thinks she had something to do with it. She didn’t but she doesn’t mind them thinking she’s capable of that. Then one day, Farah, a woman in Geeta’s small-loan group, comes seeking help for making her own husband disappear. She’s inspired by the real life Bandit Queen Phoolan Devi, who took revenge on her own abusers before becoming an activist, Geeta knows that those who do wrong should be punished but what can she really get away with? Ultimately, The Bandit Queens is a novel populated with some fantastically clever and loveable female characters and their escape from the abusive pasts. It’s definitely about their empowerment and their courage and I loved that this book will introduce many people to Phoolan Devi and what she achieved. It’s also blessed with an awesome sense of humour and sisterhood that will tackles some of the darkest of topics but will somehow leave you smiling.

LITERARY FICTION: Pod by Laline Paull.

Ea is a dolphin who has just come of age and is now expected to join in with her pod’s beautiful rituals. But Ea can’t hear and this means that she will never be able to master the art of spinning. So, she leaves the pod and discovers that the rest of her world is plagued with dangers -from predators to strange objects to mass disappearances of fish. Can a deaf dolphin possibly survive the ever-changing, increasingly threatening ocean? This wonderfully written book is strange but somehow enchanting. In parts, it’s horrific and heartbreaking but in other parts, it manages to be almost calming. Pod offers a unique look at what dolphins go through both at the hands of humans and in their own power struggles amongst pods. I’m sure that I will never read another book like it!

HISTORICAL FICTION: The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell.

Lucrezia is content with her place as the artistic, inquisitive third daughter of the Grand Duke of Florence. But at just 13 years old, her older sister dies on the eve of her wedding to Alfonso, the ruler of a distant kingdom and suddenly Lucrezia will be taking her sister’s place as his bride. Leaving her home and family behind, Lucrezia will now live in an unfamiliar, sometimes hostile court but its her new husband that baffles her the most. Is he the happy, gentle soul he first appeared to be or is he a cold-hearted leader which the signs seem to suggest he is? As she sits for a portrait that will be hung on the walls of history forever, Lucrezia knows that she has one job in this new court -provide an heir to secure its future and who knows what could happen if she fails? I fell head over heels in love with O’Farrell’s masterpiece that was Hamnet a few years ago and The Marraige Portrait definitely shares that similar immersive reading experience. The settings are beautifully painted and O’Farrell does a great job in her studies of female relationships at multiple points -Lucrezia and her sisters, Lucrezia and her maid, Lucrezia and Alfonso’s sisters, Alfonso’s sisters themselves. Lucrezia de Medici was a real historical figure, so the book is clearly very well researched. I’m not sure how much O’Farrell invented and how much is true but it makes for an infuriating read where hope just manages to cling on to the final page.

MYSTERY: Cursed Bread by Sophie Mackintosh.

In the small town of Pont-Saint-Esprit, Elodie is the baker’s wife. She lives a simple life but she longs for more. When a new couple move into the area, a brash ambassador and his wife Violet, Elodie takes an interest in both of them. A plague is about to sweep through the town and some think it has been caused by the bread. But Elodie is about to discover that a real predator’s identity isn’t always the obvious choice. I wasn’t really sure whether to label this book as a mystery because although it is set amidst a real mystery that occurred in 1950s France, it’s not really the focus of this short novel. However, I’m not really sure how else to categorise it. Ultimately, Cursed Bread is an atmospheric, immersive read that explores an intense, female frenemy situation. It’s dark, hazy and quite dream-like with a strong sense of foreboding and doom throughout. I didn’t anticipate the sharp turn that it took at the end and it made for a very interesting, fast read that caused me to wonder what it was really all about!

HORROR: Children of Paradise by Camilla Grudova.

When Holly gets a job at the very old, well-known Paradise cinema, her colleagues don’t pay her much attention and she spends her days performing routine duties and avoiding the cinema’s owner Iris, an old lady with particular tastes and habits. Holly wants her colleagues to like her and on gaining their acceptance, she realises that like them, she too has become part of the cinema’s furniture. She learns its secrets and history and when violence and change come knocking, it’s not surprising that the group begins to unravel. Children of Paradise is not an obvious horror novel but I’d argue that it does subtly fit many criteria for the genre. Bodily fluids, check. Violent death, check. Unsettling undertones, check. The book is a love letter to old cinema and if you’ve seen the films that make up the chapter titles, you will notice parallels between the plots and the events of each chapter. Therefore, it is one for film buffs. Holly offers an intense narrative voice that I found utterly intriguing and I loved the eclectic cast of characters and the slow burn, strange ride that it was.

[bookreviewcoffee]

Women, they have minds, and they have souls, as well as just hearts. And they've got ambition, and they've got talent, as well as just beauty. I'm so sick of people saying that love is just all a woman is fit for. I'm so sick of it.

[Almost crying] 

 But I'm so lonely...

Jo March little women

[aworldinpages]

March Releases 2023

We're back with another post about books due to be released this month! Here are seven releases from March 2023.

Click here to read more!

[booksthoughts]

March reviews!

[trickster-kat]

Every Book/Manga I read in March 2023

The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan (Percy Jackson & the Olympians, Book 2)

Den of Vipers by K.A. Knight

Black Bird (1-18) by Kanoko Sakurakoji

Blinding Beauty by Brittany Fichter (Classical Kingdoms Collection, Book 2)

A Duel with the Vampire Lord by Elise Kova (Married with Magic, Book 3)

Curse of Shadows by A.K. Wilder (The Amassia Series, Book 2)

X 3•in•1 (1-6) by CLAMP

Nightfall by Rose Alexander (The Huntsman Clan, Book 1)

Darkness Watching by Emma L. Adams (The Dark World Series, Book 1)

Demigods Academy by Elisa S. Amore & Kiera Legend (Year 1)

Reflection by Elizabeth Lim (A Twisted Tale, Book 4)

Hunt the Fae by Natalia Jaster (Vicious Faeries: Dark Fables, Book 2)

A Touch of Brimstone by McKenzie Hunter (Magic of the Dammed, Book 1)

Poor Unfortunate Soul by Serena Valentino (Villains, Book 3)

Demon Love Spell (1-6) by Mayu Shinjo

A Witch and A Fish by Selene Charles (The Grimm Files, Book 3)

A Word So Fitly Spoken by T.A. Lawrence (The Severed Realms, Book 1)

Cinderella Soldier by Allie Burton (A Glass Slipper Adventure, Book 2)

Late as a Rabbit by Kendra Moreno (Sons of Wonderland, Book 2)

Soul Symmetry by J.L. Weil (The Raven Series, Book 3)

Court of Raven and Ruin by Eliza Raine (The Shadow Bound Queen, Book 1)

Ask Alice by Kell Frillman (The Tainted Wonderland Series, Book 1)

Demons by G.K. DeRosa (Darkblood Academy, Book 3)

The Fae King's Curse by Jamie Schlosser (Between Fawn and Dusk, Book 1)

The Faerie Mates by Michelle Madow (The Faerie Games, Book 3)

Crown of Blood and Ruin by LJ Andrews (The Broken Kingdoms, Book 3)

Beauty and Beastly by Melanie Karsak (Steampunk Fairy Tales, Book 3)

Satan's Affair by H.D. Carlton

The Queen's Crown by K.M. Shea(Magiford Supernatural City: Court of Midnight and Deception, Book 3)

Resident Evil: The Umbrella Conspiracy by S.D. Perry (Book 1)

Scarred by Emily McIntire (Never After Series, Book 2)

The Vampire Fate by Michelle Madow (The Vampire Wish, Book 4)

Crush by Tracy Wolff (Crave Series, Book 2)

[why-the-heck-not]

makes a to do list. gets too stressed to start on it before it’s waaaaay to late (ohno!!)