Monthly Wrap-Up TBR by A Book Wanderer

March 2021 Monthly Wrap-Up

Hello Readers! I read so many great books this month thanks to my readathon and I’m excited to share them with you! I ended up reading a total of 13 books this month, two of which were novellas, and I gave 5 of them five stars. I’ve decided to do separate posts for my wrap-up and haul since both contained so many books. 😬 And I’ll be creating a separate post for my Trope-ical Readathon Wrap-Up, as well.

Looking back at My March TBR, I ended up reading four out of the six books I had planned (plus many extras), bringing my total pages read to 4,186 pages. Several of them were ARCs due in April and May, but since I’ve overbooked May and June, I figured I’d better get a head start. Sorry, not sorry??

Be sure to check out The Monthly Wrap-Up Round-Up hosted by Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction!

March Wrap-Up

(Link to synopsis on Goodreads through the book title.)

I started the month finishing up my ARC of Odd Woman Out, a memoir by the witty Melanie Chartoff. I so enjoyed her humorous take on life’s more serious and inevitable outcomes.


My Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
My Review

My copy of Chain of Iron by Cassandra Clare finally arrived a couple of days after the publishing date and I immediately started reading. I read this 688 page book in two days, so I must have enjoyed it!

My Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
My Review

I enjoyed getting lost in this second chance romance set in Key West! Anchored Hearts by Priscilla Oliveras was the best escape. My review will be posted soon!

My Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I’m one of the many who watched the adaptation of Bridgerton on Netflix and then picked up The Duke and I by Julia Quinn to read. I really enjoyed it—until that controversial scene. But I’ll probably continue on with the series.

My Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Astrid Sees All by Natalie Standiford is a dark historical fiction novel set in New York City in the 1980s. While I appreciated how well-written this one was, I didn’t like how detached I felt from the main character, despite the first-person POV.

My Rating ⭐⭐⭐.25
My Review

I’ve had The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan on my shelf for awhile and I was happy to finally pick it up. I loved the first half of this one, but the second half wasn’t as strong for me. I adored the setting of Ireland, though! And just FYI, there is no bookshop on the corner. Apparently when the title was changed from the UK to American, something got lost in translation. 😉

My Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐.25

I couldn’t possibly be expected to wait to read Christina Lauren’s newest novel until May, right?? I adored The Soulmate Equation! It made it into my top three favorite books by this talented writing duo.

My Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
My Review

Ever since I read an excerpt of Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams, I’ve wanted to finish it. When I saw the ebook on sale, I snatched it up. It was hilarious but also very hard to read at times, being a witness to Queenie’s self-destruction.

My Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave was my surprise hit of the month! I had no idea how much I would enjoy this one. I’m not a huge mystery/thriller fan, but I was hooked by this one. Very satisfying!

My Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
My Review

As soon as I heard about Andrew McCarthy’s memoir Brat: An ’80s Story, I immediately requested it on Netgalley. I’m a big fan of the ‘Brat Pack’ movies. His memoir is enlightening, but also a bit sad. It’s also very informative for people interested in film and theater. And it reaffirmed that Andrew McCarthy is a gentleman. I’ll be sharing my full review soon!

My Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I received We Are Not Free by Traci Chee in my book subscription box from The Strand Bookstore, and it reminded my why I love my subscription box so much. It puts great books that I might have missed into my hands! I had so many emotions reading this book. I especially loved the mixed media style. Full review to come soon!

My Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I still had a day left in the month for my readathon so I picked up two novellas to cross off two more prompts. I finally read The Black God’s Drums by P. Djèlí Clark and wow. The hype for this one is real. I was very impressed with how quickly the author establishes this fully-formed fantasy world. I look forward to reading more by Clark!

My Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The other novella I picked up was Burning Girls by Veronica Schanoes. I’ve had this ebook for years and it was nice to finally read it. It’s a dark fantasy retelling of Rumplestiltskin.

My Rating ⭐⭐⭐.50

In case you missed it…

Highlights from elsewhere…

How was your reading month? Have you read any of these books? Did you add any of them to your TBR? Let me know in the comments!

Happy Wandering!

13 thoughts on “March 2021 Monthly Wrap-Up”

  2. The Bookshop on the corner even if there wasn’t actually a bookshop on the corner lol! And I’m excited about a new Laura Dave!

    Love the bookcart BTW! 🙂

    Reply

    1. Haha! Yes, I read the entire book waiting for a bookshop on the corner. Oh, her latest is my favorite! I hope you enjoy it and look forward to discussing!

      Thank you! A giftcard purchase from Target. One of the best bookish purchases I’ve ever made. 🙂

      Reply

  3. 13 books! DAMN! That’s awesome! And 5 five star reads is even better! I really want to read Chain of Gold. It’s just so long and intimidating lol I bought Bridgerton right after finishing the Netflix show too. I’m a little nervous to read it (I don’t remember this controversial scene, even in the show?) Happy reading!

    Reply

    1. Haha! Thanks! It did take me several weeks to read Chain of Gold, but I think that was just because it was the start of the pandemic and we were in the middle of getting new floors. Lol Not the best time to have your house in disarray. But I read Chain of Iron in two days, so they definitely read faster than the typical 500+ book. 😉 Oooh, I won’t spoil The Duke and I for you, but it was in the show… they just changed it a bit from the book. The book is definitely more cringe-worthy. It’s just something that didn’t age well. 😬 But I still really enjoyed the book and writing!

      Reply

  6. I love Christina Lauren! I can’t wait for the new book. But with my blog tour reviews scheduled, I can’t fit it in just yet. I might wait and get the audiobook when I have another credit with Audible. Since I do love her audiobooks! Have a great April, and thanks for stopping by my Monthly wrap-up on Lisa Loves Literature!

    Reply

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