Hello Readers! My reading in March was still down, but I did read two hefty books so I’m not feeling too bad about it. And technically I did cross off all the books on My March TBR, two of them just happened to be DNFs. I don’t like DNFing ARCs that I committed to read, but if the timing is off for me, they’ll more likely get a lower rating, so I figure it’s better to skip them or pick them up later, right?? I only read one ARC, making me behind again, but I did read two backlist books I’ve been wanting to get to!

Just like in February, my haul was bigger than my reading wrap-up, but that’s also because I’ve been ordering books my husband wants, as well as tossing in a few for me to get that free shipping. 😉 I picked up a couple of new ARCs, also.

Let’s see what I read and what I added to my TBR in March!

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

March Wrap-Up

I started the month finishing my reading of The Winners by Fredrik Backman, the third and final installment in the Beartown series. I had no idea when I started this one the last few weeks of February via Libby that it was approximately 700 pages! It wasn’t a quick read, but I’m glad I finally picked it up. What an emotional ride this series is!

➤My Rating: ★★★★½
➤Popsugar Reading Challenge Prompt – A book set in the snow

After finishing a long book, I didn’t know how I felt about picking up another one. Written in My Own Heart’s Blood by Diana Gabaldon, my next book to read in the Outlander series, is also a beast at almost 850 pages. But I’ve been wanting to cross this one off before the next season of the adaptation releases so I jumped in. The last few books in the series have had ups and downs for me, but I thoroughly enjoyed the bulk of this one. And now I’m excited for the next season of the show.

➤My Rating: ★★★★★
➤Popsugar Reading Challenge Advanced Prompt – A book with at least three POVs

I’m a fan of all of Rebecca Serle’s adult novels, so I have been anticipating finally getting to her next one, Expiration Dates. It did not disappoint!

➤My Rating: ★★★★¼
➤My Review
➤Published March 19, 2024
➤Popsugar Reading Challenge Advanced Prompt – A book with Magical Realism

Books I DNFed

• The Trail of Lost Hearts by Tracey Garvis Graves – I’ve read and enjoyed a few of Graves’ previous books but when I started this one, I wasn’t feeling up to the heavy topic, so I’ve set this one aside for now.
• Ever the Same by Michelle Wishner – I’d agreed to share a Spotlight post for this one (which you can check out here), and hoped I would find time to read it, as well. I did read a few pages, but I could tell it was geared more toward younger Young Adult, which I wasn’t in the right frame of mind for. I may come back to it, as well. It’s under 200 pages, so it’d be ideal for a reading challenge.

March Book Haul

I added quite a few physical books to my shelves (ignore the copy of All the Pretty Little Horses which snuck into my pile but was already included in my February haul), as well as a few ebooks, including a couple of ARCs and some books from my quarterly subscription box. But I have also been working on unhauling my shelves, going through and removing books I’m no longer interested in or books I can read via Libby instead. It does feel good to do that every once in a while. 😃

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Celadon ARC

Listen For the Lie by Amy Tintera was already on my ‘Want-to-Read’ list, so when it showed up in my mailbox from Celadon, I was excited that I could pick it up sooner rather than later. Especially since I’ve been seeing glowing reviews everywhere. I’m planning to read this mystery in April, so watch for my review!

Synopsis:

What if you thought you murdered your best friend? And if everyone else thought so too? And what if the truth doesn’t matter?

After Lucy is found wandering the streets, covered in her best friend Savvy’s blood, everyone thinks she is a murderer. Lucy and Savvy were the golden girls of their small Texas town: pretty, smart, and enviable. Lucy married a dream guy with a big ring and an even bigger new home. Savvy was the social butterfly loved by all, and if you believe the rumors, especially popular with the men in town. It’s been years since that horrible night, a night Lucy can’t remember anything about, and she has since moved to LA and started a new life.

But now the phenomenally huge hit true crime podcast “Listen for the Lie,” and its too-good looking host Ben Owens, have decided to investigate Savvy’s murder for the show’s second season. Lucy is forced to return to the place she vowed never to set foot in again to solve her friend’s murder, even if she is the one that did it.

Published March 5, 2024

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eARC

I was STOKED when Not in Love by Ali Hazelwood showed up in my inbox from Netgalley. I was convinced I’d already received the denied email. 😃

Synopsis:

A forbidden, secret affair proves that all’s fair in love and science.

Rue Siebert might not have it all, but she has enough: a few friends she can always count on, the financial stability she yearned for as a kid, and a successful career as a biotech engineer at Kline, one of the most promising start-ups in the field of food science. Her world is stable, pleasant, and hard-fought. Until a hostile takeover and its offensively attractive front man threatens to bring it all crumbling down.

Eli Killgore and his business partners want Kline, period. Eli has his own reasons for pushing this deal through – and he’s a man who gets what he wants. With one burning exception: Rue. The woman he can’t stop thinking about. The woman who’s off-limits to him.

Torn between loyalty and an undeniable attraction, Rue and Eli throw caution out the lab and the boardroom windows. Their affair is secret, no-strings-attached, and has a built-in deadline: the day one of their companies will prevail. But the heart is risky business – one that plays for keeps.

Expected June 11, 2024

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Physical Haul

• News of the World by Paulette Jiles – I’d had this book set in Texas on my tbr for awhile, but I finally ordered it for my husband to read. He’s already finished it and said it good but not his favorite. So now I’m not sure if I’ll read it. Let me know if you’ve read it!
• Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War by Steve Sheinkin – I think this actually geared toward middle grade, but I’ve heard it’s great for adults, as well. It tells the story of Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers.
• High School by Tegan and Sara Quin – I enjoyed the first season of the adaptation of these talented twin’s story so much it made me want to read their book!
• Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty – I added this one to get my free shipping. 😉

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Book HookUp Unboxing

I added two new books that came in my spring box from The Strand Bookstore. Neither one of these books were on my radar, but I’m intrigued! Included was a signed copy of The Revenant Games by Margie Fuston and an ARC of Otherworldly by F. T. Lukens. Check out my unboxing post to see what else came with my books!

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Ebooks

← When I saw Not in a Billion Years by Camilla Isley on sale on Kobo, I snatched it up. Camilla is great at writing enemies-to-lovers, and last I checked, it was still on sale!

→ I’m not a big fan of reality TV themed romances, but I wasn’t greatly impressed with the choices in March for Amazon First Reads, so I went with What is Love by Jen Comfort. Let me know if you’ve read it!

How was your reading month? Let me know in the comments!

Happy Wandering!