With March over, it’s time to share my reading wrapup. I ended up reading ten books this month, so it seems like I’m still reading a ton like I did in February! And while I did deviate from my TBR a little bit, that did mean I got to read a few books that have been on my radar for the past forever. I also finished one of the books on my list of series I needed to finish!
It’s also been another good month quality-wise; in March I read three five-star books! Now that’s rare for me.
Anyway, here’s everything I read this month. I hope you found some great new books this month too!
February In Stats
Books Read
Pages Read
Average Rating
%
Goodreads Goal Progress
BOOKS BREAKDOWN
- 6 PHYSICAL BOOKS
- 3 E-BOOKS
- 1 AUDIOBOOK
February In Books
Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers
Honey Girl follows Grace, who goes on a girls trip to Vegas after getting her PhD in astronomy. She’s a hard worker and a high acheiver, yet she doesn’t feel very fulfilled after completing her degree. She’s also the last person to think she would get drunk and marry a woman she just met, until she does just that. And after struggling with her father’s expectations and feelings of burnout, Grace flees to New York with her wife, only to face what she’s been running from all along.
I feel like I don’t read contemporary romance often, but I really enjoyed this regardless! I also really liked how it discussed finding your place in your twenties, being a WOC in STEM, and career uncertainty.
The Final Revival of Opal and Nev by Dawnie Walton
The Final Revival of Opal and Nev follows rock duo Opal Jewel and Neville Charles, and the story of their rise to fame. But a chain of disastrous events begins when a rival band under their label brandishes a Confederate flag at their concert; a constant reminder of the issues Opal will continue to face as a Black woman in the music industry. Decades later, music journalist S. Sunny Shelton has the opportunity to write their oral history when a huge allegation threatens to change everything.
I also don’t read books about music much (despite it being a hobby of mine), but The Final Revival of Opal and Nev was an exception. Despite the interview/mixed format, I thought this book did an excellent job of conveying the characters’ personalities, values, and motives throughout the book. The characters felt so real that it seemed like a non-fiction read!
Marketing Automation Unleashed by Casey Cheshire
Marketing Automation Unleashed provides strategy to marketing automation and its heavy impact on business today. Using the “Cheshire Success Index,” Cheshire shows how to build a successful marketing automation strategy under Foundational, Growth, Alignment, and Optimization phases.
This book was kindly gifted to me – thank you! I’m currently making a bit of a pivot in my career and this book was very helpful in understanding both the ecosystem I want to enter and what my career could look like in the near future. My copy is pretty annotated!
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
This story follows Adeleine LaRue, who makes a bargain with the devil in order to flee her arranged marriage. As a result, she will live forever, and she is immediately forgotten by everyone she meets. But one day, 300 years later, she finds a man in a New York City bookstore that remembers her name.
This was a bit of a last-minute decision as I’ve been considering whether to read this book when it came out. I’m glad I finally just did it! While I wanted a bit more from the historical chapters, I found this book and its characters to be very memorable.
Vicious by V.E. Schwab
Vicious follows Victor and Eli, two college roommates, whose research into the supernatural one day goes terribly wrong. Ten years later, Victor is out of prison, looking to catch up with his friend-turned-enemy. Meanwhile, Eli is set out to eradicate every person with a superpower, aside from him and his sidekick. With both Victor and Eli set on a course for revenge, who will come out on top?
I buddy-read this book and couldn’t put it down! This was definitely action-packed and a page-turner. I’ll likely be finishing the duology in May!
Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro
Klara and the Sun is a story that follows Klara, an Artificial Friend. She spends her days in the store watching those who browse, as well as observing those who pass on the streets outside. She hopes that someday, someone will choose her.
This was certainly an interesting read! I enjoyed exploring this world through Klara’s perspective. However, I do wish we got a little more explanation on the world itself and the history behind why some of the dystopian practices were taking place.
Last Call by Elon Green
Last Call tells the true story of The Last Call killer, a serial killer in New York City in the 80’s and 90’s whose victims were gay men. He had all of the traits resembling even the most notorious serial killers, but because of the sexual orientation of his victims and the high murder rates at the time, the crimes he committed were nearly forgotten. Last Call details both the decades-long search for the killer, and tells the story of the victims and the community that surrounded them.
This was an incredibly difficult read, but certainly worth it. I previously heard about a similar case in New York, and sadly they did not get much attention. I would like to get back into reading more true crime books after this one!
These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong
These Violent Delights is a Romeo and Juliet retelling that takes place in 1926 Shanghai. It follows Juliette Cai, a former flapper who resumes her role as heir of the Scarlet Gang. Their only rivals are the White Flowers, whose heir, Roma Montagov, was Juliette’s first love and betrayal. But as both gangs become unstable and the death toll climbs, Juliette and Roma must put their grudges aside and work together before the city they compete for crumbles before their eyes.
This book was not what I expected, but in a good way! I loved the exploration of the historical events of this book in addition to the retelling itself. I also felt like all of the characters were so well-developed!
Here Comes the Sun by Nicole Dennis-Benn
Here Comes the Sun is a story set in Jamaica following Margot, who is sending her younger sister to school in order for her to avoid the same fate that Margot had. When plans for a new hotel threaten their village, Margot sees it as not only an opportunity for financial independence, but also to admit her love for another woman. With the struggles that women in their community continue to face, each of them must face their own past in order pave their own paths to freedom.
While this book started out slow, I read the second half in one sitting. I knew this book would have quite a bit to do with the tourism industry, but there is so much to unpack with this book I could talk about it for days. The characters were so developed and there’s so much to say about the cycles so many generations experienced trying to escape their lives of poverty.
Only Human by Sylvain Neuvel
Only Human is the third and final book in the Themis Files trilogy. As a child, Rose Franklin discovered a giant metal hand that she would research as an adult, continuing to discover the rest of the body parts that formed Themis. Her and her team protected the Earth from global conflict and alien invasion. After ten years in another world, Rose returns to find the planet in shambles.
While I felt like this was the weakest book in the trilogy, I still enjoyed the conclusion overall! I think this book especially would have been better if there was only some mixed media; I think the strongest parts of this book were the chapters closest to a traditional format.
How did your month go this March? What were your favorite reads? Let me know! I’d love to know if you’ve read any of these as well and what your thoughts were!
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It looks like you had a wonderful month! I’m really happy to see you had three 5-star reads, and I love the way you presented your stats. Hope you’ve had a nice start to April! 😊
Thank you! I’m a big fan of stats 😅
Nice reading month! Love the stats included!
Thank you! I do enjoy my stats 😅