I feel like a broken record at this point, but I had a month from hell. Term started (and everything that could go wrong, did go wrong) and I moved into a new place (which I am SO excited about but it still looks like a bomb exploded) and my reading really suffered. I did not have the mental capacity to read for most days.
Books I read in March:
- Swan Song by Kelleigh Greenberg-Jephcott: 2 out of 5 stars (review)
- Normal People by Sally Rooney: 5 out of 5 stars (review)
- Allegiance of Honor (Psy-Changeling #15) by Nalini Singh: 2 out of 5 stars
- An American Marriage by Tayari Jones: 2.5 out of 5 stars (review)
- Number One Chinese Restaurant by Lillian Li: 2 out of 5 stars (review)
Favourite of the Month:
Obviously Normal People by Sally Rooney. This makes this the second month in a row when one of her books blew my mind. I cannot wait to see what she does next! (Part of me is keeping my fingers crossed for a short story collection because just imagine the brilliance she can deliver in that format.)
Stats(ish):
I read five books which feels awfully low. Four of those books were longlisted for the Women’s Prize and one was a paranormal romance by Nalini Singh (who really has been dominating my reading this year).
Currently Reading:
Books I should get to soon:
I want to finish reading the longlist before the winner of the Women’s Prize is announced but I will focus on the shortlisted books first (so, Circe, The Silence of the Girls, and Ordinary People). I will also be participating in Wyrd and Wonder (tbr to follow), so I will hopefully be reading lots and lots of fantasy.
(Some of the) blog posts I loved:
Sarah reviewed Circe, a book I am both excited and apprehensive about.
Emily’s coverage of the Women’s Prize has been stellar (AND she finished the longlist in time!) and her wrap up is wonderful (and her predicted shortlist much closer aligned to my reading tastes).
Callum also finished reading the longlist in time (after being unsure whether he would even attempt to do so), and his wrap up is brilliant and thorough.
Rachel, whose blog I adore, has reached 1000 followers and to celebrate she is hosting a give-away!
Kal’s review of one of my most anticipated releases for this year – Storm of Locusts by Rebecca Roanhorse – makes me even more excited to get to it.
I have thoughts on books 
Sorry to hear term didn’t start well – hopefully it’ll get better soon!
I keep hearing really good things about The Priory of the Orange Tree, hope you enjoy it.
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Thank you! I should have survived the worst and I talked to my boss about my workload, so hopefully I’ll see improvement soon.
I am really loving The Priory of the Orange Tree but it is also challenging me – I have the worst memory for names and I keep forgetting who is who. But that should get better once I am properly stuck in with it.
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Fingers crossed!
And yes I’m terrible at remembering names too, especially when an author decides to give two characters similar names. Glad you’re enjoying it though, can’t wait to read your review!
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Here’s hoping May is your month!
Ooh, a short story collection from Rooney would be excellent! I loved her story, Mr Salary, so I’d love to see her share more short fiction.
And thank you for the mention 😊 I loved making our way through the longlist together, even if we weren’t exactly thrilled by the shortlist.
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Thank you!
I just bought Mr Salary (in parts because I wanted to read something I am sure to adore) and her other short story that I read was incredible; so I really am keeping my fingers crossed for a full-length collection.
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I’m sorry to hear April didn’t go too well. Hope you have an amazing May to help make up for it, and happy reading 🙂
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Thank you so much!
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The books you read look so nice together! April was ridiculous for me too, I haven’t even had time to write my monthly wrap up yet. I hope May is better all around.
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Right? This might be the most aesthetically pleasing collection in a year!
May just HAS to be better!
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I love that you’re reading The Priory of the Orange Tree; I think it’s a brilliant riposte to Game of Thrones (which we can argue about all day, but GoT is definitely more masculine-focused than Samantha Shannon’s novel), and am sending it to all of my customers who claim to be Tolkien/Martin bros. I’m also currently reading Lost Children Archive. I really like it, but it does require a very meditative frame of mind.
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I am really excited about Priory but maybe should not have chosen the audiobook – I have a horrible memory for names as it is and only hearing them and not knowing how they are spelled makes it even more difficult. But I am really enjoying it! The worldbuilding is wonderful.
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To be honest, I would have had a very hard time following it as an audiobook—there are lots of names and I’m very visual, so seeing them written down was the only way to keep track. But yes! The worldbuilding! And the casual gayness! And the casual foregrounding of women!
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“casual foregrounding of women” really nails my taste in fantasy books, so I am sure this will work perfectly for me; once I remember all the names.
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I really hope so!
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Thanks so much for the mention and kind words! April was a low month for me as well (I think I’ve also read 5 books, and 4 of them longlisters), but I’ve been highly enjoying your Women’s Prize reviews and am looking forward to your thoughts on the rest of the shortlist. Hopefully May will be an improvement!
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May will definitely be better. I am really enjoying making my way through the longlist and I think the books I have left will all be ones I enjoy. I am hoping to be done in time to have my wrap up online before the winner is announced.
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Thank you for linking my Circe review! 🙂 It’s such a bummer that on top of a stressful month, you also read so many books you disliked. I hope May is going much better for you!
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Reading wise it is so much better. Maybe because I allowed myself to read more fantasy?
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