Will this be the month where I will finally get on top of my TBR?
I'm not making any promises, yet, but I feel like March is going to be a good reading month for me. After reading a fantastic book in February (more on it very soon!) I felt inspired to pick another book so now I feel like my reading mojo is back and I couldn't be more excited - my wallet though is weeping, as usual.
I've already said how I'm not really keeping score of how many books I'm reading - I'm a quality > quantity kinda gal - but I also like the feeling of accomplishment and since 2021 is probably not going to be any different from 2020, I still need that sense of reassurance, the promise of something, anything that I know is going according to plans.
At the start of the year, I ditched Goodreads for The Storygraph. I do feel like that cheater clichè who runs away with the more beautiful, younger version of their partner after years of pushing and pulling without ever feeling satisfied. I'm living breathing Elena Gilbert who picks Damon over Stefan at this point and as a Stelena Team, it hurts.
Now, hear me out. Not only The Storygraph is black-owned which, just for this, gets all of the points but it also gives you so much data on your reading habits and preferences, I am stunned!! Then, just in case you're part of the "my TBR is out of control but I need more books" club, The Storygraph gives you recommendations actually based on your reading taste, which means you get to read more books that are not that famous and that also deserve their own moment of glory.
If you're into the Goodreads Challenge and don't want to lose all your previous records or lists, The Storygraph can actually sync to your Goodreads and transport all your reading challenges and everything you have saved over the years, into your personal Storygraph account. That's wicked!
You can follow my Storygraph and see what I'm currently reading, as well as keep track of your own reading data.
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March TBR
I will definitely blame my lack of reading progress on the craziest reading slump ever which now has somehow decided to give me a break, just in time for a new month.
According to my Storygraph, I've got this! But... I'm behind by 5 books. So clearly, after having a moment of total panic, I browsed my unread shelf and obviously went for the new, shiny books I got in the mail. Ha!
This TBR is filled with new books, I just can't help myself but I'm so lucky to work with Publishers who always send me interesting books so big shout out to Little Brown!
CURRENTLY READING
Let's start with what I'm reading - more like devouring - at the moment.
Insatiable by Daisy Buchanan is definitely going to be the talk of the town, especially after that Bridgerton shaped hole we're still trying to cover. You know I love me a steamy book, but this one is straight-up filthy and I am obsessed with it.
It's about Violet, a broke girl living in London who's job doesn't really satisfy her - nor her bank account - and who's life is a bit of a shit show. When she meets a couple, she's drawn by the incredible job offer, they seduce her into what seems like every horny girl's dream: a consensual threesome and private parties where sex is the common ground (if you know what I mean... wink wink)
BOOK CLUB PICK
I cannot wait to dive into March/April Book Club pick! I went for The Bellwether Revivals which follows Oscar, a care assistant who, falling madly in love with Iris Bettwether, a medical student, becomes embroiled in the strange machinations of her older brother, a troubled musical prodigy who persuades Iris and their friends into a series of disturbing experiments.
If that doesn't give you dark academia vibes with a bit of psychological suspense as the cherry on top, I don't know what will.
NEW ON THE SHELF
I wanted to throw in some other books, just to make this month more interesting and varied with my reading choices. The first one is One Night, New York by Lara Thompson, which is a noir following Frances and Agnes at the top of the Empire State Building, who are waiting for a man who has done something terrible to both of them.
I'm particularly interested in this one for various reasons: (1) it takes place over the course of one night - hence the title - and (2) it takes the reader back to old New York with its bohemian Greenwich Village during the Great Depression where artists and immigrants lived.
The last book I'm hoping to get through is Diary of a Film by Niven Govinden. A novel about cinema, queer love, the creative process that artists sometimes struggle to reach. It takes place during a European film festival, where an auteur and his lead actors are about to premiere their new movie. He then starts a conversation with a local woman who tells him stories about love and tragedy that will inspire him to write his next film.
This month's TBR is quite dense and different, I'm trying new genres and giving second chances to authors I didn't particularly like before. I'm particularly positive about my choices, and hopefully, I will get to talk about all of them in the next wrap-up. But again, who knows!?