Once again I’m joining up with the Monthly Wrap-Up Round-Up which is hosted by Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction and Shannon @ It Starts at Midnight.
March, again, crazy! It was a longer month, and it felt it in more ways than just the number of days. But it was also nice with a trip to NOLA at the end.
For such a long month my reading was about the same as last month, although part of that could be the DNFs I had that I let drag on before I gave up.
I got 15 books finished, that’s one more than last month.
Here is my fun monthly wrap-up image I like to make in Canva. Although now that I see there is a cover collage created in StoryGraph, I might start just using that.
Here are my StoryGraph stats for March in the graphic they now provide. I’m playing around with that, as it still doesn’t include the graph for the ratings, and I like to see that too.
My March Reviews
Of the 14 specific titles listed last month, I got 9 read and reviewed, had 3 DNFs, and one I just got started this month. I got 4 more Beat the Backlist titles read, but no more for my COYER goals.
- [3 Mar] Divining the Leaves by Shveta Thakrar ★★★
- [5 Mar] One Night Hand Stand by Julia Kent ★★★★
- [7 Mar] Earl Crush by Alexandra Vasti ★★★★
- [10 Mar] Hit Me With Your Best Shot by Sara Ney ★★★★½
- [13 Mar] If You Love Me by Helena Hunting
- [17 Mar] Airhead by Avery Flynn ★★★★
- [20 Mar] Save Your Breath by Kandi Steiner ★★★★½
- [28 Mar] I Am Made of Death by Kelly Andrew
- [28 Mar] I Knew You Were Trouble by Sandy Barker
- [31 Mar] You, with a View by Jessica Joyce ★★★★½
- [31 Mar] First and Tension by Tara Sivec ★★★★
- [31 Mar] Two Can Play by Ali Hazelwood ★★★★
- [31 Mar] Voyager by Diana Gabaldon ★★★★½
- [31 Mar] Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala ★★★★★
- [31 Mar] Constituent Service: A Third District Story by John Scalzi ★★★★★
- [31 Mar] Hold the Pickle: A Roommate Rom Com by J.J. Knight ★★★★
Challenge Wrap-Ups
Trying to shorten up my end of month post by using the graphic below to show this.
I decided to do a Read the Alphabet Challenge and I got 4 more this month, leaving 5 more letters to go!
Once again I am doing the Chapter Break Bingo Challenge for February, and here are my books that fit each spot. I got all but one square – Same author/different genre. Now, I think the bonus was to have the How to guide be fiction? I counted the recipes in the back of one of the fiction books as my How To square, so don’t know if that counts.
I also gave in and joined the 2025 Romance Reading Bingo Challenge hosted by Blodeuedd @ Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell, Jen @ That’s What I’m Talking About, and Carole @ Carole Rae’s Random Ramblings. Got 5 more boxes checked off this month.
What to Expect in April 2025
April seems to have a few review books scheduled, but maybe not as many as last month, so maybe I can get more BTB books done? I tried really hard not to keep adding any even though a few that sounded good popped up, but I resisted! I will be at the library conference I go to every year mid-month, and I usually get a ton of stuff read that weekend being in a hotel room after sessions alone and enjoying the little balcony in the rooms I usually get.
Here is my proposed TBR for April:
- Kindred Spirits by Sharon Booth – Already read and posted the review for this e-galley before this post went up
- Messy Perfect by Tanya Boteju – I had the e-galley of this to try to read last month but didn’t get it done, should be posting a review of this on the 4th
- Too Hot To Handle by Portia MacIntosh – an e-galley for a blog tour review on the 8th
- Empty Net by Teagan Hunter – I should be getting an e-galley of this for a blog tour review on the 10th
- Bridesmaid By Chance by Meghan Quinn – should be reading for author’s review team and posting a review on the 15th
- Love at Second Sight by F.T. Lukens – an e-galley review on the 24th
- Of Earthly Delights by Goldy Moldavsky – an e-galley review on the 26th
- Hot Shot by Staci Hart – author review team e-galley review on the 28th
- Eliza From Scratch by Sophia Lee – hopefully an e-galley review for the beginning of May
- Whatever audiobooks I decide to listen to, should be finishing the new John Scalzi this month, When the Moon Hits Your Eye
- I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman – a teacher at school told me about this one, and I guess it is a TikTok rec? Anyway I got on the list to listen to the audio from the library and will probably do that this month with my long drive to my conference.
- Hopefully I’ll get a lot of backlist/TBR books read this month! Usually I think SmartyPants Romance has books out this month, but I haven’t heard any news on that yet.
Final Thoughts
So how was your March?
Was your weather all over the place like it was for me? Did you continue on your new year goals and challenges? I’m still without a library clerk, and it looks like I will be for the rest of the school year. Still looking for a new job, but don’t think anyone will hire me as advanced in my career as I am, when they can hire a newer librarian for cheaper.
I did have a great time on my trip New Orleans with my mom the last week during my spring break from school. I also started an online graduate class on the 17th, so that is 6 weeks and will end in May.
What are you looking forward to in April?
I have the annual Missouri Association of School Librarians conference the weekend of the 13th. I’m excited for that, but it is also my mom’s 70th birthday and she’s having a rough time without my stepdad it seems, even saying that big birthdays didn’t mean anything anymore, so trying to make sure we celebrate her for sure, we’ll do a dinner the weekend before. We don’t do much for Easter anymore as my brother and sister-in-law take the kids to my sister-in-law’s family out of town. It will be a LONG month of school with maybe one day off, and really our Wednesdays won’t be early releases, so full days with students all day most of the month.
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I need to figure out how March went. I fell behind early in April due to some busy days at work and home and am just now getting a breather. Looks like you had some good reads and I am so glad you enjoyed your trip. It was fun seeing the pics on Facebook. Sounds like your challenges are going well too. Hope April is a wonderful month for you too!
I had so many things scheduled right at the end that I was able to take a few days, plus then taking the 2nd off to help my mom gave me a day away from work to get the post done. So far April is so-so, but it’s just starting!
What a good month you had Lisa! You’re doing well with your challenges too!
Most of the challenges I’m happy with my progress for sure!
You are doing well with progress on your challenges.
Thanks! I think so for most of them.
Great job on your reading challenges! It sucks about the job. Teaching/schools are one of the few places you actually have a harder time finding a job the more experience you have. It’s so wrong. *GRR*
My baby turns 19 next week and both kids will both be home for Easter so we will celebrate then. My in-laws will also be back from Florida at the end of the month, so we’ll start having family get togethers as the weather improves.
Sounds like it will be a nice Easter to have them both home! And a nice family get together at the end of the month. I’m looking forward to some more family time coming with nicer weather too.
I’m a little envious of your 14 books😉 Sounds like it was a good month overall. I’m hoping for warmer weather in April so I can sit out on the porch and read, but it’s been way too cold to do that. Hope you have a good month!
Spring break helped! Not sure how April will go.
Your trip to NOLA sounded lovely! You’re doing so well with your challenges!
I like to make sure I’m doing well quickly in case things get crazy at the end of the year.
I really do love all the stats and graphics in Storygrah. They don’t have enough of the books I read to mess with it though. You’re doing great on your challenges! I like how you included the NetGalley stat. Happy reading!
Have you tried it lately? They have more books these days and I figured out how to add them myself if needed. I know Bookly has a lot of stats too that I like, but they have even less books than StoryGraph, kind of like when StoryGraph first started I think.
It’s only been a few months since I tried it. I don’t have the patience to add the books in myself. It might be that I’m lazy. I also tried an excel sheet that would make graphs for me but I got tired of that as well. I want the easy button!
Hmm, weird! I’ve not had a lot of issues with it lately. But I get that! I’m pretty lazy too.
Fifteen is a great number considering all you had going on. Love seeing them in the collage. I love the Stats on Storygraph, too. Looks like your challenge numbers are going fabulously. Hope the library conference is fun and you can get in your mom’s birthday party.
Have a good April, Lisa!
I was shocked to get that many in at the end, because I thought for a few days I’d end up with less than the month before. I do love Storygraph’s stats! We had the birthday party on this past Saturday night, so I did get to celebrate with her. It was nice!
Love this new format with the images and Storygraph graphs. I keep meaning to use Storygraph in addition to Goodreads, but then forgetting. I just can’t seem to wean myself away from Goodreads!
Yeah, I have to keep Goodreads for all the tours. But I have gotten into the habit of doing both apps at the same time when I’m tracking books.
Great reading month!!! And yes our bingo squares are open to interpretation so your explanation works to count the bonus!
Sometimes I hold myself too strict on what some of the squares might mean, lol.