Mar 31
✨ MARCH WRAPUP ✨
QOTD: What was your favourite read from March?
Mine was Masquerade by LR Lam!
Books finished: 25
DNF’s: 6
Pages read: 6,864
Hours listened: 89.58
Currently reading:
🎧 One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston (82%)
[instagram]
seen from United States
seen from Maldives
seen from Denmark
seen from Denmark
seen from Denmark
seen from Denmark
seen from United States
seen from Malaysia
seen from Denmark
seen from Belgium
seen from Denmark
seen from United States
seen from Denmark
seen from United States
seen from Denmark
seen from Denmark
seen from Belgium
seen from Denmark
seen from Denmark
seen from Ireland
✨ MARCH WRAPUP ✨
QOTD: What was your favourite read from March?
Mine was Masquerade by LR Lam!
Books finished: 25
DNF’s: 6
Pages read: 6,864
Hours listened: 89.58
Currently reading:
🎧 One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston (82%)
[instagram]
March 2020 reading wrap-up
Call Down the Hawk by Maggie Stiefvater I was a little late to the party when it came to The Raven Cycle, but I really loved that series when I finally did read it. When I heard about a sequel series focussing specifically on the Lynch brothers and the fascinating phenomenon of “dreamers”, I was super exited. But when the book finally came out, I found myself putting off reading it. I’m not sure if I was afraid to be disappointed, or if I really wanted to reread the original series first, but anyway, I finally decided the time was right, and I’m so happy I did! This book features some fascinatingly vivid characters and I can’t wait to discover where this story goes next - too bad precious little has been announced about the next installment, though. Goodreads rating: 4/5 stars
Witches by Sam George-Allen This book deals with the interesting premise of “covens” in all walks of life: nuns, girl bands, ballet troupes. In other words, groups of women who find themselves connected to each other. Sometimes it’s empowering, sometimes it’s competitive, and often it’s both (because the patriarchy is a complex and many-headed beast). While I did enjoy this book and liked reading about all kinds of different women with different histories, world views and lessons to impart, I did feel it lacked some overall cohesion. Unfortunately, for me, it never quite got past the “collection of interviews” stage and into the flowing narrative that I think the author was trying to achieve. Goodreads rating: 3/5 stars
The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey This title was recommended to me by my friend Lian, who occassionally presses a book (usually one of her own recent purchases) into my hands and orders me to read it. I wouldn’t call The Show Child a retelling of the fairytale, but it was clearly inspired by it. The story is slow and the characters take a long time to form, which did take away some of my enjoyment as I kept trying to figure out who I was dealing with. But the story also has its moving moments, and I really loved the idea of following a couple who are a bit older rather than in the flower of their youth. Goodreads rating: 3/5 stars
The Gloaming by Kirsty Logan Another one of those books that I’ve been meaning to read forever; one of my goals for this year was to get a handle on my Goodreads TBR and actually start reading some of the books on there, instead of just adding new titles ad infinitum. However, because I had been waiting so long to read it, I’d sort of hyped it up for myself to a height it could never actually reach. I enjoyed this book a lot: it deals with interesting themes and the subtle undertone of magic is beautiful, but it never got quite relatable enough for me. Goodreads rating: 3/5 stars
booksforthoughts BPC | March 2019 | 31. Wrap Up!
March was good, I got to read some really cool stuff! Overall, I managed to get to 10 books (The 13-storey Treehouse is not in the picture because I’m curently using it at school) which is pretty good considering how busy I was.
favorites of the month: We crossed a bridge and it trembled, Thinking, fast and slow by Daniel Kahneman and Dust by Hugh Howey, Haiku
least favorite book of the month: Everything Under by Daisy Johnson
nonfiction reads: 3 (goal: 1) Thinking, fast and slow by Daniel Kahneman, We crossed a bridge and it trembled, A Field Guide to Getting Lost by Rebecca Solnit
classics: 1 (goal: 1) - Dracula by Bram Stoker
poetry: Haiku - a collection of Haikus
Here I am, saying words and looking cute! I actually really like this video, so love it and love me and also have a good day cos you’re all v cute (like me) d:3c
Book Photo Challenge || March - Day 31: March Wrapup
As we enter our last day of the month for the March Book Photo Challenge, I decided to put together a little collage recapping some of my favorite entries this month, with 1 bonus pic featuring my last book haul from Barnes & Noble.
I just want to take this time to thank you all for giving me the opportunity to step outside of my comfort zone and discover new authors and their works.
This was so much fun you guys. I hope we can do this again soon.
⚘
✨ MARCH WRAPUP ✨
QOTD: What was your fave read from March?
Mine was The Keeper of Lonely Spirits by EM Anderson!
Books finished: 32
DNF’s: 6
Pages read: 7,333
Hours listened: 67.92
Currently reading:
🎧 Daydream by Hannah Grace (68%)
[instagram]
Full rating list below cut
Apparently there was a color theme in March. Good thing I adhered! D: My new books of the month to the left! And to the right are all the books I read. Only four this time. I drastically cut down my reading when I realised there were only six more weeks until my deadline for printing my novel and no illustrations done. "8D I did also listen to two audiobooks from the library though, which were Date Me, Bryson Keller and Only Mostly Devastated. For the latter I then went out to buy the German paperback edition (for once I like a German cover, damn!), because my eyes and fingers were craving paper und letters like an addict. /D And I really like the book. It was nice that there was other real life drama besides coming out. And I wonder right now, are there any straight Fantasy books where the hero or love interest is the dorky, cute guy? Because that’s a straight romance I might want to read. 8D My favourites this month were Both Can Be True by Jules Machias and The Darkness Outside Us by Eliot Schrefer. Both are so good. So good! “Both Can Be True” is so cute and uplifting and also insightful. I highly recommend! “The Darkness Outside Us” I only bought because I wanted more Gays in Space after “The Gravity Of Us” and “A Complicated Love Story Set in Space”. And also because I thought I read someone saying that it's not a love story? Which is a good thing once in a while. I must have been mistaken though or the person was mistaken, because, if I ever read a pure love story, it's this one! You know, the grand and beautiful kind, that is so grand and beautiful it makes your heart ache a little? I don’t know if other people feel this in other situations too, I only ever get this from stories (and maybe from cats). It’s great. I love this book. And true to it being a space story, the plot is wild.
Currently, I’m sneaking a few hours to read "All That’s Left in the World”, before I have to go back to drawing. I have surgery on my left (non-dominant) wrist next week and sure hope it won’t be too bad afterwards so I can still do my illustrations, because I have no time. “8D
march 2017
It’s spring time in Vancouver, aka. monsoon season. It’s raining constantly, and Daylight Savings has cloaked my 6am commute to work in total darkness, but the dreary rainy-ness makes it all the more satisfying to sit on the couch for hours on end and read or marathon insane amounts of TV. I hope you’ve all had a cozy, comfortable March.
- the television -
To start off the month, I finished off Fleabag! The final episode of the season is so good and addresses many of the big questions I had while watching. It’s a short season (only six episodes!) so you have no reason not to catch up on this wonderfully odd show.
In March, my parents and I continued our Mad Men viewing with seasons three and four. My interest in the plot and the majority of the characters has dwindled considerably through these two seasons, and I find that I’m a lot less invested in what happens, particularly with the company itself. But, I’m forging through, if only because my parents love it. We also plowed through the recently released third season of Grace and Frankie in two days. My dad officially loves the concept of “binging” but hasn’t quite accepted the long waits between seasons. Immediately after we finished the Grace and Frankie season finale, he asked: “When’s the next season?” and was unimpressed when I said it would be nearly a full year. That’s high praise, coming from him.
You Me Her is a half-hour dramedy about a married couple who meet, and fall in love, with a PhD candidate slash escort (Priscilla Faia), the three of them entering into suburban thrupledom. It is funny and sweet and romantic and complicated, and 75% of it is filmed on my alma mater’s campus. Season one illustrates the beginning their romance, while season two focuses on the realities of their situation as they go public with their relationship. There are certain elements of the show that bother me, mainly the husband’s jealousy and seemingly constantly roaming eye, but Izzy (Faia) is absolutely wonderful and it’s a really cool portrayal of polyamory and how fluid sexuality can be. Check it out!
Finally, this month I started re-watching Grey’s Anatomy because apparently I hate myself. I cannot believe that I have been watching this show for over a decade - it premiered when I was in middle school and I have been watching and re-watching it ever since. I have a love-hate relationship with Grey’s. The first three seasons remain some of my favourite television of all time, but as the plots veered into truly insane territory and more and more characters were killed off in increasingly ridiculous and implausible ways, I lost interest. And then regained interest. And then lost interest again. But I have never been able to abandon it completely. At this point, I think the show might outlive us all.
I finished season two last night, and sobbed like a baby through the final three episodes, as I do everytime I watch it. I’m not sure how far I’ll get in the series this time around, but it has been fun to revisit a simpler time, when the core five (Meredith, Alex, George, Izzie, and Cristina) were all alive and in the same place.
- the books -
I am on a reading roll. According to Goodreads, I am currently eight books ahead of schedule on the road to reading (at least) 50 books in 2017. Here’s what I read in March:
Every Last Word, Before I Fall, and The Whole Thing Together are all YA novels. The first two were fine, if dull, but the third, by Ann Brashares, was not enjoyable. There were an unwieldy number of characters, a great deal of the dialogue seemed stilted, and the central romance made me profoundly uncomfortable. 0/10 do not recommend.
In Where Am I Now? Mara Wilson tells stories about her experience as a kid on movie sets, as well as what it was like to grow up while “accidentally famous”. So Sad Today is a strange book full of intensely personal essays and sensitive admissions from Melissa Broder. She speaks frankly about her drug and alcohol addiction, her mental health, and her sex life, and although I cringed once every three words, it was a worthwhile read. ODWABDANOTWM by Scaachi Koul was my favourite of the bunch. It’s smart and funny and full of love for her family, friends, and partner. Koul is Canadian, so there are some true Canada-specific gems (Related: I wonder if I can still access my Nexopia account) and I cried all the way through the last essay and Acknowledgements. You should absolutely read this book, but also follow Scaachi on Twitter - she’s hilarious.
The Mothers, All Grown Up, and The Best Kind of People are all adult fiction and all wonderful. The Mothers deftly spans nearly a decade and explores friendship, familial bonds, and abortion with a unique and compelling narrative frame. All Grown Up is a short novel with a protagonist who, at 39, is still figuring out how to be an adult in the world. Andrea is a mess, but she’s entertaining and trying her best. I finished The Best Kind of People a few days ago and have been able to think of nothing else since. The last line nearly made me shout out loud.
- the podcasts -
Podcasts continue to be great company on my long commutes and through my long work days. In March, I discovered Making Oprah, Still Processing, Death, Sex & Money and S Town. Making Oprah is a fascinating deep-dive on Oprah Winfrey’s empire. Still Processing is a podcast on pop culture, race and current events hosted by the lovely Wesley Morris and Jenna Wortham. Anna Sale hosts Death, Sex & Money and she is a superb interviewer, allowing each and every guest to open up about topics that can be uncomfortable or painful to talk about. Finally, S Town, from This American Life and Serial, was released all at once (seven episodes) on March 28th. I listened to the whole season in one afternoon. It has the elements of Serial that made the first season so memorable, but it also has a great deal more heart and focus on the people rather than what happened.
- the movies -
Every single movie I watched this month made me cry. This isn’t a surprise, exactly. I’m a crier. I cry watching television, most movies, even commercials. But I can’t say I expected to cry watching a movie that features Rebel Wilson and the woman from the 50 Shades franchise.
The Edge of Seventeen stars Hailee Steinfeld as a teenager who’s best friend begins dating the older brother she hates. It accurately captures the experience of being a teen and dealing with fraying friendships, annoying siblings, parents, dating, and mental health. Moonlight is every bit as good as you’ve heard. Don’t Think Twice focuses on an improv group (including Gillian Jacobs, Keegan Michael Key and Mike Birbiglia) as they struggle to “make it” as comics. How to Be Single is… not great. Too many love interests, too much Rebel Wilson, not enough of the main character’s sister. What If was a re-watch for me, and it remains a delightful romantic comedy. It stars Daniel Radcliffe, Zoe Kazan, and Adam Driver. You should watch it.
I hope you all had a lovely start to Spring, and as always, happy reading, watching & listening!