Can you believe that it is already April? This year is going by fast, and a lot of things happened in March. I had some ups and downs, but you can find out more about what March was like for me here, in my State of the ARC post.
Due to my ongoing foot issue, I’ve continued to spend most of my time in the living room as opposed to my bedroom. Mainly because it is closest to the bathroom and the kitchen, so I don’t have to walk as much. But I’m really getting used to being in a room that gets full sun during the day. Hopefully by the time my foot is better, I’ll be able to replace the curtains in my bedroom and get some sunshine in my room too.
I wasn’t as reflective or mindful as I’d have liked to be this month, but hopefully I’ll be able to devote some more of my focus to that area. One area that I did do well in was to incorporate some reading that I didn’t have to review, and it really helps me maintain my joy in reading. That is something that I’m going to mindfully incorporate into my reading routine, rather than focusing on only reading what I feel obligated to as a blogger.
Although I don’t know about what is coming for me in April, but I’m making progress towards catching up on my NetGalley ARCs, and would like to get a bit more caught up on my physical ARCs, which are still very far behind. Here’s some highlights for me from March:
- My goal for this year was to reach 1,000 followers, and I’m so thrilled to say that there are actually 1053 people who enjoy reading my reviews and occasional rants.
- This month involved a quick dive into the nonfiction rabbit hole, as well as reading some books that I read just because I want to.
- I only have one late ARC for NetGalley. There are something like 10 that I am overdue on when it comes to publisher ARCs. However, reading the audiobook if there is one available really works well for me.
- Just like last month, I read 3 more nonfiction reads. I’ve found some incredibly good ones, and even wrote a Top Ten Tuesday post about my ten favorite recent nonfiction reads.
- I’ve consciously been looking to learn more, and am intrigued in trying to read a book about or set in countries that I know little to nothing about. Let’s see how long that takes me.
Here’s my breakdown of monthly totals for March:
March Totals:
- Books read: 14
- Books DNF’d: 1
- Pages read: 2,834
- Hours listened: 55.78 hours
- Average pages: 91.42
- Average hours listened: 1.8 hours
Genres Read in March:
- Biography/Memoir: 1
- Fantasy: 4
- History: 1
- Mystery: 6
- Romance: 1
- Self-Help: 1
Backlist vs. New Releases:
- Backlist books: 4
- 2025 releases: 10
Fiction Vs. Nonfiction:
- Fiction: 11
- Nonfiction: 3
Format Read:
- Print: 4
- Digital: 1
- Audio: 9
Age Range:
- Adult: 12
- YA: 2
- MG: 0
My favorite books of the month were: The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig and Ghosts of a Holy War: The 1929 Massacre in Palestine That Ignited the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict by Yardena Schwartz.
Here’s what I read in March:
- The Magic Maker by Mickey Dubrow (Publisher ARC) | Goodreads | Amazon
- The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig (The Stonewater Kingdom #1) (Publisher ARC) | Goodreads | Amazon
- Nowhere Girl: A Memoir of a Fugitive Childhood by Cheryl Diamond | Goodreads | Amazon
- Ghosts of a Holy War: The 1929 Massacre in Palestine That Ignited the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict by Yardena Schwartz | Goodreads | Amazon
- Daily Mindfulness: A 31 Day Guide to Mental Clarity by Alex Smith-Powell (NG ARC) | Goodreads | Amazon
- The Meadowbrook Murders by Jessica Goodman (Publisher ARC) | Goodreads | Amazon
- The Radiant King by David Dalglish (Astral Kingdoms #1) (Publisher ARC) | Goodreads | Amazon
- Tempting Her Best Friend by Gina L. Maxwell (Friends to Forever #1) | Goodreads | Amazon
- That Weekend by Kara Thompson | Goodreads | Amazon
- Fool Me Once by Harlan Coben | Goodreads | Amazon
- Nobody’s Fool by Harlan Coben (NG ARC) | Goodreads | Amazon
- Make Yourself at Home by Wendy Clarke (NG ARC) | Goodreads | Amazon
- Once Was Willem by M.R. Carey (Publisher ARC) | Goodreads | Amazon
- The Trial of Lizzie Borden by Cara Robertson | Goodreads | Amazon
How was March for you? Feel free to drop your own monthly wrap-up links – I love to see them!
Categories: Monthly Wrap Up
Leah's Books 
Sunshine is always good. I hope you’re able to get those new curtains. I’m also trying to get to the point where I have less reading on a deadline. I only pick books I think I’ll really love for ARCs/blog tours but the deadline still gets me. Unfortunately that’s not going to ease up this month. The one exception is audiobooks. I don’t take ARCs or tours for those so it’s purely what I want to listen to. Whoohoo on followers!
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Thanks for all the support, Carla. You’re such a sweetheart.
Until I get my new curtains installed, I’ll just have to take up half the couch with my stuff for the day so I can sit in the sun!
The majority of my nonfiction reads are via audiobook, and I typically leave audiobooks up to my mood. I have only recently discovered audiobook ARCs, and I can fly through those! But for the most part, I keep my audiobooks open too. Lately, I’ve listened to a bunch of ARCs on audiobook because I can read them faster, which I try to do so I can get late reviews get completed sooner.
I also try to pick books and space out the deadlines, but I’m inevitably caught by surprise on at least one. Cheers to new followers and mastering our TBRs!
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As for my reading in March- only made progress- that is better than nothing
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Slow progress is better than no progress!
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Our living room gets full southern exposure sun and I absolutely love it.
Great month, and hope you have a fabulous April!
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YES! We have a window that runs nearly the length of the room, and it’s southern exposure. Now that my foot is healing up, I still feel drawn to the living room, plus it’s right next to my mom’s room so if she needs me I’m close by.
Thank you for popping over, and I hope you have a fabulous April too!
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