March hit us with some weird weather—we got snow, rain, days in the 40s and days in the 70s, most recently back to back. I am glad to see some of the plants and trees start to bloom, although I will miss the cold weather. I really love snow and cold weather. Sue me.

Passover began on April 1, but my mother and I planned out a bit of cooking each day starting over a week before the holiday. First we cooked the things that can be frozen (chicken soup and 2 entrees), and then worked our way to the other things and finally a bit of cooking on the day of the first seder, which had 8 people. The second night was an easier one, with just four of us and a lot less work. 

Mom and I are getting close to the end of the new season of the Rookie, and then we’ll need something new to watch. I’m also trying to get rid of some of the books on my shelf that I don’t plan on rereading, so if you’re interested, let me know and I’ll provide the link to my bookshop. I have something big in the works, but don’t want to share too much about it until it’s all official. Needless to say, things are moving glacially slow, but I’m hoping to be able to share more in a few months. Unfortunately, all of this meant that the only time I’ve gotten to myself was late night, and I haven’t been practicing self-care nearly as much as my body requires, so hopefully April will be the month I learn to balance my mom’s needs and my own, which often conflict.

In March, I went out of my way to find some reads coming out of places I know little to nothing about. I also read some translated books, and really learned a lot through my adventure to read around the world. I fell behind on my NG ARCs too—one of them is just so good I can’t rush through it, and I have a lot of April releases to read. April is going to be a busier month, but at least I’ll have some time to myself when Mom goes to see some family for an extended visit. I’ve been better about requesting ARCs that I am not going to have time to read, and the audiobooks from NG is a practical and useful option for me so I’ve been reading more audiobooks than anything else.

Here’s some of my March highlights:

• My reading took me to Iran; glamorous Hollywood, CA; the mysterious kingdom of Bhutan; San Francisco, CA; the French countryside; St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands; Malawi; Luana, Angola; rural Nebraska; and Germany.
• Unfortunately, all the bots that were visiting my blog in February have moved on as of March, but I still like having followers I regularly interact with, and am grateful for all those bloggers who read and share their thoughts with me.
• I requested barely any NG ARCs, and I’ve been selective about the ones I do request.

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Here’s my breakdown of monthly totals for March: 

March Totals:

• Books read: 17
• Books DNF’d: 1

Genres Read:

• Cozy Mystery: 1
• Fantasy: 2
• Historical Fiction: 8
• Literary Fiction: 1
• Mystery: 2
• Memoir: 2
• Psychology: 1

Backlist vs. New Releases:

• Backlist books: 10
• 2026 releases: 7

Fiction Vs. Nonfiction:

• Fiction: 14
• Nonfiction: 3

Format Read:

• Print: 2
• Digital: 3
• Audio: 12

Age Range:

• Adult: 15
• YA: 2
• MG: 0

My favorite book of the month was All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque. 

Here’s what I read in March:

1. All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque (NG/Publisher ARC) | Goodreads | Amazon
2. The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck (House of Earth #1) | Goodreads | Amazon

1. Stakeouts and Strollers by Rob Phillips (NG ARC) | Goodreads | Amazon
2. The Anniversary by Alex Finlay (NG ARC) | Goodreads | Amazon
3. The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel van der Kolk | Goodreads | Amazon

1. Rosewater: A Family’s Story of Love, Captivity, and Survival by Maziar Bahari with Aimee Molloy | Goodreads | Amazon
2. Radio Shangri-La: What I Learned in Bhutan, the Happiest Kingdom on Earth by Lisa Napoli | Goodreads | Amazon
3. Deathly Fates by Tesia Tsai (NG ARC) | Goodreads | Amazon
4. The Marriage of Opposites by Alice Hoffman | Goodreads | Amazon
5. A Practical Guide to Dating a Demon by Hannah Reynolds (Publisher ARC) | Goodreads | Amazon
6. A General Theory of Oblivion by José Eduardo Agualusa | Goodreads | Amazon
7. The Road Back by Erich Maria Remarque | Goodreads | Amazon

1. What Happened to Anabel Taylor by Jennifer Shay Carta (NG ARC) | Goodreads | Amazon
2. Where the Girls Were by Kate Schatz (NG ARC) | Goodreads | Amazon
3. Sons by Pearl S. Buck (House of Earth #2) | Goodreads | Amazon
4. The Hidden by Kiersten Modglin | Goodreads | Amazon

1. The Lower River by Paul Theroux | Goodreads | Amazon

1. A Killer in the Family by Amin Ahmad (NG ARC) | Goodreads | Amazon

How did March go for you? What was the best book you read this month?