I Read a Whole Lot of Books This Month | March 2022 Reading Wrap Up

[@kingtigerbooks1162]

Reading gives us a place to go when we have to stay where we are. My 4 favorite books: - The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck - Paradise Lost by John Milton - Icon by Frank Frazetta - Great Fighter Jets of the Galaxy 1 by Tim Gibson

[@meljstephan]

The Woman in the Library is next on my "to buy" list when I clear my book reading bingo board. It sounds very up my alley. I did experience a lockdown situation once, so I was worried it might be triggering, but from everything I've seen, it's light enough that it should be more "mystery thriller" and less "actual flashback nightmare".

[@arlissbunny]

Yes, you have once again added a book to my TBR. Thank you! This month I went straight from Ship of Destiny to Jade Legacy and that was wild. They were both immersive in totally different ways. I do have to admit, Jade Legacy made me ugly cry twice and it’s been a very long time since any book has done that to me.

[@asdfghjklasdfghjkl321]

I'm loving the jewelry Mara! You always have such a great sense of style 🤗

[@bookslikewhoa]

Oh thank you!

[@FarrahLily]

Awesome reading wrap up! I have not read any of the books you mentioned lol, but all the good ones went on my list. :-) My favorite book I read last month was Daisy Jones and the Six. It was such a cool audiobook! I’m also enjoying some of Jessica Clare’s billionaire boys lol😅

[@hellomynameisjessica]

Mara in a black rollneck and gold jewellery is 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@drock920]

I loved the Fireblood series, but have noticed the last couple books being just so-so, and I am struggling to get through Dark Fire. I'm glad to hear your update on this, and what Ruby stated about how she wasn't really into the series anymore, or finding it hard to finish due to circumstances. Makes sense.

[@blessedtobealive]

I agree with you on Nine Lives. It was very entertaining! I haven't loved or even liked Swanson's other books but that one was a happy surprise. I thought the epilogue was unnecessary though.

[@citydweller99]

I read Nine Lives .and guessed the killer, the motive, and how connected he was to the 2nd to last victim well before it was revealed. And I also figured out that stupid twist in the last few pages. Had that last twist not been at the end, I would have loved this modern day take on Agatha's tale. His '8 Perfect Murders' novel was much better

[@LiteratureScienceAlliance]

I am really excited to get to Empire of Sand one day!

[@kwalton7690]

Agree on GGGTM and certain colloquialisms and word choices that stood out as not from the US (and this was before I found out Holly Jackson adapted from UK). I enjoyed the first book despite not really liking the main character. I am curious to see how you feel about the other books in the series.

[@johnsaxongitno4life588]

Congrats and well done to you on your reading for the last month of March please stay safe and enjoy your reading love your Australia fan John xxx

[@danielleoliver1734]

You need to go on book depository and get the UK version of good girls guide for the next 2 books, it’s only set in America in the books sold in America, as an Australian I read the UK version

[@WildeBookGarden]

love your look here!! oooh, lazy translation into American writing / setting is one of my pet peeves too The Woman in the Library is one I've had on my radar so I'm glad you loved it!

[@eriklonnrot3578]

Empire of Sand!! 💕❤️💙💜

[@rustiqjoy]

I really enjoyed Nine Lives. It was one of my highlights for the month alongwith Finlay Donavon knocks 'em dead. Nice reading month. I have read four of Peter Swanson books and while they aren't always crazy good they don't disappoint. Happy reading.

[@bookslikewhoa]

Yeah, that's pretty much exactly my experience with his stuff so far - it's very entertaining!

[@dearsarah9883]

I'm pumped for the new Nalini Singh!!!! I can't to get a hold of it.

[@PokhrajRoy.]

I think your last Video Essay was such fun! Great job and I’m looking forward to the next one.

[@sharoncorrea7594]

Loved Nine Lives !!!

[@kbbooks994]

I just had to check out Heartstone because Pride and Prejudice with dragons…? Yes please!

[@em_harring]

Such a good reading month! My favorite this month was definitely What My Bones Know by Stephanie Foo. It is *so* good--a memoir about healing from complex PTSD. My least favorite was The Paris Apartment. A big ole yikes from me. I also read and loved The Woman in the Library! I hadn't looked up Gentill's other works; I'll have to do that ASAP.

[@gin_tonic_kintsugi]

'Nine Lives' by Peter Swanson sounds as if it's a perfect book to add to my 'lazing by the pool in the sun with a G&T in my hand' list! Entertaining and not too taxing on the neurons. 😂

[@dannigreen7126]

Hi Mara! So, our reading has been weirdly matching up. I have been sitting on the ARC for NINE LIVES for months but hearing you talk about it lets me know that I won't like it (see: our track record). The worst book I read in March in HOOK LINK AND SINKER. It was YIKES. I know you liked it but I went in hoping that I would as well. The best book was DARKLY by Leila Taylor. It is about goth culture its link to the Gothic, America's racist history toward Black people. I would highly recommend it.

[@wendywesley7423]

I highly recommend the audio book A Year of Living Danish by Helen Russell I found it very enlightening. Luv your vids🥰

[@hannahmay11]

Reading laziness doesn’t exist right now and find it so affirming as a disabled person 😊

[@bookslikewhoa]

Amen!

[@bookwhimsy]

I loved hearing all your thoughts here! I’m typically not a huge contemporary romance reader, until recently so I’m having the reverse experience to yours 😅

[@anne-marie339]

What a fantastic reading month! I had a slower reading month novels-wise but did finish a few comics I enjoyed (including Witchy by Ariel Slamet Ries). The Break by Katherena Vermette was probably my favourite, followed by Space Opera by Catherynne M. Valente (just pure candy). Still reading The Sentence by Louise Erdrich but thoroughly enjoying it :)

[@kimcampoli6538]

I love your reviews.

[@thesicaeffect5164]

what you mentioned about being inspired by a true crime case in a sort of not great way is one of (the many) reasons I did not like gone girl at all, so I definitely understand that point even though I haven't read good girls guide to murder yet :)

[@PokhrajRoy.]

30 books in March? Wow, that’s so cool 👏🏽

[@gwendolynhogan6373]

Read the rest of the AGGGTM trilogy! I also was not 100% sold after the first book because of a lot of the things you are saying - the parallels to real life and potential victim-blamey undertones - but I was totally redeemed by the end of the third and a lot of those issues are resolved - IN MY OPINION, of course. Others may not agree!

[@katlouise9047]

I find it odd that AGGGTM was changed for the US audience. In the same way I find it odd that some older US series were changed for the UK audience (like the babysitter club books). I just don’t really get it. I did really enjoy AGGGTM, I was less impressed by the second and the third just took a very odd turn for me - so I’d be curious on how you’d find those.

[@bts_vinyl]

Ever since I heard about A Good Girl's Guide to Murder having its setting changed for the US release I've been so confused. Did the publisher think that a UK based book wouldn't sell as well in the US? I'm still somewhat interested in reading it so I'm considering if I should just buy the UK version so that I'm not constantly getting thrown off by things that don't make sense for the US.

[@Tinahgirl83]

Definitely buy the UK version. It’s really good. I ordered them all from the UK and I’m so glad I did, because I didn’t know they were going to change the location.

[@natasagajic1061]

March was a great reading month for me as well! I read the second Senlin Ascends book and it was amazing! Currently plowing through the third book in that series and it continues to impress me 😁 I also started binge read/reread of a middle grade series (Artemis Fowl) on audio, which is keeping my reading feeling fresh and dynamic (and fun). But now I'm thinking of picking up a romance as well - have you maybe heard about _The Other Bennet Sister_ , which is supposedly a P&P retelling from Mary's POV? It sounds intriguing, so I might choose it as my romance pick for April 🤔 Uf, the last Fireblood Dragon book was meh? 😅 Then I am _so_ glad that I dnf--ed that seires mid fourth book, as villain's book was the only one that I was looking forward to and at that point I was hate reading the series 😅 (I need my love interests to have more than a single brain cell. Now, genius + genius romance with a juicy, emotional, internal conflict, that's my jam - if you have any recs like that, please share!). A Good Girl's Guide to Murder was really binge-able and I enjoyed it up until the end, when the IQ of our MC significantly dropped, just so she would do a stupid thing and progress the plot 🤦‍♀which soured my enjoyment of the book a little bit. I also picked up Piranesi a few days ago and it's kinda... emotionally distant and disassociated? Is it like that throughout the whole book? 🤔

[@megwithbooks]

oooh jade city and AGGGTM!!! it always makes me so angry that they've changed the setting to the US lmao like whyyy!! also the stakes+quality of the green bone saga just SHOOT UP in the rest of the series imo!! i gave jade city 3.5 stars, jade war 4.5 and jade legacy 5 it was incredible!!! the journey the characters go on throughout the series is just amazing

[@moonlette]

Love this video. Have you read Sulari Gentill's After She Wrote Him? My mom loves Sulari Gentill and has been enjoying all of them but I think that was her favorite.

[@bookslikewhoa]

That is the one on my TBR! I’m excited to get to it soon

[@danichiong6727]

Phew I’m glad you at least enjoyed Jade City 😅 I didn’t give any individual book in that series a 5 stars, but I think it’s a 5 star series (for me) where the sum is greater than the parts.

[@bookslikewhoa]

LOL, yes, it was a fun one! Looking forward to more

[@mrlately]

queen

[@Wanderwilderreading]

Where do you get your book stats?

[@bookslikewhoa]

I generate them from my own reading spreadsheet :)

[@Wanderwilderreading]

@@bookslikewhoa that must be why they look so great! 😉

[@barrict2]

I'm not familiar with the term grub sunshine

[@PuttinOnTheSpritz]

I felt the same with GGGTM it felt very naïve young white girl coming from a high income family making terrible decisions. It annoyed me to the point where I can’t read any more from the series.

[@ishanishambhobighosh5972]

Is it just me or does "The Murder of Mr Wickham" sound very similar to "Death Comes to Pemberley"?

[@jaclynholland-strauss7054]

I wish an interesting plot had come to Pemberley. Or lack of repetition.

[@sophiawoodward4838]

Your comments on Ruby Dixon made me think about the melancholy described in the Christina Lauren book. I wonder if the pandemic is impacting authors' writing as it is impacting many of our moods. I can't form my thoughts right now, but it will be interesting to look back on.

[@Marscandy1]

I think I’m going to pick up Laziness Doesn’t Exist. Have ADHD and one of the stigmas that follow people with Attention Deficit is that we’re just lazy people, which is as far from the truth as you can get.

[@allgirlreview433]

I've been googling since you said it but what does Dovecon mean?

[@bookslikewhoa]

Sorry “retcon” - “revise (an aspect of a fictional work) retrospectively, typically by introducing a piece of new information that imposes a different interpretation on previously described events.”

[@allgirlreview433]

@@bookslikewhoa thanks I loved the video and put several of the books on my tbr

[@N_Garamond]

@@allgirlreview433 @bookslikewhoa wait, I think you may have been talking about "dubcon" with the Ruby Dixon post-apocalyptic book? because I looked that up just now. "dubious consent." also Mara said "noncon" meaning, "non-consensual"

[@allgirlreview433]

@@N_Garamond thanks that must have been it!

[@bookslikewhoa]

@@N_Garamond Ah good call, I said both "retcon" and "noncon/dubcon" at 2 different spots 👻

[@mlibbym]

I preordered Piranesi and I still haven't read it 🙄

[@bookslikewhoa]

#relatable

[@Angela41541]

you probably should've listened to the audiobook for the good girl's guide. first of it's a very good audiobook. i think it's a fuulcast. but also, it's birtish so everything is original and you don't get any weird "why the fuck is this the us suddenly" bs in it.

[@michellescott1128]

action adventure romance.......Check out Cindy Gerard

[@michelea2326]

"There's just not a lot of Nigerian immigrants in the U.S." lol...looks at the apartment building at the end of my block that's full of Nigerian immigrants. Are we the UK...no...but 🧐

[@bookslikewhoa]

Lol sorry, I probably didn’t state that well… I meant more as a proportion of the population. There are ~2x as many Nigerian immigrants in the US, but the US is ~5x the population of the UK. But maybe there’s a big Nigerian population in the town they set it in in Connecticut & that’s part of why they put it there?

[@michelea2326]

@@bookslikewhoa I totally get what you mean... it was just funny to me because I live in a Black & Latin neighborhood and the Nigerian men always speak to me when they see me out walking my dog. I'm just hyper aware of the Nigerian presence in my neighborhood and city (I live in major metro city and we have a little bit of EVERYONE 😄)

[@Nixreads]

Ok I thought I was the only one left underwhelmed with Jade City! I liked the characters but the conflicts had so much lost potential. I expected more intrigue and unforseen turns of events! Hopefully book 2 is better :)

[@AeroPortJoga]

I think just for semantics it should be clear what is considered reading and what is listening. Nobody READS audiobooks, but we certainly LISTEN to them. When I was learning how to READ I was given a book, NOT an audiobook. Audiobooks are still books and they are an extension of the oral tradition, which is great but nobody sat by the fire and said "let's READ a story" and one guy would start talking... I really like your channel but as of lately once I realized how booktubers "READ" 20-30 books a month I was a bit disappointed with them being so literate and yet not knowing the difference between the verbs: reading and listening. No shame to any of it! Just semantics and the big word "transparency". xoxo