Wednesday, April 6, 2022

Monthly Reading Wrap-up - March 2022

This year I thought I would share a little more of all my books and I thought the best way to do that would be if I wrapped up my reads of each month, so I can share mini reviews on all the books I've gone through! 

It could be a big range from 2 to 10 books depending on how much I read, but I figure I can share a little synopsis and quick thoughts on each book. I will still be doing more in depth reviews on books that really capture me! 

Monthly Reading Wrap-up - March 2022
This is My Real Name was received as a review copy - this post contains affiliate links 

So, in March I read 9 books - a mix of genres from young adult fantasy to non-fiction true crime books. I love most genres, and I really want to keep my reads diversified this year! I think I have been doing a great job of that so far. Also, what was great about this month was the mix of old and new books I read was about a 50/50 split! I read these mostly via audiobook (6 of the 9, 2 physical books and 1 e-book on my phone). 

Here's a quick look at all the books I read in the past month:  

Monthly Reading Wrap-up - March 2022

Imperfect Justice by Jeff Ashton ~ ☆☆☆ ½ - 3.5 stars. This is a true crime story (so obviously adult) about the Casey Anthony story - this is an older book by the prosecutor and I've wanted to read it for a while as I followed the case quite closely and I thought this may have some insight as to how Casey ended up going free. It certainly had a lot of detail on the whole case, starting with the investigation all the way to the verdict. It sounded like a series of unfortunate events that didn't lead to "enough evidence" for a jury unfortunately. A sad read, but interesting if you like true crime. 

Other Lives by Silvia Moreno-Garcia  ~ ☆☆☆ - 3 stars. This is older Silvia Morena-Garcia, and it is a collection of 3 short adult fantasy stories. This is out of print, but I was able to to fins a PDF - I sometimes struggle with short stories because they can be very different from ech other. These stories are quite different from each other and some were more developed than other. I enjoyed the first story, Mirror Life more than the other ones, and it was up my alley. I will read more from the author for sure!

Monthly Reading Wrap-up - March 2022

Dreams Lie Beneath by Rebecca Ross ~ ☆☆☆☆ ½ - 4.5 stars. This is a review that you've already seen before - you can check out a more detailed review here! This is a young adult fantasy (although I think it reads older in the new adult to adult range too). It has to do with duelling magicians who have to fight off dreams to protect their people from a curse - the main characters end up having to work together to break the curse. I loved the plot, the characters, the magic, all of it! Very engrossing read! 

Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko ~ ☆☆☆☆ - 4 stars. This is a young adult fantasy, but has the plot intricacies of a more adult fantasy novel! I was a little worried when the characters started out quite young, but they do grow quickly together. I liked the characters, and I liked all the plot lines coming together. There are a lot of characters and I couldn't quite keep track of everyone, but I had a good grasp on the main areas and characters that were focused on the most. There is magic, rays creating a good found family, and a plot to kill the main character! Very detailed! 

This Is My Real Name: A Stripper's Memoir by Cid V. Brunet ~ ☆☆☆ - 3 stars. This is a memoir of working in a strip club for 10 years (so I would call it pretty adult!) I will call this book very eye opening for me - my views of the sex industry tend to come from my job, which is of course women being forced in or no other choices because of addictions. So, it was interesting to read from a perspective of someone who chose this and had the privilege to chose this field. This was full of lots of snippets over 10 years and based on areas where they worked - I was hoping for a little more personal information like the impact/feelings/etc. Very interesting though and a worthwhile read for more information on a job in the field.

Spoon River Anthology by Edgar Lee Masters ~ ☆☆☆☆ - 4 stars. This is an adult poetry collection and it is a re-read I love - this is typically a 5 star, but I listened to it on audio this time and actually struggled a little with the reading. This is a fictional poetry book, but it's surrounding a small town in American in the early 1900's - it's all written in 214 epitahs from the graves of the dead, from doctors to lawyers - it's got some small town scandal, lots of inter-twining and different perspectives of the same events. We all acted out a part in High School Drama and I've loved it ever since! A unique poetry collection and worth the read! 

Redemptor by Jordan Ifueko ~ ☆☆ ½ - 2.5 stars. This is the second book in the Raybearer duology; it is a young adult fantasy. This sadly did not live up to what I was hoping for - without spoiling the plot line, based on the title, I really wanted us to spend some time in the underworld. Unfortunately, this ended up being quite similar to the first book but with more characters, was heavy on the political lines that didn't quite wrap up and it was okay for me. I was hoping a little bit different! 

Gallant by V.E. Schwab ~ ☆☆☆☆ ½ - 4.5 stars. This is a young adult fantasy novel with a little paranormal/horror twist - it was different than what I expected, but a good different, and I enjoyed it! Our main character, Olivia Prior is at a girl's school, but she is different - she doesn't speak and she can see ghouls. A letter arrives to invite her to her distant family's home; when she arrives, no one is expecting her. As she explores the house, she discovers a second duplicate home where the Master of the House has much more sinister plans! I enjoyed seeing Olivia's story play out and I love the descriptions of the house and the family, and I enjoyed Olivia's character and her story. It was a little dark and ghoulish and I liked the haunted house with a twist vibes!

Galatea by Madeline Miller ~ ☆☆☆☆ - 4 stars. This is an adult mythological novella and it's one of the best shorter stories I've read - Madeline Miller can do no wrong, and this did feel like a complete story! This is a spin on the Pygmalion myth, but of course with a feminine twist! Galatea was a sculpture who was turned human from the gods - her husband has locked her in a room because of his jealousy, but she is willing to go to any length to get away. A great, quick read!

I would call March a good reading month - while there was a lower ranked book, I read some really great books!

Here's a little refresh of my rating system:

5 Stars: Excellent/Fantastic/Amazing Read 
4.5 Stars: Really Great Read
4 Stars: Great Read 
3.5 Stars: Really Good Book
3 Stars: Good Book 
2.5 Stars: Eh, It was Okay Read
2 Stars: Finished it, but Didn't Enjoy It
1.5 Stars: Not Good at All
1 Star: DNF (Did Not Finish)

What was the best book you read this month?! My favourite of all of these was probably Dreams Lie Beneath! 

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