Books Acquired
Barnes and Noble/Strand/Books of Wonder/Book Boxes
American Panda by Gloria Chao
You'll Miss Me When I'm Gone by Rachel Lynn Solomon
Last Star Burning by Caitlin Sangster
Like Water by Rebecca Podos
Shadowsong by S. Jae Jones
The Heart of Betrayal by Mary E. Pearson
Beneath the Haunting Sea by Joanna Ruth Meyer
Heart of Iron by Ashley Poston
The Bloodprint by Ausma Zehanat Khan
Markswoman by Rati Mehrotra
Bygone Badass Broads by Mackenzi Lee
The Queen's Rising by Rebecca Ross
For Work/From Publishers
Final Draft by Riley Redgate
Emma by Jane Austen, Stacy King, and Po Tse
Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen, Stacy King, and Po Tse
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, Stacy King, and Po Tse
So....an improvement over January? Honestly, the Barnes and Noble 3 for $30 YA deal really got me. But my goal in March isn't to buy any books except for two I had been planning to order when some payments came in, but those payments haven't come in yet (they both came out at the end of February, so it's not like I've been waiting ages) (I might grab a third book to get free shipping but we'll see) and what comes in book boxes this month since...I ordered two. But both of the books in boxes are ones I've read and loved. That should count for something.
Books I Read
American Panda by Gloria Chao - I LOVED this book. It was super cute and funny, while still having a lot of serious moments about family expectations and being a daughter of immigrants and I just. Loved every moment. Hence why I bought a copy.
Herding Cats by Sarah Andersen - I had no plans to read this, but I finally got me Adobe Reader to work again and this was like 100 pages, so I flew through it. It was...okay. I love Sarah's comics, but there wasn't a lot of cohesion in the collection, which was disappointing.
The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton - This is beautifully written and full of complicated relationships, which are always my jam. I also really appreciate the lack of romance, but there were a few things that kept me from LOVING this book. I'm still excited to pick up the sequel in 2019 (I hope 2019, anyway).
What Girls Are Made Of by Elana K. Arnold - This wasn't what I thought it was going to be? The voice was fantastic and the writing style was really unique for YA. I really enjoyed the idea of the book, but the actual plot was lacking for me.
The Traitor Prince by C.J. Redwine - I always enjoy C.J.'s books. They're fun and fast paced and have well done romances and this one was just as fun as the others I've read. Still not my favorite, but really enjoyable.
Wintersong by S. Jae-Jones - You may have noticed above that I bought Shadowsong. I made that purchase within hours of finishing Wintersong because I LOVED it. So beautifully written, a really amazing main character, a soft love interest. I know it's a Labyrinth retelling, but it reminded me a lot of Persephone retellings and I just. Loved it a lot. I'm hoping to dig into the sequel this month.
Blood Water Paint by Joy McCullough - This historical novel in verse was something that intrigued me - I love historical fiction, but I'm iffy on verse. But this one really worked for me since it wasn't too abstract. It was dark and gritty and honest about the way women have always been treated. I also loved that it was based on the real story of an artist, Artemisia. Definitely pick this one up since it comes out March 6.
Lady Be Bad by Megan Frampton - After a lot of really heavy reads, I needed to take my time reading a historical romance. This was so fun and delightful and Megan Frampton deserves so much love.
To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo - So, in January The Queen's Rising was my surprise favorite and new obsession. In February, it's To Kill a Kingdom. I absolutely LOVED this really dark, brutal fantasy. It's a stand a lone and our main character is evil and hard to love. And the writing was stunning and this is one of the books joining my shelves in March.
Bygone Badass Broads by Mackenzi Lee - This is a really fun, quick read that introduced me to a lot of amazing ladies, but also reminded me of some amazing ladies I've learned about in the past. The artwork by Petra Eriksson is also absolutely gorgeous and such a perfect fit for the book. I had a couple of hold ups about this one too, but it's a really great starting place for learning more about incredible women of history.
Can we appreciate how well I did at sticking to my February TBR? I'm proud of me.
March TBR
Marked by Jenny Martin
Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo
Lost Crow Conspiracy by Rosalyn Eves
Along the Indigo by Elsie Chapman
Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda
Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
Rosemarked by Livia Blackburne
I'm almost half way through Children of Blood and Bone now, so that's obviously first. I also just started Rosemarked since I had the ebook on Hoopla.
So, that's where we're starting! March will be another wrap-up and it'll also be a quarterly wrap-up to check in on how my goals are going.
--Julie
