Hey Bookworm friends! I’m writing from the library because I enjoy the change of pace of writing at the library instead of on my couch where my laptop and my dog have to fight for dominance over my lap. Shh don’t tell Cheeto I said that 😜! We’re already well into April but I haven’t wrapped up my reading for March yet (even if it wasn’t as much as I would have liked). Here’s what I got up to in March, both book-wise and life-wise.
March Highlights
- We were finally able to go on longer walks some days in March again and both me and Cheeto are happy about that!
- While March was not a very plan-heavy month, I still managed to see friends a few times; once at a soup-themed party and once out to dinner and I had a lovely time at both outings.
- In 2020, a group of friends and I had a book club and I loved it, that book club kept me sane during the really difficult times. But eventually it died out because of life stuff but in March, we decided to resurrect the book club again and I’m so excited!!
What I Read
February Reading Stats
Total Books Read:7
| Format Read |
|---|
| 📱E-Books: 1 |
| 📚 Physical: 4 |
| 🎧 Audiobooks: 1 |
| 📖+🎧Immersive: 1 |
| Genre |
|---|
🐉Fantasy: 3 |
| 🕵🏼♀️Mystery: 1 |
| 🚀Science Fiction: 1 |
| 🖍️Children’s Fiction: 1 |
| 🌐N0n-Fiction: 1 |
| Book Format |
|---|
| Graphic Novel: 2 |
| Light Novel: 1 |
| Picture Books: 1 |
The Novels
🐉 Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett – 📖+🎧
I joined a Discworld group read and I had such fun with this one. It made me laugh a lot! Going the immersive reading route for this was perfect for me; the audio was great but I feel like I need to physically read Pratchett so I don’t miss any potential word-play stuff.
🐉The Voyage of the Basilisk by Marie Brennan – 📖
Leslie, Charlotte, Dini and I continued our buddy read of The Memoirs of Lady Trent. I loved this one so much, I’m not sure if I loved it more than book 2 but this series gets better and better!
🐉Greenteeth by Molly O’Neill – 🎧
I was fully expecting to love this one and I did at first for a while but then I had so many issues with the direction it took and ended up being so bored but also angry by the end. Don’t ask me how that’s possible.
Books With Illustrations
🌐Insectopolis by Peter Kuper – 📖
This was a really creative and visually striking graphic novel filled with fun facts about all kinds of insects. I really enjoyed it!
🖍️The Octopus by Guojing – 📖
I was sent this adorable wordless picture book by the publisher (Thanks again Two Lions)! I think it’s such a cute book for any young child to have but also for adults who appreciate children’s picture books. It comes out later this month just in time for Earth Day.
🕵🏼♀️The Apothecary Diaries, Vol 1 by Natsu Hyuuga with Touko Shino – 📖
This was a very mixed reading experience and it was the first Light Novel I’ve ever read. The writing style didn’t work for me at all, I don’t know if it’s due to the format, the translation, or the particular author but it was rough! That being said, I love the anime and the light novel helped me fill in missing blanks I didn’t understand from the show. So I’ve decided to continue the series and just treat it as a companion to the anime without focusing on the writing itself.
🚀Lunar Boy by Jacinta Wibowo and Jessica Wibowo – 📱
What a sweet and wholesome MG sci-fi story about a young trans boy who moves from a community space ship to earth with his mother and her new husband’s family! It made me cry and the art is beautiful.
What I Watched
Project Hail Mary
We went to the theater to watch it and I completely fell in love with this movie. I was so emotionally invested, I cried five separate times during the movie (like I’m not a huge movie crier so I was surprised at my response). Only for me to hear, the day after, about his ridiculous comments about AI and wanting apolitical sci-fi stories🙄? I’m choosing to love this movie and then never read anything else from him again, thanks very much.
The History of Ancient Egypt on The Great Courses
I have access to The Great Courses through Hoopla and sometimes I like to hop on there and watch different courses. I’ve been making progress on this Ancient Egypt course taught by Prof. Bob Brier, it’s quite old but it’s still fun to watch and learn things. Apparently there’s an audiobook version too!
Charmed, Season 8
Finished the re-watch and honestly as much as I love the show, the last season is the worst. By the time we got to the end I was so ready for it to be over! I greatly dislike how it rushed a ‘happy’ ending for both Phoebe and Paige, both felt so forced and awkward.
Gaming Highlights of February
My Top Video Game of the Month
Overcooked
My husband and I usually replay overcooked 2 about once a year but we suddenly got the urge to replay the OG Overcooked. We flew through it in three days and I had a blast! It felt weird not being able to run and throw things but we crushed all the levels regardless 😜.
My Top Board Game of the Month
Dorfromantik
I’ve mentioned this game before so I’m sorry but I’m still obsessed with this game. We’ve been playing through the campaign in this game and I’m always struck by how different it is every time. Last time we played with the air balloon for the first time. We got lucky and completed all goals early and just focused on taking the air balloon as far as we could😂.
Crafty WIP
It’s been a while since I gave a crafty update because I haven’t been crafting much lately but now I’ve started again. My husband asked me if I could make him a cross stitch of a specific scene from the video game Chrono Trigger. Not a game I’ve played before but he loves it so of course I said yes! The only problem is I couldn’t find a pattern of it but I made it myself using a website and it’s my first time making a pattern this big and detailed so I hope it turns out okay 🤞🏼.
So far I only have part of a column, a flame, and part of a chandelier. Also the scene is dark so I decided to work my project on black Aida so that I didn’t have to stitch a black background. I think it’s working well so far even if it is harder on the ol’ eyeballs!
Let’s chat in the comments!
What have you been watching or playing lately? Or, what was your favourite read from March?
I feel the same about Discworld books. It works better for me if I read it, at least on the first go. I can do rereads via audio. Really enjoyed Wyrd Sisters too.
Ah, glad to hear it’s not just me then! I do think upon a reread I wouldn’t mind just audio but I really need to see those words with my eyeballs haha. Wyrd Sisters was really fun!
I love having a book club with friends. So happy that yours is being resurrected. Enjoy!
Your cross stitch project looks interesting. I’ll look forward to seeing it grow
Yes, I love a friend book club so thank you for your kind words 💕! & It’s certainly something different than I would have picked myself but I’m enjoying the challenge and I think my husband will like it :D!
I really liked The Apothecary Diaries Anime as well! Sorry to hear that you had mixed feelings on the light novel though 😔 I read the first volume of the Manga and hope to continue it this year!
Glad to hear that you could resurrect your book club though 😊
Yay, a fellow Apothecary Diaries fan 🥰! & From what I’ve heard from multiple people, the manga seems to be better than the light novels so I’m debating changing course to that format 🤔
Thanks, I am honestly so excited about that! 🙂
I am forever trying to find board games my son might enjoy just so I have someone to play board games with. I think I’ll have to check out Dorf Romantik. It looks charming and…I suspect it’s more cooperative play than competitive?
Oh, amazing! I hope you can find some games to interest your son! Yes I highly recommend Dorfromantik and you guessed right! Precisely part of the reason I love it so much it’s that it’s cooperative, we make choices together about where to place the tiles to grow the little map and I find it so satisfying! Thanks for visiting my blog, Jackie 🙂
Yay book clubs and being able to walk outside! 😀
And oh wow – I am so impressed with what you’ve gotten done so far, re: the embroidery! Especially making the pattern yourself. Weirdly enough, I actually know (or maybe “know of”) that game because a good friend of mine in the past absolutely *loved* it and would send me twitch streams to watch gameplay, lol 🙂
Yes both very exciting things!
And thanks so much! Oh that’s interesting haha did you enjoy watching the streams of the game? I wasn’t playing video games when that came came out so I only know of it as a game from my husband’s childhood haha 🙂
Such great progress on everything! I especially love the cross stitch. I never played Chrono Trigger either, but I’ve watched people play it and the music is spectacular. If you get a chance, I’d recommend checking out the soundtrack. Such a good vibe.
Thanks so much, Nicole! Ah fun okay, I’m pretty sure I’ve heard parts of the soundtrack at home since my husband has played it before. I’ll have to go find it and actively give it a listen. Thanks 😀 !!