March Recap & Haul Time!

April 4, 2022

It’s time for a look at my March reading life!

It’s time for another wrap-up/haul post — and some fun stats!


The month at a glance:

  • books completed: 9
  • books DNFed: 3
  • average rating: 4.67
  • best book: Gallant
  • worst book: Fix Her Up

PAGES READ PER DAY:

A bar chart depicting how many pages I read each day in March, ranging from 5 pages on some days to 300 pages on other days, with most days averaging 50-100 pages per day.

A pie chart of the formats of books I read in March: 7.7% each for audiobooks, manga, and graphic novels, 38.5% each for ebooks and print books. A pie chart of the genres I read in March: 8.3% fantasy, 41.7% romance, and 50% horror.
A pie chart of the ratings I gave in March: 8.3% 2 stars, 66.7% 5 stars, and 25% Did Not Finish. A pie chart of the release years for books I read in March: 25% backlist titles and 75% releases from 2020 or newer.

What I read:

(each title link will direct you to my review for more thoughts!)

emoji key:
✨ review copy → 💞 buddy/group read → 🔁 re-read → 🎧 audiobook → 🍰 graphic novel/manga
😻 Devour Your TBR theme
💫 half-star

  • Rosen Blood, Vol. 2 // Kachiru Ishizue: ✨🍰😻 + ⭐⭐ → A very mediocre, cheesy second volume. I probably won’t continue this series.
  • John Carpenter’s Night Terrors: SOUR CANDY // Kealan Patrick Burke: 🍰 + ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ → A fantastic new rendition of a story I already loved.
  • A Girl Like Her // Talia Hibbert: 💞🔁🎧😻 + ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ → I buddy re-read this with Caro and loved it just as much as always! I think it was my 4th or 5th time reading it.
  • Her Soul to Take // Harley Laroux: 💞 + ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ → I buddy read this with Malli and I think we both loved it a lot! I loved the blend of romance and horror and can’t wait to continue the series.
  • You’ve Lost a Lot of Blood // Eric LaRocca: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ → I love Eric’s writing so much and just about fainted when they dropped this surprise novella. 😂
  • Waif // Samantha Kolesnik: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ → My first Samantha Kolesnik novella, but definitely not my last. This was nothing like I expected it to be and it was the BEST wild ride.

  • Gallant // V.E. Schwab: ✨ + ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ → Favorite book of the month and one of my favorite Schwab titles to date (which is saying a lot, given how much I adore V).
  • Dead Silence // S.A Barnes: ✨ + ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ → I’m so glad I finally got to finish this. I loved it so much and would easily consider it a new favorite!
  • Damaged Goods // Talia Hibbert: 💞🔁😻 + ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ → Another buddy re-read with Caro! I hadn’t read this one since it first came out and forgot how fun it was.
  • Fix Her Up // Tessa Bailey: ❌DNF❌ → I liked Georgie, but hated every other character (especially the hero) and didn’t enjoy the writing at all. I DNFed this at 40%.
  • The Taking of Jake Livingston // Ryan Douglass: 😻 + ❌DNF❌ → I loved the premise of this but honestly couldn’t stand the writing style. I DNFed this at 50%.
  • Tryst Six Venom // Penelope Douglas: ❌DNF❌ → I don’t do bully romances and I don’t know why I tried. I DNFed this at 25%.

And now, for some of my favorite recent hauls:

  • The Dead Inside // Laurel Hightower & Sandra Ruttan (purchase; adult horror anthology)
  • All My Rage // Sabaa Tahir (audio review copy; YA contemporary)
  • Gallant // V.E. Schwab (purchase — three editions (oops); YA horror; READ)
  • Delilah Green Doesn’t Care // Ashley Herring Blake (purchase; adult contemporary romance)
  • The Atlas Six // Olivie Blake (purchase; adult fantasy)
  • Anoka // Shane Hawk (purchase; adult horror)


And finally, a little life update:

March was a pretty eventful month in our home! The first part of the month was REALLY stressful. My anxiety has been getting progressively worse over the past several months, and it hit a point in late Feb/early March where I felt like I was barely functioning, so I talked to my doctor about trying a new medication. I started on Cymbalta a few weeks ago and it has honestly made a world of difference already. I still feel a little stressed about some things here and there, but most days, I can actually do the things I want to do without spiraling into panic attacks, which feels like such a huge win. It did take some time to adjust to, so there was a good week or so in mid-March where I mostly slept a LOT and played a lot of video games because I couldn’t really focus on anything at all, plus I had some physical side effects that weren’t great, but I’m thankful that they passed after only a few days. I’ve spent the last couple of weeks playing catch-up and trying to get back on top of my hobbies, work routines, etc. and my drive for reading finally came back (I spent most of March unable to read at all), so that has been really nice!

The other big thing that made March so eventful for us is that my spouse started a new job! They had been with the same company for a long time and their job had become a really stressful environment that was headed nowhere good, so they’ve started at a new company and we’re so relieved. They had to take a pay cut, but honestly, money isn’t everything and the difference we’ve already seen in their mental health has been so worth it.

Our entire home just feels like a brighter, happier, more energetic place right now and it’s kind of magical. The first few days of April have been really good to us so far and I’m hoping very hard that it’s a sign of a good month ahead of us. 🥰


How was your month? What was your favorite book you read or hauled, or what was something nice that happened in your life?


 

destiny

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More about Destiny @ Howling Libraries

Just a horror aficionado/geek girl trying to juggle motherhood, reading, blogging, gaming, and everyday life.

21 Comments
    1. You’re going to LOVE a Taste of Gold and Iron. That’s one of the best books I’ve read in a long, long time.

    1. Penelope Douglas’ books have very polarizing reviews. I’ve only liked Bully by her. You haven’t been alone with the anxiety front. if you ever need to talk, text me girl!

      1. That’s true, they definitely do! I liked Credence by her but I also read Birthday Girl and wasn’t really big on that one. I haven’t read Bully! And thank you, same to you! I’m sorry you’ve been dealing with it too.

    1. Yay, I’m glad you reached out about changing your meds! Congrats to your hubs and I’m so glad you are feeling better!! <3 You still had a great reading month. I cannot wait to read Gallant!!

    1. Im happy that you’ve found a medication that helps you feel better! I’ve been struggling with anxiety and depression lately too. I haven’t seen a doctor for it yet. I’m thinking it has to do mostly with my job…which I will be leaving at the end of May. Im hoping life changes will help me feel better soon.

      1. Thank you so much! I’m so sorry your anxiety and depression have been worse lately. 🙁 I’m glad you’re leaving your job – it sounds like it isn’t a great environment if it’s negatively impacting your mental health! I really hope the change in environment helps. 🥰

    1. Sounds like April is already better than March. Congrats on feeling better with new meds and your spouse’s new job😁

    1. glad you’re feeling better with the new meds!! hope you have a wonderful april (also all my rage is SO good! can’t wait to see what you think of it)💜

    1. Loved our buddy reads! 💜 I’m also so glad to see that you loved Gallant and Dead Silence, as I’m VERY excited to read them 🥰 I didn’t like The Taking of Jake Livingston as well, even though it was one of my most anticipated releases 😔 I hope good things are to come for you and your family in April! 🌷

      1. I did, too! I can’t wait for more buddy reading with you. 🥰 I hope you like Gallant and Dead Silence when you read them! I’m sorry you didn’t like The Taking of Jake Livingston either, though, especially since you were so excited for it! 🙁 I hope April is treating you well!

    1. I am so happy to see that things for you and your family are brighter now and that the new medications are helping you! I agree that money isn’t everything and as someone who too a title and pay cut to work with my current team, I can say a good environment is well worth it. Like money will always be a need and I don’t see myself ever in a position to not think about it, so putting myself and my happiness first has been great. Enough $ to live is enough for me these days.

      I love that you’ve been reading daily! I want to get back into that habit again and think I will tackle that come May 1. Super glad you enjoyed Dead Silence, I need to buy that one!

      1. I’m glad that you were able to move into a better work environment, too! You’re right – at this point in life, enough to live off of is plenty IMO. I think the last couple of years have taught so many of us a very valuable lesson in prioritizing things like mental health wherever we can! I know they’ve taught me a lot about that, anyways. ♥

        1. That’s definitely been my lesson & key takeaway from all the awful of the past two years. And I think it’s great people are prioritizing themselves more

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