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We’re moving along all the way into March! I know I’m moving through these monthly wrap ups fast. But honestly, this year is moving fast and I’m just trying to keep up!

What Moves the Dead by T Kingfisher

THIS BOOK RIGHT HERE! When I tell you I fell head over heels for this book. This short story is eerie and all the right kinds of creepy. It will keep you up at night so just know, you’ve been forewarned.

This short story is based on Edgar Allen Poe’s The Fall of the House of Usher. We follow our main character, Alex, when they receive a letter from an old friend explaining that she may be dying. Alex, of course, rushes to their estate to be with her and her brother, in their time of need. But they start to notice creepy happenings going on around the manor. Animals are acting strange, the residents of the house are sleep walking, and nothing is making any sense.

They become worried that the disease Alex’s friend may be dying from is contagious and we’re only thrown closer to the edge with these thoughts. Not only is this book horror filled, but our main character is Trans and I’m here for the representation!

I was sitting on the edge of my seat throughout this book and I was captivated from beginning to end. If you love horror and dark imagery then this is the book for you!

Before we Say Goodbye by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I love this series so so much! This is the fourth book in the series called Before the Coffee Gets Cold. They are all standalones but I HIGHLY recommend reading them all and in order. I discuss the premise of this series more in depth on my other blog that I will link here. If you’re interested in light speculative fiction surrounding a magical coffee house that transports you to the past, then this series is definitely for you.

This fourth installment did not disappoint. We continue to follow the cafe owners and certain returning customers. We’re also introduced to some new patrons who are braving the venture to travel back in time. Every single one of these books asks such deep, thought provoking questions. Every time I’m done reading a book from this series I just have to clutch it to my chest and stare into space. I sit there thinking about all of the themes this book presents. I can’t wait for the fifth book to come out later this year!

Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas

This month was just filled with all my favorite series. This is the second book in the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J Maas. This is my annual reread of this series and I fall in love with it again every time. I love the characters, I love the action, I love the brutality, I love the love stories. It’s all just so good. I discuss this series in another blog I wrote so if you’d like to know more you can check it out here.

For those of you reading this series for the first time, these first two books can be a little slow. You wonder to yourself, everyone’s been saying this series has x, y, and z and I don’t see any of that. Trust me, it’s all worth it once you reach about book 4 (this count includes the novella). SJM is laying the groundwork in these first few books but I promise the pay off is so worth it. She does such a great job developing all of these characters and building out this world. It takes a while for all the pieces to come together but when it does, just hang tight and enjoy the ride.

The Assassin’s Blade by Sarah J. Maas

This book is actually a novella consisting of several short stories that happen before the first Throne of Glass book. We follow Celaena and all the events that brought her to end up in the salt mines as a slave, leading to the first book. We see her time as an assassin and even meet some interesting characters that are mentioned in the first two books. 

I will say this once (and honestly a thousand more times because I’m super passionate about this). YOU HAVE TO READ THIS BOOK THIRD. Everyone has their own opinions on when you should read this BUT it was published third so you should read it third. If SJM wanted us to know this information before diving into the first book, she would have written this one first. We need to read this in the order the author intended because it packs a greater punch.

It also makes us as readers feel like we’re in on a big secret when something is revealed that we find out in book two. Or when certain characters say a line and you think, wait a minute, Celaena says that, OH MY GOSH THIS IS WHO SHE GOT IT FROM.

Trust me when I say, if you want the BEST reading experience with this series, read this one third. I promise it won’t disappoint. EVE SJM, THE QUEEN HERSELF, HAS ANNOUNCED THAT YOU NEED TO READ THIS THIRD. Can you tell I feel strongly about this?

Normally, I always recommend that a series be read in publishing order. There are a few exceptions to the rule out there, but in general I really feel we need to read this in the order the author intended. And now I’ll get off my soap box. Either way, go read this series now because it’s so good and may rip your heart out.

Poems by Maya Angelou

This is a collection of poems written by Maya Angelou. I don’t believe this is a complete collection of everything she’s written, but it’s a fair amount. But I wanted to pick this up because I wanted to switch up my reading a little bit and add poems back into the mix. I had also realized I never actually read too many of Maya Angelou’s poems and I wanted to dive into her work. Boy was I glad I did!

This set of poems is beautiful and awe inspiring. Her writing just flows and in such a surreal way that it just makes you want to keep reading. She writes about so many different themes and on a variety of topics. I think it’s important to read her work as most people (myself included) consider her one of the greats of poetry writing. She discusses topics that some people don’t want to talk about but she does it in a way that many people, of all backgrounds, can relate and also start to understand.

That is everything I read in the month of March! I hope you enjoyed this blog, please feel free to share it and I hope you continue following my crazy year of reading! I’ve linked my YouTube video down below where I discuss both my February and March Reading Wrap Ups!