Rearview Mirror // March 2021

Well, it’s been less than two week since I posted the February Rearview Mirror, so maybe I am catching up a little!!!

Favorite March Read

While I definitely am not picking this one for its depth and thoughtfulness, I have to say that The 26th of November was the book I enjoyed reading the most in March.  A fun and fluffy P&P variation that didn’t try to take itself too seriously.

Most Disappointing March Read

Probably Peter Pan.  While I wasn’t expecting it to be my new favorite, I honestly found parts of this classic to be on the disturbing side.  It’s a lot darker than I anticipated and I just wasn’t a fan.

Other March Reads

• 2.5*
  • Tonight & Always by Nora Roberts
•  3*
  • Darcy Comes to Rosings by Andrea David
  • Defiant Dreams by Cheri Michaels
  • Don’t Look Now & Other Stories by Daphne du Maurier
  • Lullaby by Ed McBain
• 3.5*
  • Blue Smoke by Dorothy Lyons
  • The Breakthrough by Daphne du Maurier
  • Mansfield Park by Jane Austen
  • Meet Me in London by Georgia Toffolo
  • Mischief by Ed McBain
  • Penne Dreadful by Catherine Bruns
  • Vespers by Ed McBain
•  4*
  • Andy & Willie by Lee Sheridan Cox
  • The Boomerang Clue by Agatha Christie
  • Harry Potter & the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
  • Heartstone by Phillip Margolin
  • If I Never Met You by Mhairi McFarlane
  • Kiss by Ed McBain
  • On Equal Ground by Elizabeth Adams
  • Unknown Threat by Lynn Blackburn (this was an ARC review, so I actually reviewed in March when I read it!)
  • Widows by Ed McBain
• 5*
  • The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

March Stats

• Total Number of Books Read:  25 (10 Kindle, 15 physical)
• Total Pages Read:  7258
• Average Star Rating for September:  3.6
• Longest Book: Mansfield Park (494 pages)
• Shortest Book:  The Breakthrough (58 pages)
• Oldest Book:  Mansfield Park (published 1814)
• Newest Book: Unknown Threat (published 2021)
• Number of New-to-Me Authors:  6

March DNFs

My only DNF this month was a P&P variation that I actually reviewed the other day – Pemberley: Mr. Darcy’s Dragon by Maria Grace.

TBR Update

This I keep updated as I go, so it’s current as of today, rather than as of the end of February. Still a million years behind on reading blog posts, though! :-/  I’m sure I’ll get caught up over summer break, right?  RIGHT?!

For those of you who don’t know, I’m weirdly obsessive with organizing the TBR, and have it on a spreadsheet divided into six different tabs:

• Standalones:  511 (down two)
• Nonfiction:  124 (down three)
• Personal (which includes all books I own (fiction and nonfiction), but lists any series I own as only one entry…):  650 (up one)
• Series (each series counted separately, not each book within a series):  251 (holding steady)
• Mystery Series (each series counted separately, not each book within a series): 115 (holding steady)
• New Arrivals – (I have a lot of books that I have been gifted or that I pick up somewhere and they get put on my “oh I’m so excited about this shiny new book” shelf… and then of course don’t actually get read.): 137 (holding steady)

Current Reads

• Tips for the Lazy Gardener by Linda Tilgner – one I picked up at a booksale several years ago but never got around to reading.  So far, it’s more like “tips for getting organized when you garden” lol
• Jane Austen Made Me Do It by various authors – a collection of short stories all inspired by Austen.  Another book I picked up on the cheap somewhere.  For fun, I’m just reading one story a day from the collection.
• Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling – about 2/3 through this one.  It’s my least favorite from the series, but reading it only a chapter a day has been making Harry’s angst (and Umbridge) more bearable.
• The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis – almost done with the chapter-a-day readalong of Narnia.  It’s actually been longer since I read this one than the others because the beginning of this one just makes me feel wretched.
• A Blissful Marriage by Lory Lilian – I’ve been in the mood for more terrible P&P variations so I’m reupped my Kindle Unlimited subscription this month.  Not going to lie, this one is pretty terrible so far.

Up Next

The probable next five(ish) reads…

If I’m honest, more bad P&P variations.  Officially, per the TBR –

• The Paris Library by Janet Charles
• Jane Fairfax by Joan Aiken
• The Little Mermaid & Other Fairy Tales by Hans Christian Anderson
• Meet Me in Bombay by Jenny Ashcroft
• The next five 87th Precinct books

Well, that about wraps up March (HA) so I’ll be back soon with some April reviews!! Thanks for sticking with me!!