Rearview Mirror // March 2022

Well, it took me seven weeks to get from February’s Rearview Mirror to March’s so… not a good trend LOL

Favorite March Read

Ironically my favorite March read was one I haven’t reviewed yet, because I’m going to post about the trilogy as a whole – Scythe by Neal Shusterman – that book was a total brain-trip and I couldn’t believe how hard it hooked me!

Most Disappointing March Read

Toss-up between The Priory of the Orange Tree and Pride, both of which I thought were overrated.

Other March Reads

• 3*
  • Sensible Kate by Doris Gates
  • Winter Garden by Kristen Hannah
•  3.5*
  • Illusions of Fate by Kiersten White
  • The Inn at Eagle Point by Sherryl Woods
  • Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott
  • The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan
  • Self-Sufficiency for the 21st Century by Dick and James Strawbridge
  • The White Cottage Mystery by Margery Allingham
• 4*
  • Blue Smoke by Nora Roberts
  • Coffin Road by Peter May
• 4.5*
  • Into the Forest by Rebecca Frankel
•  5*
  • Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

March Stats

• Total Number of Books Read:  16
• Total Pages Read:  5569
• Average Star Rating for March:  3.63
• Longest Book: The Priory of the Orange Tree (806 pages)
• Shortest Book:  Of Mice and Men (107 pages)
• Oldest Book:  Ivanhoe (published 1819)
• Newest Book: Into the Forest (published 2021)
• Top Genre:  Fantasy, Romance, and Fiction (for me that includes books that generally say “A Novel” on the front haha) all tied at 3 each

March Challenge Updates

• New states visited: Alaska, Connecticut, Florida, Maryland, and Missouri
• Chunksters read (800+pgs): 1
• Almost-a-chunksters read (450-799pgs): 2
• Classics read: 3
• Nonfiction read: 2

TBR Update

This is current as of today, not the end of March.

• Standalones:  482 (down six!!!)
• Nonfiction:  130 (holding steady)
• Personal (which includes all books I own (fiction and nonfiction), but lists any series I own as only one entry…):  626 (down two!)
• Series (each series counted separately, not each book within a series):  252 (holding steady)
• Mystery Series (each series counted separately, not each book within a series): 111 (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.): 166 (up TWELVE?!!)

Current Reads

I’m in a bit of a lull right now – several chapter-a-day reads starting July 1, though.  Right now, I’m just reading Kasie West’s By Your Side, which is okay, but seriously, the main character gets locked IN A LIBRARY and spends the whole time complaining she’s bored and then watching TV in the staff lounge?!?! It’s been a while since I read a YA book that made me feel so old!

Last Time on “Up Next”

Did I actually read my probable next five reads from last time?

• Scarlet by Marissa Meyer – Yes!! I ended up absolutely LOVING the entire Lunar series.  So fabulous.
• Strangers on a Train by Patricia Highsmith – Nope – I never got to this one during the month it was “assigned” so I sent it back to the library unread.  However, it’s still on my TBR as I really do want to read it sometime.
• Harbor Lights by Sherryl Woods – Nope – this one is still on the shelf, though, as it’s the next book in the Chesapeake Shores series.  I just haven’t gotten around to it yet!!
• The Lies We Told by Camilla Way – Oh man, another no! This one is also still on my imminent-TBR shelf – soon!!!

Up Next…

The probable next five(ish) reads –

• The Color of Dragons by R.A. Salvatore – This one is for the traveling book club, so I’m going into it pretty blind.  It looks like the rest of the group really enjoyed, though – I’m the last person to read this one!!
• The Hidden Hand by E.D.E.N. Southworth – Originally published in 1859, I have an edition that was released by Lamplighter press.  I read it a long time ago (back in high school) and it’s been on my reread list for a while.  I’m planning to delve into this one chapter-a-day to start.
• Excellent Women by Barbara Pym – This is the next buddy read for the PemberLittens group, and will also be a chapter-a-day.  I don’t know much about this one, but I’m enjoying trying some different books by classic women writers.
• A Tangled Web by L.M. Montgomery – This will be a reread for me, although it’s been quite a long time since I read it.  The Kindred Spirits on Litsy are still reading/discussing one Montgomery book a month, and this is July’s pick.  I’m looking forward to this one.
• The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde – The next round of traveling book club starts in July, and I joined two groups for contrast – one is vintage classics, and this one is my pick for the group.  I’ve never read it before, so I’m actually quite intrigued to see how it goes.  The other group is “happy” fiction – we have two Heyers, a Wodehouse, and another Regency romance fluff read, so I think that group will be a lot of fun as well.

Well, that’s (finally) a wrap for March – we’ll see how long it takes me to get through April reviews!!!